Celebz American Diner
Celebz American Diner Photos
CELEBZ AMERICAN DINER ATMOSPHERE
Recommended Reviews - Celebz American Diner
Start your review...
Reviews With Photos
This is a fairly large diner with american style booths and high tables with swivel seats along the middle. Mostly red and white inside, it seems to be aimed at a student market. With Birmingham Children's Hospital outside and Aston Uni over the road it's no wonder it attracts that market. I ordered a Celebz Hotdog Meal and my friend's burger meal let him choose five items from a list to "create" his burger. The food was reasonable for the price. It looses two stars however.. When you walk through the door its not obvious if you need to grab a free table or wait to be seated. We were not given our drinks even though we had ordered a meal. The food turned up and I had to go to the counter to discover what had happened to the drinks. The guy came over and checked my receipts to prove we had actually ordered drinks. Just little customer service things like this that need some work and it would gain at least one of those stars back. For now its just A-OKAY.
I have to say that I will review celebz based on one experience but I will go again to see if it was just a bad day. A group of us met at celebz and I have to say the place is cool, very well styled lots of seats and it really goes all out with the American diner theme in an incredibly tacky but awesome way. The booths are big and spacious and are able to sit groups of 6 easily. Ordering was a disaster with drinks taking 15-20 minutes (no alcohol is served) and them bringing me regular coke and not diet. They also didn't have milkshakes but couldn't really explain why which I thought was odd. The menu itself is good with a range of food and an awesome desert selection, but again service let them down with our group waiting 30 minutes for the first dish and the last one arriving at the table 30 minutes after that. Meaning that most had finished as others were starting. I also want to add the pancakes are actually crêpes which wasn't what I expected from an American diner when they had Crêpes on the menu separately. However what did arrive was very tasty and was well received. As I said at the start I will go back to check if it was just an off day, food and decor were amazing but service was terrible.
Oh my god. The service here is quite 'special'!! I was really looking forward to trying this place out as i'd heard good reports. The diner itself is really nice, bright and comfortable. However the service was terrible! We waited a good while for them to bring the drinks out, which came out individually (clearly they don't have trays) which was slightly odd (only soft drinks here, no alcohol). We were also a little disappointed that they weren't able to make any milkshakes though I'm not sure why. We ordered some nachos and curly fries to share, which were really tasty, so I was all geared up and really for the main event-the ice cream and pancake course! Oh dear, oh dear. Everything came out slowly and one at a time. They asked some of us 4 times what we had ordered! No one got any cutlery without asking and some people got knives and forks to eat their icecream with! -This was after having to ask again for the icecream that was meant to accompany a crepe and it came in polystyrene takeaway cup! I sent mine back as I'd asked for double pancakes, not crepes, as they are listed separately. The same thing came out again, so I said it wasn't what was described on the menu. I was rudely told that they were the same thing, to which I asked ' why are they listed separately then?' -my American friends agreed they are separate things! I was told by the waiter that I had got confused!! Also worth noting that crepe plus icecream is cheaper than a 'pancake'. So remember pay less and you get more guys!! That said the food was fine and as the service was so bad we all had a good laugh!! I would go back again, but only in a few months once i'd learnt the staff had all changed!! Maybe they should pay more attention to the customers in the restaurant rather than just the takeaway service!
