The Sun On the Hill

I only have fond memories about previous visits to "The Sun On The Hill", but it's just not one of those places I visit very regularly. During a catch up over cocktails with Elite Adam S last night, he mentioned that this venue had received a bit of a makeover recently. As it was just over the road from Bodega (the chosen Cocktail venue for the evening), we decided to pay the cheque and wander on over to check it out.

First thing to note, it's not that different. You're not going to wander in and be astonished in a "changing rooms" stylee, but it does look smarter. I love the renewed signage on the door and the little design touches in this smart City pub. It's been a while since I had visited, but I did notice that they seemed to have more cask ale on offer than I remembered them having. I went for a pint of "New World" whilst Adam had a glass of the ole faithful "Mad Goose" (with Purity being a fairly local brewery an' all).

I do love the mixed seating here. We sat on a table with high stools, but there were comfy booths in the main bar, a sofa area near the door, bar stools and further tables up a level on the mezzanine. It would make a great venue as a "pre-club" stop, a drink with friends, a casual date or even just a swift afterwork pint!

Now, I didn't try the food here but I noticed the menu has been updated (as per The Sun At The Station - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/the-station-birmingham). They are also offering a "Half Price Food On Mondays" offer until the end of October, so I will try and pop in and catch that to give a more round review of the venue.

This is a smart city pub, with a bit of a "younger" and "funkier" feel to it than many of it's nearest neighbours. It plays a good selection of music and has a welcoming and friendly vibe. If you haven't popped in before, make a date to grab a pint with a friend and check out this cool venue.

This is a great pub/bar right in the middle of town. We went in last night to meet friends and I have to say I like the place more and more every time I go.

The staff are always really friendly and helpful even charging my phone behind the bar.....the constant need for a charger with an Iphone is very real.

The drinks are pretty standard 'pub' spirits with a few guest ales but what surprised me was the food menu. It contains what I would consider to be pub classic's combined with a pick and mix selection of sharing plates which included chicken and chorizo, calamari and nachos. Ill have to come back and give it a go soon :)

One final note is that if you are looking for somewhere free to get in on weekends, with decent music and no extortionate drink prices...The Sun On The Hill provides again. They have djs every weekend playing a huge mix of party/well known tunes.....it's always packed but a good vibe!

I've had drinks here a few times. Came here on a Monday late evening so the place wasn't too busy, nice atmosphere. Inside it was decorated with mirrors, lots of seats and comfortable booths. Good night if you fancy something livelier than a pub but more chilled than a club at a weekend. Friendly bar staff, affordable drinks.

I always thought this was another crappy chain pubs but after having dinner in Bodega opposite me and my friend fancied a quick drink for the road.

Sun on the hill has a great atmosphere, but its let down by the staff. They don't appear particularly friendly or welcoming. Feels a bit like they are doing you a favour really. Clientele on this Thursday evening was predominantly male in groups of 3s and 4s.

However its very reasonably priced as well. I've enjoyed many roast dinners here on a Sunday, and the burgers are also half decent. You can't fault it for value, especially if you've got an Independent Birmingham card and get 25% off!

It's a big pub, with plenty of room for you and your mates, from sofa spaces to big booths. The drinks are reasonably priced and with a big screen the place is often busy for football matches and generally on an evening. I haven't eaten here in a while but its standard pub food and its just across the way from Bodega if you fancy something more exciting. If you want something more relaxed than the hipster vibe of The Victoria but with a good friendly atmosphere then you can't go wrong.

The upstairs mezzanine level always feels a bit quieter than the big open downstairs seating area but the stairs can often be treacherous with drinks being carried up and down them. Even when it's busy with a bit of hustle and bustle you don't mind too much as it feels really relaxed and easy going.

I've been to the Sun on the Hill many times over the years. My most recent visit was a week ago.

The venue feels somewhat upgraded with high tables and high chairs but it still feels to me very much like TV rules the venue.

If I want tv I'll watch it at home.

The staff are friendly and the food is excellent. It's like a post-student venue with a cool and trendy crowd.

I thought I had already reviewed this place, but it seems not!

Anyway I spent too many Friday nights during college in this building, then known as the Factotum, cheap shots and pints coupled with terrible cheesy music, was the order of the day, taking over the upstairs balcony!

Thankfully, both the pub, and my choice of weekend activities, have been through changes over the years. The (now called) Sun on The Hill is a strange pub, its had a nice lick of paint and theyve certainly tried to hipster the place up a bit, they also have Purity on draft, which is a solid reliable pint, in addition to a reasonable range of bottled beer and draft lagers. But they also show most sporting events, on big screens and a projector, which although I'm a sports fan, doesn't seem to sit with the general look aim of the place as a cool city centre pub.

Now obviously theses days no pub could survive without a busy kitchen, and the sun on the hill has a pretty extensive menu serving sandwiches, light bites, burgers and hot dogs. I've seen a pretty wide range of the offerings here, and I have one recommendation. Have the hot dog. Its by far the best item on the menu and although not up there with Big Dog (http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/big-dog-fletchers-walk-2?hrid=nEZ36aDqWDWoYRVhzERGew RIP for now?.....) its a pretty damn good dawg, and there's a few different options to pick between too. The other food is ok, nothing more nothings less, the dog is where its at yo.

Situated next to Trenchers on Bennett's Hill, this is a nice lovely city pub.

I ordered myself a cider and sat near the large windows - perfect place to people watch whilst waiting for some of my mates.

They have local magazines available for you to read and a loud Television blarring out all the local news, which then switched over to the footy. It does get a bit noisy though and has a mixed crowd with city people and young working professionals mixing after work.

Although I thought this isn't a bad pub, it wasn't my cup of tea. But if your after a nice hangout, drinks with mates or want to relax with a drink and watch the telly, this pub ticks all of those boxes. It's also not too far from New Street station and the public transport with a local TAXI rank close by, incase you've had a few too many, getting home isn't much of a problem.

I really like the Sun on the Hill, I always forget about the place and I don't know why. There is always a good atmosphere, the beer on offer is excellent. The place is nice and tidy for the type of pub it is and its nice and central too.

Yesterday myself and my wife went for a Sunday lunch and this was the only place we could find really at the time of day we were looking. We weren't hoping for much at the price of £7.95 (with independent card about £6) but we were really impressed. This is actually a really nice Sunday Roast and one that I would come back for as well.

I've had burgers here previously and personally I dont think it was much to write home about but the food normally is definitely not bad at all, its better than the wetherspoons which is next door.

If you are looking for a decent no-nonsense pub in the centre of Birmingham where you can watch football or have a dance at the weekend or just generally have a mid week drink, then the Sun on the Hill is ideal.

This place used to be my haunt a few years ago, me and a friend were hopelessly in love with two of the barstaff and so we were constantly in there. Now my lust filled days are over, I can give an objective view of the place. The food is really good, especially the burgers and onion rings (my favourite) and the style of the place is very cool.I like that they have tvs that occasionally show films and I have to admit that sometimes I have been distracted from conversations by the film. It gets really crowded and the prices are a little steep but overall I really like the place.