The Junction

Love this place, food is superb and a fantastic selection of drinks. Also runs a quiz which is great fun and always a friendly atmosphere. Quirky in that you can buy the artwork which is a nice touch. Attended a wine tasting event which was fantastic value for money with food provided. If your in harborne then this place is worth a visit for sure

So, this review is really about the food. If you want to pop in for a drink or participate in their pub quiz (they run a GREAT pub quiz), different story. Drinks are (a bit pricy but) great! Staff are friendly (though sometimes I get the impression they’re all really stressed out).
Anyway, I want to love the Junction. I really do. I’ve been back quite a few times because it’s quite near to where I live. In it’s favor, it is a really beautiful space with high ceilings, and great for larger groups. Their drink selection is good. A+ for décor and drinks.
But the food. So, so overpriced for what it is. The menu describes high-​end gastropub fare, but it is just so underwhelming and disappointing. I shelled out £10 for a salad which was essentially a few leaves on a plate with a bit of dressing and grated parmesan. The burgers I’ve had have all been quite dry and missing ingredients. Portions are pretty small compared to similar restaurants. It’s one of those things where they just can’t seem to meet expectations at all. I also have found every time I’ve been, at least one thing has been missing from someone’s order. I feel like perhaps there is some miscommunication going on between the waitstaff and the kitchen.
Maybe things will change. A lot of people seem perfectly content with their dining experiences, so perhaps I’ve been unlucky. But so far the food seems pretty thrown together and ‘meh’.

Having lived in Harborne for quiet sometime now i’ve only ever had the occasional drink here. But i was here this time for food at a christmas party i attended a few days ago. The evening was full of Severe delays, poor food and worse service meant we did not enjoy the visit. Stressed overworked staff members lied and made little attempt to make good on failures. Food arrived incomplete and burnt.
We were booked in as a group of 10 on a Saturday evening, while busy there was still plenty of space when we arrived. Perhaps 20 minutes after ordering, 2 of the orders were mistakenly delivered as sausages instead of lamb flatbreads. When mentioned to the waiters, they came and delivered the item to another table after ~10 minutes. An odd decision given that we would be waiting for food until the mistake was corrected, and the compromise of quality experienced by the other guests.
After a further 30 minutes, a single completed lamb flatbread was delivered, as opposed to two. Again, the mistakes was mentioned, this time directly to the kitchen staff (as we were closer to the kitchen anyway). After a further 20 minutes, a severely burnt flatbread was delivered. As this was over an hour and a half from our arrival, I had little patience to wait for another flatbread, having to leave my seat to complain to the staff.
Staff members lied to me, claiming that the item had been prepared as intended, despite clear evidence to the contrary. The first flatbread had spinach and some tzatziki, the second had neither and was half burnt black. We had to demand a refund, as the staff only begrudgingly offered to refund if they took the burnt mess back, a pointless venture as it’d be fit only for the bin.
As we were able to see the kitchen, we at one point saw an ill cook sneeze in the direction of the food, wipe his hand, then continue to prepare food. The food that did arrive on time as intended was poor, with the fried chicken (£10) being worse quality than that available in most budget fast food joint for a third of the price.
While Junction is a decent pub for drinks, and the food was occasionally acceptable, the service was appalling. Those who own the Junction should consider their staffing plans, as it clearly employs far too few people.

Very well designed and laid our bar right on the high street in Harborne. I asked our barmaid to make me a bloody mary, when she asked how spicy I would like it I replied with ‘ill have it how you would make it for yourself… she was definitely a big fan of tabsco… one more drop and I would have been asking for a glass of milk to cool my mouth down!
The only reason I am not giving a five-​star review for this place is the price. You do get the best the best spirits but there are no cheaper options if you are watching the pennies.

Great pub. Great atmosphere. Can get really busy in the restaurant section. To be fair people just having drinks but sitting in the eating section should be asked to go to the tables at the bar and not take up dinner tables. May need to book many days/​weeks in advance to book a table to eat on a weekend evening. The food has always been consistently good but is standard pub type fare. Limited parking on the street or perhaps at the adjacent grocery store, though they do police that area for people parking and not shopping.

