Permanent closed，do not come here. Restaurant changed, now…read moreit's a bar only offer drink

A wonderful meal for my father's 80th birthday…read more Starters were; scallops and the fried cheese. Mains were; surf and turf, 18oz Fillet, mashed potatoes, onion rings, and mixed veg. Desserts were; white chocolate cheesecakes. Wine; Malbec and Chardoney Afternoon opening 12-3, nice underground setting - great artwork dotted about. Nice selection of wines and ales. Service was great. Knowledgable staff. The food was superb. Scallops were tasty, and accompanied with a delicious aoli. My steak was cooked to perfection - medium rare, my parents has medium and again it was exactly as you'd expect. Dessert was sweet without being too strong, and went perfectly with a double espresso. There's also a nice selection of spirits for the end of the meal, so a frangelico and a whiskey were also appreciated. I can't recommend it enough. Price was good. Plenty of other local bars around to nip to after. Happy customer!

I can guarantee if this place is chained and wrapped into a franchise, then it would definitely…read moregive Nando's a run for its money. A carbon copy menu that matches Nando's with their own additions of Portuguese fish dishes was a breath of fresh air. Me and my friend simply couldn't resist a jumbo platter with sweet potato fries, garlic bread and rice. The chicken was certainly very tender and wet, which gives me great first impressions of this place, seeing as I rarely get a wet chicken at Nando's anymore. The marinade however doesn't quite live up to the infamous peri peri sauce but nevertheless, the spice adds a mild kick to my liking. I wouldn't recommend the extra hot sauce as I believe it to contain far overwhelmingly vinegar than chilli, I think the ingredients may need to be tweaked for that sauce. The sides were great and delivered as expected. One very big selling point is the price and the customer service is just as good. If you still have some space in your stomach, I definitely wouldn't mind going for some of their gelato as well! Would visit again

I was so relieved when the mystery of this place was solved... Semendo's popped up in the place of…read morea strange old betting shop that seemed to just... be closed one day. After months and months of the place being boarded up and cleaned, it was finally revealed to be a new eatery (specialising in Portuguese food) at the end of 2014. So, as you can see from the photos, it looks pretty darn smart. Big windows, nice wooden and metal signage and clear opening hours look pretty darn inviting (especially when you consider the alternative food shops are Greggs and Dhillons fish bar next to it). Upon entering, you will notice just how clean and inviting the interior is too. On Saturday (on our return from Pirate weekend at Alton Towers) we were starving hungry. With me being on Bootcamp currently, my foodie options are limited - but I AM allowed chicken (which this place specialises in). We were greeted as we walked in and popped straight to the counter to have a look at the menu. Now, this place is essentially an independent (but much tastier, in my opinion) Nando's. You can have chicken (to a range of different heats), steaks, salads and choose from their solid selection of desserts (including Italian gelato and cake). We opted for their "Half chicken and two sides deal" to split between us. As the chicken comes in quarters, Dan went for extra hot and I went for medium. I went for a green salad as my side and Dan chose Peri-peri chips. This was all made fresh for us while we waited and had a wander around the shop. They produce their own sauces and there are options for unlimited soft drinks if you choose to sit in. Our food was ready in about 10 minutes and we eagerly took this home to eat. Our meal cost us a very fair £8.50 for everything. The chicken was really tasty (and not that hot), but I was a little disappointed that my salad came with a dressing (even though this wasn't mentioned on the menu and I wasn't asked if I wanted it). I think this would be my only complaint. Service was great, food was good and the place was clean, friendly and inviting. If I wasn't so strict with my eating options, the salad dressing wouldn't be an issue - but word to the wise, ask for your salad without if you don't like creamy sauces.

If you're looking for either a glam night out with the girls, or a night out with the guys checking…read moreout the glam girls then Mechu is the place to go. A firm favourite with the cities footballers and high earning business professionals, you can expect to see bottles of champagne all over the place. I'm 26 and the last time I went I felt quite overwhelmed with how many older men were in there. If you're looking for a wild drunken night with a younger crowd then this probably won't be for you unless you go on the student night which takes place on a Thursday. However if you prefer the idea of drinking with a more mature crowd in quality surroundings then it's definitely worth checking out on a Saturday night. Some of the cities best DJ's can be found playing so you'll be provided with the perfect soundtrack all night long.

