The Soak in S(elly) Oak (geddit?) is a good place for a cheap drink with mates or a place to while away your Sundays over a pub lunch.

The Venue
The Soak is situated in the heart of Selly Oak. It has three screens for sports’ fans and a few pool tables for pool players (they also do free pool on a Tuesday evening after 6pm). The music is thankfully played at a moderate background level and doesn’t overpower you as soon as you walk in. A nice touch in the seating is the different height of the furniture. There are high tables with bar stalls and low tables with sofas, which makes it seem like your table is more private because your conversation is floating over the heads of your neighbours.

The Atmosphere
The Soak is a chilled out pub. While it is full of students, it is generally full of students who want to go for a quiet drink rather then the rowdy pre-club rabble. It has an open mic night on Thursdays which is always worth going to in order to check out new talent.

The Food
While The Soak is first and foremost another strong adherent to typical pub grub traditions, for example scampi and chips or sausage and mash, the quality is slightly higher than many of its local counterparts. Prices are competitive too: a burger will only set you back burger £5-£7. Check out the Reggae Reggae burger with the (Reggae Reggae) sauce made famous by Dragons’ Den offering a spicy alternative to the classic tomato relish. You can get two meals from a select list for just £7 at The Soak. Clearly, if the credit crunch is affecting your desire to splash out on food, you can still enjoy a dinner out at these prices. The kitchen is open from 10am until 9pm, everyday.

The Drink
For beer drinkers, The Soak has a little more to offer then most other pubs in Selly Oak, with six tap beers including Green King. It is £2.65 for a pint of Stella, while Carling is £2.35, you can shave at least 30p off these prices if you have a student card. Another bargain option is the £5.99 it costs for a bottle of house wine. You can also opt for a more potent hit of the hard stuff with their cocktail range. The multi-layered Long Island Ice Tea is a firm favourite and costs £3.95 a glass or £8.95 for a pitcher.

The Last Word
This is an easy and cheap student hang out. It’s not particularly exciting and, therefore, it does not require any real effort. It’s good for a relaxed drink with mates.

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