When coming back to Birmingham, a friend and I, always have lunch and a few beers. The location…read morechanges, but the story stays the same. This has been one of our locations three times now, and I'm beginning to wonder why it's not been more. Service during the day is casual, sit where you like, here's a menu, back in 5. The food selection is BBQ tastic, and is served very similarly to the big states places, on a little red tray. Nice but small craft beer selection, nice range of cocktails and spirits. There's even PBR if you're looking for the complete USA experience. My friend always goes for the Buffalo Black burger, which I have to say is phenomenal. I've varied and gone for the brisket one, and the pulled pork meal. Sides include "loaded" chilli cheese fries - which deserve a mention on their own. Burnt ends (side of more meat please!) and 'slaw. It's all been good, I've not experienced a bad bit of food there. Price isn't bad, for two of us last time it was £45. That was for the two burgers, burnt ends, mac n cheese, chilli cheese fries, and four beers. I'd like to see something like a Nashville hot chicken plate on the menu with the BBQ stuff, but other than that, this place is wonderful. It sells all of the things I like. Bravo. I didn't even notice it was a Bitters' and Twisted place until I read it here..

Another completely unique venue for Bitters and Twisted. Buffalo & Rye is new to the Bennetts Hill…read morescene, and a few doors down from sister venue Bodega. This place generated a ton of buzz before the doors were opened mid November, so naturally I wanted to try it! After stalking their Facebook, it seemed the best time to grab a table and avoid long waits was right at opening. My dining partner and I turned up shortly after noon on a Saturday and were seated immediately. The first thing i noticed is how intimate the venue is. There really is only a handful of tables. We opted for our own high top table as stools aren't the most comfortable seating. The menu is simple and specific. I'd check it out ahead of time so you know what you're in for. I thought the servers were great. Timing of food, not as great. They were rammed but we were the first people sat for the afternoon so I'd expect less of a wait than 25 minutes for starters. We shared some wings and beef chili cheese fries. Now, I am from Buffalo, NY. The chicken wing capitol of the world. We invented and perfected chicken wings. Its hard to compete with our wings in this country. Back to the review, here the wings were left still attached which I kinda liked. Usually you find the drums and flats separated so this was actually a nice change up. I do think they needed more sauce. Ours were nice and crispy but dry. Overall they were a nice choice for a starter. Ooh and the cheese fries are lovely and served in a little baking tin. As for my main, I had a buttermilk chicken sandwich which was juicy and crispy goodness. The roll was a bit too hard for my liking. I left most of it on my plate. But the chicken was amazing. Random fact about me: I love pickles or gherkins as you Brits call them. It's always a nice surprise to see a place over here serving pickles. I asked for some on my sandwich and only got one tiny piece. Step up your pickle game Buffalo & Rye! I almost forgot to mention the cocktails!! Such wild and crazy concoctions here. I tried a grape fizz and red kool aid inspired drink. Grape fizz blew me away. Kool aid was a bit uninspiring. Not as sweet or flavorful as I imagined. There's also milkshakes that looked wonderful. Sadly I was too full for one. I really liked this place. Although I can't see myself visiting it as often as the other BnTs, it's still worth a pop in. Plan accordingly. It's busy!

Looking for some American diner style breakfast/brunch spot, Seth S. and I decided to check out…read moreCelebz since another brunch place was closed. The Celebz concept is based on a kitschy stereotype of Americana with quintessential foods like burgers, waffles, fries and milkshakes. I love a good bit of kitsch but Celebz seemed to hit all the wrong notes. The blaring music, loud colors, and cold interior left me feeling like I was on Sunset Strip after a late-night bender in search of greasy garbage to cure my hangover. The vibe, encouraged by Rhianna screaming "bitch better have my money," was starkly contrasted by a grouping of families with small children. Womp womp. When placing our order we learned that the milkshake deal (+£2) advertised with the burgers only applies to the burger meal, requiring you to spend £9 for a sandwich and milkshake, with or without fries. Seth S. got the burger but skipped the milkshake and I decided to get some pancakes and twisty fries instead. Seth's burger and my fries were delivered to the table fairly quickly, but we were almost finished eating before my pancakes arrived. I was disappointed that the pancakes were crepes not American style pancakes in an American themed restaurant, but that's neither here nor there. The twisty fries were perfect - just like some of my favorite from a greasy spoon in NC. The crepe presentation was nice but the flavor underwhelming. Too much egg was used in the batter, and the egg flavor overshadowed the Belgian chocolate drizzle and strawberry filling. If you're in search of an authentic Vegas hangover cure, this is the place for you!

