Solihull Restaurant Guide

Stop Press – in February 2023, ex-Simpson’s head chef Matt Cheal closed down his popular Henley-in-Arden venture, which was too small for his planned expansion, and upped sticks eight miles down the road to Knowle High Street, where he now co-runs things with the manager of the Jacques fine dining restaurant which previously stood in the new location. According to early reports, “the exceptional quality of Cheal’s food, not up till now as appreciated as it ought to be, has not deteriorated in its relocation”, while the new space – a former bank with a posh cocktail bar – is “comfortable” (if “a little too glitzy” for some tastes).

2022 Review: With its “good home-style Indian vegetarian cuisine”, the Joshi family’s canteen and sweet centre has developed into a Hall Green institution over almost five decades. Specialising in Gujarati and south Indian cooking, it lists no fewer than 72 main dishes… none of them is priced at over £5.95.

In July 2023, after our annual diners’ poll had concluded, Brad Carter and his team upped sticks from the rather moody premises they previously inhabited in Birmingham’s Moseley to move to one of the glasshouses of Westlands UK, providers of the produce that they used daily in the city, in a pop-up supported by boutique English winery, Gusbourne, to showcase Westlands’ produce. Originally due to run till September 2023, its future is unknown as we go to press so this is something of a holding entry. All feedback, though, acknowledges Brad’s cuisine as “often exceptional with many excellent, often original dishes” and his team “really know how to run a restaurant” with service that’s “friendly but respectful, usually knowledgeable and always helpful”. (Westlands UK, Station Road, Offenham, Worcestershire, WR11 8LW – booking is online.)

2022 Review: One of a quartet of Syrian cafés, serving up “authentic” Middle Eastern titbits and more – including ‘fuul’ fava beans, pastries and flatbreads – from breakfast until late. This is the first branch, opened in Moseley.

Chef Robert Ortiz has introduced his “delicious and extraordinarily colourful Peruvian cuisine” to the West Midlands at the converted bank in Moseley he opened five years ago – a “relaxing place for a meal, with a spacious dining area and good service”. Only authentic ingredients are used, and the bar stocks an impressive range of pisco, the national spirit.

2022 Review: “A real gem in our local area” – this branch in the stylish, seven-strong Warwickshire-based 'Lovely Pubs' group has a lot to recommend it: “service is on the right side of friendly and very attentive”, they serve “great pub food, but restaurant quality” (including “fantastic seafood platters”), and if you stick to the main bar downstairs, there's plenty of atmosphere too.

2022 Review: The first solo venture for Great British Menu finalist Kray Treadwell opened in September 2020 and is named after the birth weight of his premature daughter. Housed in Digbeth's Custard Factory, the venture very quickly earned him Michelin’s pick as Young Chef of the Year 2021. According to a May 2021 report in the Birmingham Mail, this is ‘the hottest Birmingham restaurant to book right now’.

“Tasty, good-value noodles” in a “relaxed environment” make this 12-year-old London chain (14 branches, plus Brighton and Brum) “worth a visit”. The “ramen is deep and fabulous” if “limited in range (no fish-based dishes except prawn)”, and is augmented by “quite acceptable katsu curry”. Aficionados should head to the Haggerston branch to watch the noodles being made.

2023 Review: Rectangular pizza cooked in 90 seconds is the draw at this top local pizza pit-stop, which is consistently well-rated: choose a base sauce and cheese and then zhoosh it up with various toppings.

With the “lovely decor” replicated from the Theatreland icon for which they are branded, Richard Caring’s “always buzzy” spin-offs have found a gigantic audience nationally. But “these places live off the name for sure” and “it’s the ambience that keeps them going” – while fans say the food is “reliable”, more sceptical types dismiss it as “conveyor-belt cooking”; and say service is merely so-so. Some branches are better than others: best in London is ‘Chelsea Garden’, which has the same “distinctly average” standards as the others, but reliably offers an “uplifting” atmosphere and “great people watching” (and “on a sunny afternoon there is literally NO WHERE ELSE TO BE but its large garden. HEAVEN!!”). Also worth mentioning is the outlet by The Thames in SE1: “excellent views of Tower Bridge”, “even better if outside in summer and convenient for The Bridge Theatre”.

Adam Stokes’ more casual – but still very posh, down to the marble-topped tables – offshoot to his acclaimed Adam’s, on nearby Bennett’s Hill; it “not surprisingly specialises in fish and seafood dishes”, reflecting the name, and while ratings tend to be rather up and down, there are early reports of some “lovely” cooking since the 2023 arrival of new chef Stuart Langdell, whose CV includes Simpson’s in Birmingham, and MPW’s Pear Tree Inn in Whitley, Wiltshire.

2022 Review: Sicilian-born Carlo Distefano founded his now international chain thirty years ago with this Brum institution, creating a template of classic upscale Italian food served with immaculate professionalism in a smart and “romantic atmosphere”. He now has 22 restaurants in England and branches in the Middle East and Bangkok.

“Smart, chic, highly professional” – Adam & Natasha Stokes’s “commendably consistent” operation is “outstanding in every respect” and “one of the leading lights in Brum’s high-quality restaurant scene”: in fact the No. 1 in the city in our annual diners’ poll this year where European cuisine is concerned. “Not cheap but worth every penny”, its central location and “unfailingly impressive combination of brilliant cooking and presentation with excellent service” makes it “just the setting for a business meal” (the top option is to be “royally looked after at the chef’s table”). Top Tip – “the set menu at lunch is brilliant value”.

2021 Review: “Latino steak restaurant in the heart of Birmingham city centre” – this well-appointed new branch of the expanding Brazilian chain offers its trademark “generous meat and buffet” formula. It’s tipped by one or two reporters as “good for business meals”.

An “enjoyable if slightly flash” Birmingham “icon” that “continues to deliver fine cuisine with wit” – TV chef (and ‘Yummy Brummie’) Glynn Purnell’s “guvnor of West Midlands cuisine” continues to win high praise with “on-the-ball service” and “clever” cuisine that’s “thoughtful, robust, balanced… everything you’d hope for”. One or two diners this year noted that “there can be a tendency to place too many old favourites on the menu, albeit often with a new twist”, but even they feel that quality is “still consistent”. Top Tip – “an extremely fine long lunch” wins tips for this it as “the best place to do business in Birmingham”.