The Junction is my geographical local, in that it is the closest pub to my house (discounting a couple of fractionally closer private members clubs), although being on Harborne High Street there’s plenty of choice around it. With all the choice that Harborne has to offer, The Junction is still one of my favourites, not because it’s a few steps closer to home.
The Junction is a Victorian pub, built in the 19^th century on the site of an earlier pub in a prominent position on the High Street. It (unsurprisingly) takes it’s name from the fact that it sits in the middle of a junction between the High St & Vivian Rd. Besides a spell as an O’Neill’s, it has retained it’s original name. There was a horse trough in front of the building, which was a popular local landmark until it was removed in [???].
Many people are surprised to discover that The Junction isn’t an independent pub; it has the feeling of one. It is in-​fact owned by Mitchells & Butlers (M&B), who also own O’Neill’s, Sizzling Pubs, Nicholson’s, Toby Carverys, and 13 other pub brands. M&B are a Birmingham company (their head office is on Fleet Street, by UCB), this is something we can be proud of, right? The Junction is part of their ‘Castle’ brand. This is M&B’s brand that pretends to not be a brand. The upshot of which, is that their managers are given more autonomy than those of other brands. One Trick Pony Club & The Fighting Cocks in Moseley are also Castle pubs.
A huge draw for me to The Junction is the beer. They have the most progressive forward thinking beer range in Harborne that beats the pants off most brand pubs. I use the word brand loosely, as you won’t see any castle branding, just The Junction’s own bespoke branding. Their beer range just goes from strength to strength. In 2013 they were the only pub to have their own bar at the Birmingham Beer Bash. They used this to launch their entry into guest keg beers. The idea of guest kegs was a new one for Birmingham at this time. I believe The Junction was the second pub in the city after Brewdog, to have guest keg lines. Two years later and they’re all doing it. Also The Junction’s range has improved vastly, with recent guests from Sierra Nevada, Lagunitas, Beavertown, Fruh, Lefebvre, and Wild Beer, bottles and cans of Beavertown, Tiny Rebel, Siren, Sierra Nevada (Torpedo), and Flying Dog. Prices vary but go up to around £5 a pint for the more ‘exclusive’ brews. This can seem pricey, but when you compare it against prices in craft beer bars, it’s not over the top at all.
The décor feels traditional and sympathetic to the age of the building, yet still up to date and fresh. Dark mahogany woods dominate the space. Lush deep red leather booths reminiscent of chesterfields line the wall opposite the bar. A large, presumably traditional, Bass mirror covers most of the exposed brick back bar. Beyond the bar, there’s an open fire that they light in the winter to give the place a snug, homely feel. The dining tables dominate the back of the pub, which are served from the open kitchen, but there are also a couple of sofas for chilling out with a drink. Through a set of double doors is a courtyard outdoor seating area. Although they go to every effort to make the outside space feel nice, it is a little small, so it is often dominated by smokers. I wouldn’t eat outside here and if I wanted to sit outside and catch some sun, I would probably sooner go to the New Inn or The Plough.
Kevin (the manager) runs a tight ship, the pub is always clean & tidy, staff put the customers’ interests first, seem to genuinely enjoy their job and are happy to help in any way they can. This is a tantamount to Kevin’s ability to hire right and train well. Their product knowledge is really good and they seem passionate and interested in the drinks that they sell.
The food is good! Remember how it’s kinda like an independent? Well the chefs do actual real cooking. Unlike some of the M&B brands, where by the menus are the same at every place with the meals being distributed from a central factory and reheated on site. These chefs (not microwave technicians) use actual real ingredients to prepare actual dishes of food. A favourite is their burger night on Mondays; burger and a drink for £9. This may be a couple for quid more than a ‘spoons beer & burger, but believe me it’s worth it! Monday night is also quiz night, normally ran by Toni and is thoroughly enjoyable. Morning/​afternoon brunches and roasts are also popular on weekends.
They have a kids menu, with meals from £5 as well as colouring & board games to keep the little ones occupied. I believe children are welcome until 7pm.
My one very small gripe is that on weekend nights it gets a bit too busy for my liking, the bar becomes over crowded and difficult to move in. Otherwise it’s a top pub in a lovely neighbourhood. I implore you to try it sometime. What’s more, if you let me know that you’re coming over, I’ll more than likely join you for a pint. Cheers!

I have mixed feelings about the Junction.
I really like hanging out here, the atmosphere is great — especially when the open fire is roaring. There is an amazing selection of beers and wines to choose from and the staff have always been really friendly.
If you’re coming here to eat, I would definitely book ahead and go for the late afternoon, early evening as it can get quite busy and you could find yourself disappointed. The menu changes regularly so it is difficult to recommend a dish but if they have it, go for the whitebait alongside your pint. Its amazing.
Another great thing about the Junction is they allow dogs if you sit in the front (tiled) half.
My problem is the price. I don’t mind paying a bit extra for a good vintage or a local craft ale but the last time I was here I ordered a diet coke and had to hand over £2.90 and things spiral up from there. Too much for my budget and a few rounds with work colleagues.

This is a really beautiful pub in the centre of Harborne and well worth a visit if you’re in the area (of even if you’re not, given that Harborne in general is one of the fanciest areas of Birmingham).
I wasn’t 100% impressed with the brunch food (sausage sandwich was literally just sausage and bread but was brought without condiments, eggs benedict had nice ham but the sauce wasn’t the best) but it came swiftly despite the fact we were a massive group all ordering at different times — the pub handled that extremely well.