I am big fan of reviewing places on what they are and as an independent American diner I have to…read moregive this place five stars. Located over by Aston uni campus this place is a bit out of the way but when looking for a late night sweet myself and a friend took a wonder over here to see what it was all about. Now I know this place will not be for everyone, it's loud and in your face in terms of design with pictures of the USA and celebrities on the walls. The menu is made up of a range of popular American classics like burgers, milkshakes, pancakes, cookie dough and ice cream. We decided to go for nachos and a cookie dough dessert to share which were both surprisingly good. The nachos had the guacamole and salsa on the side instead of being all over top which is great for a condiment lover like me! The thing that I love about this place is you can easily sit a chill for a few hours eating and drinking on a quiet weekend night off the booze (dry Jan seemed like a good idea at the time) if you are looking for a place to get something sweet with a good range of options this is a great option in the city centre.

After our recent trip to coast to coast and seeing some scathing reviews I thought it best to try…read moreand even out the balance a touch. We arrived at half 6 on a Friday, a little early for dining but the place was really quite busy. We were greeted, seated and introduced to our waitress in an incredibly timely and friendly manner. We actually had two serving staff as one was in training so her trainer took a seat with us and engaged in a bit of light banter while she went through the menu. Drinks ordered, food ordered, drinks served and then we were given an apology for the delay in our food arriving - much to our confusion. It can't have been more than 20 minutes. Not that I'm complaining the level of attention shown by the veritable army of servers was really impressive. I went for a black and blue burger with sweet potato fries coupled with a portion of macaroni cheese and Vicky opted for the steak (you get a voucher for a free main around your birthday, normally that wouldn't include steak but there's no restrictions here). The burger was good, although the bread to meat ratio was way off in my opinion, and the accompanying Cajun dip, sweet potato fries and macaroni cheese with bacon were all delicious. The steak was great and very well cooked. We were offered dessert, although there isn't technically a dessert menu - instead the waitress reeled off the desserts available and we were left to ponder them with no reference. I thought that a bit weird. In all honesty after that much food neither of us could stomach dessert so we left it at that. The food was good, the service was good it's just the price of the place that lets it down a bit. I don't mind paying for good food but the best part of £15 for a burger that didn't come close to the best I've had seems way too high. Needless to say though I will probably be back, although I'll be on the hunt for vouchers as I wouldn't want to pay full whack there. If I could I would give it 3.75 stars but as it is I've bumped it up to 4 as it's more than a 3 star venue.

I must say my experience at Coast to Coast conflicts directly with other reviews on this site…read more A friend and I went for dinner there on a Monday night after work and the staff were very helpful. When I first got there, I was guided to the table at which my friend was sat by the attending manager. Drinks orders were taken within minutes and thanks to me visiting the Coast to Coast website before our meal and signing up to their mailing list, my friend and I got a free cocktail using my free cocktail voucher too. The cocktails were of decent quality and were definitely not lacking in the alcohol content! The prices were not unusual for cocktails either - a mojito was about £6. For dinner, I ordered a club sandwich with sweet potato fries which was delicious. The portions are generous to say the least and I didn't think the £12.55 price tag attached was unreasonable. The food arrived quickly and we both ate so much that we physically couldn't manage a dessert, which also reduced the bill! Throughout our meal, the staff were attentive and were keen to help us with anything else we might need. The decor is in the typical American style with pictures and decorations all round, and the music also fits with the theme. The toilets were clean and nicely presented, though I couldn't make the soap work but that might just have been me! My friend and I stayed for another drink after dinner and were not asked to leave or move despite the fact that the restaurant was getting busy, which we were both happy with. Overall, I was pleased with my experience and I would definitely come back.

