Purecraft Bar & Kitchen

Lovely place to meet before going out to eat. Great range of beers and a lively atmosphere. We gathered up the troops here before heeding on to one of Birmingham's best restaurants. Lite bites also available here which looked tasty.

I go frequently because the food seldom disappoints. The menu has clarity, though it should having been designed by the man behind local Michelin triumphs Simpsons and The Cross. There are nods to ales on taps and suggestions for what beers to drink your food with that all tie in nicely with its links to Purity. A small plate of barbecued chicken sees cuts from the breast, leg, and wing cooked accurately. The bird is of obvious quality, the skin crisp and with a back note of Dunkel lager that sits well without overpowering. Soured cream provides the little amount of acidity needed to level it all out.

After a very busy few weekends spent packing boxes, moving house, and then unpacking said boxes, I haven’t been out much. Last weekend was the first one in weeks where I could relax, so a well deserved beer was on the cards. I was first introduced to Purity ales at last year’s Birmingham Independent Food Fair, and I’ve had my eye on Pure Bar & Kitchen since it opened, so I headed over there to give it a try. First impressions were good, a bit more light and airy and a bit less ‘hardcore’ looking than its craft beer counterpart Brewdog, but with some fab industrial touches, particularly the bar. The beer menu was vast, with all the Purity offerings from classics UBU, Mad Goose and Pure Gold, to newer additions in the form of Longhorn IPA and Lawless Lager, alongside a long list of guest beers from Europe and beyond. I’m a big fan of an IPA, so I went for a pint of Longhorn to start with. At 5% abv it’s a good strength, slightly bitter, but refreshing with citrus flavours. I also loved t

I was first introduced to Purity ales at last year's Birmingham Independent Food Fair, and I've had my eye on Pure Bar & Kitchen since it opened, so I headed over there to give it a try. First impressions were good, a bit more light and airy and a bit less 'hardcore' looking than its craft beer counterpart Brewdog, but with some fab industrial touches, particularly the bar. The beer menu was vast, with all the Purity offerings from classics UBU, Mad Goose and Pure Gold, to newer additions in the form of Longhorn IPA and Lawless Lager, alongside a long list of guest beers from Europe and beyond. I'm a big fan of an IPA, so I went for a pint of Longhorn to start with. At 5% abv it's a good strength, slightly bitter, but refreshing with citrus flavours. I also loved the glass it came in (shame I couldn't fit it in my handbag...) Pure also have a unique offering in that you can try a flight of beers, 4 1/3 pints of a selection of ales. They have a menu of flights they recommend to try together, or you can choose 4 of your own. I just had to try one, so I went for the "A Trip To Europe" Flight, featuring Landbier Dunkel, Kolsch, Czech Dark Lager & Houblon Chouffe. I loved the Houblon Chouffe, especially the name which I took great pleasure in trying to pronounce for the rest of the day, and really enjoyed the Kolsch which was everything I imagine good German beer to be. The Czech Dark Lager was strong with an almost liquorice taste which my other half really liked. The only one I wasn't sure about was the Dunkel. As much as I wanted to play the connoisseur and like it, the smell reminded me of horse stables. Odd I know, but I couldn't quite get over it! As if all the beer wasn't enough, Pure Bar & Kitchen also has a great food menu of traditional pub classics and beer drenched dishes. I'd been told on good authority by the lads at Out In Brum that the Scotch Eggs here were amazing, so of course, I had to see for myself. They weren't wrong. The egg was cooked to perfection with a soft yolk, the breadcrumbs on the outside were crisp and the sausagemeat was intensely savoury and really well seasoned. Sadly the kitchen closed mid afternoon while we were there, so I'll have to go back again to try the Black Pudding, but if the Scotch Egg was anything to go by then I'll probably be back more than once.

This beer-themed gastropub in Birmingham city centre is a joint venture with input from Purity Brewing Co. and Simpson’s Restaurant. With two such highly-regarded names on it, Pure Bar and Kitchen arrived on the scene to very high expectations. We went to find out if it delivers.

Atmosphere

The venue is set up to have a contemporary feel; the interior has the look of a loft or warehouse flat. On the Saturday night when we attended, they had a good amount of young people in for a few beers. There’s a nice separation of the drinkers from the diners, so that it’s not too loud while you’re eating, but you still get a hum of background noise.

