Have the misfortune to work in Erdington, the High Street is a hole full of pound/bargain shops and at last count 10 different Polish/eastern European shops.. its somewhere not to be around in the evenings as groups of pissed up blokes seem to hang around the skleps drinking super strength lager and generally being a pain in the arse.
As for pubs, the Acorn has changed names again and is a shithole full of reprobates who think the massive Weatherspoons around the corner is too classy for them..havent got the courage to venture into the Swan at the top of the High Street but judging by the groups of gammon faced men loitering outside smoking its not somewhere you want to go.
All the other pubs around the High St are long gone, theres 3 Greggs and even a £1 bakery to compliment the other pound shops.
Theres a couple of small independent cafes/coffee shops, but as ones attached to some weird church i refuse to go in there.. the other looks a bit too vegan for me (seems very out of place given the rest of the street and the clientele).
In short, avoid Erdington, drink up by the Yenton, or even Sutton, train straight to Aston for the game.
