Restaurants in Moseley/Kings Heath (Birmingham)

The Patrick Kavanagh

A small bar that has some of the friendliest staff around, Patrick Kavanagh's is named after an Irish poet and novelist famed for an anti-social lifestyle. That cannot be said for the clientele here though, and there is an engaging atmosphere most nights of the week. Service is excellent even when packed at weekends and there's a fair choice of beers too. For an almost authentic Irish bar feel, you won't find many better alternatives.

Jade

Jade is found in the urban village of Moseley, close to the leafy expanse of Cannon Hill Park and the mac - Midlands Arts Centre. Moseley is an increasingly diverse suburb but you're still more likely to find balti houses here than a taste of the Orient, so Jade offers a welcome change. The food can only be described as delicious - the dim sum and sizzling fillet steak are certainly recommended, as is any squid dish. The only drawback is the fact the restaurant is unlicensed and doesn't take cards, so make sure you come prepared. Mercifully, however, there's no corkage charge.

Poco Loco

Based in Moseley, an increasingly popular place itself, this is a favoured haunt of the next generation of Birmingham's bright young things. Poco Loco is a friendly place, with plenty of authentic Mexican dishes priced just below what most would class as expensive - chicken fajitas, special enchilada. However, given the dearth of alternative Mexican venues they can afford to charge fans of their repertoire a little more.

K2

K2 specializes in Kashmiri cuisine and the masala and gushtabay dishes are highly recommended. Walls are covered with works by Birmingham artists and most can be bought at your table. Wednesday night is jazz night, with local musicians providing incongruous yet ambient accompaniment to your meal. The place is licensed so don't bring your own beers, but Kingfisher is on draught and the wine list is good.

Medaillon Vert

Moseley, up-and-coming area for Birmingham's trendy young things, still has its traditional element. This classy hotel restaurant has an extensive menu covering much of what is good about English and French cooking. Beef and kidney sautéed in Guinness goes down a treat, but if offal isn't your thing then try the salmon with lemon sauce or vegetable kiev. Lunch is particularly good value, three courses to be had for a reasonable rate.

Bistro Lyonnais

Not content just to cater for French tastes generally, Moseley Village has gone regional-specific with this Lyonnais venue. It has a genuinely Lyonnais chef, one M. Errou, who prepares daily menus using fresh ingredients. Bouillabaise is worth a try if you want something fishy, although menus change frequently—always a good sign. As you'd expect it's a bijou venue and the surroundings are not grand but it's lively and characterful and certainly worth investigating.

The Kitchen Garden Cafe

The Kitchen Garden Cafe is a cafe, restaurant, garden shop and deli that may be responsible for keeping its locals healthy. This is so, as they use only organic ingredients to prepare all of their mouth watering delicacies. The garden shop offers organic foodstuff, chess, wines and a lot more. The restaurant and cafe have a simple and welcoming interior which perfectly compliments the simple yet nourishing and delicious food. A must visit for a nature loving foodie.

Red Lion Folk Club

The Red Lion is almost unknown in Birmingham but is a must for any folk music fans in town. Considering the fact that it is a pub in Kings Heath, the Red Lion attracts an astonishing variety of talent. Not content with being a showcase for local acts, the management often secures internationally known folk stars like Tom Paxton, Maddy Prior and The Albion Band. The price of entry varies depending on the size of the fee paid to the act performing. Membership is available for the princely sum of £1, which means you get at least a pound off admission each time you go and you are put on the mailing list.

Diwan Balti

There are plenty of good restaurants to choose from now in Moseley, and this just one of them. Traditional balti cuisine is served up and the quality is generally excellent. Main meals generally cost less than £6, making it exceptional value given the high quality. Recommended dishes include the chicken tikka masala and lamb rogan josh. Diwan seats 100, so finding a table isn't too tricky, and the service is friendly. It's close to the Prince Of Wales pub, too - one of Moseley's finest pubs. Open on Fridays and Saturdays fro 5.30pm.

Jewel In The Crown

Not as good as K2, also in Moseley, but not as expensive either and has a less in-your-face ambiance. This is a comfortable restaurant with attentive but not over-powering service and doing a good line in the balti standards. It is licensed, so you needn't worry about bringing your own booze. Clientèle is mixed, with a great many regulars, but it's never usually difficult to get a table. Food is good quality without being spectacular.

Giovanni's

Excellent Italian providing traditional meals at realistic prices. Fresh fish dishes are the house specialty, and the game comes highly recommended too, but all the food is hearty with no butter or cream spared where necessary. The menu, as should be the case in all good restaurants, is seasonal and changes regularly. Giovanni's advertising insists that "there's nowhere better to treat yourself" and the many regulars certainly wouldn't disagree. English dishes are available, but why bother when you can have the best of Italian?

Spice Avenue Restaurant

This is an upmarket balti restaurant featuring lots of silver cutlery and trolley service, and some extravagant sounding dishes to boot. You can, would you believe, have your balti flambéed in brandy here. Of course all this comes at a price, but sometimes it feels good to treat yourself. Main meals, for example balti chicken with seasoning. By the way, it's a licensed restaurant so you needn't worry about finding the nearest wine merchant to sort out your alcoholic needs.