The food is consistently good, but the service today was awful. I wish I could rate the two…read moreseparately! Service: We arrived first, placed our order, and while we waited several others placed orders. However, the girl at the register made us wait while she rang up the people in line behind us, despite standing there at the till with our tray. It was strange and rude. We'll try another cafe next time we're in the Bullring.

I hadn't been to Druckers for a while as I don't really like the coffee or the atmosphere…read more Anyway, as my bank account gives includes the offer of a free Druckers hot drink a day, I decided to try the tea today instead of coffee. Sadly I was disappointed and have to say, despite giving plenty of time for the tea (bag) to brew, and giving it a massive stir, the tea was completely devoid of flavour. (I am not exaggerating here): so bad that I didn't drink more than a few sips. Needless to say I won't be drinking tea in Druckers again. Note to Druckers, please improve the quality of your drinks. The staff seemed OK but not particularly friendly. The atmosphere was standard Druckers - very dated, hence I give a very rare low score!

As a coeliac you may question why I'm writing a review for a bakery, and sadly it's not because…read morethey are making amazing Gluten Free alternatives of their delicious looking cakes. I have a major sweet tooth, and whilst I can't eat their delicious cakes I can buy them for other people. So whilst I'm buying Danishes and tarts for the other half, I'm buying myself the freshly made monster meringues. Worth treating yourself to some freshly baked classics and great bread as opposed to a cupcake every now and again. It's always nice to find a good local supplier that means you can bypass the supermarket and grab something freshly and locally made with good quality ingredients. They are superbly located for the commuters from Snow Hill Station, you just need to remember its there on the corner of Great Western Arcade.

The Bread Collection located on the corner of Birmingham's Great Western Arcade has a very unique…read morefeel and a sense of it's own character! They offer fresh bread, cakes, pasties, sandwiches and a great alternative for a nice lunch. Although the interior is quite small and there are only a few seats I'd recommend the food here to anyone. You can also buy their items for home use. I bought a whole bread loaf!! Although you pay a little more, the better tastier food, an alternative to the big supermarkets, and you know that your supporting a local grocer's using local sourced ingredients, its a win win all round. Pay them a visit!

Bubble tea part II...came here earlier this week and had the best bubble tea I have had to date. Ok…read moreI have only had it once before but this one was definitely my favourite. I went for the almond tea....it was amazing but be warned it's pretty filling. If you are in Arcadian this place is worth a visit...also if you are a cake lover I would also say stop by here. The cakes looked amazing...but i'm Glastonbury diet so decided to pass.

Cafe chino is a small cafe serving both Chinese baked goods, cakes, various bubble teas and general…read moreconfectionary. It's quite the picturesque place with its sleek clean white furnishing and boutique ornaments. The staff are very friendly and the variety of cakes and tea is great! On this occasion I had a coconut bubbletea. For those of you who don't know what bubble tea is its a milky tea drink with tapioca balls in. The tapioca balls are sucked up using a thick straw and chewed while you drink simultaneously. These drinks are quite filling! They have a lot of flavours available including matcha tea! They are made up to take away with a sealed top on so later consumption is always a option! The opening times are quite late till 8-9 pm and the prices for bubble tea are around the £3 mark. If your looking for a quick fix after a night out at the Arcadian or near by I would recommend this place!

Not really my top choice of tea and coffee shop but I can grab a free one here courtesy of my bank…read moreaccount. This particular cafe is in the beautiful Great Western Arcade but the interior doesn't quite fit with the external surroundings. The seats and decor are looking slightly retro - 1960s cafe style. I had a look upstairs as downstairs is small. The view of the Arcade was a bit disappointing for anyone hoping to get a good photo! The tea was fine but the cups and teapots were very basic. The staff seemed a bit abrupt - possibly because it was near the end of the day, or maybe because I wasn't a paying customer - not sure which. I've been to a few Druckers and they are generally of similar decor. Could do with a make-over and a bit of customer service training like Costa or other similar places.

