Woodstock is an unassuming presence from the outside and what with its mostly lame 'music pun'…read moretheme that screams "avoid" amongst Selly Oak's chip shop haven, it turns out to be a real treat. Pleasant and polite staff, coffee that is reasonable and of good quality and a huge menu that will prompt a good five minutes of staring at the wall trying to make a decision (this can be a little awkward when a couple are sat directly underneath the menu on the wall and you are stood there, motionless, rushing your confused brain and abating your impatient belly in the process of making a decision). The baguettes and paninis are particularly nice - the veggie option was thoughtful and delicious. Whether it's an early hangover cure, or to just get away from the usual fare that Selly Oak boasts, Woodstock is a welcome retreat from the hustle and bustle of the Bristol Road.

Woodstock Cafe in Selly Oak is a wonderful place to pop in for a baguette or jacket potato for…read morelunch, when I lived in Selly Oak I'd often be found in here at lunchtime because the prices are so reasonable and the food so tasty. It's a similar set up to Subway where you tell them exactly what salad items you want on your baguette and then choose a filling from the menu board. The end result is a delicious baguette that will keep you going all day because the staff are so generous with their fillings. The choices range from the standard ham right up to more unusual Mediterranean fillings, everything I've tried here has been delicious apart from one baguette I had which had loads of black olives in there. Now, I hate olives so the fact that I didn't like this was not the cafes fault in the slightest - more me being a numpty and ordering a food I loathe! In the winter the jacket potatoes are excellent comfort food and again they come with a range of fillings from cheese to ratatouille so there is something to suit everyone. The staff in Woodstock are lovely and will chat as they are preparing your food, I always get the impression that they are really interesting in what I'm saying rather than just talking for the sake of it. The atmosphere in Woodstock is very chilled out and comfortable, sometimes I'll go in with a magazine and sit reading that for an hour without being disturbed - apart from when I want another delicious fresh coffee that is! The customers are mainly students as the university is two minutes up the road, I've eaten in cafes surrounding Northampton uni and found the students obnoxious and loud but this is definitely not the case in Woodstock and this seems to be the place for people to sit and relax rather than be shouting and screaming. Next time you're in Selly Oak I'd definitely recommend a visit to Woodstock for a spot of lunch, the food is fantastic and it won't break even the most credit crunch affected bank!

The Stirchley revival/renewal/gentrification (delete as applicable) continues apace with this…read moresuperb little independent cafe on the Pershore Road. A spacious, comfortable and welcoming spot with excellent coffee, some lovely homemade cake/biscuit treats and lovely staff. They also host poetry workshops and open evenings and have a fine selection of books to keep readers of all ages entertained. Highly recommended and I'm hoping to become a regular visitor.

Everything from the ambiance to the staff are welcoming and cozy! But the best bit is the food…read more Delicious Middle Eastern fare and the best Turkish coffee I've had in ages. We drove 45 mins to try this place out and it did not disappoint!

Definitely one of the best Mediterranean restaurants in Birmingham (and restaurants in general as…read morewell). As someone who has been spoilt with different cuisines from different cities, I can be annoyingly judgy and picky, and honestly... Birmingham doesn't have me impressed. So understand that me saying that Damascena is "one of the best," it's a big deal. Their food is outstanding and it comes at a very reasonable price. The restaurant is located in cute Moseley and is not exactly attractive, but once you enter, you will be welcomed by a wide arrange of pastries. Every plate I've eaten here has left me incredibly satisfied by its taste and its amount of food... and money. The only improvement would be on their client service, as the waitresses weren't attentive, and their cooking time, as it took around 20 minutes for the plates to arrive. I will definitely be returning here as long as I am in Birmingham. Come to Damascena! And they have amazing drinks too.