After our previous brunch plans fell through, Brittany A. and I ventured to Celebz American Diner in search of some good ole' American-style pancakes. What we encountered however, was an assault on the eyes, ears, and palate. Celebz is a new concept hatched in Birmingham last year, starting with their first location in Longbridge. That original location follows a Hollywood theme and features mid century modern replica vinyl & metal chairs that were common in the kitchens of the 1950's American nuclear family. This new City Centre location is at the end of Corporation Street opposite the Birmingham Children's Hospital. The interior is decorated in a hybrid New York City/Route 66 & Las Vegas theme. You'll find Elvis Presley, Times Square, and the oddly placed men's WC Sylvester Stallone. The dining area features red vinyl booths (some wrap-around), divided in the middle by a long high top table with stool-height seats. At first glance, it appears that they've nailed the theme with a well decorated interior. Upon further inspection though, there are strange inconsistencies. The booths at the windows are quite large, and the spacing for the table is too far apart from the seating. Cutlery and condiments are randomly placed. Some tables will have forks and knives and vinegar, while others only have ketchup and mustard bottles that are likely empty. During our visit, there were a number of families dining, and more arrived as time elapsed. How strange then, for the diner to be playing extremely loud modern American music. The music is very much in your face, to the point that it was actually difficult to order at the till. A matched music video (streamed from youtube it looks like) is shown from screens at the end of the dining room, which was partially malfunctioning during our visit. I expect music like this at a club or bar, but on a Sunday afternoon was unbearable, although none of the families seemed to bat an eye at Rihanna's 'B*tch better have my money'. When you walk in the door, it is unclear if this is a self-serve or full-service restaurant. We waited for a staff member to come out of the back and explain that we would need to seat ourselves and then order at the till. Choosing a seat was not easy since so many tables were still covered in dirty dishes from previous customers. I have to give credit to Celebz for their menu concept. There is a wide range of choices, starting with their burgers, and ranging from fried chicken to waffles, pancakes, and shakes. There are ten different burgers, including two vegetarian options of the breaded veggie burger or the breaded bean burger. Burgers range in price from £3.49 to £3.99, and for an average of £1.50 you can upgrade to a meal deal that includes fries and a drink. For £2 you can add a milkshake to your meal deal, or purchase one separately for £3.99, a price point in line with other eateries in City Centre. If I counted correctly, there are 44 total milkshake flavours to choose from, the vast majority of which include some type of candy bar. For my entree I chose the breaded veggie burger meal with fries and hot tea. There are 32 options of what you can add to your burger, and you can choose five for free. The toppings selection is a great value add for the diner, and includes standards like lettuce and also ventures into more unique items like pineapple or a hash brown. Brittany A. ordered a strawberry pancake and a side of curly fries. My hot tea came out first within several minutes. Our first food arrived twenty minutes later, which included my meal and only her fries. We would have to wait an additional 10 minutes for Brittany's 'pancakes' to make their showing. The veggie burger was quite good for a frozen-then fried patty that is very standard around here, recalling to mind what you'll find at places like Big John's or a Wetherspoon's pub. I added lettuce, cheese, gherkins, mushrooms, and chipotle mayo to the burger. The fries were more akin to mini chips than pommes frites, and lacked both flavour and seasoning. The curly fries however, were a real star of the meal, the flavours of this side captured perfectly. Brittany's 'pancakes' were another story, as they were actually thin, overpriced crepes with whipped cream and sprinkles. On one hand, I have to commend the owners of Celebz for a valiant effort. They have created a new and at least on paper, exciting concept born out of Birmingham and apparently a love for the classic American diner. It's a concept that seems to be attractive to students (discount) and families with children, and is a place for people to get away from an alcohol focused menu. On the other hand, Celebz needs help with execution. The theme and interior appointments need tweaking at this location. The food is either a great value or rip-off depending on the items. Some of the menu is delicious, while other attempts falter. This hit or miss reality makes exploring the Celebz menu not unlike walking through a minefield.
The place has a cool, bright, colourful, very spacious, well presented and a nice concept of American dining theme. When we arrived, the place seems dead quiet and there was barely anybody there. There's a good selection of choice on the menu for both drinks, food and desserts. I picked a Ferrero Rocher ice cream, it took approximately 45 minuites or over to arrive from the time it had been ordered, by that time, the people around me had already eaten all their food by then so I had to rush through my dessert. I wasn't overall impressed with the standard of the service was very poor. Unfortunately I wont be in a rush to visit any time soon.
