For as long as I have been alive, Bearwood has been described as “up-and-coming”. Where exactly it is ascending from, and where it is arriving to, however, isn’t clear.
Depending on who I talk to, this little neighbourhood either has airs-and-graces or is the shabbier version of Harborne that people move to before they can afford a B17 postcode. The former camp is mostly made up of people from other parts of the Black Country for whom Bearwood, sitting just west of the Birmingham border, barely counts as yam-yam. The rabble-rousing Sandwell Skidder blogger, Julian Saunders, once described the neighbourhood to me derisively as “the socialist republic of Sandwell”.
On the other hand, there are those who see Bearwood’s potential — convenient for getting into town, lots of Victorian terraces with plenty of character — but find it a bit rough around the edges. My mom told me that when she and my dad moved to Birmingham from Malaysia in the mid-1980s, colleagues advised them that if they were going to buy a house in Bearwood, they ought to stick to the following guidelines: purchase on the west side of the Bearwood Road and don’t venture beyond the crossroads with the Bear Pub on it. New to the city and a little overwhelmed by these rules, they instead settled on Selly Oak, before moving to Harborne in 1991.
In the intervening 35 years, I’ve often heard that Bearwood is “on-the-up”. And while house prices have risen to near-Stirchley levels — the standard-bearer for rapid gentrification in Birmingham — the two high streets differ significantly. One of my most vivid memories of Bearwood was waiting for a pizza from Luigi’s when an inebriated and vaguely aristocratic-sounding man waddled over and accused me of being a “hipster” gentrifier. I might have taken offence had my eyes not panned down to reveal his trousers were slipping down halfway towards his ankles and his… maybe use your imagination. Or don’t.
And yet, I won’t allow the occasional eye-sore to spoil my love of the place, or my appetite. What I can say for certain is that Bearwood has one massive thing going for it: the food. The area has some of the best places to eat and the most diverse range of cuisines within a one mile radius than anywhere I can think of. And because we don’t gatekeep at The Dispatch, I have compiled this highly subjective but essential guide to what I’m calling: the Bearwood snack trail. UNESCO, my dms are open if you want to talk.
1000 Trades On The park
Let’s kick things off with a potential argument-starter. Of all of the places on this list, 1000 Trades is the biggest sign that Bearwood might be getting that bit trendier. The original 1000 Trades pub in the Jewellery Quarter is a craft beer mecca, known for its casual dj sets, liberal-leaning political talks, and the questionable array of boomer rock n roll legends on the walls; like the National Portrait Gallery if it was curated by Bob Geldof. In 2024, its co-owners Jonathan Todd and John Stapleton added a second venue to the family: Bearwood’s Georgian, Grade II listed Lightwoods House.
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