The Birmingham Hotel

The Birmingham is unreal. Amazing food and a wide range of vegan options, great amazing staff and a wide range of delightful beers. If you’re feeling tired and want to be comfy go into the front downstairs room and lounge back on some sofas- what more do you need? This is the pub of everyone’s dreams

I chose the Birmingham to watch a Collingwood game. We requested a seat near a TV screen. We were not disappointed. 2 screens right in front of us. The hotel took me back to the 70s. Good old fashioned service and drink prices to match. The meals are basic but flavourful. Decor basic, but why would you want more for a footy pub. We would definitely come back to watch a game again

Good beer. Great chicken wings 👌 You can watch the footy too!

Came with a group of friends for dinner on a Tues (parma special). Some had the steak... Guess they enjoyed it...but I had the only vegetarian dish on special - - eggplant parma. It was, well, edible, I guess. Mushy eggplant with gloopy cheese and indifferent tomato-based sauce, served with slightly burnt, thin fries that were not particularly tasty. Yeah it's a steak place, but I wish they were more imaginative with the vegetarian options.

Great Parma for $18 on a Wednesday night. Reasonably priced drinks. Friendly staff. No wonder it was busy.

Great pub, but please guys, fix the door that bangs all night between the beer garden and the main room. Drove us mad.

This is it everybody. The best pub in Melbourne. God I love the Birmy it’s basically me and my mate’s weekly ritual to come here. Food is always great, beers are cheap and plentiful, the place has like 5 different seating zones. Staff are friendly also. Literally can’t think of a bad thing to say about this pub, I love it.

One of the best pub parmas. Thick piece of chicken breast, exactly how it should be.

If you're going on a Tuesday night for the $10 Parma you can't go wrong. It comes out on a wooden board with the chicken breast Parma (ham, cheese, tomato) sitting on a good amount of fully cooked chips. A tasty thumbs up for cheap Parma fans. The salad is fresh and not too much dressing (just right) and they don't smother the chips in salt either. If there was one concern, the lighting was very low.

I was told that this pub had a bit of a history, however that is all in the past because it certainly now has a much more down to Earth Bohemian feel to it, at least the time that I was here. Mind you, all of the pubs along Johnston Street seem to all cater to the hard rock, heavy metal, and punk crowds, but when I went here it was to hear some up and coming activists spriuk their beliefs, though spending time in the beer garden with them afterwards was also pretty cool. Mind you, I haven't really been back since, probably because I have found a lot of other places to visit.

After pounding the streets of Melbourne all day seeking out the finest coffee and food hotspots I was too buggered to drag my weary behind any further than 50 metres from my Smith Street AirBNB abode. The Birmingham Hotel - it's your lucky night to host this Brisbane Yelper ! After checking previous reviews I wasn't filled with confidence, despite the fact that my AirBNB host comes here every Thursday night for Trivia and dinner and didn't have anything bad to say about the place. Anyway, some of the previous reviews are quite old so I suspect the joint has had somewhat of a makeover and perhaps moved on some of the clientele that may have previously put people off. I opted for a traditional Parma with chips and salad for $19, washed down with a glass of $7 Pinot - things are getting tight towards the end of a big 10 days!!! The meal was a hearty size and I failed to finish it. The Parma was tasty with lashings of ham and cheese topping without the sauce overwhelming it and the chips golden. Water wasn't readily available - you had to make a special trip to the bar and the only complaint I have is about the door leading out to the amenities - it bangs like the proverbial ...... Time to give the Birmingham a second chance people

The new marketing tag line "The Birmingham - it's not shit anymore" certainly catches the attention, but the quintessential question remains, is it true? Well I guess that is a matter of opinion. New Management have certainly gotten rid of the riff raff that used to frequent this place, and lined up a solid string of live music almost every day of the week. But then again, (maybe it's the swear word in the tag line or just the fact that a lot of indie bands play at this venue) it has become the new hangout of young emo's that barely look old enough to go to the toilet on their own let alone have an ID. So the question is not really whether or not it's shit anymore but maybe if it is too cool now? Who knows I am certainly not one to judge - because they have kept their happy hours of $2 pots on the very generous days of Friday and Saturday between 8pm-10pm. So I am more than happy to pop in from time to time and raise my glass in honour of the riff raff that will still frequent the place for a pocket money priced beverage.

