This is a great new addition to Solihull. Cafe/bar vintage chic with lots of character. The…read moreatmosphere here is fresh friendly and so much options to choose from. The old coach house has been improved beyond recognition. If anyone is passing through Solihull I'd recommend this place highly.

When looking for somewhere that I can take my mother too for lunch a few weeks ago I decided to try…read moreEBB and Flow. This blend of cafe and bar is something that stands out in Solihull and manages to set it apart from many of the other restaurants and bars locally, they straddle the line between upmarket bar and vintage cage relatively well and have put together somewhere that is inviting without being too relaxed. One great thing to note is that they offer all day Brunch, which is great if you are late to rise and want a breakfast. This does make them busy on a weekend. They have a good selection of burgers. They also offer an afternoon tea at £10 per person which can be enhanced with Prosecco and offers a decent selection of both savoury and sweet items. I was impressed with the afternoon tea particularly as you didn't have to order ahead. My only complaint is that I didn't leave feeling full but the experience was very nice. I would deffinately recommend Ebb and Flow for a relaxed meal or a drink with friends.

This is a nice clean place inside, tho' less attractive outside. The 5***** hygiene certificate is…read moreprominently displayed which is reassuring. I had 30 minutes to kill over lunch so ordered a chicken and bacon sandwich with a side of chips and a cup of tea. Service was OK. I'd have appreciated a bit more warmth as a stranger to the place. It would have scored an extra point had staff made more effort. Seems more like a 'regulars' kinda place. They seemed a bit overstaffed to me, so no excuse really. The sandwich was excellent really: nice, proper chicken breast sliced, along with decent non-fatty bacon pieces, soft white sliced bread and an OK, jar supplied Mayo - for the price it would be daft to expect own-made. I'd give it a 8/10 in context. It wasn't just a mix from a large tub bought at the wholesalers. The chips were just about OK too. They were the frozen style ones, not proper sliced potato, so very bland, and probably would have benefited from an extra few minutes in the fryer. The tea was fine, but I was in a bit of a rush by the time it had cooled down so only finished half of it. There were papers to read, which was a nice bonus. No one said goodbye when I left.

This was a little gem on the high street of Shirley I came across while looking for scones! They…read moreroast their own coffee beans and the place just smelt divine! The owner was super nice and loved my kinda American accent even though he thought I was Australian at first..lol.. I asked if they had scones and he said yes! With clotted cream and jam and fresh strawberries he asked....yes ! I said. Perfect mid morning snack in England. It looked amazing and boy have I missed these . I also got a nice cappuccino made with their mild roast and it was so perfectly brewed. I should be having tea with a scone but I could pass up the freshness of the coffee The scone was delicious, the cream was nice and rich and the jam was not jelly! I loved the fresh strawberries on top too. Ate every bit of this up. The Brit's do scones the best. The cafe was a lovely local place with a nice breakfast menu with basics and some other desserts. Just a lovely place to get a strong brew and a traditional scone! Just what I was looking for.

The Coffee Roaster in Shirley is my stand out place for a late cooked breakfast on the weekend…read more The food is always excellent and although it looks small from the outside it is a bit of a tardis once you get in so you won't struggle to find a table. It is pretty cosy inside but that adds to the charm. As the name suggests the coffee is wonderful as well. I've visited for afternoon tea and cake too which were great value. The business also provides a tea and coffee emporium stocking everything for the caffeine lover. The extra friendly and knowledgeable staff will help you decide on the perfect coffee bean for you and then grind to take away. They also have a car park to the rear which is extremely helpful when driving to Shirely.

Ok, it's just a Costa and looks much the same as their other outlets, but they've done a nice job…read morewith the outdoor seating and this is the best spot to wait for people arriving (right next to the arrivals exit). Plus consistently excellent coffee.

Gate 48: Clerk at desk didn't take 5 £ note because old. I should contact bank (departure gates). I…read moretold that got note from cash machine one day earlier!? Didn't impress him too much. I let stuff wanted buy and bought at machines across the corridor. Not worth to mention that the machine accepted the note.

Decent little coffee place in the train station / convention center area. It's pretty nondescript,…read moreand normally I'd just go for three stars, but I happened to be there when they were having a systems malfunction in their POS system. The way they gracefully handled the situation (after a few moments of mild flailing about) is easily worth an extra star.

Stopped while waiting for our train to London. Pastries looked good, but I didn't eat one. Latte…read morewas good and BF had a canned beverage. Server was nice, and waited for me while I tried to count out currency. I'm American so the I get mixed up with the different coins. She was patient. Thanks for being nice to visitors!

