This is a pretty cool Joe & The Juice location, which meets the usual high standards set by the…read morechain. it is a large kiosk area in Birmingham's Grand Central, it is just outside the John Lewis unit. I think the location is a huge benefit as it allows the store to keep trading even though John Lewis has closed, unlike my local Joe & The Juice in Manchester, which closed permanently due to being located inside the Debenhams store in the city, which closed. The area really does feel cool and modern, from the large juice bar to the seating area (decent size, could be bigger to cope with demand at peak times), which is comfortable, unique and has nice views of the Grand Central complex, I sat overlooking the balcony and it was super relaxing. I ordered an Iced Latte with vanilla milk, it is a shame the largest size is only 16 oz compared to rivals such as Starbucks who offer up to 24 oz. The price came to £3.50 which included 10p more to sit inside (I've never heard of any other coffee shop charging a tax to sit inside?), which was a little pricey but I would say the quality warranted the price. PRO TIP: Use their app to pay where you can sign up to their loyalty scheme to get perks. You can even buy a gift card that gets you any food item/coffee/smoothie at a reduced price, the only catch is you have to buy them in bulk, but then you can use them whenever you want. My drink tasted really good, I loved the coffee quality and the refreshing, innovative sweetness of the vanilla milk which complemented the drink superbly well, I just wish there was more of it! The staff seemed friendly and eager to help whenever possible. 4*

Ok, ok, look. Part of me wants to give this place fewer stars, because it's an expensive, (though…read morefresh juice is always pretty expensive) juice chain-- a chain that even exists across the Atlantic in my hometown of New York. But like, I don't own a juicer. And you know what, Joe and The Juice makes really great juices. That's why they are a successful chain. They know how to juice. They have tons of interesting fruit and veg combos to try. So on occasion I will shell out what's left of my meager savings for a delicious, refreshing cup of pressed fruits. Plus, it's convenient, smack dab in the centre of Grand Central. And it's a nice alternative to a cup of coffee (although if you want coffee, they have that too). In sum: juice is delicious, and it is here, at Joe & the Juice. And my wallet may not be happy but my stomach is. And if you're *not* like me and have that juice money to spend on the regular, then you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in Birmingham City Centre that has this many juices available.

I started buying boost drinks over a year and half ago though I don't buy a drink often as they are…read morequite costly £4-6 approx. They sell smoothies, fruit crushes, fresh juice with boosters etc. They taste pretty good and the one I had once before for a cold (think it was an immunity booster drink), the next day I was much better! I was sent an email to say I could have a free drink so I chose the energiser juice with energiser plus an extra detox supplement. It would cost me over £5!! Sign up for their rewards card and you get points towards freebies and get a free birthday drink!!! My reward card was not scanning so as a work around, I downloaded the app, logged in and they scanned the app bar code to verify my birthday! The guy was really good at trying and advising me what to do when my card wasn't working on their till!

This place has been bookmarked for too long, to be honest I think I was a bit over excited when Dan…read moresuggested we try it out. There's something really drawing about the whole place, I mean there's neon lemon signs for goodness sake. I'd been to other bubble tea places before, and I think the Happy Lemon focuses less on bubble tea flavours and varieties and more on differed oddities all together. You also have more customisation here than ever, what kind of sweetness you have have your drink (30%,50%,100% etc.) our server even made suggestions and recommendations on what we ordered. She was also really patient whilst we tried out the different 'cheese foams'. This place is perfect if you want a drink but are bored of coffee and don't fancy alcohol. I'll be honest I was really sceptical of Dan's 'Green Tea with Rock salted cheese' but it works! Think caramel salted latte, but if anything way more refreshing.

The Birmingham Happy Lemon is a fairly new bubble tea and specialty drink store with inspired…read moreflavours that you'd find on the streets of Taipei. The chain is barely a decade old and already has amassed 500+ stores across the world. While the name suggests an abundance of lemons, you'll find that and more with a plethora of very interesting boba combinations. Some of the menu items are milk based while others are simply a refreshing tea. In total, you have drinks divided into the following categories: milk tea, rock salted cheese, lemon smoothies, milk tea smoothies, fresh lemon tea, fruit matcha latte, and a variety of specialty drinks. This is the first boba bar I've seen with rock salted cheese as a flavour, and it's apparently one of their more well-known drinks. Happy Lemon is well sited between New Street Station and the Chinese Quarter. I've found that it's the perfect after dinner treat on the way home or a good way to jump-start a night out. The drinks come in a medium or large size, and the price can vary widely depending on what ingredients you request. There is also an additional surcharge to make some of the drinks hot. I've tried a couple of the drinks so far, and I feel that their fresh teas are a real strength of the brand. They are seriously refreshing, with most balancing between sweet and sour on the flavour profile. I can see myself drinking them a lot more this summer when it's warm out. I've also tried their more experimental flavours, such as the red bean & pudding matcha latte made hot. It's basically caramel (or mango) pudding mixed with milk and red beans. As a hot drink, it's great on cold nights. The drink may sound unconventional for some people, but it's worth trying at least once. If you like Happy Lemon's drinks and plan on visiting here often, I suggest signing up for their 'LoyalTea' loyalty card. It costs £5 up front, but you get a free drink of your choice. Each drink purchased gives you 1 point, which can either be redeemed for Happy Lemon branded merchandise (Happy Lemon iPhone case here I come) or at 10 points, a free drink. Overall, Happy Lemon does a great job focusing on one product that it does really well.

