6 Best Restaurants in Birmingham, Stratford-upon-Avon and the Heart of England

Business moguls and sophisticated foodies alike can be found sampling an aperitif in a comfy armchair before moving to the sleek contemporary, slate-floor dining room at this Michelin-starred establishment. Located in a Victorian terra-cotta and redbrick building, this is where chef Glyn Purnell creates his adventurous Modern British fare. In addition to a reasonable set menu, theràe is a bigger and more adventurous tasting menu that might haddock and eggs served with cornflakes, alongside monkfish masala. Chef Purnell is also turning his hand to vegan cooking. Price quoted is for three courses.

Bright and modern, this restaurant with rooms housed in a gleaming Georgian villa is known for its French-influenced cuisine with resolutely British ingredients. The assured and welcoming service makes it easy to savor specialties such as Aberdeenshire beef bavette and cheek or quail with elderberries and parsley, which have helped secure it a Michelin star since 1999. A mile south of the city center, it's an excellent dining choice that has also won accolates for its plant-based approach to cooking. 

Located on Birmingham's Centenary Square, this laid-back café-restaurant in Symphony Hall puts you right in the heart of the city's cultural action. Portions are huge, and hearty options like buttermilk fried chicken wings and sticky maple fried chicken are served with healthy-sized Brummie bacon cakes. Open for lunch and pre-concert dining, as well as snacks and drinks, it also hosts intimate gigs, often for free.

Birmingham has some of the country’s finest Indian restaurants, and this is one of the best in the city. The cooking concentrates on north Indian dishes like koyla murgh (chicken marinated in yogurt and seared over charcoal) and hara bhara gosht (a casserole of lamb cooked with garlic, chili, and spinach). The decor is traditional and colonial; potted palms and portraits rub shoulders with Raj-style antiques.

A stylish dining room is the perfect setting for the inventive Punjabi cuisine at this popular curry palace and cocktail bar on bustling Broad Street. White linen tablecloths, neutral hues, and accents of gold and amber create a plush dining setting, and the food doesn’t disappoint either: try the spinach and prune cakes to start, or the chef’s selection of five appetizers, the Pushkar Panorama, if you want to to sample some unexpected flavors. Your server will guide you through the mains, depending on how spicy you like things—the house specialty tariwala murgh is a good medium-spiced option, and the buttered naan is heavenly. For dessert, try the gajar ka halwa tart, a bed of grated carrots with condensed milk and spices, served with pistachio ice cream.

Something of a local institution, this popular stalwart of the Birmingham curry scene has been serving up impressive baltis and a good selection of other Indian dishes since 1987 in a smart dining room with glass-topped tables and henna-decorated walls. Tradition dictates that a proper balti, a one-pot dish, should be served to the diner in the thin metal dish in which it was cooked to ensure that no flavors are lost.