I've only been here once and I was very drunk, and with my even drunker man and his friend from university in Leeds who had just arrived in Melbourne to study for a year. I remember the place being a bit crap, and the band playing wasn't my thing. We still had a good night though because, a) we almost didn't get in because my man has this great knack of looking much drunker than he actually is, but we all managed to convince the bouncer to let us in simply using our incredible grasp of the English language, and b) they served us drinks when nobody else would. The clincher though was my two British companions beating two very cocky backpackers at pool, who I'm sure thought they were going to win because of how wasted we all looked. Luckily, the people I associate with function much better when pissed.

The "Birmy", as it's known, is a pub/music venue that has been attract crowds for a long time. Sometimes those crowds are very interesting. It can be a bit hit and miss here where if you go and there are groups of skinheads it might be an idea to walk back out. I had an interesting night watching them scope out the weak like a pack of lions one night...pretty intimidating. Other times, it works well as your local pub where you can see some live music and popular bands every now and again feature there. They have their Grecian room as their function space where it is popular for birthdays and other events as well. It's kind of the place I'm hesitant to walk in, have a quick look, then maybe see what it feels like before heading in.

I would have liked to give this place 3.5 stars, but that isn't possible. Seeing it is struggling with ratings from revues to date, I wonder if it is because they tend to date from before a recent refit. Or if a lot of people just can't bring themselves to give a slightly higher rating.... A group of us from work went here for drinks on a Friday night. The recent refit leaves some part looking incomplete, with clear markings on the floor where walls used to be and other renovation scars remaining. I like this, and think it is a good look, but f it's not your thing you will probably find it a little broken. The staff were friendly, but the service was a long wait after our food orders got lost. That was the only down side, but it meant one of our party didn't get to eat before needing to leave! On the flip side, when we asked for hot water repeatedly for the teetotaler among us, it was even delivered to the table. Kudos to the staff for that. Great outdoor area, and cool rooftop. Would be a winner on a dry day, which it was not when we were there. I'll be back.

Big fan of the Birmy Mark III (or is that Mark IV, or V? I've lost count...) Whatever version this is, its finally found its groove and place among the burgeoning Smith St scene. (And this from someone who usually really laments the loss of live music venues, as it tried to be in a previous iteration). Yes, it still feels a bit scruffy, but that's a good thing, as in my opinion too many Melbourne pubs have lost all identity in trying to re-vamp themselves too far from where they started. Front bar still retains the dingy pub feel (with a few Smith St regulars to keep things colorful) but the beer garden upstairs rooftop area - complete with some vibrant street art - is where you want to be. Food has certainly picked up lately. Parma was HUGE and pretty darn good for the price. Perfect for lining your stomach before checking out some other Smith St joints. A mate had a pulled pork roll and wasn't in love with it, but that could have just been order-envy as he was surrounded by a sea of paramas. Ignore any pre-2013 reviews and drop past for a pot.

Best Parma in Melbourne by far! Always has cheap beer and a long happy hour! I've been coming here for years and the food and service has always been great.

I remember the Birmingham from years ago, when it used to be a skinhead pub. Seriously, there were some creepy dudes who used to frequent that place. Then it was sold and revamped into a decent live music venue, and suddenly was a cool place to hang out. Now, it seems to have cut down on live music, which has sapped much of the atmosphere, but is still a decent venue to have a relaxed drink with friends. It has an outdoor courtyard with big tables that make it a good place for larger groups. Inside, there are a number of pool tables, so you generally don't have to wait long for a game. But best of all - the Birmingham sells take-away alcohol until midnight!

Just went to the bar on a night of bar hopping. Had a couple of G&T's and sat in the outdoor terrace (which is in the middle of the bar) for a smoke/chat. Had a good time, and resonable prices. I'd pop in again. Didn't try the food though but staff were friendly and wasn't that busy at all, which for a Saturday night was very welcome.

A good selection of tap beer and cider, good service and the food is spot-on. Best pub in Fitzroy/Collingwood.