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RestaurantsWest MidlandsBirminghamB3

Harden's says

Opening June 2024 in the Jewellery Quarter, a ‘mostly seafood’ chef’s table restaurant from chef Alex Claridge, of nearby The Wilderness. It replaces Atelier, his cocktail bar that closed down last year, which had become ‘an albatross around my neck’ – hence the name.

survey result

Summary

£153
£££££
5
Exceptional
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Just amazing in every way” is the overall verdict on Alex Claridge’s (of nearby Wilderness, see also) striking and “fun” yearling, which he opened in June 2024 in a space that was formerly ‘Atelier’ (RIP). “The setting in this beautiful old canalside Jewellery Quarter factory is itself a visual delight and the interior decor is exciting, very modern and centred around a gleaming, steel counter at which fourteen diners are served”. “The seating ensures a vibrant atmosphere, with previous strangers feeling comfortable to chat with each other and the service is relaxed but efficient”. He serves a “very adventurous” seafood and fish tasting menu “with a heavy Japanese bent (although they are quick to say they are not a Japanese restaurant)” and “revelatory” drinks pairings are “an impressive mix of wine and sake” alongside “marine-themed cocktails”. “The dozen or so courses are fresh, exciting, original, generally delicious and accurately and beautifully prepared”. “Alex has come up with an original concept in opening this restaurant and it is certainly a unique and rewarding experience for West Midlanders and those prepared to travel from further afield”.

Summary

£140
£££££
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Open in June 2024 in the Jewellery Quarter – just after our annual diners’ poll had closed, so lacking feedback for a rating – chef Alex Claridge, of nearby The Wilderness (see also), replaced Atelier, his cocktail bar that closed down last year, which had become ‘an albatross around my neck’…, hence the name. Here the idea is a ‘mostly seafood’ chef’s table restaurant whose 14 diners at a time are cooked for by Piotr Szpak, a sous of five years’ standing at Wildnerness; all with the aim of delivering an ‘alternative luxury’ experience with 12+ courses of fish and seafood that’s ‘both brutalist and ornamental’. In her October 2024 review, The Guardian’s Grace Dent anointed it as “one of the top five seafood places in the UK today”: a “strange, industrial space”, with a “relentless, post-punk dark wave backing track” but also a “forward-thinking, experimental, edible maritime journey that will keep you in its tentacles for at least three hours”.

For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).

Have you eaten at Albatross Death Cult?

Newhall Square, Birmingham, B3 1RU

Restaurant details

14

Albatross Death Cult Restaurant Diner Reviews

Reviews of Albatross Death Cult Restaurant in B3, Birmingham by users of Hardens.com. Also see the editors review of Albatross Death Cult restaurant.
Jens F
Fantastic intimate setting, food that is de...
Reviewed 10 months, 15 days ago

"Fantastic intimate setting, food that is delicious, inventive and beautifully presented. Service that is personal, fun and attentive. Some of the sake pairings were a revelation and more interesting than any wine pairing I have ever had. Best meal of 2024."

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What the Newspaper Critics are saying

The Guardian

Grace Dent declared this “omakase fine dining” spot with just 14 counter seats from Alex Claridge of the Wilderness, his partner Rachael Whittle and head chef Piotr Szpak, to be “one of the top five seafood places in the UK today, even though it has been open for only a few months”.

It’s a “strange, industrial space” – “a paean to stainless steel, cement and stripped-back brickwork”, with a ludicrously pretentious name (a reference to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s ‘Ancient Mariner’) and a “relentless, post-punk dark wave backing track by the likes of Lebanon Hanover” (me neither).

But it’s also “a special restaurant run by people who are at the top of their game” who will take you on a “forward-thinking, experimental, edible maritime journey that will keep you in its tentacles for at least three hours”.

Grace Dent - 2024-10-06

Prices

  Cost Availability Courses
Menu1 115.00 Always available 12
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £40.00
Filter Coffee £4.00
Extras  
Service 10.00%
Newhall Square, Birmingham, B3 1RU
Opening hours
MondayCLOSED
TuesdayCLOSED
Wednesday6:30 pm‑10:30 pm
Thursday6:30 pm‑10:30 pm
Friday1 pm‑4:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑10:30 pm
Saturday1 pm‑4:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑10:30 pm
SundayCLOSED

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