Utopia The Bar

This place is far to close to my office and the temptation to go there for a lunch time drink is to hard to resist.
I like the food,
I like the staff,
I like to go here and lunch time,
I like to go here in the evening.
I do just wish that the place was a lot fever away.
If you have a short lunch break do not worry., the food will be out in minutes. And so will another pint.
The food is good and has some good ideas. Ask the staff if you are unsure and the have some good advice.
If you see this review and go to this pub and you see a drunk at the end of the bar. Please don’t buy him drink.

A modern and stylish bar, which during the week at least, seems to be aimed at the business men and women of the city. Definitely a formal work wear vibe, so you may feel a little out of place in your jeans and t-​shirt.
There’s a large selection of wine, sparkling wine, and champagne, and the usual lagers on tap with a couple of ale/​bitter options. Not a great selection if you’re a fan of real bear over cooking lager, but it’s a good place to come with friends after work.
I’ve never been here at the weekend, so I’m not sure what it’s like then.

Utopia has been a hangout of mine ever since I realised that a pot of coffee is quite cheap and pretty reasonable. Last night, however, it was my first time of actually using it as a spot for the evening whilst meeting a contact for a glass of wine and a natter.
Utopia is within the Colmore Business District, but lies at the heart of the financial centre on Church Street. Due to this, it mainly attracts an afterwork suited crowd (who are up for a couple of pints and a laugh). It’s designed to feel like a country manor (with logs around a fireplace and comfy chairs), but has been around for a while; so is starting to get a little tatty around the edges.
One thing of note is that the staff have always been SO helpful and friendly at this venue. I’ve always had a smile and courteous reception (even if I am only buying a pot of coffee at under £2). Drinks are fairly reasonable here, with bottles of wine starting from £12.50 (but going all the way up to very expensive champagne). Ale and lager is more expensive than you might pay in selected chain bars around town, but it always seems to be served acceptably and there is a varied enough selection.
I’ve only ever had a few light bar bites here, but they have always been fresh and tasty. Last night I had a couple of chips (the biggest chips I have ever seen), which were surprisingly good. It can be very quiet at times (more than once me and a friend have been it’s sole occupants), but it must really shine on Thursday and Friday nights (when I’m not necessarily out).
You might wonder why it’s only a 3 star venue? Well, everything is good, but nothing is great. It’s a perfectly fine spot to visit for a quiet drink and a chat, but you wouldn’t start a wild night out here; there’s just no atmosphere. Recommended as a place to catch up with friends, but not as a place for a big Friday or Saturday on the town.

A smart bar in the finance section of Birmingham opposite
the Hotel du Vin. Monday, Tuesday and Weds are less busy but Thursday, Friday
and most lunch times the place is packed. That being said, I have always
managed to get a seat. The food is standard pub fare but is better quality than a
lot of places: selection of starters, sandwiches, fish and chips, burgers, mild
curry and range of sharing platters. If there is something on the menu that is
not quite to your fancy just ask as the chef’s are very happy to tailor it to
your taste. Food is on average about £10– £12 per head for a main course. Less obviously for sandwiches. I
have seen people in there in the evenings with offers, which I assume come from
the local paper or Groupon. I’ve also seen them offer catering for meetings and
parties. I frequent this place at least once a week. They
even order in what I like to drink especially, even though I am the only one
who drinks it that is service! The staff are very nice, friendly and welcoming.

We gathered at Utopia for a leaving do, and what a brilliant night it was as well.
A cold finger buffet was provided by the bar and it was great.
Spacious bar with cool interior décor. This place is a horseshoe shape with seating in front and behind the bar. The toilets are situated down the steps.
This bar was lively and animated with groups and couples of all ages.
The bar staff were very friendly.
Excellent selection of beers on draught including Amstel, Heineken and Italian favourite — Birra Moretti. Good selection of wines, spirits, cocktails and bottled beers.
Music is subtle — perfect for engaging in conversation and flirting. Open till 11pm Monday to Friday. Free Wifi throughout.
I have been recommended the Fizz dog here — Gourmet hot dog with a glass of ‘fizz’
This bar is perfect for social get-​togethers, private functions and celebrating with friends.
Add it to your night out!

Utopia offers a good menu at a reasonable price, and I love the interior. It has comfortable and spacious sofas, interesting pictures and sculptures (particularly if you are an animal lover!) and a full bar. Early evenings, its always nice and quiet in there so is a great place to relax with friends over good food.
I enjoyed a 3 course meal there in their restaurant area a couple of years back, and that was really delicious.
It’s a lovely place and I really ought to go there more often!

‘Grazing.’ Any bar that calls eating ‘grazing’ is a-​ok with me. You can ‘graze’ for one, for two, and — I am assuming — any multiple of these. As well as ‘grazing boards’, there is an almighty array of nuts and nut type snacks to choose from. But before I get carried away with what could potentially be inside my stomach, I suppose most people will be most interested in other aspects of the place, such as: décor, ambience, clientele, and prices. OK, here goes… smart, cool, business folk, pricey…

Based just over the road from Hotel du Vin, Utopia is a bar that seems to cater for people who work at the nearby law and insurance firms so is busiest on a Friday night or during lunchtimes. The décor here is a tad incongruous — featuring framed covers of ‘Country Life’ but I’ve always found the staff to be absolutely lovely and its a perfectly pleasant place to go for a quick drink.

I was a little surprised at how rude the waitress was upon entering the bar.
Our table was dirty so we kindly asked if she would mind getting a cloth as all the other tables were taken. She pretty much growled at us!
My friend and I were looking to order dinner during the week but before we had even sat down we felt like we wanted to leave.
After going up to the bar to get a few napkins ourselves, we ordered a couple of glasses of vino.
The atmosphere was pretty frosty after that point so we decided to go else where to dine and buy a full bottle of wine.
Overall, the venue looked nice but it was just a shame the particular member of staff was not pleasant as it ruined our evening and we won’t be going back again.

Unlike the majority of other Birmingham bars, Utopia remains fairly quiet during the weekend, being at it’s busiest throughout the week.
The modern interior attracts a mixture of both young and old (er), with its location, near Colmore Row, encouraging business men and women to head down to Utopia after a hard’s day work.
The drinks are fairly priced, alongside some interesting meal deals, including a 2 4 1 deal on all main courses, which allows you to get the cheapest meal for free.
The lively yet contemporary setting makes Utopia definitely worth a visit, whether it be with friends, family, clients or work colleagues, I would definitely recommend.

This such a lovely city pub with good freshly prepared food, especially the cottage pie. The service was a little slow and the busy lunch period is probably not the best time for a leisurely lunch but a lovely experience well worth the money otherwise.

I really like this bar. Its quite a modern bar with lots of nice comfy seats and modern contemporary open fireplaces. It van be expensive. They serve real ale — which is always really nice. They also serve food but we have never eaten in here as it looks quite expensive. Its a great place to meet people as there is plenty of room. Its opposite the Hotel du Vin. Got a really nice atmosphere.

Nice place for an evening drink, cosy seats and warm. Drink is over average price, but worth the bit extra for the relaxed environment. Food however is overpriced and not that great, would only recommend as an evening bar.

I’ve been to the bar a couple of times — both times for a leaving do. Utopia is a modern bar in the finance section of Birmingham. It’s got an ideal location — opposite the Hotel du Vin. It’s quite a big pub but still gets packed at lunchtimes. There’s a good selection of food and drink but get there early or you’ll find it hard to get a seat. The drinks are expensive — £4.50 for a glass of wine but the people that go there daily can certainly afford it. Nice place but I’ll stick to going there for the occasional leaving do.