The Lion

Head down Stratford Road in Shirley and you'll find The Lion doing what a good pub should do — serving honest food and cold beer without any faffing about. It's the kind of place where regulars prop up the bar mid-week and families pile in on Sunday afternoons. The rating hovers around 4.3 stars for a reason: it's reliable, unpretentious, and does the basics properly. Whether you're after a quick pint after work or something more substantial, this feels like an actual community local rather than a themed gastropub trying too hard.