Birmingham Restaurants - 5 Hidden Gems

We bring you 5 hidden gem Birmingham restaurants, including two vegan ones, so that you can go off the beaten path with confidence.

We’ve all done it – drawn like a moth to the flame of a brand-name restaurant that could be anywhere in the UK. However, it would be a great shame to visit Birmingham and miss out on the best places to eat by playing too safe! This list of Birmingham restaurants has been compiled by our Birmingham-based team with their fingers very firmly on the pulse!

1) The Button Factory

B1 3HH
You’ll find The Button Factory – with its heritage building and pared down interior – tucked away on the corner of Frederick Street and Regents Street in the Jewellery Quarter. The Button Factory also has a very popular roof garden. It’s a good choice for a celebratory meal plus cocktails with friends. and offers Bottomless Brunch from noon until 5pm on Saturdays.

An English oak and charcoal grill is the Button Factory’s food USP. A typical dish is spring chicken, rose harissa & preserved lemon served with fries & gem, shallot & radish salad.

Roof terrace at The Button Factory restaurant in Birmingham — Catch up al fresco on the outdoor terrace at The Button Factory

2) Morridge

B2 5HG

At the Temple Row end of lovely Great Western Arcade (a 10-minute stroll from Rotunda), warm and welcoming Morridge oats + coffee serves expertly prepared Monmouth coffee, tasty oat-based breakfasts, as well as fresh homemade soup, sandwiches and takeout treats.

Upstairs is a cosy retro-styled seating area with a choice of tables or sofas where you can kick back from the hustle and bustle of town.

Start your day with — Start your day in the retro-styled surroundings of Morridge in the beautiful Great Western Arcade.

3) 40 St Paul’s

B3 1FQ

For a Prohibition-era, speakeasy-type bar with a classy, contemporary feel, head for 40 St Paul’s in the Jewellery Quarter. Intimate and relaxed, offering 140 gins, 40 St Paul’s was named best gin bar in the world (that’s the BEST. IN. THE. WORLD, folks) in 2019.

Book yourself a Gin Tasting session and enjoy a whirlwind tour of the history of gin with a tutored tasting of 10 different gins with tonic that explore the breadth of flavour available in the gin market right now.

Or how about a night of Gin, Cheese, & Chocolate – surely everyone’s favourite things? The 40 St Paul’s experts pair five gins with award-winning cheeses and hand-made chocolate truffles. Heaven, right?

(Booking essential. Minimum numbers for themed events.)

A 40 St Pauls cocktail served on slate with charcuterie. — Experience a creative drinks menu in beautiful surroundings at 40 St Pauls

4) The Warehouse Café

B5 5TH
A really unique Birmingham restaurant. The Warehouse Cafe justifiably won Best Vegetarian Restaurant in the 2017 Midlands Food Drink and Hospitality Awards.

You’ll find it on Digbeth’s Allison Street (54-57) in a characterful, faded old building. It’s based in a converted warehouse (as you may have guessed from the name), but on the first floor above Friends of the Earth. The Warehouse Café is not glitzy and doesn’t pretend to be, but it has a huge commitment to producing great food combined with green values. It is now fully-licensed with vegan beers and wines on offer. The food gets consistently rave reviews, so give it a try whether you are veggie or not.

A typical main from the current Warehouse Café menu is green Thai curry served with lime jasmine rice and nam prik pao.

The beautiful vegan thai curry from The Warehouse Cafe in Birmingham — The Warehouse Cafe’s vegan thai curry is a must try dish.

5) Land

B2 5HU

Staying in Great Western Arcade, you’ll find one of the best vegan restaurants in the country, let alone best restaurant in Birmingham. Raved about by Guardian food critic Jay Rayner, Land Restaurant has recently moved to a new location, still in lovely GWA.

Opening in 2019, Land was created with plant-focused, seasonal dining at its core. Using only fresh seasonal produce, dishes are inspired by flavours from around the globe.A new attraction for visitors to Land’s new Great Western Arcade location is the chef’s table, at which diners can ask questions of chefs and owners and find out more about their culinary inspirations.

Vegan dish from Land Restaurant in the Great Western Arcade, Birmingham City Centre — The beautiful presentation you can expect from Land Restaurant in the Great Western Arcade

Why not make a night of it?

Tempted by one or two of the above? Make a night of it and stay in one of our serviced apartments in Birmingham. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter for our latest offers. You’ll also find more of our favourite places to drink and dine in the city in our Dining out section.

Staying Cool Penthouse Lounge and Balcony with guest enjoying the view — Staying Cool’s Rotunda Penthouse serviced apartment sleeps four people in two en-suite bedrooms