Where The Anchor is and how to get there

The pub sits on Bradford Street in Digbeth, a short walk south-east of Birmingham's core and within easy reach of the coach station and the Bullring side of town. If you are coming from New Street or Moor Street, walking is usually simpler than changing onto a bus for one or two stops.

Digbeth's streets are not a neat grid, and Bradford Street runs through a stretch of older industrial buildings, so use a map pin for the pub rather than counting turnings. Buses along the Bradford Street corridor serve the area, but routes and stops change; check a live journey planner on the day rather than relying on a remembered number.

Because it is close to the coach station, The Anchor works well as a first or last stop of a Birmingham day out rather than a destination in its own right. Allow ten to fifteen minutes to walk in from the main station concourses.

The building and the rooms: what Grade II listing means

Grade II is the listing category applied to buildings of special architectural or historic interest. Listing can protect the structure and the fittings that make a place distinctive — the room layout, the bar back, panelling, tiling or windows — though not every fitting is necessarily covered, so read the list entry if the detail matters to you.

CAMRA describes The Anchor as a Grade II listed multi-room pub, which is the detail worth travelling for: several distinct spaces rather than one knocked-through saloon. Multi-room layouts give you a choice between a quieter corner and the busier bar, which matters if you are in a small group or want to talk.

Look up and around as you settle in: in a listed pub the interest is often in the joinery and the division between rooms, not a themed interior. If old buildings are your reason for a day out, this is a better use of an hour than a modern city-centre bar.

The beer: up to four hand-pulled real ales

The offer is cask-led. CAMRA records up to four hand-pulled real ales at The Anchor, with support for local breweries, so expect a short, changing range rather than a wall of taps.

That short range is a feature and a trade-off: you may find one or two beers you love and nothing else if your taste runs to a specific style. Ask what is on before committing to a round, and taste before you buy if you are unsure.

If you are building a real-ale crawl, The Anchor is the historic-building stop, and The Wellington, Birmingham is a well-known city-centre alternative for cask drinkers; together they cover both moods in one afternoon.

Opening hours: check before you travel

Reported hours for The Anchor put Monday and Tuesday as closed, Wednesday to Saturday from midday to 11pm and Sunday from midday, but these come from a third-party review listing rather than the pub itself. Treat them as a starting point and confirm directly before making a special journey.

If Monday or Tuesday is your only free day, check current opening hours before travelling, since the Anchor is reported closed those days. A quick phone call or a look at the pub's own social posts settles it.

There is no cited price information for drinks here, so check the board or ask at the bar rather than budgeting from an old figure.

How long to allow and when to go

Give The Anchor an hour if you are having one or two pints, or ninety minutes to two hours if you want to sit in more than one room and study the building. It is not a place that needs a whole afternoon.

Midweek late afternoon is the calmest bet for a quiet look at the rooms; weekend evenings in Digbeth tend to be busier and louder. If you want the architecture rather than the atmosphere, go early in the session.

Sunday midday is attractive if you want a traditional pint to finish a weekend, but confirm the hours directly before travelling, and check separately whether food is served if eating is part of the plan.

What to pair with it nearby

Digbeth rewards a short wander between stops, and The Anchor sits close to other historic pubs. The Old Crown, Birmingham is the long-standing Digbeth landmark if you want to compare interiors within the same afternoon, while Bartons Arms, Birmingham is the showpiece Victorian tiled pub in Aston and needs its own separate trip rather than a stroll between Digbeth stops.

If you are heading back towards the city centre, the Woodman Birmingham and Shakespeare Inn Birmingham make sensible finishing points without a long detour.

For a sit-down meal at the end of the day, the Church Inn, Birmingham is covered in its own guide; keep the pub stop as the drink and build the meal around whichever nearby venue suits you.

Who it suits and honest trade-offs

The Anchor suits drinkers who care about old buildings, cask ale and a proper pub room, and who are happy with a small, changing beer range. It is a poor fit if you want a long cocktail or craft list, a big food menu, or a guaranteed lively Monday.

The trade-offs are real: the reported Monday and Tuesday closure limits impromptu trips, the beer choice is deliberately narrow, and the location on the edge of the city centre means it is rarely a spur-of-the-moment stop unless you are already in Digbeth.

Plan it as a deliberate stop paired with one other pub, and it earns its place; drift in expecting a full evening out and you may be underwhelmed.

Should you build a Digbeth afternoon around The Anchor?

Yes, if the Grade II listed rooms and a short cask range are the point of your trip; build a two-pub afternoon around it and the walk between stops does the rest.

Check the reported hours before travelling, confirm what is on at the bar when you arrive, and treat the pub as one good hour rather than the whole day.