Having walked past this cafe many times on the way into Oldbury, this morning I finally got round…read moreto going and sampling their sandwiches. With it being my girlfriend's day off and with us both having slight hangovers, we thought two sausage and egg sarnies would sort us right out. The cafe is situated just in the shadow of the M5 in amongst a lot of garages, scrapyards and factories. It always seems busy with vans and lorries parked up outside. This morning was no exception, with some people eating in and others waiting around for orders. My order was made quickly and the woman behind the counter, although rushed off her feet, was friendly and polite (sausage and egg costs £2.05) As for the food, once I'd rushed the sandwiches home, I'm sorry to say I was a little disappointed. The egg was fresh and cooked to perfection, but the bread was very thin which led to it dissolving and making eating a bit messy. I also forgot to ask for any sauce and wasn't asked if I wanted any, so it was lucky we had some ketchup in the fridge. If they had thicker bread (they serve baguettes, so maybe that's the way forward?) then it would probably have got 4 stars.

Good clean cafe with basic food menu, upmarket version of the greasy spoon, slightly more expensive…read morethan the Green Olive up the road but food not as good. In all, good enough to eat in but not my first choice, would rather take an extra two minutes walk.expensive cag

If the National press is to be believed, Bearwood is up and coming - the next Stirchley or Kings…read moreHeath. Having lived in and around the area for my entire 34 years, I'm not convinced. But if it's true, then this is the type of place Bearwood needs, and it needs to be successful (along with the likes of Why Not up the road). It's a world away from a typical 'Wood cafe - not a fry up in sight, good quality ingredients, classy interiors and a creative menu. The dishes are healthy(ish) and it's definitely trying to cater to a more discerning clientele, and people who enjoy quality food rather than just want to be filled up by stodge. It's easy to miss the place - it's a tiny shop front opposite Bearwood school, at the Bear (as in Tavern) end of Bearwood. You need to be on the ball to spot it, and it would be a massive shame if you didn't. We got a genuinely warm welcome by the owner and her absolutely gorgeous 6 month old, we were the only ones in at first but it got busier as we were finishing up. It's only a small place (3 longish tables that could fit probably 8 each and another 4 seater). The inside is lovely, cosy and well decorated. All filament bulbs, light and airy, attractive greeny blues and solid wooden tables. And an added benefit, the plethora of buses going past the window kept our toddler Asa generally entertained! The food and drink were delicious. I had the halloumi Avo stack, which was of a good size and quality. The tomatoes were fresh and chunky, with a good taste and well seasoned. The halloumi was delicious and the Avo fresh. The egg pop on the poached eggs was also perfect! Loved it. I tried the wife's eggs royale which was also amazing, plenty of salmon and the hollandaise was lush. The little dudes pancakes were superb as well - loads of fruit and syrup and the pancakes were light and fluffy. He's the harshest food critic I know and he polished it off - a glowing recommendation if I've ever seen one... Overall Tamu ticks all of my boxes - a friendly local independent, serving delicious food at reasonable prices and with a family friendly atmosphere. We'll be heading back as soon as possible, and I'd encourage anyone reading this to do the same ASAP!

Harborne, very lately has had an influx of places where you can get a coffee, but Boo Boo really…read morestands out for me. Located right opposite the swimming baths and gym, I always end up having a brew before a gym session. Being this side of Harborne, works to Boo Boo's advantage as you don't have to take a walk down the High Street which can seem like a mammoth task on a Sunday morning! Every time I have been in, it has been very busy. With a couple of outside tables and a massive window, it's great when the sun is shining on us. The Coffee is most excellent because they use Allpress espresso beans from London which gives their drinks a massive edge over most places some places in Birmingham. Single origin is offered though a Chemex, another brew method not often seen in the second city. If Coffee and Tea isn't your bag then I can recommend one of the many smothies they offer, which can have protein added to them. Boo Boo coffee is very family friendly and you can pop your little ones in the play area they provide. This place has been come a favourite place of mine to have some alone time or catch up with friends. Sure you will love it!

Birmingham is fast becoming a hotspot for great coffee shops. Boo Boo Coffee is located in harborne…read morejust off the high st. This store has always been busy every time I visit. The shop is small and quirky. They do accept reservations so if you are going to visit with friends it's worth booking ahead. There's some seating outside too. The coffee served here is excellent. I couldn't see anywhere advertising the sort of beans or specifics used. The coffee does stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the best in Birmingham though. The store also serves typical brunch which is available all day long. If your looking for a quick coffee or some brunch in harborne I would highly recommend it here!

