West Midlands Restaurant Guide

“Edgy cuisine and environment, backed by friendly service and a rock ’n’ roll playlist” (played loud!) is the distinctive formula of Alex Claridge’s ‘full-on’ Jewellery Quarter venture, with black walls and black-leather furniture, and an open kitchen on display. As with some previous years, it doesn’t generate a huge volume of feedback in our annual diners’ poll, but fans say it’s “outstanding”. There are two tasting menus offered, a £70 version and more extensive and longer £130 option. Typical dish? – ‘Childhood Reflections in the Shape of a Banana’.

Now in its 21st year, this “superior” Jewellery Quarter fixture has led the way in modernising British Indian cuisine, presented for “degustation” in a sophisticated setting. Ratings have remained very steady despite the travails of recent times – and the departure of high-profile chef-director Aktar Islam (see Opheem).

A gastronomic “tour de force”, this “fun and playful” Business Quarter flagship from exuberant locally born chef Glynn Purnell – aka ‘the yummy Brummie’ – continues to thrill both regulars and first-timers with food “so good we went back 3 times in 6 months!”. “Being served by the man himself (twice) brought my wife to tears” – “the tasting menu was a revelation, from the showmanship of the mint choc chip dried ice to the intensity of the flavours throughout”.

“The tasting menu is an exciting journey” at Aktar Islam’s increasingly famous dining room a little out of the city centre, which is “going from strength to strength” as Brum’s most commented-on destination; one of the top-10 most mentioned outside London in our annual diners’ poll; and with some claim on being “the best Indian restaurant outside of London”. The “elegantly presented” cuisine is rooted in the subcontinent, but might equally be described as “European with Indian flavours and spices”. However you define the kitchen, it provides “a great experience with subtle spicing and some unique touches and flavours” complemented by “outstanding wine matches”. The main dining room is a dim-lit, modern and stylish space and among improvements in recent times “the new lounge in particular is a fabulous addition”.

This city-centre venue wins consistently strong ratings – if not much feedback this year – for its classic “rich” cuisine from India’s northwest. It is part of an international group (with UK branches in Manchester and Solihull) owned by the prolific Bollywood singer Asha Bhosle and run by her son Anand; now 88, she is best-known in Britain from Cornershop’s 1997 hit single ‘Brimful of Asha’, which punned on her name, meaning ‘hope’ in Hindi.

“You wouldn’t go for ‘haute cuisine’, but as a jolly place to eat comfort food in a spectacular setting, it is hard to beat” – that’s the upbeat view, anyway, on this now-“ubiquitous” brasserie chain. Eight years and 40 openings later, the spin-offs increasingly eclipse the Theatreland original (see also), whose Edwardian features provide the style-guide for its nationwide ‘roll out’. “Even if the unchallenging food reaches no heights, there’s a consistent buzz”, which makes them a “posh”, “fun” choice for a get-together, if not a particularly foodie one. This is particularly the case at the landmark London off-shoots: at ‘Chelsea Garden’ (“gorgeous greenery”); Kensington (“slick”, with a “pretty glitzy crowd”); and on the Thames (“great views over Tower Bridge”). But while it’s always been acknowledged that the mass offering is “a shadow of the mothership’s” – with “average grub at not-so-average prices” – the feeling that the brand has become just “a chain that does not excite” is gaining ever-stronger currency. Service seems more “stretched” nowadays, and a sliding ambience rating is making the whole offering seem ever-more “overrated, for all its modern art and perky décor”.

“The food is always great” – especially the oysters – at this “reliable” seafood outlet which is the more relaxed option from chef Adam Stokes, whose high-flying flagship Adam’s is nearby. But diners expecting the same standards as his main gaff might be in for a “disappointment”: ratings here are more generally good rather than outstanding and service has its ups and downs.

The deservedly popular retro Bombay-themed chain has made itself thoroughly at home in Brum with this “busy, buzzy venue in the city centre” – “a very slick operation” serving “authentic and tasty” food with a “good variety of tapas-style small dishes and sharing plates”. Much is made of Birmingham and Mumbai’s shared histories of manufacture, commerce and craftsmanship.

“Easily Birmingham’s top dining destination” (of the modern European variety), say fans of Adam & Natasha Stokes’s local luminary, which is entering its tenth year of operation. Its “exquisite and inventive food has evolved and reinvented itself over the years and just keeps amazing with new creations and combinations of flavours”. “Impeccable service” is “that lovely combination of being professional but also engaging” and “the general feel of the restaurant is classy with Art Deco influences”. All this plus the “comprehensive wine list” you would expect. Top Tip – “the kitchen table experience is a well-designed and great experience”.

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 “slurpy Japanese noodles” outfit has grown from a 2011 pop-up to a fledgling national chain (14 branches in London, plus Brighton and Brum). These days it “feels formulaic, but the ramen does the business – the tonkotsu (pork broth, from which the place gets its name) is satisfyingly porky and the chilli chicken has a spicy hum”. Critics are not so sure, pointing to “very disappointing noodles” and “drab stock”.

Andreas Antona’s attractive Edwardian villa in posh Edgbaston remains one of the city’s most commented-on dining destinations, and all accounts are upbeat, with numerous reporters having their “best meal of the year here” and declaring it “a real experience”. A 10-course tasting menu is available for £130, but they haven’t ditched à la carte here, sometimes enhanced with competitive wine-inclusive deals. Chef Luke Tipping’s cuisine is “top class” , service is “particularly impressive” and there’s “a lovely atmosphere”.

This cleverly converted and relaxed former butcher’s shop showcases a range of “exceptional” tasting menus from Kidderminster-born chef-patron Jamie Desogus, who worked at Gordon Ramsay’s Pétrus before returning to the Midlands in 2016. Not a huge volume of feedback this year, but ratings remain strong across the board.

A converted bank in Moseley Village plays host to Birmingham’s first Peruvian restaurant, offering a range of dishes unfamiliar to the city. Limited feedback rates it good all-round and in his September 2021 visit, Jay Rayner of The Observer gave it the thumbs-up, saying that his discovering it in Brum was “like finding a gorgeous tropical flower at the base of a glowering mighty oak”.

“The Chef’s Table experience is one of the best dining experiences ever”, according to fans of Brad Carter’s fine-dining fixture in Moseley, which – since its opening in 2010 – “has developed over time into a fine modern restaurant”. Early week, there’s a slightly slimmed-down 6-course option available, but over the weekends the choice is between a 9-course or 11-course tasting menu.

On the 24th floor of Brum’s tallest office building – this new D&D London venue opened in mid-October 2022, with what is said to be a breathtaking 360-degree panorama of the city. Chris Emery provides a modern French menu from noon till past midnight.

The Manchester-based Gujarati street food and craft beer specialist headed south to Brum in summer 2023, finding a city centre perch in a Grade II listed building in Bennetts Hill, serving 100% vegetarian food and beer from their own brewery, as well as a wide range of guest ales.