The Best Birmingham Brunch Spots: 7 Of My Current Faves!
Birmingham Brunch Spots Laid out
If we are talking about the best brunch spots in Birmingham, we automatically think of Birmingham city centre. Although the city centre is pretty big, one of my favourite things about finding a new Birmingham brunch place, is exploring the suburbs. The city centre is largely filled with chains, and as a result, I skirt the edges.
As a South Birmingham dweller, I will always have a passion for Kings Heath, Stirchley and Harborne, but there is so much more to explore for brunch. It isn’t all about the places in the spotlight either! I have spent the past few years going out on a weekend and finding that place that I’d never thought of visiting before.
That said, there are some pretty flipping great places in the obvious areas too. Now…before I start, I must say that bottomless brunches aren’t for me. To me, brunch is a late breakfast. I’m sure that some of them are amazing, but I like coffee with my brunch (not prosecco), and not at 3 pm! Just my personal preference. Anyway, here goes a list of a self-proclaimed serial bruncher and my list of best brunch spots in Birmingham!
7 of My Current Best Brunch Places in Birmingham
CanEat, Stirchley
Starting off with one of my all-time fave Birmingham brunch destinations. CanEat never fails to drop in a special that unexpectedly blows your mind. And their classic staple, the 7-minute eggs are something else. A bubbling set of diners and staff alike, CanEat has been integral to a lot of the good stuff in Stirchley over the past years. That’s not by accident. Dom and the team offer a consistently high level of quality, whilst introducing superb and interesting dishes regularly. The recent fried eggs with honey butter, purple sprouting broccoli, and nduja crumb on a split croissant was truly spectacular. But don’t tell Dom I said any of this. It’ll go to his head!
Chancers Café, Stirchley.
I can’t mention Stirchley without mentioning the incredible chicken and waffles from here. You can order them with a homemade fudge sauce (from the ever excellent SweetMeat next door) and Chantilly cream. Or you can have a (very slightly) healthier version with fruit and pecan nuts on. Or you can also have the lot! James the owner, told me once that I was only the second person ever to have the lot. It still keeps me up at night. Why oh why wasn’t I the first?!
This place was made much more famous by Jay Rayner (restaurant critic and jazz musician) visiting and asking for the evening Yikouchi chicken (something you or I would be unable to do). Chancers is a firm favourite of many, far and wide, and James is one of the nicest out there. Walk-ins only.
Early Bird Bakery/Perch, Kings Heath/Birmingham City Centre.
These venue siblings produce some of the best Birmingham brunch around. Unfortunately, they don’t take bookings, making it a little awkward, but the wait is worth it, and you’ll be in for a top tier treat! The Kings Heath venue (Early bird) has recently increased capacity by introducing a new side room, but just for coffee and cake. The Breakfast Patty Bun is an absolute winner, but realistically everything on the menu is normally excellent so just pick with your eyes closed if you want some class brunch roulette. Drinks are also good, and with a decent coffee on offer, you can’t go wrong.
Medicine Bakery, New Street, The Mailbox and Codsall.
With multiple venues, Medicine feels like it is starting to dominate the Birmingham scene and the wider Midlands area. The beauty is that depending on which one you go to, you get a completely different experience, despite the menus being the same. I went to the Codsall one last week and had the Harissa Benedict. This comes on sourdough toast, with sauteed greens, chorizo, field mushroom, tomato, poached eggs and harissa hollandaise. Absolutely delightful, and a superb mix of flavours, with the chorizo and harissa acting as a warming backdrop to the more classic elements of the dish.
The New Street space is like a Birmingham art gallery, and you feel a bit like you’ll see a sculpture being wheeled through at any second. The art on the walls feels totally in keeping, and it reminds me of the space my old life drawing classes could have been in. The clean feel always helps you focus on the food, not that it needs much help.
The Mailbox venue is the one where you can take guests from out of town if you want to impress them (I suggest always booking here in advance). It feels luxurious and full of colour. The Codsall venue, although not in Birmingham, is a fun and vibrant space, busy and enjoyable. I haven’t made it to the Wolverhampton one yet, but it is on my list to visit.
The Plough, Harborne
The prestigious Plough offers a great setting, as well as a fantastic brunch menu. I tend to avoid the more established places to go, but The Plough is somewhere I am happy to return. The pub itself is made up of a series of spaces, side rooms, high kitchen style island seating, terrace seating and a more regular dining area.
The brunch menu has 14 dishes, ranging from pastries, through to pancakes, Turkish eggs and a house breakfast. When I last visited, I opted for the smoked salmon, poached eggs and avocado, which came with toasted, homemade bread and chilli sprinkled on the eggs. I do enjoy a little chilli on my brunch, so this worked well. Excellent presentation and perfectly prepared. Booking is absolutely essential on a weekend.
Paul at 41, Harborne
An understated but classy restaurant café, serving classic brunch options, made well and served in a relaxed and comfortable environment. I’ve been here a number of times, and whatever I have had has been very good indeed. The Eggs Royale is superb, and so is the service. Apart from the delicious food here, during spring and summer, the light shining in from the front is lovely on a morning. Perfectly located towards the lower end of Harborne High Street, Paul’s has a particular air of sophistication about it, just like the Harborne locals!
Tamu, Bearwood.
Tamu in Bearwood, is a small but mighty café, with food inspired by the owners’ Zanzibar roots. It serves some of the most colourful brunches in Birmingham, giving them that unique East African twist. They also serve other dishes and cakes that you can tell they enjoy making. Think sweetcorn fritters, French toast, pancakes…and with a fine vegan and vegetarian selection too. One of the early stars of the evolving Bearwood scene. Check it out!
Final thoughts on my favourite Birmingham Brunch Spots
The list above shows that great brunch in Birmingham reaches far and wide throughout the City and suburbs. There are so many great brunch options that I haven’t even mentioned here, these are just some of my personal favourites.
The great thing about Birmingham in its current form, is that places are opening up all the time, and some of these are superb. Regardless of whether you like a more classic brunch, something more leftfield, or maybe a totally out-there brunch option, Birmingham has you covered.
I hope you enjoyed this post as much as you will enjoy the brunches!! If you want to read more, explore my website by clicking here and find new independent places in Birmingham to visit and support!
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