When my mum last came to visit me in Birmingham, we stumbled across the Little Tea Shop and tempted…read moreby the name, we went in. The shop itself was small but the decorated tastefully. On offer were your normal hot and cold drink selections, alongside what looked like homemade cakes. As we went in on a Tuesday afternoon, we were able to get a table so we sat down and enjoyed a slice of chocolate cake and a couple of hot chocolates. It was a pleasent experience and a great stop off point before getting a train.

It's often hard to find a nice independent, intimate place to grab a meal in a large city centre,…read moreso coming across The Little Tea Shop, a short walk away from New Street Train station was an extremely pleasant surprise. As the name suggests, this eatery is small and friendly and on top of that serves up some great quality grub! You can get yourself a delicious handmade sandwich or opt for the more traditional option of a good old fry up. Obviously being a small business, seating is at a premium so it can be difficult to eat in on a busy day, but if that's the case then simply grab a sandwich to take away and eat in the fresh air, although on a typical Birmingham day this can present its own problems due to our less than favourable weather most of the year round.

I quite like Smethwick library and the only reason i say quite like is because the staff can be…read moresuper scatty and less than helpful. As a library that's had a large refurb through the Big Lottery fund you can expect it to be a bit shinier than others. It was the first library in Sandwell to have a community cafe in it and it's pretty good. It's cheap for a cuppa and has local cafe sandwich fare to eat. The important thing to remember is that is ran by and for the local community. The best thing about the library isn't the books and the building itself isn't the most exciting or beautiful of old libraries but it has large meeting rooms that are free of charge for community groups and the voluntary sector to use. For this reason there is often a timetable full of stuff going on with some of it open to the public whilst others are for closed groups. If you are a regular hirer of the space though don't expect to be able to store anything there as there just isn't the room. As a library they have a large number of computers stations and a newspaper section as well as the books you'd expect to find.

Sorry Smethwick Library!! I owed them a couple of books and only recently gave them back. I didn't…read moremean to do this but I completely forgot about returning the books back to the library. The staff themselves actually really understood when I told them about my situation. I did have a huge bill to pay but I paid it, just so that I could go back to being on great terms with them. This library is also a hub for doing other things, like doing work in and they have other activities and reading groups which take place there. They have a large selection of books and facilities to use. However, out of all the community libraries I don't think this one is the best. It's not that spacious and I don't find it that welcoming as much as other community libraries. I always find it a little louder than some other libraries, so I don't spend much time in there because of that.

very good pancake rolls ordered 4 lol, currys nice to.read more

Came here for some breakfast on the recommendation of our friend... while others ordered breakfast…read moreentrees, I opted for the classic burger and fries. I wasn't really blown away. The place kind of confused me, to be honest. It's a type of casual, sit down restaurant. You order at the counter/bar, pay, and then pick a seat and they bring it to you. If the food had been better, I probably would've enjoyed it more. It really just didn't leave an impression on me, good or bad. It was rather forgettable.

I like this BTP branch. There's something about the way they do cream teas-- their scones are large…read moreand addictive, and they are quite generous with the jam and clotted cream. They put together a decent breakfast as well, and have bountiful baked goods on offer. Not a bad place to stop in Harborne for afternoon tea or maybe brunch, and there's a nice outdoor seating area with large tables as well as a smaller lounge area upstairs. I find it to be a bit pricey compared to many of the other cafes on Harborne High Street that do coffee and breakfast quite well, though the coffee is decent, and the latte art is on point! It is also usually very busy, and often full of young families and rather noisy, which doesn't make it ideal for getting work done. All in all good though, and definitely better than its counterpart on Corporation Street!

This is what I would call a builders café; they serve strong tea and good greasy food. Inside it is…read morea simple set up, a few places to sit and eat and the menu is written out on a chalk board. I have been in for a brew before and found the customers as well as the staff to be cheerful, which is a good sign in my opinion. I think this is a great place to come if you have had a heavy night out the night before, because here you can have a strong tea and eat some greasy food to try and make it all better. It is really cheap in here too and so you can have your hangover cure and not feel like you are breaking the bank. Overall, it is a cheap and cheerful little café.

Pretty decent cafe in the High Street that is mostly frequented by OAPs - for a while it used to…read morehave a bit of a split personality - offering english breakfasts and thick tea in the day and a Japanese food in the evening but I think they stopped that a while ago which seems a bit of a shame - espeically as I never got to try the latter. Staff here are lovely and make a mean sausage sarnie. It's clean, well kept and features a lovely chalk-board as well as a slightly confusing array of Managa style posters.