City Centre Penthouse

Adam Stokes’ elegant restaurant feels like it’s been part of the Birmingham dining scene forever. It’s a luxurious place with an art-deco-cum-retro style that includes a smart cocktail bar and a plush dining room. The cooking seamlessly mixes tradition and modernity, offering tried-and-tested combinations in dishes you will recognise in name, but served in ways you’ve probably never encountered. That being said, the primary flavours are left uncrowded, with nothing extraneous on the plate. An impressive wine selection adds to the appeal.

With its dark and moody colour scheme, informal vibe and rocking soundtrack, this excellently run restaurant brings something a little different to the Birmingham food scene. Chef Alex Claridge is known for the originality of his cooking, which is always underpinned by superb ingredients (often aged in-house) and clever balancing of both flavours and textures. Stand-out dishes could include a take on brioche bread and butter pudding with barbecued brassicas, or a delicate dessert of smoked chocolate and prunes. Accompany your menu with either an interesting wine flight or creative non-alcoholi

Renowned Indian singer, actress and gourmet Asha Bhosle is the eponymous driving force behind a string of international restaurants, including this stylish, passionately run and deservedly packed spot in the heart of Birmingham. The extensive menus cover most parts of the Indian Subcontinent, with tandoori kebabs a speciality and no shortage of vegetarian options. Each dish is cooked with skill and provides serious flavour – such as the superior Muscat gosht, which is a recipe from Asha herself.

It is key, when structuring your restaurant around a kitchen counter, that you provide an engaging, relaxing experience for your guests. This is something that is perfectly understood by the team at this eye-catchingly named restaurant, inspired by the albatross in Coleridge's 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'. Everyone, from the chefs to the sommelier, is full of enthusiasm and confidently chats away with diners throughout the experience. The food itself carries a heavy Japanese influence, with the tasting menu consisting almost entirely of pared-back preparations spotlighting top-notch seafo

The Great Western Arcade in the heart of the city is home to this intimate restaurant, where the chefs harness the power of plants for their creative vegetarian dishes. There's an original streak running through the seasonally evolving set menu – which is largely vegan – alongside a scattering of pan-Asian influences ranging from carrot char sui to sake lees, all executed with care and skill by the chefs. Wine flights are available to enhance the experience and the friendly service team will see to your every need.

An elegant Georgian townhouse has been given a bold and blingy makeover for this opulent restaurant, where the décor blends rich, plush furnishings with flashes of shiny gilt. The cooking is self-described as ‘Indo-Persian’ and indeed the menu is an enticing melting pot of influences, including those from Afghanistan, Turkey and Balochistan. The tasting menu will allow you to try a broader range of cuisines, but if you’re going à la carte then keep an eye out for the Sultani lamb chops, which melt in the mouth and are enhanced by their subtle spicing.

Chef Glynn Purnell brings all of his experience to bear on this restaurant in a newer part of the city surrounded by gleaming skyscrapers. The fluid menu is overflowing with appealing snacks, small plates and sharing platters, starting with the signature Trillium milk loaf with malt vinegar and chicken fat, followed by the likes of juicy Tamworth pork chop with a light salsa verde and full-toned manchego. The well-versed team are happy to make recommendations, while the impressive wine list offers variety and depth of quality.