When coming back to Birmingham, a friend and I, always have lunch and a few beers. The location…read morechanges, but the story stays the same. This has been one of our locations three times now, and I'm beginning to wonder why it's not been more. Service during the day is casual, sit where you like, here's a menu, back in 5. The food selection is BBQ tastic, and is served very similarly to the big states places, on a little red tray. Nice but small craft beer selection, nice range of cocktails and spirits. There's even PBR if you're looking for the complete USA experience. My friend always goes for the Buffalo Black burger, which I have to say is phenomenal. I've varied and gone for the brisket one, and the pulled pork meal. Sides include "loaded" chilli cheese fries - which deserve a mention on their own. Burnt ends (side of more meat please!) and 'slaw. It's all been good, I've not experienced a bad bit of food there. Price isn't bad, for two of us last time it was £45. That was for the two burgers, burnt ends, mac n cheese, chilli cheese fries, and four beers. I'd like to see something like a Nashville hot chicken plate on the menu with the BBQ stuff, but other than that, this place is wonderful. It sells all of the things I like. Bravo. I didn't even notice it was a Bitters' and Twisted place until I read it here..

Another completely unique venue for Bitters and Twisted. Buffalo & Rye is new to the Bennetts Hill…read morescene, and a few doors down from sister venue Bodega. This place generated a ton of buzz before the doors were opened mid November, so naturally I wanted to try it! After stalking their Facebook, it seemed the best time to grab a table and avoid long waits was right at opening. My dining partner and I turned up shortly after noon on a Saturday and were seated immediately. The first thing i noticed is how intimate the venue is. There really is only a handful of tables. We opted for our own high top table as stools aren't the most comfortable seating. The menu is simple and specific. I'd check it out ahead of time so you know what you're in for. I thought the servers were great. Timing of food, not as great. They were rammed but we were the first people sat for the afternoon so I'd expect less of a wait than 25 minutes for starters. We shared some wings and beef chili cheese fries. Now, I am from Buffalo, NY. The chicken wing capitol of the world. We invented and perfected chicken wings. Its hard to compete with our wings in this country. Back to the review, here the wings were left still attached which I kinda liked. Usually you find the drums and flats separated so this was actually a nice change up. I do think they needed more sauce. Ours were nice and crispy but dry. Overall they were a nice choice for a starter. Ooh and the cheese fries are lovely and served in a little baking tin. As for my main, I had a buttermilk chicken sandwich which was juicy and crispy goodness. The roll was a bit too hard for my liking. I left most of it on my plate. But the chicken was amazing. Random fact about me: I love pickles or gherkins as you Brits call them. It's always a nice surprise to see a place over here serving pickles. I asked for some on my sandwich and only got one tiny piece. Step up your pickle game Buffalo & Rye! I almost forgot to mention the cocktails!! Such wild and crazy concoctions here. I tried a grape fizz and red kool aid inspired drink. Grape fizz blew me away. Kool aid was a bit uninspiring. Not as sweet or flavorful as I imagined. There's also milkshakes that looked wonderful. Sadly I was too full for one. I really liked this place. Although I can't see myself visiting it as often as the other BnTs, it's still worth a pop in. Plan accordingly. It's busy!

I went here with a group of friends for Sunday dinner. We just had to check out the American themed…read moremeat joint. The decor is straight out of the opening credits for Fresh Prince of Bell Air - photos of celebrities line the walls and are covered in bright colored tags of fun phrases like "YOLO". There is plenty of seating, perfect for a pair or large groups. I wasn't very hungry, so I ordered the appetizer salad with pulled pork BBQ on top and shared a side of fried pickles. I was a little disappointed in the pulled pork. Being from North Carolina (home of pulled pork BBQ in the states) and eating at a place with smoke in the name, I was expecting smoked BBQ. The pork is just roasted like what you'd expect to come on a bap and lacks the tenderness that comes with slow smoking. The BBQ sauce at the table has a nice smoke flavoring added, so I was able to drown my salad in that for an approximation of the smoky flavor I craved. The salad portion is very generous and uses fresh veg. The fried pickles need a little tempura batter mixed in with the corn meal and maybe a little more time in the fryer for a better texture.

