Fancy eating out in Birmingham city centre but don't really know where to go? We have lots of foodie options - but it isn't always easy to know which ones are worth going to. So here's our own selection of restaurants and bars we have enjoyed and would love to recommend.
We've previously picked 50 best restaurants across the city to try but here our focus is just on the city centre. There's a good variety in here from cheap as chips places to the more super swanky venues - so take your pick.
The below restaurants are in no particular order of preference.
Read more: 54 amazing Birmingham restaurants we think you really should try
Around Colmore Row
1) Tattu
If you want a restaurant with some bling then this is the place for you. Luckily the food is as stunning as the decor with its marble staircase and cherry trees adorning the walls.
It does an incredibly good value lunch (two courses for £23 three for £28) complete with an express service if you need to head back to the office quickly.
The food is modern Chinese with a starters menu featuring dim sum and sharing plates.
On the a la carte section, Tattu’s signature dishes include beef fillet and caramel soy and saffron black cod. A place for celebrating with friends or romantic date night.
18 Barwick Street, Birmingham, B3 2NT
2) Fazenda
This is a fabulous all you can eat meat feast - in a swanky Brazillian restaurant. The emphasis is on unlimited freshly grilled meats served by experienced passadors. Feast on all you can eat steak, lamb, chicken, pork and gammon.
There is also a separate menu for those who want fish, vegan and vegetarian dishes which we loved tucking into on our visit.
55 Colmore Row, Barwick Street Entrance, B3 2AA
3) Land
As elevated dining experiences goes, Land has to be one of the very best in the city, as well as the best value. The clever dishes, designed to celebrate the finest produce of the land, are plant-focused, but so well done that even the most dedicated of meat eaters will enjoy it.
Enjoy everything on the seven course menu for just £45. Even the wine pairing, where you get a different glass with every course, won't push your bill over £100 a head. For a few hours spent, with brilliant service and fine plates of sumptuous food, it's ace.
30 Great Western Arcade, Colmore Row, B2 5HU
4) Six By Nico
A fairly new addition to the Birmingham scene, Six by Nico is offering six, fine-dining style courses for £39. What makes it exciting is that every six weeks, the chef changes the menu to a new theme, so if you love the excitement and theatre once, the edge won't wear off the second time.
Check out our gallery showing what it's like inside here. Themed like a giant dragonfly but with a Brummie edge, it's a good way to dip your toe into fine dining for the first time.
Or, if you're a seasoned foodie but just don't fancy splurging big bucks on expensive dinners but still want it to feel elevated from your bog standard fare, this could be the one for you!
81 Colmore Row, B3 2BA
5) Purnell's
This is the Michelin starred haven of celebrity chef Saturday Kitchen star Glynn Purnell. A fantastic place to celebrate in style. Go for the tasting menu - you won't regret it.
55 Cornwall Street, B3 2DH
6) Sushi Passion
A true hidden gem in the Great Western Arcade, this place is loved by chefs in the city.
Sit down at the intimate zakatu table and enjoy a Teriyaki sushi platter with a glass or two of saki. Or be seated at the bar and watch the chef in action as well as the train delivering your sushi!
Great Western Arcade, B2 5HU
7) Zen Metro
Once The Metro Bar and Grill where big business was done over a glass of wine or two, this is now a stylish Thai place.
The menu features dishes including black cod, Thai marinated salmon and rice, as well as soups and noodles. We highly recommend salmon noodles, duck salad. And the Thai green curry is a must.
73 Cornwall St, B3 2DF
8) Purecraft Bar and Kitchen
A decent well established pub set up by Warwickshire's Purity brewery. Here you will find decent pub grub and satisfying Sunday lunches.
Check out the pork scratchings and pork pies and the scotch eggs are delightful.
30 Waterloo Street, B2 5TJ
9) Bistro du Vin
Good simple French food is the focus at this opulent dining room. Expect attentive, friendly, efficient service in this eatery - a favourite with visiting celebs staying at Hotel du Vin. Go for the bouillabaisse. And we've heard they do a great Sunday lunch too.
25 Church Street B3 2NR
10) Damascena
Damascena has built up a great reputation as a top notch Syrian cafe and we love sitting in the back drinking coffee with a little lunch time treat or two.
It offers all the usual classics - including Lamb Bi Ajeen - spiced lamb flatbread, Fuul - Egyption fava bean stew with slow cooked tomatoes as well as mixed Mezze platters. There are branches in Jewellery Quarter, Moseley, Harborne, the city centre and a new one opening in Edgbaston later this year.
