The cosy festive pub off the Birmingham German Market with a roaring fire on the table

With huge Christmas wreaths, twinking lights, a roaring table top fire and tin cups filled with creamy hot chocolate, Albert's Schloss feels like the kind of bar you'd find elves visiting after a long shift at the factory in the cold North Pole. The Chamberlain Square spot is decked out to the nines for Christmas this year and, with mulled wine on the menu, it's an ideal place to duck into when rain falls on the German Market.

The venue opened back in December 2022 and the apres ski-style bar has garnered a reputation for dancing-on-the-table parties, drag nights and schnapps sipping over a game of shuffleboard by night. But by day, the big-but-cosy spot is family friendly, with room around a communal hearth, set on top of a table, to sit and eat breakfasts, fresh pastries, Bavarian lunches, dinner and Sunday roasts while warming your hands and face.

Those coming into town to visit the German Market this year, or to explore the wonderful, newly-overhauled Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, can find a number of new restaurants lining the route from Birmingham New Street Station up to Centenary Square and the Big Wheel, Flyer and ice skating rink.

Read more: I visited the Birmingham attraction opening after nearly five years and my heart ached

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But of all of the bars and restaurants along that stretch, none feel quite as festive as Albert's Schloss this year. Perhaps it's the blend of the wooden beams and the huge, traditionally decorated wreaths and chanderliers, but it feels almost like an extension of the Christmas Market itself.

Last year, there was a hearth constructed in the heart of Pigeon Park, for visitors to the Cathedral Square Christmas Market to roast their marshmallows on. You can't toast yours on the fire roaring on the table in Albert's Schloss, but for £5 you can get a cup full of hot chocolate topped with cream and pre-toasted marshmallows.

The venue is open from 11am until 2am from Monday to Friday and from 9am until 2am on Saturdays and Sundays. Children are welcome until 8pm according to the Albert's Schloss website.