A group of us went here as we wanted to check out the newest 'American' BBQ joint in Birmingham…read more Based on reviews of The Smoke Haus' other locations, I was pretty excited. First of all, this restaurant is HUGE. Incredibly big and spacious, with an assortment of booths and tables and a huge bar. The decor of the place is awesome-- fun pieces of americana all over the place and funky graffiti all over the walls. But the highlight of every place is the food, and well, the food was just OK. I opted for a pulled pork sandwich, and a side salad instead of fries. The pork was good (mostly because they have a fantastic BBQ sauce) but definitely didn't taste slow-cooked. The salad was served without any dressing which was a bit weird, since it was huge and mostly lettuce. By the way, portions here- GIGANTIC. Come with an empty stomach! Neat selection of American beers. I don't know. I wasn't incredibly impressed, but my meal was satisfying, and the BBQ sauce is tasty. I'll have to try a few more things on the menu...

Looking for some American diner style breakfast/brunch spot, Seth S. and I decided to check out…read moreCelebz 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!

I am big fan of reviewing places on what they are and as an independent American diner I have to…read moregive 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.

So, having had luck with recommendations from Ben C before, I thought it best I check this place…read moreout on a day in Kings Heath. Now, I was meeting Ben for lunch at Veg Out (see http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/veg-out-cafe-birmingham?hrid=GgI2cmA6RaEsO8pLKdk1Aw), I didn't actually eat here - I just grabbed a coffee to visit and soak up the ambiance (being your intrepid Yelp Community Manager). Al's Diner is just off the main stretch of Kings Heath and opposite York Road. It's easy to spot, with it's American vibe and bright red exterior. As you might guess from the name, it's got a bit of a "happy days" vibe to it. From the red and white patterned work surfaces to old school Americana prints and design touches, it's all very sweet. As I say, I just popped in for a hot drink - but I will definitely pop back in for a burger at some point! The burgers looked huge and were priced around £2.50 (without fries) making it a bargain! They also had a great selection of sweet treats on the menu at similarly reasonable prices. My coffee wasn't the best (it was served with UHT milk), but that's not why you would visit normally. I grabbed a coffee and a can of cola and I believe it came to around £2.20 - which is a bit of a steal really. I was served with a smile and felt welcome throughout my whole visit (despite taking up a whole booth just to drink my coffee and do some work). I probably wouldn't travel all the way to Kings Heath to visit, but I urge you to pop in if you are based around here. If I was down here for the day, I would 100% make a date with one of their calorific treats for lunch or dinner.

At one time I counted 12 places that you could get chicken and chips from between The Sun at The…read moreStation and The Pear Tree. It doesn't take much imagination to offer something original in the ways of fast food. Al's Diner have spotted a niche in the market and jumped right in. They serve burgers, hot dogs, milkshakes and deserts in such authentic US surroundings, (NYC print wall paper, state-side memorabilia authentic shake-bar stools) that you half expect Arthur Fonzarelli to enter stage right with a 'Hey!' and start asking 'bout Richey. This place is very popular with tweens, who have claimed it as their own space to meet, hang out and gaze out of the window while supping a shake. Others like to drop in for a pre-pub snack before hitting the High Street. Families are catered for too, and on a Friday evening they take time out from busy schedules for some quality informal dining time together. Those who believe that 'It's Dork To Eat Pork' can join in as the hot-dogs here are made with beef. In fact, the whole menu is Halal. Service with a smile comes as standard, and they'll tweak meals to suit you. There's a level of community and philanthropy going on here which is hard to beat. If you haven't got an Uncle Sam then you can find a surrogate family member in Al.

Samba is an eye catching place in the middle of Bearwood, I was immediately drawn to the unusual…read moreshop front of this place (which is obviously named after the Brazilian dance) and wondered from the name if it'd be some sort of South American bar. (Unfortunately, it was not, but I'm not disappointed by that at all.) Curiously, I entered the doors to be greeted by tables decorated with orchid flowers, helping to make the pub feel very homely. The vibe of the pub was rather unique to say the least, and almost felt like I was stepping back in time. Grainy television screens surround the walls, and broadcast 80s/90s music videos straight from the MTV Classics channel. I loved the whole experience, and felt like I'd entered some sort of time capsule from the synth pop era; It was strange, yet very welcoming. Additionally, the TV advertisements between music videos were all in Italian dialogue, so I'm guessing that the pub broadcasts its channels from Italy. Obscurely, I think this really adds to the unique atmosphere at Samba. (Although hearing acne cream adverts in Italian would certainly be very confusing while sozzled!) The stage area of the pub was sectioned off, and had planks of wood lying across it, which is a shame because by looking at the size and amount of speakers, sound systems and lights, it seems as though a night here would be quite prolific; So I hope it is cleared up/improved soon! Prices of drinks here are phenomenally cheap; There was a football match on the day before, and according to the board, pints had been £2!! Crazy stuff!! I purchased two Sailor Jerrys from here for £4.80; I think this has to be the cheapest I've ever paid for my favourite rum. The staff at Samba are very friendly, and strike up conversations really easily. On purchasing the two Sailor Jerrys, the lad who served me asked if I'd tried this rum with lemonade. I actually hadn't, so I trusted his recommendation, which turned out to be great! The alcohol here is very diverse and unusual; I had a good look on all the shelves, which were full of drinks that I'd never heard of before. There was even a bottle of crystal head vodka, which comes in a plastic skull-shaped bottle; you very rarely see this anywhere! Unfortunately, there weren't many customers in the pub at the time of my visit (around 5pm) which is a real shame. But I'm going to check out Samba in the evenings to see how busy it is at this time. If this pub was situated in the city centre, I know for sure that It'd be a very popular destination!

