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RestaurantsWest MidlandsBirminghamB3

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Opening June 2024 in the Jewellery Quarter, a ‘mostly seafood’ chef’s table restaurant from chef Alex Claridge, of nearby The Wilderness. It replaces Atelier, his cocktail bar that closed down last year, which had become ‘an albatross around my neck’ – hence the name.

survey result

Summary

£140
£££££
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Open in June 2024 in the Jewellery Quarter – just after our annual diners’ poll had closed, so lacking feedback for a rating – chef Alex Claridge, of nearby The Wilderness (see also), replaced Atelier, his cocktail bar that closed down last year, which had become ‘an albatross around my neck’…, hence the name. Here the idea is a ‘mostly seafood’ chef’s table restaurant whose 14 diners at a time are cooked for by Piotr Szpak, a sous of five years’ standing at Wildnerness; all with the aim of delivering an ‘alternative luxury’ experience with 12+ courses of fish and seafood that’s ‘both brutalist and ornamental’. In her October 2024 review, The Guardian’s Grace Dent anointed it as “one of the top five seafood places in the UK today”: a “strange, industrial space”, with a “relentless, post-punk dark wave backing track” but also a “forward-thinking, experimental, edible maritime journey that will keep you in its tentacles for at least three hours”.

For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).

Have you eaten at Albatross Death Cult?

Newhall Street, Birmingham, B3 1RU

Albatross Death Cult Restaurant Diner Reviews

Reviews of Albatross Death Cult Restaurant in B3, Birmingham by users of Hardens.com. Also see the editors review of Albatross Death Cult restaurant.
Charlie S
Hands up, we only thought of visiting becau...
Reviewed 2 months, 10 days ago

"Hands up, we only thought of visiting because of Grace Dent’s rave review. We were lucky enough to get a booking on a day when we were visiting Birmingham anyway. I have to report that Ms Dent’s rave about the restaurant is well justified. We were delivered a succession of first rate dishes, largely of spanking fresh fish and shellfish which were all very tasty and beautifully presented. The meal was billed as a 12 course tasting menu, but we also had several amuse bouche starters. I had the drinks flight which was well matched to the dishes. It included several different sake, which were a revelation to me. The restaurant has only around 12 covers per sitting, and one sits at the counter, chatting to the staff and one’s fellow diners. The staff are all lovely and knowledgeable and happy to share their knowledge. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Our only criticism is that the restaurant is difficult to find, being tucked away in the corner of a large courtyard."

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What the Newspaper Critics are saying

The Guardian

Grace Dent declared this “omakase fine dining” spot with just 14 counter seats from Alex Claridge of the Wilderness, his partner Rachael Whittle and head chef Piotr Szpak, to be “one of the top five seafood places in the UK today, even though it has been open for only a few months”.

It’s a “strange, industrial space” – “a paean to stainless steel, cement and stripped-back brickwork”, with a ludicrously pretentious name (a reference to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s ‘Ancient Mariner’) and a “relentless, post-punk dark wave backing track by the likes of Lebanon Hanover” (me neither).

But it’s also “a special restaurant run by people who are at the top of their game” who will take you on a “forward-thinking, experimental, edible maritime journey that will keep you in its tentacles for at least three hours”.

Grace Dent - 2024-10-06
Newhall Street, Birmingham, B3 1RU

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