Before I had even had a chance to try Deliveroo, I was recommended Dirty Cow Burger. These guys…read morehave popped up in the O Bar kitchen and are open for orders in the evenings (now until 11pm) via deliveroo.co.uk (if you live within the delivery radius, of course). The burgers are a double burger as standard, and if you opt for a double burger - you get a quadruple burger. Well, blow me down... They make some seriously good grub. Me and Dan had perused the menu from Deliveroo and decided we would go for the set meal for 2 (coming in at £22.50 including delivery). This entailed 2x burgers (1x "Dirty Roo" and 1x "Just plain dirty") Burgers with 2 portions of fries and chicken wings. As we had, had a bit of back and forthing with Dirty Cow on Twitter, they had kindly offered to substitute one portion of wings for hot wings for us to try. Now, these were seriously good and recommended if you are ordering off the main menu. They were pretty saucy, but gave a good tingle on the tongue. Recommended for spice fans (but might be a bit hot if you the kind of person who prefers a korma). The food was well packed, all the different bits were separate and everything was delicious. We were so full, we couldn't move after eating. If you're hankering for a big, dirty burger on an evening, you won't go far wrong by giving these guys a try.

These guys know what they're doing! We sampled dirty cow through a recent Deliveroo order and were…read morenot disappointed in the slightest. With the wealth of burger companies popping up in the street food scene competition is stiff and as we've been spoiled with some truly incredible burgers mediocrity really shows. But I'm delighted to say that this is far from the case with dirty cow. For £20 we were delivered two burgers, two portions of fries and two portions of hot wings. They graciously changed our order to one portion BBQ wings and one of the suicide hot wings and I'm so glad they did. The BBQ wings were smokey and sweet without being overly sickly like some BBQ wings and the suicide wings, oh man were they good! I love spice and for a moment thought these would get the better of me but I powered through and once I did the fruit spicy sauce came into its own - I even mopped up the remaining sauce with my fries! As part of the deal were two burgers: one your fairly standard beef burger topped with lettuce, pickles and tomato, the other with the same BBQ sauce as the wings, bacon and frazzles! You heard me... MOTHERFLIPPIN' FRAZZLES! This gave some really nice texture to the burger and this one was hands down my favourite. The beef patties were succulent and tasty, although could have been a little rarer in my opinion but that's not my call to make. A great addition to the Birmingham burger family and if you're down on Broad Street or in need of a burger fix at home then check these guys out. I imagine we'll see great things from them.

Had a late night donair that was delicious! Very friendly service in a clean, busy place.read more

Between this place and Pit Stop a few doors down, I prefer the Food Republic. They don't mess up…read moreyour order and they actually listen to your entire order. I have never had to interrupt them or remind them of what they are forgetting or what they are messing up. I also think the guys who work here are courteous and friendly which can go a long way when you have so many competitors nearby like they do on Broad Street.

Great location plenty of parking, friendly service food was served fairly quickly…read more Prawns were amazing. Would definitely visit again

Love TGI Fridays! Yes, it's expensive. Yes, it's cheesy…read more Yes, it's alway rammed at the weekend. But we all still love it, right? Arriving we were greeted and seated in five minutes, not too bad for a weeknight... expect a longer wait at the weekend. Our waitress was nice and friendly. Didn't pressure for a quick choice and wasn't over the top (as most people expect TGI staff to be). Food was great, arrived quickly and tasted amazing. It is expensive at TGI Fridays. But I think generally you get what you pay for. The carpark is a little on the dark side, the spaces a bit narrower than the standard as well.

I went here with a group of friends for Sunday dinner. We just had to check out the American themed…read moremeat joint. The decor is straight out of the opening credits for Fresh Prince of Bell Air - photos of celebrities line the walls and are covered in bright colored tags of fun phrases like "YOLO". There is plenty of seating, perfect for a pair or large groups. I wasn't very hungry, so I ordered the appetizer salad with pulled pork BBQ on top and shared a side of fried pickles. I was a little disappointed in the pulled pork. Being from North Carolina (home of pulled pork BBQ in the states) and eating at a place with smoke in the name, I was expecting smoked BBQ. The pork is just roasted like what you'd expect to come on a bap and lacks the tenderness that comes with slow smoking. The BBQ sauce at the table has a nice smoke flavoring added, so I was able to drown my salad in that for an approximation of the smoky flavor I craved. The salad portion is very generous and uses fresh veg. The fried pickles need a little tempura batter mixed in with the corn meal and maybe a little more time in the fryer for a better texture.