I can guarantee if this place is chained and wrapped into a franchise, then it would definitely…read moregive Nando's a run for its money. A carbon copy menu that matches Nando's with their own additions of Portuguese fish dishes was a breath of fresh air. Me and my friend simply couldn't resist a jumbo platter with sweet potato fries, garlic bread and rice. The chicken was certainly very tender and wet, which gives me great first impressions of this place, seeing as I rarely get a wet chicken at Nando's anymore. The marinade however doesn't quite live up to the infamous peri peri sauce but nevertheless, the spice adds a mild kick to my liking. I wouldn't recommend the extra hot sauce as I believe it to contain far overwhelmingly vinegar than chilli, I think the ingredients may need to be tweaked for that sauce. The sides were great and delivered as expected. One very big selling point is the price and the customer service is just as good. If you still have some space in your stomach, I definitely wouldn't mind going for some of their gelato as well! Would visit again

I was so relieved when the mystery of this place was solved... Semendo's popped up in the place of…read morea strange old betting shop that seemed to just... be closed one day. After months and months of the place being boarded up and cleaned, it was finally revealed to be a new eatery (specialising in Portuguese food) at the end of 2014. So, as you can see from the photos, it looks pretty darn smart. Big windows, nice wooden and metal signage and clear opening hours look pretty darn inviting (especially when you consider the alternative food shops are Greggs and Dhillons fish bar next to it). Upon entering, you will notice just how clean and inviting the interior is too. On Saturday (on our return from Pirate weekend at Alton Towers) we were starving hungry. With me being on Bootcamp currently, my foodie options are limited - but I AM allowed chicken (which this place specialises in). We were greeted as we walked in and popped straight to the counter to have a look at the menu. Now, this place is essentially an independent (but much tastier, in my opinion) Nando's. You can have chicken (to a range of different heats), steaks, salads and choose from their solid selection of desserts (including Italian gelato and cake). We opted for their "Half chicken and two sides deal" to split between us. As the chicken comes in quarters, Dan went for extra hot and I went for medium. I went for a green salad as my side and Dan chose Peri-peri chips. This was all made fresh for us while we waited and had a wander around the shop. They produce their own sauces and there are options for unlimited soft drinks if you choose to sit in. Our food was ready in about 10 minutes and we eagerly took this home to eat. Our meal cost us a very fair £8.50 for everything. The chicken was really tasty (and not that hot), but I was a little disappointed that my salad came with a dressing (even though this wasn't mentioned on the menu and I wasn't asked if I wanted it). I think this would be my only complaint. Service was great, food was good and the place was clean, friendly and inviting. If I wasn't so strict with my eating options, the salad dressing wouldn't be an issue - but word to the wise, ask for your salad without if you don't like creamy sauces.

This was a nice little find on the corner with a cozy feel. I opted for a croissant but there were…read morea lot of breakfast dishes that were tempting. My iced latte was also pretty good.

Food is great and of really good quality, and the vibe is amazing too + free WiFi. It's not cheap…read morebut it's definitely worth the price. Love the place

Great location in the bullring but shame there isn't any seating available…read more Very good service and quick considering each smoothie is made to order. I asked for mango juice rather than apple in my smoothie and it wasn't a problem to alter it from the menu

A great little place to grab a refreshing drink from, the prices are not too bad and the staff have…read morealways chatted away to be politely whilst I have waited for my drink. It is a healthy on the go drink stop for me. I find the recipies to be tasty and I am happy knowing that the day I choose to grab a drink here I am actually having a portion or two of my fruit or veg for the day! Last year I noticed a different love juice stall doing a festive drink so I will look out for one again this year

I decided to try Fuel yesterday instead of going to my usual Boost juice bar…read more Had a look at the menu with its smoothies and juices. I went for the detox fuel with added total vitamins to help me get ready for the evening's cocktail drinking at the Yelp event! Ha ha They sell two sizes of cups and use the Swipii loyalty card system which shows you how many points you have on purchase on their tablet screen. The detox fuel tasted of celery which is one of the ingredients but was the most prominent taste.. I'll choose something else next time. There was only one person serving so you have to wait for her to take payment then she blends the drink. Last week I saw a huge queue outside this stand so it is popular. I will use it again but probably till I can claim a free drink as I still prefer boost juice bar!

Stopped by this Juice Bar the other day at the bull ring and really enjoyed my drink and the…read moreservice I received. There were three of us and we ordered 3 separate drinks. All larges which are about £4.50 each. Because there was only one person working she was multi tasking and taking our payment while making our drinks. After we finished paying she had just finished the second drink and was starting on the last one. She was very friendly and talked to us for awhile why we waited. Service was fast and drinks were well blended and cool.