Athens is a traditional Greek restaurant with a delicious menu and old-fashioned abstract decor…read morethat adds to its charm. The waiters are probably the funniest and most charming restaurant staff I have ever come across. And I suppose they have to be when dancing with customers is part of their job description! On Fridays and Saturdays, they have a belly-dancer who encourages diners to join her under the spotlight. Then the waiters get everyone on their feet to dance inside and outside of the restaurant. They end the night with current pop and some old-school music. The food is delicious and served surprisingly swiftly, even when the restaurant is packed. At the weekends they have a standard offer - starter and main course for £16. It's very filling so you probably won't have space for dessert! There's nearly always a hen party going on. Booking in advance is recommended.

For an hilarious night out on the cheesy side but with some pretty good food then you may want to…read moregive Athens a go. Yes, on busy nights with group bookings there may well be some plate smashing. The waiters are super funny and really helpful if you are new to Greek cuisine as some of my group were. Expect some dancing and lots of laughs but if the drink is flowing you get so caught up in the atmosphere you don't really mind. The food portions are big and really tasty. If you aren't into the whole belly dancing experience then weekends are the time to avoid. The biggest plus is that with Snobs next door it's easy to roll from one to the next. Expect to see big groups and always book in advance.

Mambo's fast food is another fast food mecca placed at the city centre. One of those places that…read moremake me wonder why people STILL prefer spending some money in plastic burgers! The food in this place is absolutely delicious and the fact it's a really friendly establishment where you can seat, enjoy your meal and also have a good chit chat with the staff, is just a bonus. As I am still learning about the art of eating a really good and well-done kebab I still think most of my experience eating this fine and simple dish was positive but I do adore the options at Mambo's and the fact the salad served in this shop is almost like a homemade one! The chips are also crisp the prices in this place is something really unbelievable ! So trek down to Mambo's as soon as possible and you will know what ! mean!

You might have noticed that I am a prolific eater, I quite simply adore food in all its…read moreincarnations, and the combination of living in Birmingham and being a Yelp scout provides me with ample opportunity to check out as many eateries as I can stomach, which is a lot! One of my favourites (there are a lot of those too) is Mambo's Fast Food on Hurst Street, which strives to be better than your average kebab house. I have to say that I think they are doing a great job and hitting all of their targets. You can pick up a Donner Kebab alongside salad and of course chips, all for under a fiver, in fact it is priced at a surprisingly good three pounds ninety. I say surprisingly good because the quality of food here would lead you to believe that it was pricey, clearly this is not the case. Worth a special mention is the salad, as strange as that may sound when discussing a kebab house. This is because it is a lot fresher, crisper and generally tastier than your average kebab house salad. So if you fancy a kebab which is a cut above, then Mambo's is where you should take your business.

Atmosphere is good but we had a waitress with a personality of a dried up grapefruit. We ordered…read moretwo starters (mushrooms and scallops), two entrees (cod and filet) and two side dishes (spinach and vegetables). The flavors were fine but certainly nothing to write home about. I would not go out of my way to eat here again especially everything was overpriced.

A nice restaurant/cafe offering well prepared Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. The prices aren't…read morebad for the size of the options, a 2 course will stretch your wallet to £12.95 and a children's option at only £7.95. Eating here is very relaxing, and I would recommend sitting outside if you can, next to the square. It does get busy here in the weeknights, evenings and weekends, so if you can pre-book, it would be advised so your not disappointed. Italian speaking staff give this place a little bonus and gift cards are available too.

Great tapas and awesome service. Will go back on my next trip to Birmingham. The chorizo tapas was…read moreexcellent.

Definite lunchtime win yesterday when I popped into Bar Estilo for a meeting . I am a big fan of…read moretapas but for some reason have never ventured inside this place in the Mailbox. When I went in I was quickly greeted by the barman who offered me a drink, as it was lunchtime I went for a diet coke although they do offer a full bar menu with all the usual drinks you would expect plus sangria..... After living in spain for a while I am a HUGE fan of the stuff but the afternoon is just not the time or it can be a bit of a slippery slope haha. I went for the Salmon dish (Salmon a la plancha) served with almost a lentil stew and the oven baked figs....this was all on recommendation of the lovely manager Jaz. Now figs.....I wouldnt usually go for fig....not even in a fig roll situation they just dont do it for me, so naturally I thought yes to giving them a go in a more savory dish.....I have to say it was great! They served with goats cheese and honey and were actually delicious...maybe I am a convert! The salmon dish was also fresh and lovely....well presented and all the food came out quickly. Perfect at lunch time. Good vibe to the place overall and definately somewhere I will be trying more of the food in due course!