A group of us went here as we wanted to check out the newest 'American' BBQ joint in Birmingham…read more Based on reviews of The Smoke Haus' other locations, I was pretty excited. First of all, this restaurant is HUGE. Incredibly big and spacious, with an assortment of booths and tables and a huge bar. The decor of the place is awesome-- fun pieces of americana all over the place and funky graffiti all over the walls. But the highlight of every place is the food, and well, the food was just OK. I opted for a pulled pork sandwich, and a side salad instead of fries. The pork was good (mostly because they have a fantastic BBQ sauce) but definitely didn't taste slow-cooked. The salad was served without any dressing which was a bit weird, since it was huge and mostly lettuce. By the way, portions here- GIGANTIC. Come with an empty stomach! Neat selection of American beers. I don't know. I wasn't incredibly impressed, but my meal was satisfying, and the BBQ sauce is tasty. I'll have to try a few more things on the menu...

The Sunflower lounge has been a go-to place for me from the day I started going out. It has many…read morefacelifts over the years but it has always kept its stance on playing the best retro and old-school music in Birmingham. Pretty much any night of the week you can find the resident Dj's playing a huge mix of funk, soul, disco and motown in the upstairs bar, while in the downstairs space local bands play alongside more well known touring acts. The drinks here are not going to win any awards for being fancy or ornate, but that really isn't the point of the place. This is the type of place where you can visit, feel welcome and enjoy some quality music with like minded people. No you can't have a cocktail made in a beautiful glass garnished with wild berries but if you are looking for that this really isn't the place for you. If you want to visit at the best times try Friday or Saturday nights as with a lot of places also check the website for gigs and special events.

As the bars makeover isn't yet complete I won't say too much about it but the signs are promising,…read morelooks to be a fresh contemporary look with a good range of music and friendly, helpful staff. I'll update in the future. Largely we went to go and try the new food from the Big Papas team. They have a nice concise menu of American style, big, hearty food (while miraculously staying non-greasy) which, for a main and two sides for £10, is one delicious bargain. Of particular note are the batter they are using, it's unbelievably delicate and crispy, and the tasty hot sauce. All in all it's cheap enough to be a no brainer, although the venue was lacking a certain cosiness but I'll put that down to the work they are carrying out. We'll certainly be going again soon, especially considering they have just launched a solid looking lunch menu!

A group of girlies from work wanted to plan a night out without spending a fortune. We just wanted…read moresome food, a few drinks and maybe a dance to close the night. Someone suggested Old Orleans as it's not far from work and we hadn't been there before. I'd had a bad experience at a different branch of Old Orleans but I chose not to say anything. When we arrived - all 16 of us - the place was quiet, which is what we expected for a Wednesday night, but they couldn't find our booking and said they wouldn't be able to seat us for at least half an hour. I rolled my eyes expecting the worst again, but they must have foreseen a roar - who wouldn't from 16 gaggling girls - but just as we took a breath in they apologised straight away and said they would get us all a round in whilst we waited for the table to be setup. The roar was silenced... We enjoyed our drinks at the bar and after only 20 minutes the table was ready. Great! This service continued throughout the night. They really felt they had to make it up to us. They gave us a great deal on our food and though it was just average pub grub we ended up having a great night. I can't fault their customer service following the first and ONLY error of the night. I wasn't put off at all and I will definitely be going back. Even if it's just to try a few more cocktails.

I would say that Old Orleans is your stereotypical pub-conventional restaurant that follows pretty…read moremuch the same idea as a Toby Carvery or The Harvester. Yes, they provide a bar, which you can use as you would with a pub but they also provide restaurant services. Unlike Toby Carvery and The Harvester, Old Orleans doesn't only cater standard English delicacies and grilled meals, but they also deliver a menu that has a tweak of Frankie and Benny's in terms of their American food. I would say that their charges for their catering services is satisfactory and generously priced as I give compliments to the chef. I only ordered a standard Fish and Chips meal, which ended up being rather delicious and most possibly the best Fish and Chips I've eaten in the Birmingham area. I would definitely recommend checking out Old Orleans with friends or a partner.