Summer House Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Birmingham

A Disappointing Experience: Not Recommended for Dining or Events

Regrettably, my family and I had an overwhelmingly negative experience at this establishment. Regarding the food, it is mediocre at best, with mixed grills and curries that lack both quality and value. Given the abundance of superior and reasonably priced options available elsewhere in Birmingham, the pricing here does not justify the standard of the offerings.

Our more significant issue arose when attempting to host a 30th birthday celebration at the venue. We were quoted £350 to hire the space for five hours, with the stipulation that the entire amount be paid upfront, as deposits were not accepted. In hindsight, this should have been a red flag, but we chose the venue primarily for its convenient location, as some family members have mobility challenges. To secure the date, I paid the full amount.

Unfortunately, a bereavement in the family meant we could not host the party due to cultural customs prohibiting celebrations for a year. I informed the manager, Jas, about this unforeseen situation, hoping for some understanding. However, her response was far from empathetic. Communication became increasingly one-sided, requiring numerous follow-ups before she responded. She insisted the £350 was non-refundable, which, given the circumstances, felt unfair. After persistent effort, she reluctantly offered a credit note, valid for three months, to be used onsite and “non-transferable.”

This credit note presented further challenges. On one visit with my sisters and cousin, we used £67, including a 10% service charge, leaving £283 remaining. However, upon planning another visit, we were informed by the assistant manager that the credit note had to be used in a single visit. This condition had not been previously clarified. I communicated this misunderstanding & Jas agreed to reauthorise the credit note with the condition that it gets used by the end of December (1 month earlier than the original condition). I then asked to confirm the remaining balance and she failed to respond.

When my family and I visited again, we were informed the balance was £250, meaning £33 had inexplicably disappeared. While £33 may seem trivial, the principle of this unexplained loss was deeply upsetting. The experience at the restaurant was no better. The food remained unimpressive, and the bill included another mandatory 10% service charge, despite the receipt stating it was optional. Additionally, we waited 45 minutes for clarification on billing issues, despite it being late at night and having young children with us. Jas refused to address us directly, leaving her assistant manager to mediate.

Ultimately, this experience left us frustrated, angry, and deeply disappointed. I strongly advise against hosting any events here —the management is unprofessional, insensitive, and untrustworthy. I would neither recommend nor return to this...

Won't be visiting again. Eastern European(?) waiter far too rude and loud. Sat the two of us down in the most awkward spot in the middle of the eating area. Asked if we could sit to the side and he refused.

Same thing happened to another family, thet were sat between two loud drunk groups. The family asked if they could sit in the corner and were refused. It all kicked off but essentially the family were forced to sit somewhere they felt uncomfortable between a loud of drunks.

Another chap came in, and the waiter asked how many of them there. He said 'just me'. He was made to wait as the waiter went and spoke to someone. He came back and said, ok we can sit you in the corner. The chap said fine, he doesn't mind where he sits.

It all became very apparent that they sitting people down to maximise revenue to the detriment of the experience of the customers.

When the waiter came to take our food and drink order, he thought it'd be funny to say 'do you just want water, or a fruit shoot' as if to imply were little babies and wouldn't be ordering alcohol. Come on, why on earth would you say that to customers?

It's also disappointing that their delivery portions have become TINY. A wrap with fries would come in a reasonable sized foil tray. However, they're now using much much SMALLER card boxed boxes which don't fit nearly as much in. As a result, you're getting HALF THE PORTION for the same price. The wraps would be made from a nice sized naan bread, but now they use a tortilla wrap. The fries that come in the box are a measly handful.

Management, if you're reading this, forget so much about profits and think about your reputation outside of those four walls.

I'll go back to visiting the Covered Wagon...

I would not recommend this establishment all. After my family tried to organize an event here, we were told to pay the total cost for hiring the event space upfront. There was no option to provide a deposit which was very unusual and unprofessional. After providing the payment, the event had to be cancelled due to unforeseen events and the staff were unwilling to provide a refund or even a partial refund despite us communicating our intention to cancel well in advance. Contacting the manager, Jas, with whom the entire debacle was organized, became extremely difficult as she was unwilling to liaise. At last we were offered a credit note for the amount of the payment, to which conditions would be added (by Jas) at random, such as making the “optional service charge” compulsory, after a visit mentioning the note must be used in one transaction, and then imposing a deadline (which was after the fact conveniently changed to become closer). After being informed the credit must be used in a single transaction, we went to use this and to our surprise £33 had been deducted for no apparent reason. Retrieving an explanation for this was next to impossible when Jas then saw us trying to bring this to the staffs attention and decided to camp out in the kitchen and allow one of her employees try to send us away. Again this was very unprofessional and unfair to the employee. Overall, the management is appalling and the average food is not worth the price! Save time and money and go...