Pennyblacks

Great location

26 May 08, 20:47 Above expectations

This pub is really nice in the summer, as the views of the canal look so much nicer in the sunshine. Its food is very brasserie style and does decent sized portions.

Posh ale

02 May 08, 16:59 Above expectations

Real ale is the new... er... lager?

This place is super-posh with prices to match. A great range of real ales though and you can actually see the barrels which is comforting!

Nice setting right by the canalside. Great for an evening bevvy - pretty busy with the BBC and Network Rail crowd on a Friday after work - but don't let that put you off!

There's a mouse in my soup

01 May 08, 14:39 Well below expectations

Some friends took me there for my birthday and the food was lovely, service was good and the menu looked to be good value, however..... a MOUSE ran down the middle of the restaurant!! My friends and I were the only people in there apart from the staff, although they ran out screaming after seeing the mouse. We got the meal for free but I haven't been back since.

Refined and quiet

29 Apr 08, 18:21 Beyond expectations

Pennyblacks does a good job of hiding itself away. You really can't see it until you're outside, which makes it much quieter than the rest of the Mailbox offerings, but the service and product doesn't suffer.

The sunday lunches and burgers and salads are among the best in central birmingham, the decor's relaxed but cool, and it's the PERFECT place to recover from a hangover at midday on a Sunday with a fizzy orange juice!

It CAN get busy on Fridays because it's often used by nearby offices (including ours) to kick start leaving do's and birthday parties (it's quieter, so can fit more people in in one go)... But it's usually just a nice place for a quiet drink and a chat. Love it.

not one to scare you but.....

29 Apr 08, 00:03 Above expectations

I once saw a mouse run through this bar. I kid you not.

However it was blamed on the nearby building work and I have been back since.

I've been back because the food is one of the best places to eat in the mailbox and manages to keep a classic charm about it.

Good food, Good drinks. Hard to find. (It's downstairs@mailbox)

Pennyblacks

16 Apr 08, 13:50 Above expectations

I got a little bit drunk here at the Radio 2 xmas party, it was a free bar so you can see why. Its a great place to go for a night out or a meal early evening. It does get fairly busy at the weekends but theres usually enough places to sit. The drinks are expensive depending what you have, if you stick to wine its not too bad. The music is varied depending on the night etc. All in all ive had some good nights in Pennyblacks

PennyBlacks

11 Apr 08, 16:33 As expected

Good selection of food. Wide choice of beers and located in a nice surronding overlooking the canal by the Mailbox. A good place to star spot as it's right next to the BBC. A good place for a few friends or quiet place to have a meal in nice surrondings.

A place to go after work

11 Apr 08, 10:14 Beyond expectations

Pennyblacks is a nice bar in the Mailbox overlooking the canal; it has a relaxed feel to the place with comfy sofas and dimmed lighting. The clientele is mainly business/office workers’ going for drinks after work but it also attracts people using this as a meeting place before moving onto a club.

The food they serve here is typical ‘English’ grub but tastes nice, you pay a little more but that’s because it’s in the mailbox. It doesn’t really get busy during the day but of a weekend evening tables seem to get booked up especially in the summer months. It’s a nice place to go after a hard day at the office.

Pennyblacks

10 Oct 07, 19:27 Above expectations

Part of the Pennyblacks chain, Pennyblacks at the Mailbox is a lovely little place which I have been to numerous times for a late weekend brunch or a gossipy lunch with the girls. Mainly a wine bar, Pennyblacks has an impressive wine list, complete with wine-tasting lessons on offer and bar staff who seriously know their stuff. The decor is unpretentious though rather manly I think- lots of dark wood and polished surfaces- which serves to make you feel rather more comfortable in this bar than you might in the more pretentious bars in the Mailbox. The food menu is varied- sandwiches and baguettes are available, although I tend to go for a main course like steak and ale pie when I visit, as I have a big appetite! It is typical 'English' food, so expect things like bubble and squeak and black pudding served with your fry up. I've never seen this place that busy, but then I have never been there in the evening- it strikes me that Pennyblacks would be more of an 'older' persons' bar in the evening because of its reputation for great wines and its relaxed, quiet atmosphere. That's not to say it's not great to go to for a drink, but I wouldn't expect it to be rocking. The bar staff are very friendly, and are more than happy to answer questions about food and drink, which is always good, especially when accompanied by fussy eaters, as I often am! I recently visited with a friend who was in a wheelchair due to a broken leg, and the staff went out of their way to find a space for her and to ensure that she could move between tables easily. It was all done very discreetly, and so smoothly that only afterwards we realised they'd done it without us asking, which was pretty incredible. I'd recommend Pennyblacks as the kind of place you'd go to for lunch or a quiet dinner- chilled out, good food, friendly staff and a nice view out over the canal.