Where to eat

Best restaurants in Birmingham
Published 14 May 2024

Birmingham is a city renowned for its rich history, cultural diversity, and thriving culinary scene. Food and drink have always played an important role in the city. After all, this is the city that gave us Bird’s custard powder, Cadbury’s chocolate and HP Sauce. The best restaurants in Birmingham reflect this vibrancy, offering a wide range of dining experiences that cater to every taste and occasion. From innovative menus that push the boundaries of flavour to dishes inspired by the city’s multicultural heritage, these establishments showcase the creativity and skill of Birmingham’s chefs. The best restaurants in Birmingham also celebrate the use of seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, ensuring that each meal is a testament to quality and craftsmanship. This guide is your ultimate resource for discovering the culinary treasures that make Birmingham a true food lover’s destination.

Want to read more?

Already a member? Log in here

Subscribe to our free newsletter to gain access to limited articles, reviews, news and our weekly newsletter.

The Good Food Guide Membership: Save £100s at Britain's best restaurants, try for 2 weeks

Try for free

MEMBER PERK

670 Grams

Birmingham, West Midlands £££

If eating while squeezed into a monochrome graffiti-themed space with pumping rap music is not your idea of a good time, then Kray Treadwell’s ‘absolutely unique’ vision of what constitutes a night out is not for… Read more

The Custard Factory, 4 Gibb Street, Birmingham, West Midlands B9 4AU

Adam's

Birmingham, West Midlands ££££

Finely honed contemporary fine dining in swanky surrounds

Although centrally located close to Birmingham's New Street station, Adam’s feels like a tucked-away destination among the grand Georgian buildings of Waterloo Street. Behind the imposing plate-glass frontage, you’ll find a smart bar area with plush purple-velvet bar stools and a black-and-white tiled floor that leads into the elegant dining room. Seated at one of the well-spaced and simply dressed bare wood tables, you’ll be treated to a finely honed fine-dining performance, given by a team made up mostly of suited-and-booted young men. Expect lots of po-faced patrolling as five- or seven-course tasting menus are delivered (there is also an à la carte option), but the atmosphere is nevertheless convivial and lively for a restaurant of such serious gastronomic intentions.

The kitchen has seen head chefs come and go over recent years, although it appears to be firing on all cylinders under the current joint custody of Adam Wilson and Simil Gurung. One of the highlights of a recent visit was a superior 'surf and turf' that paired perfectly cooked leg and breast of quail with a plump langoustine. A fragrant yet restrained lemongrass sauce and spicy peanut relish completed a memorably delicious dish. While you might also find a light dusting of coffee on the morel foam coating an gigantic Orkney scallop, the cooking leans more towards classicism with combinations such as chateaubriand with a bordelaise sauce.

There’s a decent measure of creativity here, but the food always remains crowd-pleasing rather than ground-breaking, with impressive technique adding to the pleasure of beautiful-looking desserts (French gariguette strawberries alongside a lozenge of almond sponge topped with a delicate strawberry-sugar tuile filled with caramel mousse, for example). Serious Bordeaux lovers with deep pockets will particularly appreciate the wine list, especially as selections by the glass and bottle do not attract a service charge. Bargain hunters won’t find much under £50, but a full page of wines by the carafe provides consolation.

New Oxford House, 16 Waterloo Street, Birmingham, West Midlands B2 5UG

MEMBER PERK

Chakana

Birmingham, West Midlands ££

Peru comes to Brum in the shape of Chakana, the first solo venture from chef Robert Ortiz (ex-Lima in London). Located in the city’s Moseley district and housed in a former Lloyd’s bank (the safe is now a private dinin… Read more

140 Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham, West Midlands B13 8HT

Best Local Restaurant

MEMBER PERK

Chapter

Birmingham, West Midlands ££

Playing a starring role at the Artisan Market in Edgbaston, Chapter covers a lot of bases in one stylish, streamlined package. Weekend breakfasts should start the day as you mean it to go on, a smart bar with glitzy cocktails open… Read more

5 Greenfield Crecent, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands B15 3BE

Dishoom Birmingham

Birmingham, West Midlands ££

Rekindling the spirit of old Bombay's Irani cafés

Occupying the ‘bow end’ of the astonishing boat-shaped One Chamberlain Square building overlooking Birmingham Town Hall, this branch of Dishoom is nothing if not eye-catching. Inside, its take on a Bombay’s class… Read more

