What to do/see in Birmingham? Long weekend

[320touring]

Hi,

The good Lady and I are taking the 172 down to Birmingham to meet up with some friends this weekend.

Heading down on Friday during the day (ETA 3pm) with the others arriving later in the evening.

We'll be in the City Centre, so able to get most places without issue.


Need some recommendations on the following:

Good places for Lunch/Dinner (no special dietary reqs)

Museums worth a perusal

Shopping areas that are not the usual chain store guff (will have 3 women looking for "interesting" places) think more like the West End of Glasgow, if you know it

most importantly, decent real ale pubs!

cheers in advance

[gjf764]

320touring said:

Hi,

The good Lady and I are taking the 172 down to Birmingham to meet up with some friends this weekend.

Heading down on Friday during the day (ETA 3pm) with the others arriving later in the evening.

We'll be in the City Centre, so able to get most places without issue.


Need some recommendations on the following:

Good places for Lunch/Dinner (no special dietary reqs)
- Bank
-Fleet Street Kitchen
-Ithiaas in Selfridges
-Purnells Bistro is ok

Museums worth a perusal
Not sure but the new library is supposed to be good for a nose around

Shopping areas that are not the usual chain store guff (will have 3 women looking for "interesting" places) think more like the West End of Glasgow, if you know it

most importantly, decent real ale pubs!
Not my thing but The Wellington is well regarded in the City Centre, maybe the Old Joint Stock too

cheers in advance

[MrC986]

food-wise there is also:-
Lasan's
Bank Restaurant
San Carlo
Simpson's (Michelin *) in Edgbaston
Opus Restaurant
Metro Bar (restaurant)

Plenty of food choice, though you might need to check out CAMRA for decent ale houses

[320touring]

thanks for the info chaps, have booked the Fleet street Kitchen for Lunch, so a food start!

ANywhere you'd recommend for A late lunch/early dinner on the Friday?

We're staying at the Hagley road end of town

[williamp]

Brindley place has some good food choices

http://www.brindleyplace.com/category/restaurants/

Plenty to do. The gold quarter is interesting and unusual.

The Birmingham proof house is very interesting if you can get a tour. Also, jaguar do factory tours at their Castle Bromwich site.
http://www.jaguar.co.uk/experience-jaguar/factory-...

[Turtle head]

Visit the Library, its a must. You also have the Art Gallary which has a Egyptian mummy to see.

To Eat you have The Plough in Harborne & The Pickled Piglet which is off Gas Street where Central TV used to be.

[heebeegeetee]

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/uk/48-hours-in...

[New POD]

I used to Live in Rednal, not far from Longbridge. You should drive up to the Top of the Lickey Hills and look at where the AUSTIN factory used to be. (Perhaps buy an OS map from the 90's to identify what's not there.

You should try Ladypool Road for a Curry, walk down the Stratford Road on a Saturday Morning to buy a Sari, and some Indian desserts, Perhaps head over to the MAC to feed the ducks, and then off to the Jewellery quarter to buy gold or diamonds - perhaps a ring?

[Agrilla]

Good places for Lunch/Dinner (no special dietary reqs) - be hungry Karczma Polish restaurant, just by Bull Ring

Barton's Arms real ale & Thai food. Not far from the city centre, definitely a short drive, but worth it.

If you fancy a curry and don't want to risk your car being damaged in Sparkhill/Ladypool Road try Sweet Chillies only about five or ten minutes from the Balti Triangle, but with plenty of parking, and delicious food.


Museums - the Pen Room if you fancy having a look around the jewellery quarter anyway, is a nice little museum

Back to Backs must be prebooked I think

Not a museum, but a charming little cinema which serves fresh coffee & homemade cake, absinthe and olives, instead of buckets of coke and nachos The Electric Sofas are worth booking, for the novelty of texting your order to the bar during the film.

Shopping - dunno - Selfridges might be worth a look in the Bull Ring, the Mailbox has a small Harvey Nicks and used to have a few boutiques inside.

decent real ale pubs! Craven Arms, next to the Mailbox

Brew Dog Bar again, not far from the Mailbox

[Podie]

http://www.purnellsbistro-gingers.com/ is worth a look.

[heebeegeetee]

The large green square in the centre of this view is now a car park that charges £2.00 all day and is just minutes walk from the city centre, at the left of the map is new Canal Street which has car parks with similar charges and is closer. Fazeley Street is accessed from just near La Tour hotel and is easy to get to without getting stuck in city centre traffic.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/preview?hl=en#!q=Faz...

Use Great Barr Street for a quicker exit to m'ways.

[blueg33]

Science museum is worth a look

[320touring]

Excellent work chaps!

Many thanks.

I'd already clocked the Brewdog pub as they're a pet beer of mine;)

Lots of options then I see- all good stuff, I'll run some past the boss and take it from there.

thanks

[Agrilla]

One last suggestion - my mate reckons that the best real ale pub, and best curry can both be had at The Old Moseley Arms but you'll definitely need a taxi back! It might be a bit rough & ready, I've never been.

Have a great time - do report back on the Fleet Street Kitchen too!

[320touring]

Back in work this morning after a very pleasant weekend in Birmingham.

The wee 172 performed faultlessly, even in the 80mph winds and driving rain that was the run down on Friday. Looking like the overall MPG will be about 38ish.


The Fleet Street Kitchen was superb for lunch- a really interesting range of food, reasonably priced and served by people with great attention to their guests- I can heartily recommend! Worked out at about £30 a head inc drinks.


Other than that, we just pinged about the centre drinking coffee and the occasional beer, trying to convince the ladies not to spend the entirety of the January wage..



thanks once again for the suggestions- it all worked out well!

[gjf764]

320touring said:

Back in work this morning after a very pleasant weekend in Birmingham.

The wee 172 performed faultlessly, even in the 80mph winds and driving rain that was the run down on Friday. Looking like the overall MPG will be about 38ish.


The Fleet Street Kitchen was superb for lunch- a really interesting range of food, reasonably priced and served by people with great attention to their guests- I can heartily recommend! Worked out at about £30 a head inc drinks.


Other than that, we just pinged about the centre drinking coffee and the occasional beer, trying to convince the ladies not to spend the entirety of the January wage..


thanks once again for the suggestions- it all worked out well!

Phew :-) glad you enjoyed, always a risk recommending places!