We chose here for breakfast fancying something a little different. Walking in there was a lot of…read morespace to sit and very very attentive staff . To drink we chose a mango lassi, matcha latte, fresh orange juice and a flat white. Everything was well made although the matcha latte was the nicest I'd had. For food my partner chose pesto baked eggs and myself paratha with paneer and chickpeas. The spices and flavours in both dishes were amazing. We both enjoyed our meals the only thing I would say again is the staff were very attentive we were probably asked how Everything was three times in a short space of time, I mean I rather that then not all :p

Best breakfast in Birmingham! Amazing food and delicious coffee…read more Only thing to be aware of is that it is incredibly popular with good reason and so, even though they have reopened in a larger premises, you can be waiting quite a while for a table on a weekend. As long as you're prepared to work up an appetite it's well worth the wait!

Caneat is the quintessential cafe. High quality coffee from Quarter Horse Coffee, unrivaled…read moredesserts that look as good as they taste, and open-faced sourdough masterpieces. Couldn't recommend this place more. The staff are incredibly kind as well. They have changed the standard.

Fun little place in Stirchley, good accommodation for children with a toy section etc. Not too…read morenoisy, the service was good and the food was tasty. Soup of the day was great. Downside was the bacon in the full English. American style crispy that could have been a bookmark. Big breakfast a bit small for me to. But that being said a solid café

Located in the University guild this Costa can get pretty busy. There are a few computers which is…read moreconvenient if you need to edit some of your work and grab a drink at the same time. There aren't a lot of computers and this highlights that the place's emphasis is certainly on grabbing a latte with friends rather than coming here to write your dissertation. Saying that, when spending a few hours here on a comfortable sofa with my laptop on and headphones in I was pretty productive. The staff don't bother you if you're working in there way after you've finished your drink either. It's not too noisy as coffee shops go. Xmas special drinks are delicious too!

Breakfast Review: I…read moredo like an Indi deli. In fact I love an Indi deli. So much so that this morning, I cycled in heavy rain and a blustery wind, 17.5 miles to try out their breakfast. I was recommended this place by some of the fine people on Twitter. Their enthusiasm for the place meant I had to give it a go. It's a small shop in a group of shops on a residential road in suburban Bournville. There's no uniforms, just people that obviously care about their products and produce. That definitely included their breakfasts. Perfectly cooked bacon, (2 slices, not one as advertised), 2 sausages, a spot on golden yolked egg, a choice of plum or fresh tomatoes, great black pudding, (an extra), baked beans, (served in a separate dish), a good portion of fresh mushrooms and hand cut, crusty bread - as far as I'm concerned, a MUST for a quality breakfast - which this absolutely was. Coffee was good quality too, not too rich, just how I like it. In summary: 9/10 one of the best ones I've had. Excellent.

Love their full English breakfast. I live in California but whenever I'm visiting family in…read moreBirmingham I always have to stop by for a proper pot of tea and great breakfast that's very tasty and not greasy like some breakfast places can be.

A small, independent cafe bar with friendly staff, Cherry Reds is located on York Road, off the…read morebustling Kings Heath High Street. Upon entering this little oasis that's far from the madding crowd, you are greeted at the door with a smile and a folky-kitsch display of tempting cupcakes. The menu is small and perfectly formed. There are maverick touches to modern, homely food that caters to the tastes of flesh-eaters, vegetarians and vegans alike. As far as drinks go, Cherry Reds sell good European and New World wine at a price that's well below what you might expect, and they have a well-chosen selection of local and continental lagers. Owner Jen is a beer connoisseur, and hosts monthly beer tasting sessions which are informative, informal, and guaranteed to open your eyes and taste buds to a plethora of tastes beyond pub-standard lagers and ales. Rather than offering classic Martinis or Manhattans, Cherry Reds create cocktails that are fun and alcohol fueled. A recent addition is Jamaica-Me-Crazy: a shot of premium Kraken Rum, a shot of Appleton rum, then topped up with ginger beer and lime. Every day between 4pm-7pm you can enjoy two cocktails for the price of one. The decor is unpretentious and along with the intimate dimensions it invites the informal feeling of being in a house rather than in a public place. It's a relaxing place to be is Cherry Reds. The unique ambiance is that your friend is having an open house and that you and those in the know are always very welcome.

