West Midlands Restaurant Guide

“Different but brilliant!” – “The Wilderness remains the most exciting restaurant in Birmingham” according to a fan of Alex Claridge’s “extraordinary former factory in the Jewellery Quarter” (although this was said before Alex opened his ‘Albatross Death Cult’ – see also). “The atmosphere may not be to everyone’s taste, to put it mildly, with its ‘lively’ background music, black decor and amazing energy coming out of its open kitchen. But this is a real dining experience of successful, sometimes quirky dishes, served in an exciting venue by the remarkable head chef Marius Gedminas and chef-patron Alex Claridge, who continue to create dishes that are original, excitingly presented, accurately cooked and delicious”. Top Tip – “the drinks pairing is a welcome change to the usual, with lots of different things to try”.

“One of the nicest restaurants in Birmingham, without a doubt” – this small greige and wood-toned venue just off St Paul’s Square was launched by Ben Tesh and partner Lucy Hanlon in 2017. “It’s a quiet, relaxing, informal place with charming service in which to eat very fine food prepared meticulously by chef Ben, who has his very own quiet style of cooking. The menu takes the form of a tasting menu and each dish seems to complement the previous one: excellent food that’s often subtle, frequently original, occasionally challenging, but quite special when set against the background of the Birmingham dining out scene”.

This “glitzy post-modern Indian” in the Jewellery Quarter serves “solid accomplished food” in a “stunning dining room”. Now 21 years old, it was an early pioneer of ambitious modern British-Indian cuisine but these days faces “lots of competition” in this field – not least from founding chef Aktar Islam, who left to open Opheem (see also).

2021 Review: “Arresting” design is a big feature of Adam and Drew Jones’s stunning-looking Chinese-themed yearling: the city’s biggest basement bar and restaurant situated in the recently reopened Grand hotel (built in 1879, and refurbished after over a decade’s closure). Too few reports for a rating as yet: its menu contains a “theatrically presented combination of small bites and larger dishes”. The next stop after this is Edinburgh, opening late 2019.

“Phwoar!” – “Aktar Islam’s remarkable restaurant situated on the edge of Birmingham‘s Jewellery Quarter goes from strength to strength”: it remains Brum’s most commented-on destination in our annual diners’ poll (and, in early 2024, became Brum’s first-ever Michelin two star restaurant in the tyre men’s awards). “Aktar’s cooking has matured wonderfully” and here (and with his Aktar at Home delivery service) is succeeding in “taking Indian cuisine to a new and exalted level”. “Despite us being bored with taster menus, these are exceptional”, with “totally outstanding flavours and presentation”. There are two options (with five- and ten-course alternatives) which “provide good value and a great and memorable experience”. “After canapés in the chic lounge/bar, the main meal is served in the dining area with a view of a large open kitchen where the chefs can be seen purposefully and calmly going about their work. Service is very good and the atmosphere is relaxing”. “Quite simply the best”. Top Menu Tip – “The signature potato dish is amazing! Never had anything quite like it!”

A rooftop fire in July 2023 briefly shuttered this hugely popular hangout of stars, and offering northwest Indian food that’s packed with taste; it’s now back in business and while “not cheap”, you can expect “a stand-out meal every time with a proper cocktail bar and Bollywood ambience” befitting its owner – nonagenarian singer Asha Bhosle, who was namechecked in Cornershop’s hit ‘Brimful of Asha’.

2021 Review: “Latino steak restaurant in the heart of Birmingham city centre” – this well-appointed new branch of the expanding Brazilian chain offers its trademark “generous meat and buffet” formula. It’s tipped by one or two reporters as “good for business meals”.

What does it say about the culinary tastes of the British middle classes that this spin-off chain, with about 40 locations based on the original Theatreland icon, has been such a rip-roaring success? True, there’s some “great people-watching” at the “always buzzing” Chelsea Garden venue (which has one of SW3’s best gardens). And, without doubt, those branches in Kensington, Tower Bridge and Kingston also particularly stand out amongst the rest for their “super atmosphere”. In general though, the knock-off look of their locations “isn’t a patch on the original on West Street, yet pretends to be exactly the same”. And when it comes to their brasserie dishes: although its many followers tout them as “acceptable, albeit nothing special”, their rating-average identifies them as “underwhelming tick-box fare”; all offered by service that’s very “indifferent”. And yet they are “always busy”! In June 2024, it was announced that billionaire Richard Caring had successfully sold his entire Ivy restaurants stake. Now that he is laughing all the way to the bank, it will be interesting to see if ratings reverse, continue or deepen their southward trend.

The “junior sister to Adam’s” on Bennetts Hill “is one of the rare places in Birmingham where the diner can enjoy fine fish dishes, though some of them are rather expensive” (albeit not quite as expensive as its acclaimed sibling). “Not surprisingly, the diner may start with a choice of oysters” but there’s a wide range of other “excellent” fishy dishes too (including caviar for the plush) and, while it “couldn’t be further from the sea, it makes up for it with the quality of the food” – also now available to sample in their newly refurbished ‘Aphrodite’s Bar’.

2022 Review: Sicilian-born Carlo Distefano founded his now international chain thirty years ago with this Brum institution, creating a template of classic upscale Italian food served with immaculate professionalism in a smart and “romantic atmosphere”. He now has 22 restaurants in England and branches in the Middle East and Bangkok.

“A big central Birmingham venue full of atmosphere and always busy” – London’s all-conquering chain opened in 2022 in a large (300+ covers) site near Birmingham Town Hall, and its “inclusive and exciting approach” (modelled on the Parsi cafés of 1940s Mumbai) with “perfectly spiced” dishes (“served in stay-warm ironware that looks good”) and “engaged, friendly, well-motivated staff” make it “possibly the best option in Brum city centre if you don’t want to spend a fortune”. All this said, it occasionally disappoints, and doesn’t score quite the tearaway ratings of its London cousins.

“Adam’s is probably the smartest and most formal restaurant in Birmingham”, and with the demise of Purnell’s (RIP) some would say it is “now by some way Birmingham’s number one spot”, especially if you are neither seeking a hip, multi-course experience nor non-European cuisine. Established in 2016 by Adam & Natasha Stokes, it’s a conventional space near Victoria Square – “front of house staff are smartly decked out and behave like professionals: polite and helpful with well-measured friendliness”. “Sound, thoughtful cooking is well-judged”, “prepared from high-quality ingredients” and “presented very attractively”. Most nights there is an à la carte (£89 per person) or five-course (£109 per person) option: on Saturdays it’s just the seven-course tasting menu for £137 per person. “The room is pleasant enough, though a large party can make it noisy”.

2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.

2023 Review: Rectangular pizza cooked in 90 seconds is the draw at this top local pizza pit-stop, which is consistently well-rated: choose a base sauce and cheese and then zhoosh it up with various toppings.

This 15-strong London noodle chain (now with branches in Brighton, Birmingham and Bristol) is “a good stand-by” – perhaps it’s “not as good as some of its competitors”, but it is widely seen as “good value”: in particular “the lunch-time meal deal” is a winner.

2022 Review: The first solo venture for Great British Menu finalist Kray Treadwell opened in September 2020 and is named after the birth weight of his premature daughter. Housed in Digbeth's Custard Factory, the venture very quickly earned him Michelin’s pick as Young Chef of the Year 2021. According to a May 2021 report in the Birmingham Mail, this is ‘the hottest Birmingham restaurant to book right now’.