10 years ago
Looking for some American diner style breakfast/brunch spot, Seth S. and I decided to check out Celebz since another brunch place was closed. The Celebz concept is based on a kitschy stereotype of Americana with quintessential foods like burgers, waffles, fries and milkshakes. I love a good bit of kitsch but Celebz seemed to hit all the wrong notes. The blaring music, loud colors, and cold interior left me feeling like I was on Sunset Strip after a late-night bender in search of greasy garbage to cure my hangover. The vibe, encouraged by Rhianna screaming "bitch better have my money," was starkly contrasted by a grouping of families with small children. Womp womp. When placing our order we learned that the milkshake deal (+£2) advertised with the burgers only applies to the burger meal, requiring you to spend £9 for a sandwich and milkshake, with or without fries. Seth S. got the burger but skipped the milkshake and I decided to get some pancakes and twisty fries instead. Seth's burger and my fries were delivered to the table fairly quickly, but we were almost finished eating before my pancakes arrived. I was disappointed that the pancakes were crepes not American style pancakes in an American themed restaurant, but that's neither here nor there. The twisty fries were perfect - just like some of my favorite from a greasy spoon in NC. The crepe presentation was nice but the flavor underwhelming. Too much egg was used in the batter, and the egg flavor overshadowed the Belgian chocolate drizzle and strawberry filling. If you're in search of an authentic Vegas hangover cure, this is the place for you! read more
I am big fan of reviewing places on what they are and as an independent American diner I have to give this place five stars. Located over by Aston uni campus this place is a bit out of the way but when looking for a late night sweet myself and a friend took a wonder over here to see what it was all about. Now I know this place will not be for everyone, it's loud and in your face in terms of design with pictures of the USA and celebrities on the walls. The menu is made up of a range of popular American classics like burgers, milkshakes, pancakes, cookie dough and ice cream. We decided to go for nachos and a cookie dough dessert to share which were both surprisingly good. The nachos had the guacamole and salsa on the side instead of being all over top which is great for a condiment lover like me! The thing that I love about this place is you can easily sit a chill for a few hours eating and drinking on a quiet weekend night off the booze (dry Jan seemed like a good idea at the time) if you are looking for a place to get something sweet with a good range of options this is a great option in the city centre. read more
10 years ago
So... interesting review. I've been to a lot of American Style Diners in the UK. This one... was probably my least favourite. It wasn't because of the food. The food was okay. But the customer service was just horrendous. I felt like perhaps they grabbed some people off the streets and gave them a job for the day. Maybe we were on reality TV and didn't know it!? Basically it went down like this: Myself and 9 other friends met up for an Ice Cream Social Night. There were about 4 other tables out of 20 that had guests in them, not busy in other words. I noticed only one person on wait staff. We decided to get drinks first while waiting for a few late-comers. It took almost 30-minutes just for a few sodas to arrive. And only then did the waiter say "the shake machine was broken". WHAT!? How could their shake machine be broken, when one of their specialties are shakes!? Don't they have a blender available!? So we ordered some more sodas, which unfortunately came out as slowly as the first batch. OK, let's order our dessert now just in case. The waiter at the till took every order at the same time. However... all of our 10 desserts arrived one at a time... 5-10 minutes in between each other. My banana split came out first. By the time I ate it, 7 other people were still waiting on theirs, with another 20-minutes on top of that. GETTING MY DRIFT!? Where it became almost comical, was when the "crepes" and "pancakes" arrived shortly after one another. They looked EXACTLY the same. Literally, filled and rolled crepes. Not American style pancakes, which everyone knows what those are supposed to be... a stack of fluffy soft goodness! (not super thin French style). The price difference between the crepes and the pancakes mind you is a little over a pound. Anyways, after my friend let the waiter know that there was a mistake, he basically lost it! He proceeded to let her know that she was wrong, and he was right, and the two desserts, although looking exactly the same, they weren't, but they were of the same batter, and a bunch of other b.s. I literally looked around to see if perhaps we were on a hidden camera show. Finally my friend just gave up and ate them without saying another word. There is no winning when you're talking to a brick wall. Tacky music playing, which didn't match the American Diner theme, or the fact that it was a "free radio" station, with loads of commercials, blaring out of only one small speaker for a giant dining room, or the fact that I dare not use the toilets... as I heard they were not a good experience at all. So: I'm giving this place two stars. The food was ok, but nothing I would order again. The wait staff was stupendously terrible, and the wait time and minor things (which I won't even bother going into) eliminate the stars in my opinion. Two-Stars for Yelp means "Meh, I've experienced better". And that's all it is. I really hope that the management sees this review, in hopes they will be able to improve their little restaurant before people stop patroning it all together. read more
