The Royal Oak

Head down to Coton Hill and you'll find yourself in proper local territory. The Royal Oak is the kind of place where regulars prop up the bar nursing a pint of something interesting, and nobody's bothered about Instagram angles. It's run by Black Country Ales, which means the beer list actually knows what it's doing—expect rotating cask ales and a crowd that cares about what's in their glass. The food's straightforward and unpretentious, the sort of stuff that pairs naturally with a bitter or a mild, and prices sit comfortably in the low-to-mid range without pretending to be something it's not.