Sainsbury's at Martineau Square is probably the largest supermarket style store in Birmingham city…read morecentre, at least in the Sainsbury's brand anyway but it is far from the best. The store was really understaffed when I came in, it felt like they were ready to shut in the middle of the day with no manned tills or counters, the store was even really dark to get around (perhaps a power outage in part of the store), yet there was no staff members apologising or offering assistance. Other reviews suggest it isn't even a lighting issue and it has been going on for weeks and months, which surely makes no sense: as someone who visits Sainsbury's stores across England and Wales, I've not seen anything like it. I couldn't get any of the items I came in for which strangely were on sale in a smaller Sainsbury's store on Colmore Row, it is a large supermarket but I just wasn't impressed with the selection. The ramped enterance into the store remains dangerous and is an accident waiting to happen as it involves a sharp and narrow corner blocked by a wall, I really don't know how health and safety approved it as it is too narrow to have two lanes and all it takes is to people coming up at the same time (and then unable to go back) and BANG. The store really does need to review their staffing levels, ramped enterance and lighting as a matter of urgency.

I am reviewing this branch of sainsbury's on the one thing I get there and thats the salad…read morebowl.....I know this is a controversial 5* review but it's actually really good! For £2.95 you can have yourself a medium salad bowl packed full of bean, beetroot, red pepper, chickpea and other salads which I have to say tastes great! Big shouts to the pea and mint salad which gives the whole bowl freshness and a whole load of extra flavour....I strongly recommend going in on that scoop for a lunchtime win! I know you are thinking.....supermarket salad bowl.....it's going to be rubbish.....but this one shames other supermarkets. I need to say that compared to Morrisons dried out salads this is on another level. If you want a cheap lunch on the move and want to be healthy in a savage world of burger temptation.....give this a go.

Tesco Caxton Gate on New Street is in Birmingham city centre and was recently rebranded from a…read moreTesco Metro store into a Tesco Express. Tesco describes this as "a change of consumer shopping habits", this is a change with all of their Tesco Metro stores which have been changed into Tesco Express or Tesco Superstore locations. This is probably the best supermarket in the city centre in terms of size and overall selection, I did find the stock to be a little depleted, especially on the Ground Floor with some shelves almost empty, but I do understand the shortages going on right now are causing harm to supermarkets, I hope and trust they are trying their best. It is over two floors, I personally want to get in and out of a store as quick as I can, especially with Tesco Express stores which are Tesco's answers to "convenience" stores, having to wait for a lift/escalator is just not a grab and go quick experience. The checkout area seemed a little messy, and the staff didn't seem too interested. It would be great to see a mobile scanning and payment system implemented here, which makes the overall experience much quicker and more consumer-centric, similar to what Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencer now offer, at their nearby location(s). The store was fairly clean and free from most obstructions. 4*

This is the best supermarket available in the city core and being split across two levels it's also…read morethe biggest. Offering everything to stock your apartment up for a weeks shop it also has a great selection of fresh fruit and veg (you should really go to the market on Saturday if you can however) as well as a variety of meats and a very well stocked selection of alcohol, especially wine..... It's also great to grab a work lunch or something for dinner in the evening. At the weekends I'm a big fan of their 2 for £10 deal which includes a main, side, desert and bottle of wine for £10. This offers is always available and clearly signposted in the fridge section. Plus it saves of cooking and ain't nobody got time for that.

I've been trying to improve my diet recently so searched for healthy lunch options and I am so glad…read moreit led me here. There's a very clear sign with instructions as you enter - basically you grab a plate and load up with whatever and as much as you want from a huge vegan and mostly organic banquet and then this is weighed at the till. You can also grab a dessert (set price) and then order drinks when you pay. Everything I ate was really nice and flavourful - lots of spices and Asian-inspired dishes (from the Middle East to East Asia!) e.g. pad thai, dhal. There are hot and cold options and great little sides like kimchi and onion bread. Every single bit of food is gluten free so an outstanding option for those folks. I can't wait to return on my next trip to Birmingham!

Wow!! Come to Natural Healthy Food's! Tonight was my first time coming here!! The food is so…read moredelicious! It's like a mini Whole Foods!! They have a mini grocery section and then a dining area with the best food! So delicious! They have a feast of delicious food from dhal to curry to the BEST roasted root vegetables like sweet potatoes and I believe turnips! So freaking good!! It was like an explosion of flavors in my mouth like fennel, cinnamon, thyme, Oh my gosh!! Food so good make you wanna slap your mama! Jk! But seriously, it is so good! Wow! I am so inspired for meal prep and some date night meals! It is vegan, gluten free, organic and delicious! I don't miss the meat! Great for a meatless Monday! Oh my gosh, wow! They have excellent service too! The only thing I would say is that some of the food on the dining menu contains nuts, so just be mindful of that if you are allergic to nuts. It's great because their food does not contain any dairy which is one of my allergies. Another thing to take note is that like Whole Foods with their hot section, they charge by weight. Oh my gosh! The food is so filling!! Wow! It feels like back home when I would get hot food at Whole Foods but I would say their food might be better than Whole Foods! It's nice when places like this have more variety in terms of food and cuisine. Some Whole Foods don't have much variety in the cuisines, but Natural Healthy Foods does! Wow so delicious! It is a great place to unwind, to study, or to hang out friends and family or for a date night! :)

Sainsbury's on Colmore Row is opposite Snow Hill station in Birmingham city centre and while it…read moreisn't the largest store in the city centre, I was able to get more of the products I was looking for here than 'Sainsbury's Central'. That being said, the stock was a little depleated in certain areas. Prices seem a little higher as it's a convenience style store and I do feel the store could have been kept a little tidier. If you're travelling from Snow Hill, this is the best store in the area in comparison to Tesco and Co-op nearby, but if not there's much better elsewhere within the city. 3*

This Sainsbury's has a good location opposite Snow Hill at the end of Colmore Row. It's rather…read moresmall but that makes sense for a city centre shop. I've only ever popped in on my way home for work so I've not grabbed lunch from here though when I do go in in the evening, there are 'lunch' items still available. There's the obvious fresh veg and fruit, meat and pastries available at the back. The booze selection is the standard so don't go in expecting to get something special. It never seems to be that busy which is nice and there's four self-service tills at the front which tend to move quickly. The staff are nice and if there is a queue more will come and serve.