Settled in perfectly among the other shops in the Great Western Arcade, this modest Druckers…read morepatisserie is as popular with people on their lunch break as it is with those looking for a spot of afternoon tea. The staff are very friendly, and whenever I've been in they've been happy to advise me on which of their products are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. It's less straightforward than you'd think! I regularly use this Druckers for ordering specialist cakes on birthdays and other special occasions, and have not been disappointed yet.

These hot pretzels are the best that I have ever had, and now I fear that I am hooked…read more Located on the ground floor of the Bullring, they have a good selection of flavours that you can choose from. I looked over the counter, and saw the staff rolling out the fresh dough and making the pretzels by hand. I tried the cinnamon with sugar pretzel, with a drink for a total sum of £4.00. It instantly melts in your mouth, smells and tastes divine, the aroma is just beautiful, quite filling as a snack, and you even get a loyalty card with a stamp. (buy 9 and your 10th pretzel is free). Expect a queue as these tasty delights are proving quite popular. You take them away so can eat on the go, or take advantage of the seating that's available right behind the store. Overall pleasant and great healthy food, I'll be going back.

In NYC I developed a dangerous obsession with pretzels. Hard salted chocolated pretzels, soft…read morebuttery airy cinnamon pretzels, pretzels in the knot shape, bite-sized pretzels, everything pretzel. Whilst it's reasonably easy to find the hard salty snack pretzels in multipacks in supermarkets, there's not many places that offer the soft fluffy pretzels I fell in love with - until Mr. Pretzels opened in the Bullring. I was dubious at first - but following the trend of dishing out samples (as so many of the food stalls in the Bullring seem to do) they caught me with their free samples of the cinammon sugar offerings. Buttery, soft, and *delicious* - worryingly for my waitline, I feel these will help tide my cravings over until I can get back overseas. YUM!

Are you decorating a cake or do you have a cake disaster? If so, you HAVE to come here!…read more I enjoy cake decorating but I'm no expert. I think my rookie creations get compliments from my husband just because he doesn't want to upset me and he wants to eat the cake. When I first visited this shop the smell of sweet icing hit me, lifted me up and floated me through the door. I felt like a big kid in a sweety shop and I didn't know what to look at first. The walls are full of everything cakey! Iced butterflies, cake wire, piping heads, piping bags, cake toppers... I could keep going. My cake decorating collection is only small yet had a massive boost after I'd left as the prices here were better than reasonable! I've always known that cake decorating is an art form but to see the weirdly shaped utensils and fun looking gadgets used, brought on severe cake making urges I didn't know I had. The entire shop oozes cake decorating inspirations and ideas. I've always been creative and arty but even I know it's not just about having the tools, it's about knowing how to use them. I'd noticed a sugarcraft class poster in the window so I spoke to Lorna - the manageress - and she told me they offer 10 week sugarcraft courses in which you learn skills such as flower making, covering cakes and piping for £150! Each class lasts 2 hours and all the equipment is there for you to use. The Sugarcraft Box specialises in last minute cakes. I asked Lorna how last minute was last minute and she told me she had made a cake during the day for a party taking place that night!!! So if your cake is dropped or your delivery doesn't turn up get yourself down here asap. If you are more of a cake eater rather than a cake decorator this shop is still worth a visit, you never know you may get a new hobby.

As it'd been suggested to me, Urban Cafe on Church Street was to be my breakfast destination before…read moreI started heading back to London. It's a good location just a short walk from Colmore Row and St Philips Cathedral square (also known as Pigeon Park by the locals). The cafe itself is actually really nice. It felt lively but not busy when I walked in. I had a quick look at the menu and, as I was really rather hungry, I went full on hipster and had the Avocado Smash with bacon and poached eggs. I tell you what - this cafe is not cheap. The avocado smash and a coffee cost me more than £10. Can you believe that? In Birmingham! It did taste good but for that amount of money I would expect to have had 2 slices of toasted sour dough with avocado along with the bacon and eggs.The coffee was delicious so I would go back for that alone (and it wasn't extortionately priced).