Although it seems a bit perfunctory to diss Mechu for its VIP-style snobbery and expensive bar…read moreprices (after all, that's the point!), it has to be said that this is not for the likes of people like me who spent most of their formative clubbing days spilling snakebite over their converse in various dark and dingy indie discos. However, having attended the upmarket Mechu on a couple of occasions for work parties, I'm happy to report it's not without its pleasures. It's a swanky bar and relatively spacious, the music from the decent DJs supplying both a mix of dance and urban cuts. The booths are good if you're in a group, but make sure you have a stacked wallet. The thing that generally puts me off - and why I'm probably not the intended audience in the first place - is the 'footballers wives' vibe it gives off. I'm not into my footie, so I wouldn't recognise the much purported cameos from Villa FC players - however, there are lots of glam, slightly orange women 'coyly' approaching the blokes in smart threads at the bar and suddenly I'm humming the tune to that Amy Winehouse tune 'F### Me Pumps' as it could have been written about this place. If you've got the cash and you want to avoid the lower-rent version that is Rococo on Broad Street, then by all means splash that cash here. I'd rather lounge about in Island Bar, thanks.

Not bad, not bad at all. That said, despite having made a reservation we were seated near the bar…read morearea which I took to be where walk-ins were usually seated. However, the service was friendly and efficient, I couldn't fault the steaks - medium rare as ordered and my carafe of wine was just what was needed. I have no idea of the provenance or vintage but it was red, correct temperature and went down well so who am I to quibble? Not much more to be said. It was nice, unremarkable and forgettable but on the ok side of acceptable.

Doesn't look like a restaurant. Absolutely horrid food and service, waited 2h for what looked to be…read moremoldy bread!

Now I'm a veggie, always have been, so you may be asking what am I doing in here?…read more No, I didn't get lost. I fancied lunch and no they do a good selection, for Veggies too! Situated next to the Burlington Hotel, I had the mixed salad (£3) with Dunsyve blue cheese sauce (£3), and hand cut chips (£3). Although you die-hard steak lovers would no doubt love it in here, they do have other options for your pallet. The food was tasty, and almost like a home cooked traditional flavour. A good children's menu too if your out with your family, but note they are on the upper floor, so be careful with the narrow stairs. They use whole raw ingredients, sourced with the finest and freshest produce. The restaurant is fitted out nicely, and you can spend some good time in here. Well worth a visit.

Like my friend Adz T said…read more. "The restaurant is fitted out nicely, and you can spend some good time in here" GOOD TIMES I HAD I like steak, i like it bleeding so i feel like i just god damn killed it my self. Alto of "steak" places are ab it weak around what rare means. Its almost like they don't want to serve it me right off the animal. But this place is different it loves serving the steak rare, cooked for a time possibly even shorter than a micro second with some chips and some relish its bang on. Now i didn't even mind what the inside looks like, i cant even remember. All I remember is looking up from my plate with a face covered in animal blood wishing i was in Conan the Barbarians tent. But all I'm seeing is the same old minimalistic decor. Give me a tent with some rabbits hanging up and ill be happy. This place can be pricey but steak place stake them selves too seriously so they cant help charging a fair wacko but I'd happily recommend it if your looking for a new steak joint.

Visited Miller & Carter, Hagley Road, Smethwick (26 Hagley Road West, B67 5EY) at around 5:00 pm…read morewith a table of five conventionally normal customers. Within minutes of being seated, I was told to remove my cap. I explained I had a scalp infection causing acne and other embarrassing conditions, but our server, a short rotund woman named Chloe, insisted it had to come off. Twice. So, like a condemned man, I removed it -- along with my last scrap of dignity. The restaurant was quiet at first, but around 5:30 pm, a family of five arrived and sat directly in front of us: two adults (clad in shiny polyester Adidas sportswear, heavily tattooed in a way that suggested Ross Kemp might need danger money to visit their past neighbourhoods) and three children -- one toddler, two around 8-10. The children instantly turned the restaurant into a chaos zone: climbing on furniture, knocking over fixtures, and generally treating the place like a soft-play centre without the mats. At one point, the woman -- wearing a luminescent pink tracksuit -- began breastfeeding right there, mid-chaos, while I was eating my main course. Not quite the pairing I had in mind with my ribeye. I even have a photo: a child climbing the fixtures while the faces of my dining friends display the full misery of the moment -- expressions fit for a stress management course poster. No Chloe. No management. No intervention. Just noise, mess, and the sinking feeling that my cap was apparently a bigger offence than total anarchy.

