The Shakespeare Inn

A traditional victorian pub with plenty of retained character i.e. Dark wood panelling, proper plaster coving, leather seating, bare wooden flooring and lots of architectural features. It’s a Nicolsons pub so the range of real ales are not bad.

The Shakey is what it is… A Nicholson’s pub on Summer Row with a beer garden. I hadn’t been back to this venue for quite some time, but I was wracking my brain for a sunny spot to sit and do some brainstorming of an afternoon and it struck me… Why not the Shakespeare?
It’s not a pub I visit that often anymore but it’s still got a place. Firstly, it’s the only real «pub» on the stretch of bars, restaurants and night spots on Summer Row and secondly… It’s pretty darn good actually. The food is always quite nice and the beer is reasonably well kept. It sprang to mind as a good location for brainstorming as I had been told about the «Hop Circle» app (which gives you discounts and offers) and I knew there was a choice of two sun soaked garden areas out the back of the venue.
Now, beer in any Nicholson’s venue isn’t cheap — but I think it’s now standardly priced for the area. They do a selection of real ales as well as imported lagers and a full range of spirits. When I popped in I was greeted warmly by the bar staff and offered some recommendations of what was on offer (as well as tasters for anything I hadn’t tried before).
The furniture is a little shabby, but it’s comfortable and warm in the winter and has a garden for the summer (making it a good choice all year round). On a Tuesday early evening the clientele was mainly business folk enjoying a pint, but there were groups of friends gathered and a noticable lack of «all day drunkards» in the venue.
I had a good couple of hours with my laptop nursing a pint… I would recommend the Shakespeare for a casual catch up or just a nice spot to enjoy a cold jar in the warm sunshine.

Nice little pub ! Great Quiz on a Tuesday !! Didn’t have food but it smelt delicious :)
You can get a pint for a pound if you sign up to their Hop circle on
but make sure you pint out the email !!! Otherwise they cannot give you a pint for a pound — bless them they were very helpful and polite though.

You will find The Shakespeare Inn in Summer Row Birmingham within a short stroll of Snow Hill Station, Jewellery Quarter and Bull Ring Shopping Centre.
I have visited the Shakespeare a few times now and find it a great pub. Very inviting when making my way to the Jewellery Quarter. It has that traditional feel to it and is a comfortable spot for an after work drink or a few with friends.
The Shakespeare is good for a pub quiz on a Tuesday night and doesn’t leave you clueless on every question! Bonus!
It’s run by Nicholson’s and has a large selection of Real Ales. Don’t ask my to comment though, as I’m a cider fan.
Not to be confused with the pub of the same name opposite Birmingham New Street

Not quite so cheap and cheerful as it used to be, but it’s still a traditional pub, with a decent sized beer garden. I’ve not been on a Friday or Saturday night, when I know Summer Row gets really busy, but certainly during the week and on Sundays there are only a few people in there, which is quite pleasant if you just want a relaxing pint.
Bar staff are friendly.
Tuesday night pub quiz (free entry) is good fun too!

I really like the atmosphere in this pub. It’s got a bit of an «old-​manny» vibe about it with the traditional style décor, which actually makes quite a refreshing change from the more trendy pubs which seem to be everywhere now.
We usually go on a Tuesday for the quiz, which is free with a prize of a £25 bar tab and is challenging but not impossible with a good variety of rounds, changing from week to week.
This week, we were feeling a little peckish so we ordered a large nachos to share — just about right as a snack between three of us. They were tasty but were smothered in a slightly cheesy sauce rather than real cheese which would have been better, and we were disappointed by the tiny amount of pulled pork that we had paid an extra £2 for. However, I have always been happy with their meals in the past.
The drinks selection is good (both alcoholic and soft) and reasonable and the staff are friendly. Overall a good, old-​fashioned pub.

The Shakespeare is real diamond amongst the rough, situated next to some of my least favourite bars in Birmingham on Summer Row.
The service is exemplary, staff are friendly and attentive. The food is cooked to perfection and you can get some real bargains if you check the board outside. For example you can get a good quality sandwich or meal and a drink for £5 between 12−5pm.
The beer garden/​patio area out back is a real hidden gem.
A really welcoming pub I’d highly recommend to anyone.

I’ve been frequenting The Shake (as I like to call it) for ages and seen it undergo a couple of transformations in recent years but really for me, the reason this place appeals is simple — they have a brilliant smoking area which stays warm and toasty even in the depths of winter. In fact if you ask nicely the staff will even light the candles for you which gives the garden a slightly romantic feel (unless its blowing a gale of course) Inside this is a decent boozer — there’s two rooms and a weird little nook which holds one table and the décor and general ambiance is nice. It never gets really busy, you can always get a seat and the staff are sweet. The food looks pretty good and the back room can be hired.