One of my favourite destinations for supping on a nice pint.
Personally I like my drinking establishments to hark back to years gone by, big wooden bars, glazed tiles, big hand pumps etc. The junction definately falls into this category in some respects but adds a layer of sheen courtesy of the modern touches such as the subway tiles and pseudo industrial lighting. There’s also a courtyard space at the rear. All in all a comfy place to enjoy a pint.
The drink selection is also pretty good, 6 cask ales, premium lagers and a good selection of kegged ale too. They offer a range of cocktails and a half decent choice of wines too if that’s your thing.
I haven’t had any of the food here yet, so couldn’t comment, this place always seems to be more of the start of a bit of a wild one off down Harbourne High St rather than a place for lunch. Planning on heading down there soon to see what sort of fare they serve up.
It gets a little busy on weekends and the clientèle is always very mixed, they operate a no-​football shirt policy though so it shows they are making an effort to retain a bit of class on those hazy weekend evenings. Punters don’t seem to be at the same density as down at the Plough though, and the Junction makes a nice little alternative to that particular venue.

Came for dinner on friday after a long day moving house wanting pub comfort food. Ordered bangers and mash and my other half ordered steak. Despite seating us before another couple, their dinner arrived about 10 mins before us and appeared to be same as our order so i think they mixed up the tickets!
The meals took 45 minutes to arrive and by this point we were starving! Ive always been a fan of the bangers and mash as the mash and gravy are really tasty. Tonight was no exception but for some reason the sausages had a few bits of gristle in them which was a bit gross!
My fiancé had the steak and it was very rare (hed asked for medium rare) and also he ended up having to leave half of it (literally) because under the surface it was just fat.
So not sure if theyve changed meat suppliers but was def not usual standards im afraid.
Puddings were nice albeit we could see mine being «made» which was microwaving it, but not going to complain as it was lush-​sticky toffee pudding is recommended!
Overall, average meal due to the meat situ but usual slow/​poor servicr in here, its a shame as their menu is really good!

After my second (or maybe third, but the jury is out on that one), I thought it was about time I posted a review for The Junction. The first time I visited this pub was with a group of friends on a failed attempt to conquer the «Harborne Mile» (which I believe is 13 different pubs in one go). The two visits were completely different experiences as one was on a riotous Saturday night out and last night was a (slightly) more chilled experience with the Unilocalers doing the Monday night pub quiz.
As well as the pub quiz on a Monday, The Junction also do a posh «Beer and burger» night (which is 2 burgers and 2 drinks for £18). It’s a cut above your normal «Chain pub» food with options such as the Pork belly and black pudding, brie and bacon and Dolcetta and avocado as topping options. After a long debate, I decided to go for the latter and sauntered up to the bar to order.
First, it is of note that the staff were friendly, helpful and polite. The tills were playing up on this particular eve and not recognising the offer, so we opened a tab until they could put through the prices correctly. Not a problem in the slightest as I grabbed my drink and wandered back to our table to await our food.
The food was delivered in no time at all… for Dan. I was bought the wrong burger (which apparently could be put down to the tills playing up again). Again, not really a problem as I was given a salad to munch on before my actual burger was delivered (which was within about another 5 minutes). The staff were hugely apologetic about the mix up which really wasn’t an issue due to the speed at which the food was prepared out and bought out to us.
The burger was very good. There wasn’t much avocado (which was a bit of a disappointment), but there was loads of meat and toppings. The fries seemed to be a tad underdone for my liking, but they were cooked through — so no major complaint there. Two burgers, three pints and a rum and coke (Sailor jerrys) came to around £25. Not too bad considering the quality of the beer and the food.
The quiz was great fun and I had signed up to the mailing list before our trip (so gained a free «Bloody Mary» voucher — another result). We had managed to score the sofa’s at the back of the venue early, which was a good move as the venue really filled up for the Quiz. My team might have only came 4^th — but we had a good night of tasty food, nice drinks and great company. Bravo Junction, we will be back.

The Junction is one of those places that I’d go on a whim, rather than really wanting to go there & planning ahead. For me the tiny bar garden is just a bit to small, and the staff a little too smug. Prices aren’t as cheap as other, dare I say, nicer bars in Harborne. 3/​5, its not bad.

My feelings toward the Junction are conflicted. I’ve been there a few times recently for an office Christmas lunch (ca. 20 people) and a smaller evening meal (ca. 4 ppl). Both times the staff were really friendly and their service great. The food was good but not quite as good as I remember it, my fried chicken was over done and my beetroot and brisket hash was a bit tasteless, but the crumble was the best I’ve had in years. Overall I would say the food is just about good value at the price.
As for drinks, the choice of beers is great and the bar staff helpful with recommending something to try, however the prices of these seem hugely inflated. I don’t know whether I’m just unaware of how much beers cost but these seemed to be £4+ for most things with my first round of two drinks topping £10. It may be that the prices were premium to match the products but they are prohibitive for me so I won’t be heading back for a while.