Very good oriental food related supplies and very well stocked. Most prices are cheaper than…read moresimilar items elsewhere. This is my go to place and I drive into the city for it.

Always a very convenient supermarket as it's the closest one to me and also opens till later than…read moreDay Inn! The shop has grown massively with the long awaited expansion meaning it's storing much more variety of groceries and is no long a cramped maze like it used to be. The items they stock is similar to day inn, however there are a few minor differences especially in the herbs and spices section. At a competitive price, it is no different than Day Inn however they're just very convenient and always there when you need it.

This branch of Tesco is in a really useful location on the upper floor of The Mailbox complex in…read moreBirmingham, just outside the main terrace going to the restauraunt area which interlinks with the canal, bridge and The Cube - fairly close to the independent cinema and AC Marriott. The store is pretty typical in terms of size for a Tesco Express store, mainly designed to be small where you can pick up essentials however the store was really unclean and untidy, this seems to happen a lot in these types of stores for some reason, with warehouse cages blocking a whole aisle again making it hard, even close to impossible to visit certain parts of the store. The staff didn't seem too friendly or willing to move anything, meaning I'd have to go to Sainsbury's Local on my way back towards the main city centre / New Street. Product range could be improved as well as making the queueing area more friendly rather than hectic. Useful location with potential, one of the few stores of its' kind within The Mailbox and Cube facility, so it is pretty useful even if the store its-self isn't that great so that gains an extra star. 2*

I don't understand how such a place can go unreviewed for over 2 years, Selfridges World Of Food,…read moreis an amazing part of the large Selfridges department store, which is one of 4 in the country and this branch is right in the heart of Birmingham City center, on the ground level of Selfridges with also enterences into the Bullring center, the other 2 stores I have visited in Manchester and Trafford both have enterences into malls as well, but out of the 3, this "Food Hall" is by far the best for the range stocked. Selfridges World of Food has a great feel to it, and atmosphere stocking so many things, including a range of Wilkin and Sons jam, albeit expensive is a very nice giftset for nice, premium jam, which the large tins can often be found in a supermarket, but still these jams are used in the best hotels, such as Hilton, which I noticed on my recent visit to their Green Park branch in London, near enough opposite Buckingham Palace. Not only do they stock a good range, but they is a large amount of eateries based here, they is an Ed's Easy Diner, a PRET A Manger, Krispy Kreme, most of these are typical things to find in a Selfridges along with Pattiserie Valerie's stand of sweet treats, which even stocks Hey Little Cupcake, cakes which are from a small, independent Manchester based business, who have one store in Manchester and also a popup at the Selfridges branch in Trafford. This store even has a small Starbucks inside, which seems a nicer, quieter branch for a city center, They stocked good range of teas, including Teapigs, a brand of loose leaf teas and Monin flavouring syrups for coffee, which are used in Costa Coffee and Caffe Nero. Nespresso, another regular at Selfridges also had a stall here and so did Nutella, where you could buy a 400g jar of Nutella at great value for £1.99, already cheaper than the retail price at Tesco, but get your name printed on it as well! There was also a nice range of expensive wines and Cadbury's Chocolate. Even with no intent to buy, being one of 4 in the UK (one of 3 food halls) this is really worth a look in, because it is an amazing place to shop, apart from the high places and it being a really high-end place, it is worth a look in, even if like me, you have no intention to buy anything (although it is hard not to), yet still walk out with a Selfridges bag. I have also commented on the store its-self in a separate review, but the building its-self is a fantastic, modern building which really does stand out on Birmingham High Street, and continues the Selfridges way of only having the best buildings.

I was hungry and I was looking for something quick to eat so I headed over to the food court at…read moreSelfridges & Co. at Bullring Mall and I went to Patisserie Valerie. I went to the menu which was at the back of the stand, which is not a good place to put it and the employees were not even greeting me and attending to me. I had to say, "excuse me" to get their attention and then head to Even so, the employees should be paying attention to the customer and aware of when their customers arrive and where they are. Once I was helped, I got the eggs on whole wheat toast. It was okay, just to get something in my belly, but it had no flavor, no sauce. I believe it was £3.95 from what I read or maybe I was so hungry, but she charged me £2.95. I ain't complainin'. Lol. :) She was very nice, but it was not the best experience. It was more of a grab and go to get something to fill me up, but did not have much flavor. Although they are more known for their sweets, they should still have high quality, tasty food for their other food items. It is also a chain, so sometimes with chains, the quality of the food and service goes down. Out of the other options, they are more like fast-food service and do not have healthy options. It was okay, not as great as I thought it would be. That's okay. If you are looking for great places to eat at the mall, check out the sit-down restaurants like Bill's, which has exceptional service and food. There is also Café Rouge and other restaurants that should be good. :)