This is a cracking little pub right on the corner of Summer Row. Although it’s recently been refurbished recently, the original and unique characteristics have been maintained. When the pub was taken over by new management, the prices shot up dramatically. I use to go to this pub all the time as it was one of the only places in the city where you could buy a bottle of wine for less than £5.
Unfortunately, although the appearance of the pub has improved, you will be lucky to get a bottle of wine for under £10 which brings the pricing in line with its competitors such as Apres.
On the plus side, there is an outside terrace area which has a number of benches and outdoor heaters should the evening get a little chilly.
As it’s a pub, you don’t need to worry about dress code which another added benefit. They also provide a typical pub food menu so should you get peckish there will something to take your fancy.

This is a traditional pub along a strip of less-​so traditional bars. Summer Row can be a bit of a mini-​Broad Street in the evenings, albeit a slightly more up-​market version, which is probably enough to keep most sensible people away. Tucked away on a corner is The Shakespeare, which retains the look and feel of what I would call ‘a proper pub’.
The interior is decked out with what looks like the original tilework from the early 20^th century — lots of warm greens and browns that make for a homely atmosphere. There is a small, enclosed ‘beer garden’ at the back of the pub and in summer months the tables and chairs spill out onto the pavement. There isn’t much of a view, though, it has to be said as rear of the Shakespeare is in the shadow of several large office buildings.
The beer and the food is pretty good. They have a decent selection of lagers — domestic and continental — and the main bar has a TV screen. They don’t show live sport but you can, as I have, watch the results come in on a late Saturday afternoon.
Whilst it can get busy in the immediate hours after the nearby offices kick out, this is a relatively quiet pub the rest of the time and on my list of ‘Places to have a pint and read the paper’ when I’m in the City Centre.

The Shakespeare is another of those places I always promised myself I would go visit when I was living nearby, but never really got around to it. I was passing recently and in search of somewhere for lunch, so I gave it a try. I wasn’t disappointed.
Like many traditional pubs, the Shakespeare is compartmentalised, giving a feeling of cosiness without being cramped. When I approached the bar, the man who served me was genuinely conversational and made the effort to recommend a few things from their lunchtime menu. I opted for the vegetarian chili, which was obviously pre-​made but still quite good.
I sat in the paved beer ‘garden’, which was spacious and comfy, even if I did feel a little self-​conscious to be sat surrounded by tall office buildings on most sides. The food was decent enough and very reasonably priced. Nothing spectacular, but for somewhere to relax and have a quiet drink, it’s one of the better places to go in the city centre.

Went in for 2^nd time as part of a crawl and this is the last pub before the trains station. It was quite full and had some decent real ale on offer. The toilets is very small — 2 blokes in and you struggle for space! It’s ok for a quick half before the train but not for an hour or more. Cheap food though we did not eat here on this occasion.

i love the shakespeare! with resonable food and drink people cant help but like this place! although yes there always seem to be different staff working there, i have always found them to be very pleasant and polite! this is a definate visit for its quirkiness!

Perfect for lazy on a sunny afternoon or later even thanks to the outdoor heaters! Smokey mind! Cheap for Summer Row but not as nice as nearby.

Strange place really, beer is OK, not always served correctly, with apparently different staff every time I go. There seems to be more drinkers/​smokers outside than in. Clientele depends on time of day.

Disagree with the previous reviewer, while it isn’t a place for a banging night out, it is a good place to go after shopping, on a saturday afternoon, or early doors midweek when it’s full of city centre workers. The pub was closed and refurbished about three years ago, so is quite pleasant inside. They serve a variety of lagers and real ales, often have deals on spirits, and cheap wine by the bottle. Also a seated area outside for smokers!

I ended up in The shakespeare when I was 17, back in 2001, after I had been ‘attemptedly’ mugged. It certainly provided a much needed drink that day and returning for the first time in 6 years a few weeks ago I don’t think it’s changed much.
It is more of a ‘pub’ than a trendy bar even though it is pretty much right in the heart of Birmingham, just down a little side street near to the central library. The drinks prices are pretty standard (£2.90) for a single vodka and coke. It has plenty of seating and even on a saturday night it isn’t overly crowded. The best thing is that even on the weekend, it just plays lowly background music.
Ok, so there isn’t a great atmosphere or ambience in this place, but when you actually just want to talk to people, it offers the perfect space to do so in.

There are a number of plus points for The Shakespeare
— it’s very close to New Street Station
— it’s cheap (including cheap food)
— it shows sport that isn’t football
Now that last point may not sound like a great point, but on occasion is certainly is. Basically every other pub in Birmingham will show Premiership football over and above anything else. That includes crucial Ashes cricket matches of the type that were common-​place in 2005.
In times like that The Shakespeare is a welcome relief. I guess the only other option would be Sports Café on Broad St, but that’s well expensive, with rubbish beer.