This is a fairly large diner with american style booths and high tables with swivel seats along the middle. Mostly red and white inside, it seems to be aimed at a student market. With Birmingham Children's Hospital outside and Aston Uni over the road it's no wonder it attracts that market. I ordered a Celebz Hotdog Meal and my friend's burger meal let him choose five items from a list to "create" his burger. The food was reasonable for the price. It looses two stars however.. When you walk through the door its not obvious if you need to grab a free table or wait to be seated. We were not given our drinks even though we had ordered a meal. The food turned up and I had to go to the counter to discover what had happened to the drinks. The guy came over and checked my receipts to prove we had actually ordered drinks. Just little customer service things like this that need some work and it would gain at least one of those stars back. For now its just A-OKAY. read more
I have to say that I will review celebz based on one experience but I will go again to see if it was just a bad day. A group of us met at celebz and I have to say the place is cool, very well styled lots of seats and it really goes all out with the American diner theme in an incredibly tacky but awesome way. The booths are big and spacious and are able to sit groups of 6 easily. Ordering was a disaster with drinks taking 15-20 minutes (no alcohol is served) and them bringing me regular coke and not diet. They also didn't have milkshakes but couldn't really explain why which I thought was odd. The menu itself is good with a range of food and an awesome desert selection, but again service let them down with our group waiting 30 minutes for the first dish and the last one arriving at the table 30 minutes after that. Meaning that most had finished as others were starting. I also want to add the pancakes are actually crêpes which wasn't what I expected from an American diner when they had Crêpes on the menu separately. However what did arrive was very tasty and was well received. As I said at the start I will go back to check if it was just an off day, food and decor were amazing but service was terrible. read more
10 years ago
Oh my god. The service here is quite 'special'!! I was really looking forward to trying this place out as i'd heard good reports. The diner itself is really nice, bright and comfortable. However the service was terrible! We waited a good while for them to bring the drinks out, which came out individually (clearly they don't have trays) which was slightly odd (only soft drinks here, no alcohol). We were also a little disappointed that they weren't able to make any milkshakes though I'm not sure why. We ordered some nachos and curly fries to share, which were really tasty, so I was all geared up and really for the main event-the ice cream and pancake course! Oh dear, oh dear. Everything came out slowly and one at a time. They asked some of us 4 times what we had ordered! No one got any cutlery without asking and some people got knives and forks to eat their icecream with! -This was after having to ask again for the icecream that was meant to accompany a crepe and it came in polystyrene takeaway cup! I sent mine back as I'd asked for double pancakes, not crepes, as they are listed separately. The same thing came out again, so I said it wasn't what was described on the menu. I was rudely told that they were the same thing, to which I asked ' why are they listed separately then?' -my American friends agreed they are separate things! I was told by the waiter that I had got confused!! Also worth noting that crepe plus icecream is cheaper than a 'pancake'. So remember pay less and you get more guys!! That said the food was fine and as the service was so bad we all had a good laugh!! I would go back again, but only in a few months once i'd learnt the staff had all changed!! Maybe they should pay more attention to the customers in the restaurant rather than just the takeaway service! read more
10 years ago
10 years ago
After our previous brunch plans fell through, Brittany A. and I ventured to Celebz American Diner in search of some good ole' American-style pancakes. What we encountered however, was an assault on the eyes, ears, and palate. Celebz is a new concept hatched in Birmingham last year, starting with their first location in Longbridge. That original location follows a Hollywood theme and features mid century modern replica vinyl & metal chairs that were common in the kitchens of the 1950's American nuclear family. This new City Centre location is at the end of Corporation Street opposite the Birmingham Children's Hospital. The interior is decorated in a hybrid New York City/Route 66 & Las Vegas theme. You'll find Elvis Presley, Times Square, and the oddly placed men's WC Sylvester Stallone. The dining area features red vinyl booths (some wrap-around), divided in the middle by a long high top table with stool-height seats. At first glance, it appears that they've nailed the theme with a well decorated interior. Upon further inspection though, there are strange inconsistencies. The booths at the windows are quite large, and the spacing for the table is too far apart from the seating. Cutlery and condiments are randomly placed. Some tables will have forks and knives and vinegar, while others only have