New cocktail bar replaces old city centre music pub
A HISTORIC Birmingham pub and live music venue has reopened as a cocktail bar.
The new owners of The Rainbow, in Digbeth, took over the lease in August and have renamed the venue Finders Keepers.
A spokesman said: “The Rainbow was a much-loved part of Digbeth’s night-time scene and we’re thrilled to bring it back to life as a regular drinking hole again.
“The interior has changed to give it a more stripped back, contemporary feel, while retaining the beautiful Victorian features.
“We wanted the bar’s new name to show how much of a hidden gem this corner pub is and how it will now be a regular and permanent part of Digbeth’s drinking scene – rather than just being open for music events as it was previously.”
The building, which boasts vintage furnishings and stained glass windows, hosted an eclectic selection of music acts and spawned the hugely-successful Rainbow Venues – which also closed down.
The Rainbow’s back room and cellar is currently being refur- bished and will reopen later this year as a space for immersive theatre and other events.
The spokesman added: “It was important that we opened first as a bar with regular opening hours and help support other businesses here.
“The more choice people have going out in Digbeth the more likely they are to visit us on a night out.”
Over the past year Digbeth’s social scene has blossomed.
The Ruin pub, inspired by the “ruin pubs” of Budapest, opened on Floodgate Street last October and won rave reviews from Digbeth locals.
Ghetto Golf opened earlier this year and, more recently, European Street Food Award winner Baked In Brick opened a permanent restaurant at The Custard Factory.
And music fans rejoiced when live music venue Digbeth Arena recently opened next door to the Victorian railway arches.
Its new sister venue The Mill opens at the end of the month, replacing the Rainbow Venues.