We report the experimental identification of a symmetry-protected surface state on Mo(1 1 2). The utilization of photon-energy- and polarization-dependent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy clearly demonstrates that this true surface state preserves its two-dimensional character despite the fact that it resides within the projection of the bulk bands along the ̅Γ-̅X line of the surface Brillouin zone. This surface state on Mo(1 1 2) exists due to the forbidden hybridization between the bulk and the surface states, each of which possesses different state symmetries within the crystal. The experimental identification of such a surface state possibly opens up pathways towards controlled manipulation between true surface states and the surface resonances (i.e. between two-dimensional and quasi-two-dimensional states) by breaking the symmetry of the crystal surface.