Food

Given the impressive selection of beers and ales on display, it is easy to forget that the primary reason for going to Pure Bar and Kitchen is the food.

My dining partner and I both started with the Scotch Egg with Beer Ketchup. Ordering the same starter is fairly poor thinking when reviewing a restaurant, but having seen this dish come out the open kitchen earlier, we were both determined to have it. The outside was deliciously crisp, and the meat was moist and perfectly seasoned. The ketchup added a nice sweetness and was the beginning of the beer theme which runs throughout the food menu without dominating it.
I followed with the Veltins Pot Roast Cod, Forest Pig Chorizo, Clams and Grains with Sourdough. The cod was perfectly cooked and served with a delicious buttery sauce, grains, and a homemade sourdough bread. The sourdough was lovely and fresh, and added to my impressions of the meal as informal but tasty. It also assisted me in my aim to waste no sauce!

My partner had the Slow Roast Belly of Pork, Colcannon & Green Beans. The pork had a deliciously thin crackling and serving it with colcannon (an Irish specialty with cabbage and potatoes boiled and mashed together) worked nicely. I would like to comment more but she only allowed me one bite… I’m told it was perfect.

Drinks

When you attend a restaurant part owned by Purity Brewing Co. you expect the quality of beer to be high and it is. You also get an incredible range of specialist lagers if ale isn’t your thing. If ale is your thing, I recommend the Longhorn IPA.

My partner had a glass of red wine which she assured me was delicious. The beer is reasonably priced and nicely served in chalices and special glassware.

Pricing

2 Scotch Eggs with Beer Ketchup = £4.50 each

Veltins Pot Roast Cod, Forest Pig Chorizo, Clams and Grains with Sourdough = £14

Slow Roast Belly of Pork, Colcannon & Green Beans = £14.50

Longhorn IPA = £4.60

Glass of house red wine = £4 (approx.)

Total (for two diners) = £46.10

Overall

For me, this is one of the best informal dining venues in Birmingham. If you’re not sure, try it for a drink and watch the food come out – that should change your mind. I have also been in for drinks and enjoyed the atmosphere and the fantastic bar snacks.

A small tip for anyone who does make it down to Pure Bar and Kitchen: the men’s loos are on the left, the ladies on the right… you’ll understand when you go.

Couldn’t decide where to go to decompress after a long week and walked past this place so decided to give it a try. The beer selection was phenomenal and we were very happy with the choices we made. The staff were friendly and I love the atmosphere - not too rowdy and you are able to talk normally without having to shout at one another. The food was ok. Was definitely impressed with the runny yolk in the scotch egg but to be honest, if I wasn’t told that it’s duck, I’d never have been able to tell. It was like any other meat and for the price, I kind of expected it to be a little better. However, a good bar snack nonetheless to go with a couple of good pints.

Great choice of beers and the food is perfect to accompany a couple of beers on an afternoon. Food is a little pricey, but not out of the range of local restaurants in this area. I am however, really hoping they bring back the normal scotch eggs they used to have on the menu, currently they only have a venison scotch egg which is a little too rich for my taste (and pretty expensive at £9.50 for a 'small plate' menu item. I tried the Catharina Peach Melba which is slightly sour and was perfect for a sunny afternoon! It can get a little busy here on the weekends, however there is plenty of seating upstairs and downstairs.

Not a regular but have been coming here for years. Started before the trend of craft bar pop ups around Birmingham. Used to do interesting and rare talks downstairs but more importantly the craft beer is amazing and very hard to find. Definitely worth the time popping in as the environment is nice and easy. Had a lovely stout here. Plenty of options to drink. Dropped a star because the female bartender had an attitude which baffled me on a Monday early evening.

The food is so tasty and the beer is yummy, one of the best places to go in Birmingham 😁😁😁🤩🤩

Always a great Sunday dinner. Purity gold was amazing. Nice and quiet for a Sunday chill. Food was spot on. Fish may have been a bit smaller than expected but still full of flavour. Really nice of the friendly team to let us take our bikes in whilst we dined.