Portman House, 5-7 Temple Row West, B2 5NY
Near New Street
11) Bonehead
Bonehead feels like a dive bar and you might get your chicken wings served up with a slice of thrash metal but, that's what makes it so cool. Arguably the best fried chicken in the city, you get all the classics like buffalo and barbecue, as well as some more more interesting flavours, like that sriracha honey glaze.
It doesn't matter if you're a thigh, breast, leg, wing or vegan person, they've got you covered. This one is particularly useful if you want a quick bite to eat before a show at the Alexandra Theatre as it's located just between the train station and the show house.
16 Waterloo Street, B2 5UG
12) The Ivy Temple Row
Possibly the most beautiful looking restaurant in the city centre, this is the place to be seen. The spin off chain of the renowned celebrity London restaurant, delivers on service and atmosphere. There is a well priced weekday lunchtime menu.
67 - 71 Temple Row, B2 5LS
13) Fumo
A stalwart in Birmingham's restaurant scene and therefore one of our faves for a night out. It specialises in utterly wonderful “ciccheti” (Venetian-style tapas). As well as knockout co*cktails.
It's an institution on Temple Street and has an even more impressive restaurant on the top floor of Selfridges. Feel like a swanky celeb as you look over the hoi polloi of stressed shoppers below.
Temple Street and Selfridges, The Bullring
14) Oyster Club
If you love fish and seafood then this is the place for you. Run by the very talented Michelin starred chef Adam Stokes and his wife Natasha, this little place opened up earlier this year nestled next to the Ivy in Temple Street.
The oysters and seafood dishes here are incredible.
43 Temple Street, Birmingham
15) Bodega
This little eatery serving South American cuisine is perfect for an after-work bite-to-eat, a fun date or a meal with a group of friends - but be warned it gets incredibly busy!
We absolutely adore the homemade nachos and the burritos packed with rice, beans and a filling of your choice.
12 Bennetts Hill, B2 5RS
16) Tiger Bites Pig
This tiny cafe is easily missed with all the tram works on Stephenson Street but worth a visit.
It specialises in bao buns (steamed buns) - try the pork belly bao and the rice bowls too. We savoured every bite of the salt and pepper tofu and fish fragrant aubergine on our last visit which was simply stunning.
34 Stephenson Street, B2 4BH
17) Indian Streatery
A lovely spot for some authentic Indian street food five minutes from New Street Station. The owners ran Indian Rasoi at Digbeth Dining Club before opening here. Try the chicken chaat, lamb bhaji burgers, and pani puri. Good value.
21A Bennetts Hill, B2 5QP
18) Adam’s
If you are looking to treat yourself, this is the place to do it. The lunch menu is decent value if you don't want to splash out on the Michelin prices. The setting is Mayfair-esque luxurious.
New Oxford House, 16 Waterloo Street, B2 5UG
19) Chung Ying Cantonese
This is one of the oldest restaurants of its kind in Chinatown and we love their dumplings, which are especially good value if you head down for lunch. Read about our experience of this spot here.
The restaurant does quite a lot for the local Chinese community too, especially the elderly who are invited to dine there for free every month. The veggie and vegan options are wicked.
16 – 18 Wrottesley Street, Chinatown, B5 4RT
Near law courts and Corporation Street
20) Boston Tea Party
A chain, but a good chain. We love the location of this branch and the staff are really pleasant. It's first come first served, so you can't book ahead but there are plenty of seats and it's super family friendly.
We particularly love the breakfasts and the smashed avocado with poached eggs has a delightful spicy edge with chilli and chipotle. Also try the fresh soups with gorgeous bread to dip in. A reasonably priced place to go too.
Corporation Street, Birmingham
Summer Row
21) Opheem
A gloriously plush Indian restaurant run by the talented chef Aktar Islam. It won a Michelin star in 2019. This is a great place for a special occasion and evenings out. Opheem also does a reasonably priced lunch menu.
Summer Row, Birmingham
Restaurant reviews
- Gino D'Acampo: My Restaurant
- Harborne Kitchen
- Hotel du Vin Bistro Sunday Lunch
- Opheem
Grand Central
22) Pho
A Vietnamese restaurant with tasty mains including signature Pho - the Vietnamese national dish - an aromatic and delicious rice noodle soup served with a side plate of fresh herbs.
Expect to pay around £10 for a main dish.