ketchup and mustard bottles that are likely empty. During our visit, there were a number of families dining, and more arrived as time elapsed. How strange then, for the diner to be playing extremely loud modern American music. The music is very much in your face, to the point that it was actually difficult to order at the till. A matched music video (streamed from youtube it looks like) is shown from screens at the end of the dining room, which was partially malfunctioning during our visit. I expect music like this at a club or bar, but on a Sunday afternoon was unbearable, although none of the families seemed to bat an eye at Rihanna's 'B*tch better have my money'. When you walk in the door, it is unclear if this is a self-serve or full-service restaurant. We waited for a staff member to come out of the back and explain that we would need to seat ourselves and then order at the till. Choosing a seat was not easy since so many tables were still covered in dirty dishes from previous customers. I have to give credit to Celebz for their menu concept. There is a wide range of choices, starting with their burgers, and ranging from fried chicken to waffles, pancakes, and shakes. There are ten different burgers, including two vegetarian options of the breaded veggie burger or the breaded bean burger. Burgers range in price from £3.49 to £3.99, and for an average of £1.50 you can upgrade to a meal deal that includes fries and a drink. For £2 you can add a milkshake to your meal deal, or purchase one separately for £3.99, a price point in line with other eateries in City Centre. If I counted correctly, there are 44 total milkshake flavours to choose from, the vast majority of which include some type of candy bar. For my entree I chose the breaded veggie burger meal with fries and hot tea. There are 32 options of what you can add to your burger, and you can choose five for free. The toppings selection is a great value add for the diner, and includes standards like lettuce and also ventures into more unique items like pineapple or a hash brown. Brittany A. ordered a strawberry pancake and a side of curly fries. My hot tea came out first within several minutes. Our first food arrived twenty minutes later, which included my meal and only her fries. We would have to wait an additional 10 minutes for Brittany's 'pancakes' to make their showing. The veggie burger was quite good for a frozen-then fried patty that is very standard around here, recalling to mind what you'll find at places like Big John's or a Wetherspoon's pub. I added lettuce, cheese, gherkins, mushrooms, and chipotle mayo to the burger. The fries were more akin to mini chips than pommes frites, and lacked both flavour and seasoning. The curly fries however, were a real star of the meal, the flavours of this side captured perfectly. Brittany's 'pancakes' were another story, as they were actually thin, overpriced crepes with whipped cream and sprinkles. On one hand, I have to commend the owners of Celebz for a valiant effort. They have created a new and at least on paper, exciting concept born out of Birmingham and apparently a love for the classic American diner. It's a concept that seems to be attractive to students (discount) and families with children, and is a place for people to get away from an alcohol focused menu. On the other hand, Celebz needs help with execution. The theme and interior appointments need tweaking at this location. The food is either a great value or rip-off depending on the items. Some of the menu is delicious, while other attempts falter. This hit or miss reality makes exploring the Celebz menu not unlike walking through a minefield. read more
The place has a cool, bright, colourful, very spacious, well presented and a nice concept of American dining theme. When we arrived, the place seems dead quiet and there was barely anybody there. There's a good selection of choice on the menu for both drinks, food and desserts. I picked a Ferrero Rocher ice cream, it took approximately 45 minuites or over to arrive from the time it had been ordered, by that time, the people around me had already eaten all their food by then so I had to rush through my dessert. I wasn't overall impressed with the standard of the service was very poor. Unfortunately I wont be in a rush to visit any time soon. read more
Amazing food, really reasonably priced (much cheaper than other American diners I've been to), they have a crazy good amount of desserts. It is heaven! And the interior is 50's even have a jukebox in the corner playing tracks. Very cool place, check it out x read more
10 years ago
I had very mixed feelings about this place. We walked in and the decor looked good. It had the look of an American diner, if not a little to trashy but that wouldn't usually bother me. (Girls got class Ya'knooow) Only thing was it lacked atmosphere. I wanted to hear some old 60s classics but instead we were greeted by a local radio station playing Rihanna's 'Werk Werk Werk'! Not quite what I was expecting. We ordered a round of desserts and drinks and I must say the service was just not there. Nothing came out at the same time and in fact half of the group had finished and were ready to go before some of the others had even arrived. When we eventually did get our dessert I must admit it did look good. I had a waffle, covered in forrero rocher's, chocolate sauce and complimented by two squirts of whipped cream. I dived in and the taste was great. I really could not complain about the standards of food, it's just a real shame the service as a whole let it down. read more