I'm generally not a big fan of Costa, but this branch is very impressive by their usual standards…read more It is a large branch which looks fairly cool/modern, there is a large seating area with some outdoor seating, obviously sitting outside of an airport overlooking a car-park isn't the most exciting of places to sit, but there is always fresh air and the chance of plane watching to make it worthwhile! Located in the Terminal Building (Arrivals), it is before security, I found this useful as I was able to call in from a coffee without the need for a flight, as I was staying at the Hilton Garden Inn hotel across the way, so the location was convenient for me. There were two counters where they were taking orders, I was originally confused about where to queue and where to go to order, however, the barista who served me was very friendly, she took my order, helped talk me through the new loyalty system and I was away with my drink in a couple of minutes. I ordered an Iced Gingerbread latte (Even though October is way too early to bring out festive drinks), I was impressed with my drink, it was nothing exceptional but the coffee has nice flavours, complemented by the gingerbread, the beverage quality was very good for an airport coffee shop, and seemed to be better than most Costa stores on the high-street. 4* - A great place to grab a coffee after your flight, or perhaps before checking in for a flight, or if you simply just want to plane watch.

Smaller branch of an actual Costa, and they do run out of drinks sometimes which is pretty…read moredisappointing , but otherwise, a standard Costa. The service is good , and the Baristas are all very helpful :) The Costa upstairs is also situated in a nice area in the middle of the airport, surrounded by all the shops , and the seats are comfortable and cosy. Perfect if you have a long time to wait for a flight, and you can just lay back with a coffee and a good book.

This is one of the biggest but friendliest Costas around. Situated right in the middle of Mell…read moreSquare, it's a great place to up your caffeine levels before completing the next round of shopping. There are two seating areas, and chairs outside for sunny days. There are also comfortable sofas where you can curl up with a paper, cappuccino and something highly calorific. The staff are really helpful, and happy to bring things across to you if you are really burdened with shopping. In addition to the usual coffee drinks (and a rather fine hot chocolate), Costa offers some good lunchtime sandwiches and a nice collection of breakfast treats such as chocolate pannetone. Not the cheapest, but well worth it for a quiet break from the shops!

Great quality and variety you would expect from Costa, but i prefer this branch to a lot of the…read morecoffee shops in Solihull due to the location. The Costa in Touchwood has limited seats and as it is on the corner is it usually really busy. This branch has lots more seating and is in the centre of Solihull and tends to be busy but not crowded and I have never had problems finding somewhere to sit and relax whilst I enjoy my coffee

The big breakfast is awesome. For £5.50 it's the best full English in the area. Been there twice…read morenow and haven't been disappointed. Staff are very friendly. Thoroughly recommended.

Given that I'm travelling a lot with work just now, I'm attempting to entertain myself by trying as…read moremany airport restaurants as I can do. Luckily, in Birmingham Airport there are a few choices for food & drink and so this evening I decided to try All Bar One - located by gates 1-20 near where (I hoped) my flight gate would be. On arriving, I was greeted by a conscientious and unimposing waitress who wasted no time in getting my drink - and then food order. I'm a sucker for a Pinot Grigio Rose, and after a particularly long day at work, decided I deserved a large glass pre-flight. The wine arrives in a lovely little decanter, and is very easy to drink! I opted for the skinny burger - £9.95 for a burger on half a bun, topped with avocado & with a quinoa and edamame bean salad rather than fries. At only 522 calories it's a pretty decent choice for the calorie-concerned of us...although I did add a helping of Monterey Jack cheese. Because cheese. I love places which have a skinny option for burgers - but honestly I'm not sure the half bun concept works. It fell to pieces the second I tried to cut into it - so I ended up just eating the patty (and cheese) together before tackling the bun and the rest on its own. The patty was a bit dry, although by no means was it untasty (not a word but I'm going to make it one now...) The salad was very leafy - more leaf than anything else to be honest, but tasted nice enough, although I did feel a bit like a rabbit by the end of it. Price wise the burger was actually pretty decent for airport prices, and the wine was as I expected. If they can sort out the architecture issues of the skinny bun, they'd be doing really well.

Decent (modernized) pub food, surprisingly good selection of lagers and ales, predictably inflated…read moreprices at this Birmingham Airport bar & bistro. This bar and restaurant is located in the Departures area of Birmingham Airport (South Lounge). The menu offers a modern interpretation of pub and burger bar staples, with something for everyone - everyone i.e. who is prepared to spend over 10 UKP for a simple burger with a few fries. That said, the pulled pork burger I had (see photo) wasn't huge but of decent quality and well prepared. You can order extras (like I did, a thick slice of halloumi cheese). I scanned the meals presented to other people at the surrounding tables, and everything sure did look good. I was pleasantly surprised by the range of lagers and ales, which included one of my all-time favorites Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (and on tap, too!), one of the great beers of the world. I strongly recommend this wonderful American IPA to people who have never tried it. As you may expect, drinks aren't cheap either. There's also a huge selection of wines and cocktails on offer. The waiters/waitresses were extremely welcoming and very efficient. The decor is streamlined and modern, some of the stools less comfy than others. All in all a superior lunch/drinks option at Birmingham Airport.