Breakfast Review: I…read moreate outside in the summer of 2014. That immediately makes you feel better. I had heard lots about Cherry Reds, but never got around to getting all the way over to Kings Heath to try it. I gave it a go. Inside, it was quite dark and a bit 'wizard and witch - like', unusual, but its a bar at night, so it sort of makes sense. I ordered the Full English again, so that I could compare it with all the others that I have tried. The single sausage was of a good quality and tasty, the bacon was decent too. What I didn't like was the cherry tomatoes served mixed with the mushrooms and they committed the worst crime in history - they put the beans in the middle of the plate, contaminating the rest of the food. Everyone knows that beans should be served separately! There was a couple of pieces of toast, a hash brown and black pudding too. It was served hot and freshly cooked. In summary: Its a quirky place, serving good quality, freshly cooked food, at a reasonable price.

Winterbourne is a great place for a sunny day. £5 gives you access to the Arts and Crafts house and…read moregardens, both of which are lovely. Behind the more formal gardens are woodland trails (you might even see a beech tree I helped to coppice as a student many years ago) and Edgbaston reservoir, a calm expanse of water populated by ducks, moorhens and crested grebes. There are beautiful waterside rock gardens with stepping stones, which I love. The whole place feels like a sanctuary from the city and is conveniently located close to the Barber Institute and the university campus if you want to make more of a day of it. There's a tea room which sells serviceable scones (with that really aerated cream rather than proper whipped or clotted cream though) and also sandwiches, soup and potatoes etc. You can get plants and gifts at the shop- and if you go during the week you may be able to get some advice from the gardeners, too.

Winterbourne House and Garden is an oasis from the hustle and bustle of the University of…read moreBirmingham campus, located a short five-minute walk from the eastern edge of the University. Built in the early 1900's, the entire Grade II Listed estate was bequeathed to the University in 1944 and is composed of a villa house and seven acres of gardens with thousands of different plants from across the world. Owned by the University, students are admitted for free while general public tickets are £6 per entry. The gardens are best visited on a sunny day in the late spring or early summer when you can take advantage of maximum flower coverage. With such a staggering numbers of plants on display, one could easily make a day of it to properly examine them all. Plants are both planted throughout the garden outside or placed within greenhouses to regulate temperature and moisture, an excellent example being the orchid house. The grounds are laid out with meandering, terraced paths on a hill that eventually lead to a stream at the back of the property. A wooded trail gives access off the property to Edgbaston Pool, which is classed as a site of special scientific interest with numerous birds that call it home. The house itself and attached grounds are set up as a quasi-museum to display early twentieth-century country estate life. The garden sheds/office house a second-hand bookstore, art gallery, plant store, and the ticket office/gift shop. Cacti, flowers, herbs, and other interesting plants can be purchased at reasonable prices. Attached to the ticket office is Winterbourne Press, a fully functioning printing press that performs demonstrations every Friday. The house was built with the most modern of amenities, including fully functioning cistern toilets for servants. A restoration in 2010 brought the house back to its former glory. A secondary feature of Winterbourne is their vaunted tea room, one of the primary reasons for my visit with Brittany A. recently. The public are not able to simply enter the house to visit the tea room, so each visit to the room will cost a person the full ticket price. Given these preconditions and the grandeur of the house, I had high expectations. Unfortunately, the 'tea room' is a basic cafeteria style set-up that you'll find at many historic sites across the UK. Pre-prepared cold case sandwiches and drinks are available, and until 3PM on most days you can order toasties and hot soup. I skipped the unimpressive looking and overpriced scones and ordered a slice of carrot cake, which was absolutely delicious and worth the price. Tea here is the most disappointing aspect, consisting of a tepid pot and a bag of Twinings thrown in. No loose leaf tea is available, and you get the luxury of carrying your supermarket tea out on a cafeteria tray, once more shattering the splendour of the home and grounds. In this aspect, Winterbourne could take notes from the splendid tea rooms of sites like Edinburgh Castle, which offers table service and higher quality teas at comparable price points. The lackluster tea room experience aside, Winterbourne House and Garden is a real gem of a historic property in the University area. While the ticket entrance price won't see me coming here all that often, the free entrance for UOB students is a reason to visit regularly if you attend the University.