Another great venue in the Urban Coffee Companies very respected string of cafes around Birmingham…read more Every time I have been in here I have not only left with a great cup of coffee I have also had great service from their team of smiley friendly baristas. This branch of Urban Coffee has a small mezzanine area where they sometimes have events or private hires making it more versatile than some of the other cafes. Due to that and its location you get a real mixed crowd of people in the store all the time. Everyone from young creatives right through to suited and booted businessmen are regularly enjoying a cup of the dark stuff in the chilled out and laid back space. My personal favourite beverage from here is a skimmed hazelnut latte....if you are into hazelnut flavoured drinks they syrup they are using here is AMAZING.

Benugo is one of those hidden gems of the city. They sell good quality and fresh food, their coffee…read moreis good, their hot chocolate is divine. Staff are very chatty and friendly. The restaurant also has lots of mains sockets with USB charging sockets. Great if you have to wait for a train or want to meet a friend. They're also dog friendly.

After a less than ok experience at Joe's Coffee house that i rated so highly before (Joe's you have…read moredisappointed me :() I find that I tend to go either this place or the little stall they have - which is conveniently where my platform brings me out onto the concourse every single morning. I find the coffee's especially to be pretty good, a flat white coming in at £2.40 - the same as almost everywhere else. The food though does seem quite pricey - the sandwiches are going for nearly £5 and a friend of mine said that the breakfast muffins are tasteless. You cannot trust something passing its self off for Eggs Benedict for less that £3 and this place serves my evidence. I had a superfood salad before though, they are kept to the right when you walk in and are more moderately priced. It had some sort of rice barley thing, beetroot falafal and some other greenery like edamame and hummus. I have a dislike for hummus but it was there so i just mixed it up with everything else and I have to say it tasted really good. I felt better for it, its not often i enjoy those super healthy salads and normally they cost the earth. I would eat it again. The customer service varies a little on who you get - understandably the last time I went they were shutting in 40 minutes, but I took the last seat (they'd closed off the rest) and happily drank my coffee in a take away cup so they didn't have to wash up, made no mess etc. The woman that made my drink kindly brought it over - the woman in charge seemed to stare at me like I was a huge inconvenience. I know I was but I don't think I'm supposed to pick up on that?

I am really upset about how the manager treated me and my kids. She came to us after we finished…read moreour drinks and snacks mentioned that the table is reserved after 20 minutes ( no one informed us prior to that) moreover she kept repeating the same sentence 3 times like a robot!!! I feel the manager was untruthful and rudely pushed customers to turn over table. That experience spoiled my Sunday morning and never try this place again.

Being a regular of the Moseley cafe, I was intrigued to find out how Damascena would cope with…read moregoing from a small interior to a much larger, and the answer is... Extremely well. As soon as you walk into the cafe, you're met with a warm breeze, regal reds and blues and sultry sounds of Arabia... Almost transported me to a Bedouin village in the middle of the desert. I ordered a cinnamon tea, fatayer platter, breakfast meze and lamb shwarma wrap and was pleased that the food remained of an excellent, extremely tasty quality! They've added a few extras in that they do takeaway meals in this establishment rather than the one in Moseley, which is great for people on the run. Overall, an amazing experience.

A nice little Greggs with a few seats inside and out so its easy to stop and eat your carbohydrate…read morefilled deliciousness, or you can just grab & go. I got a meal deal which is basically a sandwich and a drink, not really a meal. But for £3 i got a huge baguette with ham and cheese along with a 500ml bottle of coke. Not too bad as the sandwich was a very generous portion. Friendly customer focussed staff. Payment by card possible, and contactless payments should be available though on my visit it didn't seem to work.