With the exception of two of the city’s theatres, most of the nightlife in Birmingham is centred on the Broad Street area, which includes the International Convention Centre, the National Indoor Arena, the Symphony Hall, the Repertory Theatre and the refurbished Town Hall, not to mention numerous bars and clubs. Not that Birmingham is a ”one street city” when it comes to having a night out. The area between Sparkhill, Moseley and Balsall Heath has a national reputation for a particular style of cuisine along with notable Irish and Chinese quarters too.

Bars and Pubs:
In the city centre if you want an evening out in one of the so called ”drinking palaces”, then head for Broad Street, where as well as the national chains of such pubs and bars you’ll find places like Stoodi Baker’s, which has several rooms ranging from a small and trendy bar to more cavernous rooms complete with dance-floor and professional Go-Go dancers. However, if you step off Broad Street into Brindley Place you enter an area where the pubs and bars have a quieter and more relaxed ambience.

Between Colmore Row and New Street several old banks and commercial premises have been tastefully converted into bars. For example the Old Joint Stock on Temple Row; with balustrades, balconies, chandeliers and the most fantastic front door in the city, gives you the feeling of entering a country club rather than a city bar. Bennetts, on nearby Bennetts Hill, is another former bank turned into a bar. Its plush Regency finish could fool you into thinking you’ve entered a library instead. Both of these bars serve a good selection of beers, lagers and wine as well as some excellent food. With a history dating back to 1821, the Tap and Spile on Gas Street is an old and original pub by the side of the canal. It’s a Free House and serves a good selection of nationally renowned beers and international lagers.

Restaurants:
The so called ”Balti triangle” between Sparkhill, Moseley and Balsall Heath is where you’ll find the best of Birmingham’ famed Balti restaurants. The award winning Al Frash, on Ladypool Road in Sparkbrook, is probably the best known of the Balti Houses. Located on Broad street is Birmingham’s favourite Indian restaurant, Shimla Pinks. It claims to be “…the UKs most stylish place to experience Indian cuisine” if you visit it you’ll probably end up agreeing with them. This is no ordinary Indian restaurant to go for a cheap curry, main course prices rise from 15 GBP to 45 GBP a head. The Mailbox has several stylish bars and restaurants, such as Zizzi which serves mainly Italian food. Prices are very reasonable at around 20 GBP a head for a three course meal, Zizzi also has a good selection of reasonably priced wines.

Near the Arcadian Centre in the Chinese Quarter is the Chung Yin on Wrottesley Street. This is the best Chinese restaurant in the city. It specialises in Cantonese cuisine and produces 70 different varieties of dim sum. Chung Yin is popular and always busy, a main course is priced around the 10 GBP mark. Whilst the above restaurants reflect how multicultural Birmingham is there are plenty of restaurants offering British and French cuisine. In the city centre two of the places to go are the Berlioz Restaurant in Burlington Arcade and Apres on Summer Row. Brindley Place, behind the ICC and NIA, is very popular with diners going to places such as; Cafe Rouge, Le Petit Blanc, Bank and The Locks. If you’re near the Art Gallery, on Chamberlain Square, during the day time a visit to its Edwardian Tea Room is highly recommended. A large and fancily decorated room with cast iron pillars sets the scene for morning coffee, lunch or afternoon tea in the city.

Starting a restaurant is hard work. There are many things you have to decide before starting a restaurant. In fact, size is little guide to how much hassle you are going to have, except in the largest restaurants where things can become very tricky indeed. Before starting your own restaurant business it is worth considering a small list of points. These are things you’ve seen every new restaurant owner struggle with. Never under budget. In our own experience most people starting a restaurant business spend the most money on refurbishment, then they overstaff during the opening period but they don’t spend enough on marketing, management or on a quality menu. This keeps turnover low and customer loyalty low which means business for the restaurant is tough from the start. You need to allocate at least 3% of your projected turnover for marketing. Forget its your own restaurant business and play the hard nosed customer. Ask your self constantly; Why should anyone come to my restaurant? Why would anyone pay these prices. Restaurant businesses need a great location. Before starting a restaurant, or more likely taking over an existing restaurant business, you need to take a guided tour of the location or choice of locations. Your guide should be anyone that knows the area intimately and eats out regularly in restaurants. Analysing this, before you open and looking at the local competition is essential. The restaurant business varies enourmously from site to site. Some sites have huge footfall during the day or during the evening. Some sites are badly positioned or in poor areas, while others attract wealthy clients. Some sites are seasonal while others are a good bet all year round. Starting in the right location can boost your turnover considerably. More than any other factor, your location will affect your cashflow. Keep in mind that the worse the location the more you must spend on marketing and the better your food, ambience and service have to be. Starting a restaurant by saving money and getting a poor location, starting with a cheap offering and spending very little on marketing is a recipe for disaster.