The Old Crown is one of Birmingham’s oldest buildings. Originally built in the 14th century almost all of the present building dates from the early 16th century, the earliest evidence of the building being operated as an Inn dates to the early part of the 17th century.
The building survived the English Civil war, during which time a skirmish was fought around the streets of Digbeth. From 1666, the Inn was known as “the sign of the Crowne” and the building was residential from 1684 until the 19th century, surviving proposed demolition on several occasions during the mid to late 1800s.
In more recent years The Old Crown has managed to live through tough times. Where many Digbeth pubs have closed their doors due to a decline in local manufacturing/customers, The Old Crown has reinvented itself whilst maintaining that true ‘old boozer’ feel.
Pub, Restaurant, Cafe, Music Venue & Accommodation
Today you can find a cool renovated pub, which is spacious, traditional, serves a great selection of beers, and some delicious home made food in both the pub and adjoining cafe. The pub still has a local feel, being a firm favourite of young and old. There is Bed & Breakfast accommodation upstairs which is highly recommended and has even been used by royalty (many years ago).
The beer garden has been designed by the team at Stax Creations (the same guys behind the fabulous Night Owl) and can be extremely busy on weekends when DJs play house music or disco. The new gardens come with an outdoor bar and a special cocktail bar, hosting events including: St Patricks Day, Outdoor Cinema Events, BBQ’s and weekly acoustic sessions by Birmingham Promoters – Weekly Friday and Saturday DJ’s in the garden playing the best in funk, soul, disco, hip-hop, R’N’B and more! The Old Crown also lends itself to some exclusive live gigs with live acoustic music on Sunday’s.
Food served here is far more than simply pub grub, with a tasty selection of light bites and sandwiches for those on the hop, and a more substantial menu of burgers, pork pies, soups and various other home made treats to tickle your fancy. The food is delicious and well priced, a good example of how traditional pub food can still work in this age of Brummie Michelin stars and classical cuisine. The cafe serves the best sausage rolls around with vegetarian options too. Coffee and tea is also a serious affair here with a fab selection to choose from and a quaint relaxed atmosphere in which to enjoy morning, noon and night!
There are regular food offers including: 24£10 Burgers on Mondays, 24£10 Tacos on Tuesdays and a free drink with any main meal on Wednesdays.
An essential experience and a chance to soak in hundreds of years of local history when in the city, well worth the trip to Digbeth!
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