On a rainy Friday in July we found ourselves in Birmingham. We were staying in a hotel just above…read morethis restaurant and didn't want to venture too far in the rain. I yelped around for good restaurants and the ones we were most interested in were fully booked. So we wandered over to Miller & Carter where it didn't look as busy. That was our first warning. We were seated at the bar, which is fine, we like sitting in the bar. The bartenders were pretty good, making some good craft cocktails with interesting ingredients. I give 2 stars for the booze. The service from the waitstaff was terrible. They ignored us until we made a fuss, then they seemed really put out by having to take our order. Yes, doing their job was too much to ask. When our food finally came it was mediocre, and I had no cutlery. I asked the server for cutlery when she delivered the food...waited...she never came back. I eventually went to the wait-staff station and got my own damn fork & knife. Annoying. For the price and the "air" of what they're trying to do, they could do a lot better job in terms of service and food quality. The booze situation they have well in hand. Good job there - cheers.

First time trying afternoon tea, so I have nothing to compare this experience to. However, I…read moreabsolutely loved it. Nice views, sandwiches, and pastries. There was a fruity tea that was so refreshing, I usually don't like those types of teas but enjoyed it very much here. It did take awhile to see the wait staff throughout but they were short staffed at the time. Overall, I'd recommend.

Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, Bar & Grill in Birmingham really is something special - it is one of…read moretwo MPW restaurant in Birmingham, interestingly both of which are located inside The Cube, with Bardolino on the 5th floor, and then all the way up to the 25th floor is Marco Pierre White Steakhouse which is only accessed through the elevators inside Hotel Indigo - I don't have a problem with this as that lift is designed to be fast as climbing 70 meters certainly is tricky and you don't want to be stopping on every floor along the way to getting something to eat. Being on the top and 25th floor of The Cube and Hotel Indigo building, the views are stunning - there is a terrace where you can grab something to eat or drink looking across the whole of the city, or if you prefer to sit inside, the full glass panoramic views give you still a brilliant view of the city which makes it such a great place to grab anything from an alcoholic beverage, meal or even an Afternoon Tea which is £19.95 per person, which is actually cheaper than many hotels - good value! Many of the reviews do mention this place is pricey - it might be in certain areas with some dishes costing £70 but you just have to know what to order - I find the set menu to be really well priced at £20 for 2 courses, and the Afternoon Tea is really reasonable too especially considering the views and quality. The staff here seemed really attentive, constantly checking up to make sure everything was okay to the point I couldn't refuse to pay the service charge as the staff certainly did deserve it - although my general feelings towards adding a service charge is well-known. They were generally happy to modify any dish for me to make it gluten-free which I liked, although I would have liked more of a what to expect and what they'd do rather than having to ask about each dish, in particular, I found this to also be similar with Bardolino downstairs. I've dined at numerous MPW restaurants across many chains - some of them I've found to be pretty hit and miss, most of them, however, was pretty good and this is arguably one of the best amongst them including great locations in the likes of Liverpool and Manchester (Sadly this also includes bad locations in the likes of Leeds and Newcastle), the latter also being a part of this Steakhouse brand meaning they serve the same menu. For my starter, I ordered the tomato soup - this was presented with fresh gluten-free bread, for a starter, it was a huge portion and it was a really well seasoned, good-quality soup - I would have preferred other soups from the menu however but still I don't regret ordering this one. For my main, I opted for the 6 oz steak with pomme frites, the chips again were fresh, tasty and well-seasoned and my steak was seasoned really well, I didn't like how I had to pick between the two extremes of either pink or well-done, as I'm more of a medium well person (slightly pink), but this was down to the size of the steak which still had a coating to ensure it wasn't dry and had great flavour - having to pay around £4 for an extra sauce to go with it was a little much though - I ended up opting for ketchup and honestly the steak didn't need a sauce, it was tasty on its' own in the steak juices. For dessert, I shared ice cream with my friend - the menu didn't state the flavours which would be delivered which I feel for the price they normally charge it should - Madagascan Vanilla with fresh pieces (my favourite) - Chocolate with little chocolate pieces inside (my friend's favour) - Salted caramel (I couldn't fully identify this one!) Regarding the main menu, I would have liked more choice for gluten-free as many of the fish dishes appeared to contain gluten for example. This place is certainly a special place to mark a special occasion or even make a special end to a trip to Birmingham, the latter was the reason I decided to come, and although this location might not have as many promotional offers as other MPW restaurants, including the Liverpool location of the same brand which offers 241 via Meerkat Meals or Tastecard, which is also inside a Hotel Indigo, it still is really worth it in most cases - a big improvement would be to explain the menu and what one should expect in full detail to avoid confusion, including how they'd adapt a dish to be gluten-free because I don't want to talk through every dish with my server etc. A great quality restauraunt by an awesome celebrity chef who even trained Gordon Ramsay and one of his better locations too - which is actually quite hard to achieve on its' own! Stunning views and some really reasonable prices in regards to Afternoon Tea + set menu, really do warrant a strong four-star rating in my books and I will certainly be returning next time I'm in the West Midlands City!