1 Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, West Midlands B3 3AX

Eat Vietnam

Birmingham, West Midlands ££

Cool, independent Vietnamese eatery

One of the first wave of restaurants and bars to move into the upcoming ‘foodie oasis’ of Stirchley (a few miles to the south of Birmingham city centre), this ‘brilliant independent eatery’ sits on the site… Read more

1422 Pershore Road, Stirchley, Birmingham, West Midlands B30 2PH

Folium

Birmingham, West Midlands £££

A personal masterclass in ingredients-led cooking

Competition is fierce in B3. Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter has a thriving restaurant scene but Ben Tesh and Lucy Hanlon’s well-established Folium more than holds its own. The interior style – pared back, comfortable &… Read more

8 Caroline Street, Birmingham, West Midlands B3 1TW

Harborne Kitchen

Birmingham, West Midlands £££

On Harborne's High Street, wedged between other businesses but with an open, come-inside appeal and brightness, this exceptional restaurant runs at full tilt – even on a midweek evening. Upbeat energy fills the space – from the bar, past the hard-working open kitchen (run with smooth, disciplined focus) to the banquettes and booths in the dining room. Pacy, friendly service delivers food that is a thrilling combination of the familiar and the luxurious, from an opening gougère (vigorous with aged Somerset Cheddar and Worcestershire sauce) via chalk stream trout (with the option of Exmoor caviar for added zip) to a ravishing dark chocolate marquise, its richness quickened with lime and a banana sorbet. In between? Much has been written about ‘Jamie’s chicken and white chocolate’. Don’t wince, it works. The fresh acidity of strawberries and nuggets of sweet chocolate balance the savouriness of chicken liver parfait, while oat granola (embedded with crisped chicken skin) gives texture. Elsewhere, a dish of Sardinian malloreddus (gnochetti sardi) luxuriates in butter. Doused in aged Parmesan and summer truffle, it's a dish of umami dreams, although you might also find it served with slow-cooked ox cheek and heady with Madeira, or fresh with spring asparagus and morels – depending on the season. Chicken is brined, poached and pan-finished, the tender centrepiece of an appealing main course that’s smoky with bacon, and bright with peas and baby gem. The wine list rewards scrutiny, not least for its relative affordability. A Spanish Monastrell (Finca Bacara) opens a compact by-the-glass offer at £8, and the paired flights (from £35) are worth a look. The ‘5 for £55’ menu is outstanding midweek/lunchtime value, but come on Saturday night for the full 10 courses and dive more deeply into the abilities of this exceptional team. If you’re pushed for time, pull up a bar stool, sip a spirited cocktail and order from a menu of artisan cured meats, cheeses and nibbles such as trout roe with lemon.

175-179 High Street, Harborne, Birmingham, West Midlands B17 9QE

Land

Birmingham, West Midlands £££

Elevated plant-based dining in discreet surroundings

At first sight, Land doesn't look like one of the most consistent addresses for plant-focussed dining in Birmingham city centre. Sensibly dressed in muted grey and green, the small, shop-fronted dining room sits discreetly in an e… Read more

30 Great Western Arcade, Colmore Row, Birmingham, West Midlands B2 5HU

Opheem

Birmingham, West Midlands ££££

Boundary-pushing Indian cuisine that pulses with innovation and flavour

There is a genuine feeling of affection radiating from the many readers’ reports we receive for this cutting-edge Indian restaurant. To be sure, it’s an unashamedly smart destination and visitors appreciate the comfortable, softly lit lounge and the dining room’s elegant neutrality as well as the sense of theatre provided by the spectacular open kitchen.

Birmingham-born Aktar Islam has been pursuing his own path here since 2018, his culinary style vigorous and imaginative, a mix of aspirant riffs on familiar Indian recipes and stellar British seasonal produce. Once you’ve snagged a reservation (tables are hard to come by), expect clever textures, thrilling contrasts and exact spicing. From the palate-awakening shot of cucumber, green chilli and apple juice served with snacks such as an ethereal oyster emulsion with perfectly judged chilli broth and coriander oil to petits fours that might include a pistachio-crumbed madeleine straight out of the oven, the chef’s intricately realised multi-course menus pulse with innovation and flavour.

Sublime tandoori sand carrot jumbled with mini lentil pakoras is given added vibrancy with mint and coriander, while other stand-outs range from aloo tuk (pink fir potato with mango and tamarind) to a tantalising slice of tender hogget loin fringed with beautifully flavoured fat and served with its slow-cooked shoulder – made all the more memorable by a subtle hint of heat that lingers gently on the palate. Beyond these anchor points, we were equally delighted by a buttery, flaky just-baked milk bread, and an intriguing ‘After Eight’ chocolate finale involving pine ice cream and mint compôte.