So much but so good!…read more Right next to Fishylicious is a quiet Turkish restaurant me and my friends Davey and Albert passed by. We saw this place first being developed when we stopped at Fishylicious. This time, on the way to Fishylicious, we decided to opt for Konya instead, which also not long ago got a mention in the Birmingham Mail as one of the places to try, now I know why. Despite being the only customers to dine at the place, the service was on the path of failure, however it steadily made a great recovery. The menu consists of a great selection of roast meats, fish and even pizzas! However for me and my friends, it's a must try kebab of some sorts. I had the Chicken Shawarma, while the others had a Lamb Kofte, Chicken Shish and Lamb Shish, all served in a big plate with a mountain of rice. Good thing there's always the salad too, which the waiter added some feta cheese as a bonus for us! Not to mention the condiments, were also a great compliment to the meal which consists of yoghurt, ketchup, spicy chilli and salsa! The meats were generously portioned but also tender in the process, therefore you shouldn't have any concerns over meat quality too. Konya is great value for money and I look forward to coming here on a regular basis. It definitely isn't your regular kebab shop, be sure to check it out!

In my mad mission to catch up with everything new in Birmingham, I came across this place in "new…read morebusinesses on Yelp". Whilst I had been aware that something new was coming to Bennett's Hill - I had no idea what that would be. Tapas is getting really big in the City at the moment. I love Tapas (both as a food and a concept). Small plates shared around a table of friends - it's a great way to try lots of things without being so stuffed you can't move at the end of a meal. I was super excited to learn that Amantia was a new Spanish restaurant with a focus on Tapas! I booked a table for lunch for 4 of us on the Saturday and perused the menu. There are lots of different types of Tapas starting from £5 and going all the way up to £10 for a meat board. Although it's not the cheapest, the prices seemed fair for a restaurant offering something different, good quality and in it's location in the centre of town. We hungrily walked down on Saturday excited to try something new! The restaurant itself looks great! Deep purple walls, smart furnishings and little touches of Spanish flair - it's so good to see this space being used and looking different. We were greeted straight away by the friendly staff and our table had been laid out prior to our arrival. Whilst we were waiting for our lunch companions, we decided to order a bottle of wine. We went for a bottle of white (which wasn't too badly priced at around £16) and had another look at the menu. When everyone was settled, we were ready to order! Although the menu recommends three tapas dishes per person, we went for two each and chose a selection of dates with cheese and bacon, pastry parcels with chorizo and black pudding and a whole range of different options off the menu. Everything ended up being amazing. The dates were a particular surprise (and a table favourite), as well as the aubergine chips and the black pudding parcels. Although we were pretty full by the end, me and Dan ordered a cheese board (with a glass of sherry) and Stuart ordered a almond cake. We were mightily impressed with the "cheese to cracker" ratio (more cheese than crackers) and the Sherry really complimented the cheese choices. All together our bill came to around £110 with tip (which wasn't bad for 9 dishes of tapas, a bottle of wine, two lagers, a glass of red wine, a sharing platter of cheese with sherry and a cake). The service, decor and food were all sublime and I was definitely impressed with this new offering.

I have only been here as part of a Yelp Elite event, but from what I can gather the place is really…read morelovely, and the food (for the most part) was fantastic. I sampled as many tapas as I could and there wasn't a single thing I didn't like... manchego with almonds... fried calamari... various croquettes (my favorite was actually the mushroom) and chorizo. There were three paellas and they were all pretty good; I found the seafood one to be too salty for my taste. The chicken and chorizo one was really good but definitely had strong seasoning which others might not enjoy. I think I will be back for more tapas, in any case! Churros and chocolate for dessert... so delicious. The decor is very simple and elegant, although a bit too bare for me personally, I personally think the place could use a bit more 'flavor' in it's interior design to match the food. But it didn't really detract from the experience. All of the staff we encountered were very friendly and attentive, even with an incredibly large group.