Searching for a place for the penultimate Football League match of the year led me to Penny Blacks…read morein the Mailbox. It was my first visit to any of the bars sitting opposite the canal, but I shall definitely be back soon. Penny Blacks had a fairly upmarket feel to the place, with a large projection of the football in the middle of the bar. For a Saturday afternoon It wasn't that busy, but still managed to have a slightly upbeat atmosphere throughout. The seating was extremely comfortable, with various sofas dotted about. The location itself is fantastic. Being feet away from the canal on days like Saturday, with the sun beaming down, Penny and Blacks is potentially one of the best bars I have been to in the surrounding area. Despite not ordering any food, I had a quick look at the menu and I can honestly predict that I'll be back to have a bite to eat and a few beers when the football kicks off this summer.

Part of the huge 'MailBox' retail and restaurant development in central Birmingham, Penny Black's…read moreis a wine-bar and restaurant with a fabulous location on the Gas Street canal basin in Birmingham. On sunny days and at week-ends, the whole area is buzzing with people, with narrow-boats chugging past. Modern and spacious (almost cavernous) with lots of wood, it's a very pleasant venue, although pole position has to be at the front (or on the canal-side terrace itself) so you can see the canal. Service was friendly and reasonably fast, despite the fact that they had a lot of food orders at the same time. The wine selection looks pretty good, but actually they have a fantastic selection of real ales, including some less-well known types. These were well served and well kept, and we could easily have spent the whole afternoon there. (Ok, we did..) The food isn't quite as swish as the web-site implies - I thought it was decent, if slightly pricey, pub grub. However, portions were generous, so overall it was good value for money. I'd happily go back.

Burlington Arcade is situated right off New Street (one of the busiest shopping streets in…read moreBirmingham). It's a very grand looking arcade inside, which houses one of the posher hotels in Central Birmingham (The Burlington - clue is in the name). It's home to my favorite tea place (BoBoQ) and one of my top Birmingham bars (Bacchus), as well as hair dressers, shops and a Steak House. As it can be used as a cut through from Birmingham New Street, it can get quite busy (especially at the weekends and commuting time). If you need some time to decompress after hitting the shops, you could do worse than hitting up the Arcade, grabbing a drink and watching the world go by. The tiled floors and glass windows bring a real touch of class to the architecturally mixed Central Birmingham area. As a top tip, Bacchus bar can be a bit quieter than other bars (being hidden down in the basement of the hotel), so is a great place to escape New Street during Christmas market time!

This is such an awesome bar! The fact that one exists in the midlands is fab! The atmosphere is…read moregreat as is the decor. The food in the bird cage is cute and the drinks. The drinks. Wow. The Chocolate martini is dangerous, doesn't taste alcoholic whatsoever. Music is catered for those that love old school r n b! No complaints here!