The Desi pub rated as one of the Black Country's best and run by the same family for 25 years

The Red Lion in West Bromwich, is highly regarded as one of the best 'Desi pubs' in the Black Country, and its family ownership of over 25 years is a testament to that.

Located in All Saints Way, West Bromwich, the Red Lion has gone through an evolution from a wet pub, to a pub that serves some of the highest quality food - on a level even restaurants would be proud of.

Satnam Purewal, 43, began running the pub full-time in 2019, taking over from his father who had owned it since 1997.

Satman, a former teacher, says he has always been involved in the business in some way, but in 2019 he decided to leave his post as a teacher and run it full time.

Since taking over, it hasn't been an easy experience, with the industry facing huge issues with the Covid pandemic followed by the cost of living crisis.

Speaking about what is has been like, Satnam says: "Covid was very challenging, and it changed us as a business.

"We were closed of course but when it come to reopening, with my teaching background, I did a lot of risk assessments in order to keep everyone safe, and stuck to the guidelines - which people really appreciated.

"We went above and beyond to keep people safe, and because of that people enjoyed it, appreciated it, and it brought in a lot of customers. It changed us in a different way, whilst we are still very much a pub and boozer, but with the food we serve, it's like a restaurant and bar, but not actually a restaurant."

Whilst the Red Lion is popular for being a boozer, and the bar is still very much the heart of the pub, the establishment is highly popular for the incredible food they serve.

A huge wave of popularity of 'Desi pubs' has risen in recent years, where pubs that were maybe once struggling or just simply had a transformation and change with the times, now serve top quality Indian food, including the ever famous 'Mix Grill', which arrives to your table sizzling on a platter, with a range of items including tandoori fish, lamb chops, chicken tikka - the options are endless and mouthwatering.

The Red Lion has a huge menu on offer, from mix grills, to seafood, curries, Chinese food - all cooked fresh in-house by top chefs from the best restaurants in India, according to Satnam.

"We are blessed with a set of regulars that have been here since we took over and are still here. It's nice to have seen people grow up, and then even meet their kids.

"The way I see it is that Desi in Punjabi means home or homely, and so we have very much made the pub our home. My parents live above the pub, and so we feel that we are essentially welcoming people into our home.

"We greet and treat everyone as if we are welcoming guests into our home, and it is what we always do and will continue to do.

"People visit here for their night out, to enjoy and relax and so we want to make it a pleasant experience. And this is very much down to the Punjabi culture - where hospitality is very much in our DNA, and I think this is why ourselves and Desi pubs in general do so well - hospitality is very important to us.

"And it is the family business - which of course has its challenges but my dad has allowed me to run it my way, but whilst also having his experience, knowledge and contacts that he has made over the years. He's still involved, but just not day to day."

The Black Country pub recently was involved in a campaign where a pub sign was commissioned by Creative Black Country in collaboration with New Art Exchange, Skinder Hundal & Sooree Pillay, illustrated by Hardeep Pandhal and painted by Andrew Grundon.

Satnam explains: "Six Desi pubs were picked to have an art installation for an art project, and stained glass windows were installed telling the story of the Punjabi and Indian community, what some of the people went through when they moved to the country.

"We got a lot of media coverage about it, with the BBC, ITV, national newspapers - it suddenly blew up.

"A pub sign was created in the project too and it actually got selected to be displayed in Italy at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in Venice in Italy.

"The rise of the Desi pubs has grown organically and people are really taking notice now, with similar places opening around the country like Coventry and Newcastle, but the Midlands is still very much the heart of the Desi pubs - we have the biggest concentration of Desi pubs here in the West Midlands, and people travel from all over just to ear here.

"We have had a lot of Canadians coming to eat here and they all love the food. The evolution has been good - with what first started as a wet pub in 1997, my dad decided to bring in Indian food and turned what once was a male dominated pub into a family atmosphere where they can enjoy the quality of food and service like they would at restaurants.

"It has taken a lot of hard work to get to where it is today, and now with the cost of living crisis, it is affecting us bad.

"Our energy bills have literally tripled, it has affected us big time. We have gas cookers on all the time, and we are a large place, so we are certainly feeling it.

"It has been hard, and whilst we have increased our prices, those increases are not reflective of what our running costs are for food, drinks and energy. So as a business we have taken a big hit and profit margins are smaller."