Finally got around to trying this place I have to say it's actually very me! I was thinking of…read moresomewhere to grab something quick and fresh last night before the rep and this tiny shop was just ideal. There are only a few small tables but the food here is to stay or go making that not an issue at all. I went for the chicken and beef kebab which was served on fresh bread with yoghurt dressing and a simple salad. Now with a dish like this you can't really have anything bad quality as there are so few elements....this was pretty much perfect. All well seasoned, fresh and tasty. No complaints from me at all! I like the speed and vibe of this place, the food is no frills served by friendly people in a relaxed and laid back way....I'll be back....definitely

Simple, humble, independent takeaway Greek cuisine at its quirky & affordable price, conveniently…read morelocated tucked away opposite New Street station in a modest but slightly cramped place. Fresh, simple, lovely menu and great service. Inside was a small dining area with a couple of tables and stools with an open kitchen and billboards scribbled with the different choices on the menu. Freshly prepared platters of meat & also vegetarian dishes, salad side with dressing and Pitta slices. Overall I'd recommend highly if you'd like traditional greek food.

had to cancel food order had to wait over 1 and a half not good service…read more refund took 5 days

I'd not had Greek food in about 40 years. But I met up with an old friend and we agreed to go to…read moreSantonini's. We went in around 1pm, and were the only diners apart from one other couple. We left around 3.45 The warmth of greeting, and the service were outstanding. Even better (we both chose the Mezze) was the quality of the " selection of small dishes served to accompany alcoholic drinks". Around six or seven dishes were placed in front of us (can't tell you which - I'm not versed in Greek food though some wonderful puff pastry concoction, Greek fries, sausages in spicy sauce, and hummus {my friend told me} were some of the food.) We duly ploughed our way through maybe half of what was in front of us. It was only then that we (well, certainly *I*) realised that this was just part 1. Part 2, dishes of lamb, chicken, kebabs, moussaka and more dishes yet replaced those that we'd fully consumed or tried to consume in part 1. And again the quality of every dish (and the variety) was first rate. Despite this we could eat barely half of what we were given. We followed this with Turkish coffee and an ouzo on the house. (Mmmmmm ..... oouuzooo). We paid each £27, (including my Greek beer and my mate's glass of red) and the (serious) offer of doggy bags for the food we couldn't manage. Now, it sounds strange but the generosity of the food was slightly overwhelming, rather challenging, "EAT ME" on a big scale! Hence British reticence makes me give 4 and not 5 stars. It IS possible to have too much of a good thing. Maybe I should have taken up the doggy bag offer! But maybe Santorini's should restrain their generosity and offer a little, just a little less of each serving of Mezze 1 and 2, difficult though it is to rein in Greek hospitality? (And no, I never thought I'd say any restaurant offered me TOO MUCH food! LOL) The place has been up and running for a year. My friend and I plan on meeting in Brum again in the near future. If I have anything to do with it we shall eat here again - the best compliment I can pay to excellent food, good service and a delightful family atmosphere. I wish Santorini's and its staff every success.

I have always tried to use Independent family restaurants and endeavour to be as positive as…read morepossible when reviewing, so it is with great disappointment that I write... Reasonably quick to take order, acceptable wine then the big delay for the food to arrive, in the meantime asked to move tables to make room for a larger party which we obliged in doing, at our new table we waited and waited and waited eventually a member of staff noticed the lack of food and obliged in re taking our order... after a short wait it arrived... but was the wrong order as well as the lack of the starter. Perhaps I should point out our order was for two wrapped kebabs one chicken souvlaki and a lamb doner, not exactly complicated. When pointed out they were quick to rectify with a sad looking souvlaki offering. Given the price of the kebab meal was £6 x 2: I was hoping the bill would reflect the level of service... but no it would seem a £9 service was deemed an acceptable charge as well as getting the drinks charge wrong. Finally got the bill amended with no real fuss. All in all a great disappoint and felt that I had almost been mugged... Advice... avoid!!

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.