Harborne's Sunday Sessions: The Village's Best Lazy Weekend Drinking Spots
While Birmingham's city centre buzzes with ambitious new openings and food halls, sometimes you need to escape to somewhere that feels like a proper neighbourhood. Step forward Harborne, the leafy village that's quietly assembled one of the city's most enviable Sunday drinking scenes. This isn't about flashy cocktail bars or Instagram-worthy interiors. This is about places where locals settle in for the afternoon, where conversation flows as freely as the drinks, and where Sunday feels like it should: unhurried and utterly civilised.
The Crown
The beating heart of Harborne's Sunday session culture sits right on the High Street, and The Crown has been perfecting the art of lazy weekend drinking long before craft beer became a thing. This Victorian pub strikes the perfect balance between traditional boozer and modern gastropub, with a beer garden that becomes prime real estate when the sun appears.
The Sunday roast here is legendary among locals, but it's the drinking atmosphere that really shines. Arrive after 2pm when the lunch rush subsides and you'll find yourself in drinking heaven. The real ales rotate regularly, with Birmingham's own Burning Soul Brewery often featuring, while the wine list punches well above typical pub weight. Expect to pay around £5.50 for a pint and £6-8 for a decent glass of wine.
Pro tip: the back garden gets afternoon sun until around 4pm, making it perfect for those extended Sunday sessions that blur into evening.
The Junction
Just off the main drag on Station Road, The Junction represents everything exciting about Birmingham's reinvention as a foodie capital. This craft beer specialist transforms on Sundays into a laid-back haven for serious beer lovers and casual drinkers alike.
The selection here is genuinely impressive, with 12 rotating taps featuring everything from local heroes like Two Towers and Attic Brew Co to internationally acclaimed breweries. The weekend crowd skews younger and more diverse than traditional pub fare, creating an atmosphere that feels distinctly modern Birmingham.
Sunday afternoons see regular tap takeovers and meet-the-brewer events, though the relaxed vibe means you're just as welcome to nurse a single pint while reading the papers. Craft beer prices sit around £5-7 per pint, reflecting the quality on offer. The small plates menu, featuring locally sourced ingredients, makes it easy to graze your way through an afternoon.
The White Horse
Hidden down Vivian Road, The White Horse feels like Harborne's best-kept secret, though locals have been in on it for years. This traditional pub has undergone a subtle makeover that preserves its character while elevating the drinking experience.
Sunday sessions here revolve around the excellent wine selection and perfectly poured pints in equal measure. The pub sources wines directly from small producers, meaning you'll find bottles you won't see elsewhere in Birmingham. The Sunday crowd tends towards Harborne's creative types and young professionals who've discovered that sometimes the best drinking spots are the ones that don't shout about themselves.
The real draw is the atmosphere: conversation-friendly, genuinely welcoming, and refreshingly unpretentious. Wine starts at around £5.50 per glass, with the more interesting bottles commanding £8-10. The small but thoughtful food menu focuses on British ingredients with modern twists.
Harborne Kitchen
While technically a restaurant, Harborne Kitchen's bar area becomes one of the village's most sophisticated drinking destinations on Sunday afternoons. The cocktail program here rivals anything in Birmingham's city centre, while the wine list reads like a love letter to independent producers.
Sunday sessions at Harborne Kitchen feel distinctly grown-up. This is where Harborne's food-obsessed residents come to dissect the weekend's restaurant visits over expertly mixed drinks. The bartenders know their stuff, creating classics with precision and offering thoughtful recommendations from the wine list.
Cocktails hover around £9-11, reflecting the quality of ingredients and execution. The bar snacks, featuring the same attention to local sourcing as the main menu, make it easy to extend your session. Booking isn't essential for drinks, but arriving before 3pm guarantees a seat.
The Bell
On the corner of High Street and Court Oak Road, The Bell anchors Harborne's drinking scene with solid reliability and genuine warmth. This is where Sunday sessions feel most natural, where regulars prop up the bar and newcomers are quickly absorbed into the conversation.
The beer selection focuses on quality over quantity, with Purity and Wye Valley featuring alongside carefully chosen guests. The wine list won't win awards but offers honest drinking at fair prices. What The Bell lacks in craft beer credentials, it makes up for in atmosphere and that indefinable quality that makes a pub feel like home.
Prices remain refreshingly reasonable, with pints around £4.50 and wine from £4.80 per glass. The Sunday crowd spans generations, creating the kind of community pub atmosphere that makes Harborne feel like a real village rather than just another Birmingham suburb.
Making the Most of Harborne Sundays
The beauty of Harborne's Sunday drinking scene lies in its walkability. Start at The Crown for lunch and drinks, wander down to The Junction for craft beer education, then finish at The White Horse for that perfect Sunday evening pint. Most venues open around noon on Sundays, with last orders typically around 10pm.
Parking on the High Street becomes easier after 2pm, though the 23 and 24 bus routes from Birmingham city centre make car-free sessions entirely feasible. The village atmosphere encourages pub crawling, but the quality of drinks and food at each spot means you'll be equally happy settling in for the afternoon at any single venue.