Service appears to have thawed since our last visit; the front of house staff and the chefs who delivered dishes to our table were on the ball and warmly welcoming. Drinks impress too. Cocktails blended to match the cuisine are a particular strength, and the wine list – also carefully tailored to complement the spicing– flies you first-class around the world, with by-the-glass choices from £16.

48 Summer Row, Birmingham, West Midlands B3 1JJ

CLOSED

Purnell's

Birmingham, West Midlands £££

* Glynn Purnell has announced the closure of Purnell's after a 17-year run. Last service 12 October 2024.* Since launching in 2007, local hero Glynn Purnell’s ‘inventiveness, sense of humour, proud Brummieness and dev… Read more

55 Cornwall Street, Birmingham, West Midlands B3 2DH

Best Local Restaurant

Tropea

Birmingham, West Midlands ££

In the Harborne district of Birmingham, Tropea is spiritually twinned with southern Italy's Calabrian coast. Opened in 2021, it's a love letter to Italian regional cooking, set within a clean-lined space that has the feel of a mod… Read more

27 Lordswood Road, Harborne, Birmingham, West Midlands B17 9RP

Wilderness

Birmingham, West Midlands ££££

Should I Stay or Should I Go? The old Clash hit poses its punky question during an early course at The Wilderness. Stay, because this Birmingham restaurant is cool, unconventional and a spot worth knowing about – although it… Read more

Should I Stay or Should I Go? The old Clash hit poses its punky question during an early course at The Wilderness. Stay, because this Birmingham restaurant is cool, unconventional and a spot worth knowing about – although its all-black paint job, mirrors, scrawled aphorisms and pumping soundtrack will not work for everyone. A tip before you wander, lost and late, on Warstone Road: the (black) Wilderness sign is hung high up, above the one for the neighbouring 24 Carat Bistro. In concept-land, being hard to find seems to be as important as the colour of the paintwork. Found it? Then settle in. The welcome from an exceptional front-of-house team overflows with relaxed warmth – they are knowledgeable, adaptable and welcome feedback. The chefs seem subdued though; the Wilderness theatre, on our visit at least, emanates from the floor not the kitchen. The six- or nine-course menu is called ‘All Pleasure is Fleeting’, a reference to spontaneity and ever-changing dishes. Thankfully, the pleasures of dinner don’t fleet. Beetroot ice cream is memorably sweet-savoury, its flavour nudged into technicolour by a green-chilli pesto that’s lip-smackingly bright and finely balanced; there are tiny cubes of beet underneath, while a smooth ajo blanco punches with garlic. Memorable too is a mushroom ragù, a tangle of savouriness from morels, girolles, chestnuts and cordyceps on top of chawanmushi (announced as ‘posh mushroom custard’). A cluster of puffed potato scraps adds a little texture. Other ideas could benefit from more of that texture, but how lovely to see the invention that has gone into these two vegetarian dishes. Turbot, dry-aged on the bone to accentuate its flavour, has been barbecued – 'fleetingly' – and finished with burnt butter. Smokiness whispers through the pale dish, a little smoked eel adding silvery glimmers. An aerated sauce made with more smoked eel is brightened with dashi, enriched with cultured butter and splashed with roasted bone oil. It’s an involved and thoughtful creation that’s deeply delicious. Among the wine pairings, the savoury-spicy notes of a punchy Georgian Saperavi are a particular triumph with the venison – seared and tenderly pink muntjac loin coated in cocoa and cep powder. There’s a delicious suggestion of autumnal wood fires and blackberries in the accompanying sauce, a piece of eight-hour cooked belly and a faggot made from the trimmings. Equally delicious is the glorious Banyuls served with a dessert of frozen Tahitian vanilla-infused mascarpone covered with an intensely treacly PX sherry reduction. It’s heady stuff. A poppyseed brioche seems more breakfast than dinner but brings welcome textural substance as proceedings draw to a close.

27 Warstone Lane, Birmingham, West Midlands B18 6JQ

Yikouchi at Chancer's Café

Birmingham, West Midlands £

A real diamond in the rough, you might easily walk past the unprepossessing front of this Chinese café without realising the delights that await within. However, step inside the tiny DIY-decorated space and grab a chair at … Read more

1418 Pershore Road, Stirchley, Birmingham, West Midlands B30 2PH

Link copied