Suggestions and recommendations for Birmingham City centre please.

[Janstar]

DH and I are lucky enough to be able to get away for a weekend without the kids this coming weekend. Our best friends gave us a voucher for a whole weekend of babysitting as a Christmas present!

We have booked to stay at the Copthorne Hotel Birmingham City centre. Neither of us has visited the city before. Can anyone recommend good restaurants for Indian, French, Spanish, Greek or Italian food? Are there any good shopping centres/ flea markets? Has anyone any fun pub suggestions? What else is there to do?

Many many thanks in advance....

Hi Janstar.

For Indian food your best bet is to get a cab to "Ladypool Road" Sparkhill. It isn't the smartest of areas but the food is cheap and you get a really good balti for a fiver. Not many of the restaurants are licensed though. Try "The Punjab Paradise".

A lovely French restaurant is "Chez Jules" in the city centre near Victoria Square.

A good Greek is "Zorbas" in Acocks Green about 5 miles from town but well worth it. We do have Greek restaurants in town but I don't rate them.

I can't help you with an Italian as I tend to use one quite far from town in Marston Green called "Bacco's".

The new Bull Ring is nice for shops if you like labels and chain stores. We have the new Selfridges. Mailbox for Harvey Nichols and Giorgio Armani - nice bars on the canalside too.

As far as markets go - we don't tend to have many in Birmingham. The Bull Ring outdoor market on a Saturday may be what you're looking for.

Places of Interest :- Try the Jewellery Quarter Museum; The Black Country Museum (a bit further out); Thinktank at Millenium Point; The Museum and Art Gallery.

Hope this helps. Have a good time xx

Ooh, thank you momp, lots to think about there.

We have decided to go by train so stuff within easy walking distance is by far the best. I have a bad leg and can't walk miles like I used to. But, as you say, we wouldn't mind getting the odd cab.

What kind of things are sold at the Bullring market? And what are the hours of it?

I should know the answer to this as i live in brum, but i don't ever really go to the city centre. I even got lost going to a meet up there

Hope you have a nice time

As I haven't been to the Bull Ring market since it was redeveloped recently, I have no idea what the traders sell I'm afraid.

You might like to look at the council's website "birmingham.gov.uk" in case they have info about the market. Sorry I can't be any more precise.

All the best xx

have a lovely time Janstar....
Momp is right - ladypool road is great for curry and it's an experience to wander up and down and look at some of the restaurants - some do HUGE naan breads that almost cover the table. the next road, stoney lane is also good. If you didn't fancy venturing out of the city centre, Shimla Pinks is a nice posh curry restaurant close to your hotel - I think it's on Broad street. Also close to your hotel is symphony hall if you like classical music - it's a wonderful venue - not sure what is on but they have a website. the museum is wonderful for pre raphelite art and definitely go to one of the bars around Brindley Place (near the canal) - it's good for an evening wander around. There used to be a nice modern British/French restaurant called Left Bank on Broad street - not sure if it's still there. Oh and try the IKON gallery if contemporary art is your thing - I think it's always worth a look and it's close to your hotel too...

Hi Janstar - I have discount vouchers for:

2 for 1 lunch at The Living Room, Broad Street
25% discount at La Tasca Spanish Tapas Bar
BOGOF at Vojon Cuisine, Fletchers Walk, Bham
Free bottle of wine or Jug of Sangria at Chez Amis (Spanish & French) Restaurant, Paradise Circus
20% discount at Athens Greek Restaurant, Paradise Circus
15% discount at Jyoti Vegetarian Restaurant, Sparkhill

AND FOR MOMP

Free bottle of wine voucher for Baccos, Marston Green!!

Hope you have a great time in Brum.

Thank you sexgoddess for the offer of the voucher.

I certainly would have enjoyed that bottle of wine, however, finances suggest the nearest we'll get to Bacco's in the near future is looking from The Tavern beer garden!!!

B'ham markets , Janstar!

I think Momp has covered everything. There is a nice Italian Restaurant called San Carlo (4 Temple St Birmingham B2 5BN 0121 633 0251) That's worth going to for a nice meal. Have a nice time

there is an indoor market at the back of the bullring, i hav'nt been in this one , but all of the traders are the same from the old market and that used to have some "treasures" hidden in it!.
your well situated in your hotel for both the museums, art gallery etc and also for the evening entertainment around brindly place.
san carlo resturant is lovely, expensive though and the staff were a bit rude but food was delicous.
chez jules is a good resturant, there is a nice bar near to b.ham cathedral on colmore row, its called utopia and does anice lunchtime menu, its on church st.
if i can think of anything else then ill put it on here, im in city centre everyday as i work there so ill keep my eyes peeled.

Thank you all very much, I looked at the sites you found for me, Jan, and I have printed out maps and things.

Ooh, getting excited now

Any more recommendations anyone?

I'm afraid I can't really offer recommendations as it's a long time since I was in Birmingham city centre - I believe it's changed a lot since I was a student 12 or 13 years ago. Still, this thread makes interesting reading! Have a great weekend and let us know what you get up to Janstar!

Hi, we are back!

Had a lovely time in Birmingham. People tend to be quite indifferent to the place but I think they haven't been there lately if that's how they are. I loved it. Very clean, lovely squares and canals, interesting buildings, free museums and galleries, and the shopping is fantastic.

We arrived Friday night and went out in search of food, spotted Chez Jules very close to our hotel. It has quite a small unobtrusive frontage and without your recommendations we would have probably walked on by. But we went in and had a good dinner.

The next day I went shopping while dh was in the hotel gym. I went round the bullring and the markets, bought little pressies for the kids, and dh met me for lunch. Then we walked to the jewellery quarter and went round the museum. I couldn't believe how far I managed to walk without hurting my ankle.

In the evening we went to Brindley Place - didn't walk far cos it was raining but had a drink and then a tapas meal at La Tasca which was lovely.

On Sunday morning we went round the art gallery, particularly enjoyed the modern art exhibition on art in mental health which included lots of poems. I was walking around the gallery crying showing up dh after reading them. Then we had a huge sunday lunch in our hotel before getting the train home.

Thanks again for all your guidance - it really did make all the difference.

I agreee jan

normally they are people who have deiven on the m5!

Glad you had a nice time Janstar