Food

The cosmopolitan nature of Birmingham as a city is reflected in the sheer choice and quality of our restaurants. With new enticing restaurants opening all the time Birmingham currently boasts over 200 restaurants in the city centre, serving cuisine from 27 different countries.

Birmingham now has the most Michelin stars of any English city outside London. The city’s culinary scene shot to national recognition this year with the acclaimed Michelin guide awarding stars to three of Birmingham’s best eateries. Turner’s restaurant in Harborne and Purnell’s restaurant in the city centre both received Michelin stars, while Simpsons restaurant in Edgbaston has retained its star for the fifth year running.

The city offers many more mouth-watering restaurants such as Bank Bar, City Café, Filini, Kinnaree Thai, Opus, Shimla Pinks, Thai Edge and the inspirational Jam House, a international cuisine and live music venue supported by Jools Holland. Birmingham is also famed for its culture rich Balti Triangle, home to award-winning Asian restaurants Itihaas and Lasan, and is crowned curry capital of the nation. 

Fine dining eateries are complimented by authentic and traditional markets such as the Bullring Markets and New Street Farmers Market selling the finest range of organic and local produce. Don’t miss the pick of Birmingham’s best food festivals including the Frankfurt Christmas Market and the BBC Good Food Show (summer and winter) hosted at the NEC.

Birmingham Food Fest

From 14 - 23 October 2011, Birmingham welcomed 'Birmingham Food Fest,' a new food festival celebrating the diversity of the city's food scene.

With irresistible festival menus and special offers offered by over 100 restaurants at discounted prices there was a scheduled programme of food and drink themed events run by local businesses to showcase the breadth of our culinary excellence. Visit the Food Fest website for more information.

Colmore Business District Food Festival

On Thursday 7th July, an estimated 2,000 people gathered in Birmingham’s Victoria Square to celebrate Colmore Business District’s (CBD) first Food Festival. The day-long event showcased the food and drink on offer in Birmingham’s commercial capital, with over 20 stands representing businesses within the District serving a wide variety of taster menus.