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RestaurantsWest MidlandsBirminghamB3

survey result

Summary

£194
£££££
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.

“I hate Birmingham… This is worth going to Birmingham for!!!” – “Aktar’s cooking sets the bar for modern British Indian cuisine” nowadays (especially since Michelin gave it a second star in 2024) and – as one of our Top-10 most commented-on restaurants outside London in our annual diners’ poll – all reports on his “smart, chic and spectacularly lit” Jewellery Quarter HQ acclaim it as “an amazing experience from entering the restaurant to the final delicious mouthful”. His food “is a clever take on Indian food as we have come to know it in the UK”, “redefining our expectations” and “taking it to an entirely new level”; and is “enhanced by the distinct style of the matching wine flights of head sommelier Stefan”. “You feel in good hands with the staff” (“such kindness permeates through all that they do”) and “the meal is unrushed” with “small, exquisite dishes served over the course of the evening”. You are advised to choose the five-course menu or ten-course one based on how long you want your meal to last: the former is £140 per person and the latter £185 per person. Top Menu Tip – “The apple macaron with chutney and liver parfait snack is the most amazing thing”.

Summary

£164
£££££
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.

“Phwoar!” – “Aktar Islam’s remarkable restaurant situated on the edge of Birmingham‘s Jewellery Quarter goes from strength to strength”: it remains Brum’s most commented-on destination in our annual diners’ poll (and, in early 2024, became Brum’s first-ever Michelin two star restaurant in the tyre men’s awards). “Aktar’s cooking has matured wonderfully” and here (and with his Aktar at Home delivery service) is succeeding in “taking Indian cuisine to a new and exalted level”. “Despite us being bored with taster menus, these are exceptional”, with “totally outstanding flavours and presentation”. There are two options (with five- and ten-course alternatives) which “provide good value and a great and memorable experience”. “After canapés in the chic lounge/bar, the main meal is served in the dining area with a view of a large open kitchen where the chefs can be seen purposefully and calmly going about their work. Service is very good and the atmosphere is relaxing”. “Quite simply the best”. Top Menu Tip – “The signature potato dish is amazing! Never had anything quite like it!”

Summary

£73
  £££
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 wow!” – Aktar Islam’s city-centre HQ reliably “lives up to expectations… and more!”; and remains Brum’s most commented on and highest-rated destination in our annual diners’ poll. “His unique twist on his family’s ancestral dishes with superb matching wine flight provided by sommelier Stefan” (Liperowski) “magnificently takes Indian food to the highest possible level” – “flavours are off the scale” – and “the range and variety of each distinctly different meal is glorious”.

Summary

£73
  £££
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.

“The tasting menu is an exciting journey” at Aktar Islam’s increasingly famous dining room a little out of the city centre, which is “going from strength to strength” as Brum’s most commented-on destination; one of the top-10 most mentioned outside London in our annual diners’ poll; and with some claim on being “the best Indian restaurant outside of London”. The “elegantly presented” cuisine is rooted in the subcontinent, but might equally be described as “European with Indian flavours and spices”. However you define the kitchen, it provides “a great experience with subtle spicing and some unique touches and flavours” complemented by “outstanding wine matches”. The main dining room is a dim-lit, modern and stylish space and among improvements in recent times “the new lounge in particular is a fabulous addition”.

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 Opheem?

65 Summer Row, Birmingham, B3 1JJ

Restaurant details

No dress code
12

Opheem Restaurant Diner Reviews

Reviews of Opheem Restaurant in B3, Birmingham by users of Hardens.com. Also see the editors review of Opheem restaurant.
Paul M
Had the amazing 10 course tasting menu. Eve...
Reviewed 3 months, 19 days ago

"Had the amazing 10 course tasting menu. Every one was exceptional and full of flavour. The staff were attentive, knowledgable and very friendly. Everyone seemed really engaged and pleased to be working as part of the team. Was also great to see Chef Aktar at the pass and really involved with all that was going on. Fantastic!"

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Paul F
Where do I start? You are greeted and taken...
Reviewed 4 months, 4 days ago

"Where do I start? You are greeted and taken into the very comfortable lounge where very attentive and interested staff create a lovely environment where absolutely delicious superb amuse bouche are presented in a selection of beautifully crafted and stunning snacks. The taster menu of ten courses was a succession of varied taste sensations, that weren’t so strong that they masked your ability to discern individual flavours. It would be disingenuous to choose a favourite, one of the joys was that the creator served you the dish themselves and were clearly very committed to their craft. After now eating at venues that between them have had 128 Michelin stars this is unquestionably one of the best. The whole experience was almost 4 hours of gastronomic heaven. My only marginal disappointment was not meeting Aktar, but I had to accept that as the Oval had invited him to cook for the Indian cricket team, I guess I wasn’t ever going to see him! I strongly recommend a visit as it’s a truly astonishingly exceptional experience. Toilets spotless and beautifully presented. Every staff member is informative and engages with customers."

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What the Newspaper Critics are saying

The Sunday Times

With Charlotte Ivers away, the doctor-turned-comedian and writer Adam Kay dropped in to her slot on the Sunday Times as a locum, heading to Birmingham to sample the tasting menu at Aktar Islam’s Opheem, which he declared “sensational”.

Each course was “clever, characterful, delicately spiced and sure, showy. Islam can choose every dish I eat for the next four months”.

The only minor minus point was “a vague ‘business-class lounge at a European airport’ vibe” that resulted from the “quintuple glazing” required to block out the sound of the passing traffic.

Adam Kay - 2024-04-14

Prices

  Cost Availability Courses
Menu1 140.00 Always available 5
Menu2 185.00 Always available 10

Traditional European menu

Pudding
£0.00
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £60.00
Filter Coffee £6.00
Extras  
Service 10.00%
65 Summer Row, Birmingham, B3 1JJ
Opening hours
MondayCLOSED
TuesdayCLOSED
Wednesday5:30 pm‑9:30 pm
Thursday5:30 pm‑9:30 pm
Friday12 pm‑1:30 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm
Saturday12 pm‑1:30 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm
SundayCLOSED

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