Old Moseley Arms

From the outside nothing much to look at but walk inside & your greeted by friendly staff & locals. A traditional olde-​world proper pub! Oak clad walks & a host of original features.
A selection of ales & food just has to be tasted!!! EXCEPTIONAL!!!
There is large covered, comfortable smoking area to the rear.
Definitely coming back!

I’m not reviewing this pub as a boozer as it stands on it’s own as a friendly old pub with plenty of character. It (for once) is not trying to please everyone, gimmick itself into a frenzy and become pretentious. It’s a proper pub. I however have never eaten there… was I impressed? I was indeedy. So much choice… okay the menus looked abit worn and battered but my basic chicken curry was excellently cooked. I wanted ‘hot’ and boy did I get hot…(often it’s never spicy enough with tentative amounts of chilli) We ate it outside too in the quirky eclectic back yard as the sun shone. It was bought out to us and well presented… rice perfectly cooked. They collected our finished plates almost straight away… the price? Unbelievably good value. If you want a curry on a budget in one of Birmingham’s finest pubs then come here.

As soon as I heard about this place, I knew it was for me. Combining two of my favourite things in life, Beer and Balti, will generally get you pretty high ratings in my book. Doing it with the sort of warming charm that ‘Old Mo’s’ does, prety much guarantees you a 5 star mark!
The pub is a quaint little affair, slab bang in the middle of a housing estate in Balsall Heath, it looks like its been dropped in from above, but I assume the landscape has probably changed around it.
They have a good few cask ales on at a time, serving well kept beer. Think golds and pale ales and you’re in the right ballpark, this isnt a ‘craft’ ale bar, its a pub and proud. The prices are decent too, certainly a world away from some of the Moseley prices down the road.
The food is also excellent, good portions and excellent prices. We aren’t talking fancy indian restaurant, but they have a tandoori oven and aren’t afraid to use it!
Basically, this place is like taking a really great pub, and replacing the ‘pub classics’ with curry house classics, but somehow it doesn’t seem forced. Extra points for the friendly punters and bar staff too who make the whole thing just that bit more special.

Samosas are good. They smile and there’s a juke box. For hippies and drunks.

Rain stopped play at Edgbaston? Soaked? England skittled for 50? Feel like meeting an Ashes-​hunting Aussie? The Old Mo (not to be confused with Eastenders’ Big Mo) is the place.
That said, it would be unfair to suggest its worth emerges only in cricketing crises. The Old Mo is in fact a smashing, vintage, quintessentially British boozer that belies its tucked-​away location. So much so, cricket at nearby WCC can often seem an afterthought. Howzat?
The bar itself is the biggest pull, although the ‘vintage’ label does it disservice. It perhaps implies a self-​conscious affectation when really, it’s the result of loving preservation. It’s not too hard to imagine Trevor Howard here, having a stiff drink, after a brief encounter. Surely, people once said over a mild ‘it’ll all be over by Christmas’.
Too often a corker of a bar can be undone by an incongruous lounge. But here there’s a natural flow between the two, both visually and in vibe. Okay, the lounge has enough hint of the present day to cause a pang of disappointment, but there are enough fixtures and fittings to cheer you up. And yet none of it is knowing. There’s no one here, iPad balanced on a quiff, pretending to read the Racing Post. Little wonder, then, a friend recently told me he’d met a traditional pub nut who’d flown from America just to visit the venue (and, admittedly, its peers The Black Eagle and Lord Clifden).
A surprisingly killer juke box, plus homemade curries and a projector screen for sports, also separate the men from the boys… perhaps in every sense. You see, I can’t quite imagine it being everyone’s cup of tea. Those under 25 in need of a change might wonder what they’ve walked into. But those who can appreciate a little friendly miracle amid the chain pubs will feel right at home. If you can somehow imagine a projector screen done as ‘broadsheet’, rather than the ‘tabloid’, you’ve caught on to its true nature. It’s the Old Mo, but it’s far from old hat.

I have to admit, this is not my usual pub of choice. When you walk in it has that typical old working mens club vibe… and smell! That aside the pub has been kept in great condition with pretty much all of the original features remaining which gives it that priceless ‘back in time’ feel when you walk in.
However, if you’re looking for a cheap pub that plays all the sports on TV then this is for you. I went with a friend to watch the football and have a couple of beers. Overall it had a nice chilled out vibe, unlike some of the city centre sport bars which can get a bit overwhelming at times.
On a Sunday they have a free music event upstairs which plays everything from Jazz and soul to rock and country music. Personally I wish it was on every night as it really does provide the perfect soundtrack to such a characteristic classic venue.

The first time I went to The Old Moseley Arms, I was very confused and struggled to find exactly where it was. I kept thinking it was The Moseley Arms, but that’s a completely different pub in Digbeth.
But I’ve been in The Old Mo a few times now to interview local musicians. I think it’s a brilliant setting right in the boho area of Birmingham, and maintains the traditional old man’s pub aesthetic.
It is also still very welcoming to new customers and younger people. Every time I’ve been in, the pub has been packed full of customers, and I usually utilise the quieter upstairs room to carry out interviews. This room is great for functions, and I especially like the relaxed atmosphere in this space. Both inside and outside, The Old Mo is old fashioned in décor, which I provides a great signature to the place. Although, I do think that it is a little too hidden away from the public, but maybe that’s a good thing.

This is the best pub in Birmingham by a country mile. I’ve been using The Old Mo (as its known) for well over a decade and it’s a home-​from-​home. If the TV show Cheers had been made in Birmingham then it would have been set here — literally, everybody knows your name. Even though I don’t get down there as much as I used to (when I lived a few hundred years away!) I’m always greeted by name by both the bar staff and some of the locals. It’s a genuinely friendly place with great beer that is a PROPER PUB. Some might call it an ‘Old Man’s Pub’, which is completely fair, but that’s what is so great about it.
It’s a particularly great place to watch sport, and football and cricket in particular. The locals are a knowledgeable crowd when it comes to both games and there is always a lively and friendly discussion to be had.
They have recently started doing a different range of foods. You can get a pretty decent roast on a Sunday for around £4 and there is often a curry night that is well worth a visit. The curry is cooked by the landlord’s wife and is excellent home cooked Indian food.
The only word of caution I would offer about this place is to be careful when leaving late at night. It’s not in the best or safest part of town and there have been a few nasty incidents in the park behind the place. These are pretty rare, in fairness, but I would recommend taking a cab home, or else going in sufficient numbers and with your wits about you, if travelling on foot.