Bargain beers and burgers abound at this University of Birmingham staple. As likely to be busy on a Wednesday afternoon as at the weekend, think hotly contested pool tables, footie-filled plasmas and alcoves big enough to hide from both if it's a quieter pint you had in mind.
On the right night of the week, pints start from about £1.50, with higher-end world beers coming in at two for £6.50 all day, every day. At such prices, you won't be shocked to hear that the Pear could do with a lick of paint. But student pubs don't inure because they look particularly pretty – there’s a buzz and history about this place with which the other end of the Bristol Road just can't compete, particularly since the late-lamented Gun Barrels fell to Brum's first Olympic-sized swimming pool. You went down fighting, old friend.