Some of the best Indian food in Britain is not served in restaurants. It is served in pubs, specifically in desi pubs, and the West Midlands invented them. If you have never heard the term, this is the short version: proper pub, proper pint, and a tandoori grill where you would normally find a carvery.
Where desi pubs came from
"Desi" is the word people from the Indian subcontinent use for things from home. Desi pubs started appearing around Birmingham and the Black Country from the 1960s onwards, when Punjabi landlords began taking over struggling locals. At a time when some pubs would not serve Black and Asian customers, these landlords built places where everyone drank together, and they are still known for that mix today.
The genius move was what they did with the kitchen. Instead of scampi and chips, the new landlords put in tandoors and grills and started serving the food they actually ate at home. The pub stayed a pub. The food became something worth crossing the city for.
What to expect in one
- A mixed grill, usually on a sizzling iron platter: chicken tikka, seekh kebab, lamb chops, sometimes masala fish, with naan and salad.
- Proper curries alongside, from daal to karahi dishes.
- Cold lager and cask ale, because it is still a pub.
- Sport on the screens. Desi pubs and football go together, and match days are busy.
- Families welcome. These are neighbourhood places, not nightclubs.
Why the mixed grill matters
The mixed grill is the desi pub's signature for a reason. Grilled meat and cold lager is one of the great food pairings, and the tandoor does things to a lamb chop that a pub kitchen never could. If you want to understand the whole culture in one order, this is it. Ours runs from a classic small grill for one up to a mega version built for three people, straight from the clay oven.
Is Smokey Barrels a desi pub?
In spirit, absolutely. Indian grills and curries from a tandoor, every big match on the screens, families in on weekends and a sports bar atmosphere on fight nights. We sit on Coventry Road rather than in the Black Country, and we would not claim the fifty years of history some of the originals have. But if what you want is lamb chops with your football, that is exactly what this place is for.
Want to see how the city's desi pubs compare? We put together our honest list of the best desi pubs in Birmingham, including the ones we admire ourselves.
