Speciality Coffee Birmingham: A Guide To 9 of The Best Coffee Shops!
The Birmingham Coffee Scene Explained
The growing tide of excellent specialty coffee shops in Birmingham is something to keep your eye on. It’s been getting better month on month now for a couple of years, and it doesn’t show any signs of abating. There are established coffee shops, new coffee shops, street food coffee trailers, and coffee pods shoehorning into other venues. And it’s wonderful to see. As a result of such fine choice, everyone has their own list of the best specialty coffee in Birmingham, which is great.
I shouldn’t really drink coffee, but then if you know me, I tend to not do what I‘m told. I like to challenge and interrogate. But I do drink coffee, and I like to hunt good, well-sourced coffee down. The Birmingham coffee scene is at a perfect point for me at this moment in time, where the balance of places selling incredible coffee feels special enough for it to not feel saturated. Each one feels special in its own right. In fact, I could describe most of the different independent Birmingham scenes in a similar way right now.
9 of the Best Specialty Coffee Shops in Birmingham Right Now
Pause, Kings Heath
Specialty coffee and cake shop at the heart of Kings Heath. If I were to tot up the time spent, I have probably spent days here, and always feel like it’s a home from home. Farah and Rory are welcoming faces as you enter and are Birmingham coffee and cake royalty. The coffee is first class, and Rory is knowledgeable and has a knack of presenting the coffee in a very accessible way, regularly developing their own drinks and showing tremendous passion for coffee. Enter Farah; a perfect counterbalance, making fresh cakes every day, including her infamous cinnabuffin, and SO much more. Farah’s current baking sometimes includes some savoury bakes, which suites me down to the ground, not having a huge sweet tooth.
Ngopi, Dale End
Independent Indonesian specialty coffee shop located on Dale End, Birmingham, serving various drinks of note, including a lilac coloured yam drink (amazing). Their coffees are some of the best around, and it doesn’t shout, it sits there in the background. You’d easily walk past, so be sure to look it up. The Indonesian food here is also excellent, served as small (ish) plates of all sorts of tasty and interesting things.
The word Ngopi comes from the Indonesian phrase for let’s have coffee, ‘Ngopi Yuk!’, and the drink names are ones I have never heard of before, so be sure to ask for help. Drinks with names like Es Kopi Susu, The Tarik, or Milo Chocolate will be a very pleasant surprise, I’m certain.
Tranquil 92, Jewellery Quarter
Recently opened Vietnamese specialty coffee house, serving a range of coffee, matcha, chocolate, and the talk of the town – the egg coffee! The egg coffee, is made with yolk (yes yolk, not egg white!), caramel and cinnamon. A delicious, creamy sweet drink that is presented in layers. I sipped the top first to get the measure of it, but then stirred it. Wonderful. Apparently enjoyed it during winter mostly, and Thang described his trips to Hanoi to drink these back home. Thang is very engaging, and we discussed processes, importing, Vietnam….and ingredients. I really enjoyed the experience.
The place is modest (I love modest) and the simple decoration of framed artwork on white walls allows the focus to be on the coffee. So much so that my second drink was Thang’s fave. A milk coffee. Simple and freshly dripped, with condensed milk. A beautiful thing. Baked goods are currently provided by local Indi outfit Bostin Bakery, and are great.
My tip here, unless you want a takeaway drink, would be to get in as soon as it opens, as there aren’t that many seats inside. It’s located just down and opposite the Jewellery Quarter train station.
Faculty Coffee, Piccadilly Arcade, Birmingham City Centre.
Faculty has fast become one of my Birmingham city centre favourites, again after stupidly forgetting about it. But what a great thing to remember! Right by Grand Central, it’s so easy to find in the Piccadilly arcade. There’s always a guest specialty roast on, and staff that know what they are doing. There are coffee beans available to purchase and gear for home as well as a selection of daily baked goods and currently a brunch menu Thurs – Sun until 2:30pm. The specialty coffee changes every two weeks. Faculty Coffee has been there since 2013, so some good experience under their belt too. It always feels effortlessly classy here, and I always want to pop in if I’m passing.
Waylands Yard, Bull Street
Sister venue to the original Worcester diner, both serving excellent specialty coffee. The Birmingham space is industrial and large. An absolutely great space, with a long counter down the left, with seating all the way to the kitchen at the rear.
I first came across Waylands Yard in Birmingham maybe 7 years ago, when I was told about their eggy crumpets. Suffice to say…excellent! I love grabbing a coffee here and just sit enjoying the space.
The Coffee Bar, Temple Row
Blink and you’ll miss it. That’s what they say. But not here. You’ll smell it! Unless you don’t have a nose, and then if you blink, you MIGHT miss it. Don’t miss it.
A great team, serving great drinks, as central as it gets, near Pigeon Park. There is only 4ish seats inside, and when the weather is better, plenty more seating outside. Sustainable coffee and specialty producer conscious. Perfect to take away, if you can’t get a seat.
They also have some lovely baked goods on offer.
One1 at Minima, Hospital St, Hockley
Set in the confines of a post-industrial designer and mid-century furniture and product showroom (say that without taking a breath), the experience is heightened by the fact that you sit on chairs and at tables that are for sale. The experience leaves you feeling that little bit more sophisticated, after being in the presence of so many considered, design lead products in one place.
And then there’s the coffee. Eddie knows exactly what he is doing here, and it fits so well with the aesthetic. A great menu, with a small but tasty food menu too. A classy and refined specialty coffee shop.
Under Pressure Espresso, Sutton Coldfield
I don’t go north of Birmingham too often. Something I have promised to rectify. And I was lucky enough to almost park outside here when I went last week. I’ve always been lucky.
Exposed brick aesthetic, a great atmosphere, and even better coffee. Speaking to Al, the team there are really passionate about good coffee, and even helped me navigate their current options. I really enjoyed my visit, and absolutely loved my coffee here.
Flock (inside Grace and James), Kings Heath
I have been coming here for as long as I can remember, and Alasdair has been slinging high quality drinks consistently for what feels like all time. It obvs isn’t all time, but he certainly knows what he’s doing. Add to that the fact that he is fairly under the radar because of Flock being inside another place, and it feels fairly secret. That said, tell that to the queue of content customers that keep going back. Last time I went, I had a loose-leaf Lemon and Verbena tea, which comes with the Flock standard three-way sand timer, and the ‘leave it until the black one has run out’. That comforting advice with every tea. Consider yourself told.
Final Thoughts On Specialty Coffee In Birmingham And My Favourite Coffee Shops
The Birmingham coffee scene is moving at an incredible pace, and the desire for good quality, grower/producer-led coffee is growing. It feels like there’s a great place to get a quality coffee near anywhere I go, and I hope that you’ll feel the same. I clipped the list at 9, and there are way more than that. Check some of these out too.
Steam Room Coffee (Harborne) website
Coffee Shack by Wood Reinvented (Stirchley) website
If you want to read more tips about where to find the best food and drink in Birmingham, click here to visit my website and subscribe to the B Town Social newsletter!
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Great post! When I am back in Brum, I’m definitely checking these joints out!