Best Michelin-starred restaurants in Birmingham, UK

The Chef: At the age of only 26, Adam Stokes became Head Chef at such a legendary restaurant of Scotland as Glenapp Castle. Four years later, he came to Birmingham and opened his own restaurant together with his wife Natasha. Adam's earned a Michelin star only six months after it opened its doors.

Price: The tasting menu is £105 – £130

Located in the heart of Birmingham, Adam’s is a sleek and elegant restaurant serving modern British cuisine. In a luxury dining room beautifully decorated in Art Deco style, you can indulge in sumptuous seafood and game dishes and wash them down with a glass of a terrific wine. Made of peak seasonal produce, the tasting menu and à la carte change daily. If they’re on the menu, you can’t go wrong with such options as Orkney scallop, wild Scottish halibut, salt baked celeriac, crown of quail, or raspberry soufflé. In addition to a Michelin star, Adam’s also boasts three AA Rosettes and a score of 7 in the Good Food Guide.

The Chef: Glyn Purnell, also known as “Yummy Brummie” among locals, is a legendary chef in Birmingham. He is a popular presenter of BBC Saturday Kitchen and a winner of multiple culinary awards. His brainchild, Purnell’s, received a Michelin star in January 2009.

Price: The tasting menu is £120.00

Set in a stunning Victorian redbrick building in the historic district of Birmingham, Purnell’s is a Michelin-starred restaurant that invites diners on a sensational gourmet adventure. Its dining areas feature warm colors, a remarkable wall covering, and a lot of light coming from huge windows on both sides of the venue. The restaurant offers an array of menus, including lunch, evening, and tasting options. You should definitely try the chef’s signature dishes, namely Haddock and eggs with cumin and coriander, barbecued Scottish langoustine, and local Meriden farm lamb. Among other tasty options are Gigha halibut, squab pigeon, Beauvale blue cheese tart, and beef daube.

The Chef: Born and brought up in Birmingham, Aktar Islam owns several restaurants in the city, including Opheem that won a Michelin star in October 2019. He is a holder of numerous awards, among which are 'Best Local Restaurant' on the Gordon Ramsay's cookery show and Birmingham Young Professional of the Year.

Price: The tasting menu is £95 – £115

If you’re looking for a place to taste delicious award-winning Indian food in Birmingham, seek no more, you have found it! Opheem serves British cuisine with a strong Indian flare. Renown chef Aktar Islam uses contemporary techniques, fresh spices, and top-notch seasonal ingredients to create his culinary delights, like roasted mutton saddle, achaari pink fir potato, Orkney scallop, Cornish cod with curried brown shrimp, and tandoori carrot with lentil pakora and tomato chutney. When it comes to the interior, the place is simply gorgeous with its rich leathers and fabrics, brushed brass, matt opal glass, and incredible decorative light installations.

The Chef: Brad Carter is a self-taught chef, who started his career as a kitchen porter in a local pub. After some time, he began to cook and learned innovative culinary techniques while working abroad at several gourmet restaurants in Marseille, France, and Menorca. In 2010, Brad opened Carters of Moseley in Birmingham with his partner, Holly Jackson, and in 2015 the restaurant gained its Michelin Star.

Price: Lunch menu is £65 – £95
Dinner menu is £95 – £115

Carters of Moseley's menus are focused on seasonality and sustainable sourcing, with extra attention to wild flora and fauna endemic to the local areas. Passionate chef Brad Carter crafts each dish with precision, aiming to take guests on a ‘culinary adventure’. You can pick the lunch or dinner menus and additionally ask for vegetarian options. Among the tempting dishes offered at Carters of Moseley you can find monkfish liver with seaweed and mackerel, brown crab royal, BBQ duck, Cornish hake with sea truffle and Exmoor caviar, and Birmingham soup. Rich in dark colors, the elegant dining room in the restaurant features an open kitchen at the back, where guests can see the team of cooks at their work.

The Chef: London-born Andreas Antona worked in different restaurants in Switzerland and Germany and with such big names in the culinary world as Michael Quinn and Anton Mosimann in Britain. In 1993, he opened his first restaurant, which has held a Michelin star since 2004.

Price: The tasting menu is £130

Located in an elegant grade II-listed Georgian villa, Simpsons is a very special spot to taste modern French in Birmingham. The restaurant has a separate lounge area, a lovely garden, and a private dining room with large glass windows. It offers quite a set of menus to its guests, namely lunch, dinner, tasting, plant-based, and children’s options in addition to a thoughtfully curated wine list. The dishes served there include raw bavette tartare, cured Loch Duart salmon, quail with beetroot, chicory, hibiscus and fermented hispi, chawanmushi (smooth savory egg custard) with various mushrooms, and Yorkshire rhubarb. All this incredibly delicious food is beautifully presented on fabulous dishware.

Birmingham is a thriving, bright city with a booming cultural sector, stunning architecture, and a world-class food scene. It is one of the best cities in the UK to find most prestigious restaurants delivering award-winning cuisine from celebrated chefs. What's your impression of Birmingham and its restaurant scene? Please share your culinary experience with other foodies in the comments section below.