I fancied a pub meal with a friend and decided that the Harbourne offers a nice range of pubs to choose from.
It was between the Junction and the Plough. I decided to go the junction because of the nice interior that I saw when I went for a pint a few years ago.
Everything about the original design and interior has been kept but it felt bright and open.
We sat at a both right by the bar. You can order and pay at the bar or have waiter service.
The service was very good, friendly staff that were very organised, we had two courses and we received them promptly.
We had whitebait for starters, lightly fried with fish visible, they tasted delicious and fresh with a wonderful lemon tartar like sauce.
I had gammon eggs and chips with a rocket salad which was nice but standard grill food the chips however were perfectly cooked and very tasty.
My friend had the macaroni cheese with garlic Focaccia, the pasta was good and my friend said the portion was perfect but the big winner was the focaccia which was so light and soft and packing a lot of flavor.
I really want to go back and try more of their menu.

The Junction is a large, good looking pub with a great atmosphere, a large bar area, restaurant and beer ‘garden’.
It’s lovely during the day (and over Christmas they’ll lend you Sellotape and scissors so you can do your gift wrapping there) and there’s a fireplace for winter. Food is not the best but quite good, particularly during the week when they have a reasonably priced set menu.
In the evening it gets very busy, which is fine, but also very loud so can be tough to hold a conversation– not the best place to meet for a catch up.
The beer garden is nice enough with seats and lights but is really a yard– in summer we generally aim for the garden at the Plough or New Inn first.
There’s a good selection of drinks including draft beers and ciders plus –my favourites– interesting homemade seasonal soft drinks including cucumber lemonade.

Didn’t have food here as we just stopped here for a drink after work so that’s all I can report on.
The atmosphere was quite nice and what I would expect for a traditional British pub: friendly bartender, happy patrons, nice selection of beers on tap…
The junction is spacious with plenty of space between tables: a nice plus for raucous groups…
Yep I would be back for a cold one.

I have avoided the Junction for a few years — after being an occasional visitor for years — because it had got a bit tatty. But I popped in for a quick post-​dinner drink recently and was very pleasantly surprised at how nice it is looking these days. Feels nice and open and spacious and has plenty of seating of all sorts, usual tables and chairs, comfy sofas etc. So you’re not jostling to get comfy like some other Harborne pubs. I only had a coffee this time, so I’ll hold on passing full judgement just yet, but I will definitely give it another chance now.

Best pub in Harborne overall for drinking. Beer selection is the best around, décor and general ambience are great. Food is not as good as the New Inn or the Plough, but on the plus side you actually stand a chance of getting a seat at any given moment. That’s not to say it isn’t bustling in the evening, it’s just not as claustrophobic and rammed as other places tend to be. Service is normally good too. Unfortunately due to its location the beer ‘garden’ is just a small patio at the back that never sees any sunlight. This would be more of an issue if it was ever sunny in the UK. As it is, on the odd occasion it is sunny we will head for the New Inn, but otherwise this tends to be our first choice when going for a pint on the High street.

A group of us were in here on Grand National day a month or so back. I hadn’t set foot in the place for years — it used to be an O’Neills when I lived in the area — so I was pleasantly surprised at how it had changed for the better.
The interior is smartly done and the pub has been divided into three distinct areas. The bar area at the front is light and welcoming and offers a chance to drink whilst watching the gentle bustle of the Harborne High Street. Towards the rear of the pub there is now a really nice, spacious restaurant area, with an open fire and a few comfy armchairs dotted about here and there. At the very There is a small courtyard at the very back of the pub with a few covered tables, so you can eat outside if you wish and not be bothered by showers.
The beers on offer were decent — some nice Cask Ales and a few continental lagers, and they also did a good cup of coffee. The staff are friendly and the service is pretty good. We didn’t eat from the main menu, although this looked tasty, but we had a few bar snacks — some homecooked chips, some dips — and these were fresh and tasty.

In comparison to the rest of Harborne High Street, The Junction is a much more formal destination, serving different worldwide beers as opposed to the standard beers found throughout Birmingham.
With up to 20 special beers/​ciders on tap, The Junction is a great choice for those who enjoy trying new things, with the food menu as equally as exotic as the drinks available.
Priding themselves on fresh, seasonal food, The Junction change their menu on a regular basis to make the most of the best produce they have to offer.
Despite being a fairly formal place, The Junction still offers a welcoming environment, alongside a lively vibe as long as your visit coincides with a busy period, as is the case with many places throughout Harborne.