Grand Central, Birmingham
The Bullring
23) Browns
Fancy enjoying a meal while listening to live music in a gorgeous 1920s style setting? Browns has plenty of plush art deco styling harking back to that era. And to really give you that 1920s lounge vibe there's a pianist playing every weekend.
The extensive menu includes afternoon tea, superb Sunday roasts and a decadent Champagne bottomless brunch.
The hosts weekly live piano performances every Friday evening and Sunday lunchtime.
The Bullring
The Mailbox
24) The Mayan
The Mailbox really is a great place to go if you want dinner in a place that's so stunning you can't help but take loads of photos for your grid. The Mayan is one of the most resplendent, with gold glimmers and glints transporting you into a Mayan temple.
Like fellow Mailbox restaurant The Woods (a wilderness-themed restaurant with seasonally changing decor and imaginative dishes), the Mayan has brought nature indoors with a big tree to enjoy from your spot in the built-up city. Lovely.
Expect centuries-old recipes with modern twists, including ceviche, chuletas and steak served with mole. A little trip to Mexico!
The Mailbox
25) Lucarelli
This Italian eatery opened at the Mailbox in April 2021 replacing the former Red Peppers restaurant. It serves up Cicchetti, which arrive at your table as soon as the chef cooks them.
Dishes include Pollo Alla Milanese (chicken in breadcrumbs), Carré D’agnello Arrosto (rack of lamb in spicy breadcrumbs), Saltimbocca all Romana (Pan-fried veal escalope with parma ham, sage and butter sauce) and fresh lobster.
Light bites include a trio of bruschetta and signature Lucarelli mini-burgers.
Pasta and pizza dishes are also available. We recommend you try and get a table on the terrace. It is bellisimo! Read our review here.
The Mailbox
26) Medicine Café and Bakery
Medicine Café and Bakery is opened inside the unit formerly occupied by Tom's Kitchen earlier this year specialising in brunch and co*cktails. It is Medicine's second city centre branch after the success of the New Street eatery which has won national reviews.
The eatery serves day brunch and lunch dishes as well as the same cruffins, cronuts, pastries and savoury baked treats that Medicine is famous for.
Brunch dishes include sausage brioche - Seasoned sausage, streaky bacon, fried egg, chilli jam & rocket on Medicine brioche bun and Huevos Rancheros - corn tortilla, black beans, pico de gallo,fried egg, Monterey jack, lime crema, hot sauce
Lunch dishes include Confit Duck Salad and the Buddha Bowl - falafel, beetroot hummus, brown rice, greens, pickles, charred tenderstem, avocado, cucumber, cashew ginger dressing and sesame.
The Mailbox
Near Brindleyplace
27) Qavali
An Indo-Persian dining experience and co*cktail bar, Qavali is one of the city's most regal establishments. You'll feel like royalty, tucking into your saffron sea bass or afternoon tea with a twist.
In 2023, the Broad Street spot was named the very best restaurant in all of Birmingham. You can read all about that accomplishment here.
60 Broad Street, B1 2HJ
28) Rudy's
Listen. Birmingham is a city that's excellent for pizza and we have some neighbourhood bangers (check out a guide here) but ask any casual dining fan in the city where they love to grab a slice and Rudy's comes up time and time again.
They have a few around the city now, so if you'd rather stick around near Bennetts Hill or over in Harborne then, there's a Rudy's for you there. Thin, crisp Neapolitan-style pies are always a treat and the prices are really reasonable too.
6 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, B1 2JB
29) Siamais
This sophisticated and pretty Thai restaurant and co*cktail bar is the place to see and be seen.
It serves a mouth watering array of dishes such as Tom Yum soup, Thai fish cakes, Massaman Curry, stir-fried beef in oyster sauce, stir-fried lobster with celery and ginger.
It also does a fabulous bottomless brunch. Read more here
6, 7 Brindley Pl, Oozells Street B1 2HS
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30) Dishoom
Irani Indian café and restaurant specialises in all day Bombay comfort food menu.
Dishes include Vada Pav - Bombay's version of the chip butty - potato patty inside a bread bun - topped with coriander mint chutney and a little tamarind, and green chillis, house black dahl and Ruby chicken curry.
The drinks menu includes Viceroy's Old Fashioned, Meenakshi's Mojito as well as wines, beers and a range of mocktails
Dishoom house chai is also very good. It closes at 11pm.
One Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3AX
This article was updated on December 7, 2023. All of these restaurants are our own personal recommendations. This article is not paid for by any restaurant.