Situated about 10 minutes drive from the city centre, this bar makes a pleasent addition to the…read morearea. Inside, it's a pretty stylish venue especially for the as Smethwick isn't exactly the most 'go-to' area This bar is ideal if you live in the area but I wouldn't go out of my way to go here. It was a quiet evening when we went and they had music playing from the TV's. There wasn't much of an atmosphere as there was a complete mix of people, both young and old, but the venue was OK and perfect if you're looking for a quiet place to go and enjoy a drink.

We came here for lunch and was impressed by the colorful atmosphere. Service was a bit slow but…read morepicked up once we got our food. Menu is a mix of latin dishes, Spanish style rice with prawns, corn and beans was flavorful. The nachos were different than expected with thick tortillas topped with salsa, guacamole and pulled pork. A nice kick with jalapeños as well. The fish tacos were dry. No salsa just a square breaded chunk of fish atop cabbage. Average. The Michelada was ok. You can choose your beer and then a little tomato juice, lots of chili salt and lime juice is added. I think the food and drinks here are hit or miss. Would ask for extra hot sauce or salsa on the side to spice up the dishes.

Use to love going here, but since the tacos went Gluten free they are very mid now. Cola wings are…read moreawesome though. And the vibes are always good in there. Need to fix them tacos though!

Had a late night donair that was delicious! Very friendly service in a clean, busy place.read more

Between this place and Pit Stop a few doors down, I prefer the Food Republic. They don't mess up…read moreyour order and they actually listen to your entire order. I have never had to interrupt them or remind them of what they are forgetting or what they are messing up. I also think the guys who work here are courteous and friendly which can go a long way when you have so many competitors nearby like they do on Broad Street.

Sichuan dreams come true. I've been crying for a good Chinese place (with reasonable prices) since…read morewe moved here and finally found it in BBQ Village. We walk by BBQ Village ALL THE TIME when exiting New Street toward South Side and finally made up our minds to give it a go. I'm so glad we did. The restaurant is decorated so nicely. The outside doesn't give a proper impression of just how pretty the restaurant is inside, with beautiful wallpaper, pottery koi, and beautiful paintings on the walls. We were seated at a hotpot table, which has a steam plate in the middle for sharing a big bowl of hotpot and heating pads at each seat for keeping your hotpot warm once served out. Next time, I am ordering hotpot because that seems to be the specialty of BBQ Village. I ordered Sichuan chicken and dim sum soup with chicken broth. The Sichuan sauce was properly spicy. SO good! It was practically swimming in chilis, but also balanced with vegetable oil and vinegar - just the way I like it. The soup was so flavorsome. I could swim in it. The seasoning was absolutely perfect. This will be a soup I crave and would imagine it would be the perfect remedy to a cold. I highly recommend the green tea, which is accented with the perfect floral notes. No sugar is needed for such a delicious tea. We shared a pot and it held plenty of tea to drink all throughout our meal. My goal for the next visit is to ask for the Mandarin menu, which in reading the Birmingham Mail, I understand has more menu items.

Love the food, staff are acting way to informal…read more Went here twice first was fine satff could've been better but overall good experience. 2nd time fealt like an outcaster ordered my food they said they didnt have anything available then recommended me something twice as expensive and told me to hurry up got embarressed so i said ok. The food was good though. Also This happend first time not as important bv it was my friends. The place is squecky clean btw. One problem they don't let you bring outside food even if you are ordered and eating food here though. P.s the sauces are fabulous.

the staff were amazing and helpful the food was great and the price ain't bad for townread more