We visited Birmingham’s new sports bar in Brindleyplace - here’s what you can expect

The nightlife scene here in Birmingham is always in flux with new venues opening all the time.

And here in Brindleyplace in the city centre, a new sports bar is opening that promises to be a game changer - it’s where Pizza Express used to be.

BOX is set to open its doors to customers on Saturday, June 3 - just in time for the FA Cup final showdown between Manchester United and Manchester City - and BirminghamWorld came along on Wednesday (31 May) for a sneak preview, to find out what makes this place so unique.

It will open its doors in the old Pizza Express location. It’s huge venue (10,000sq ft which can hold 575 guests) with a premium offering from the team behind Manahatta on Temple Row.

As I walked in, I noticed the impressive open kitchen on the ground floor, and the island bar which is surrounded by 32 top-of-the-range TV screens so guests can watch the biggest and best sports live. BOX also has a spectacular upstairs bar and private dining room as well an outdoor area for 30 seats.

Never one to miss an opportunity to savour delectable cuisine, I sampled the Bombay Burger, Pizza Fondue, Tater Tots, Salt and Chilli Chicken, and my personal favourite, the Steak Frites. Great food executed flawlessly, demonstrating the venue’s well-earned pride in its offerings.

Speaking to Kirsty Clarke, Operations Manager for BOX on the day, she said: “We have a shuffleboard area with 218 foot shuffleboard tables, great for large groups, great for pairing after a few beers becomes very competitive.

“We have 36 TV screens in the building. So absolutely the place to watch events, be it tennis, football, rugby, whatever you got going on. This is the place to watch live sport. “

Marinaldo Lourenco, Kitchen Training Manager for BOX told me: “So basically, nobody does it better. This is one of our values.

And we work very hard to make sure everything that we do with here, the consistency, the quality that we do in the products that you research or the products that we’re using, and the our chefs, the amount of training that we do in our chefs, we wanted to make sure not just the chef’s the front of house.

“We will work together to make sure that what we deliver to the customers is the best experience that they ever had.”

It is evident that the team behind Box take immense pride in their work, fostering a sense of anticipation for a lively and dynamic atmosphere.

Gareth Vowles, Training and Development Manager for BOX, added: “So the box brands breathe and see our energy, energy cooler, and more so into all the cocktails like we’re about atmosphere here and see our people don’t want to be queuing in a bar all the time. So our aim is to get people served fast and having fun.”

Box promises to be a delightful addition to Birmingham’s nightlife scene, having already enjoyed significant success in various locations across the UK.