Breakfast in Birmingham and more

Breakfast in Birmingham and more

I don’t know if you figured this yet but ever since my latest trip to the UK i became a fan of English breakfast.

It all started in St Ives but I had some amazing things served in Birmingham and this article will explain exactly where I ate and why I think you should try these places.

It is a mixed review since I will talk about two places, not one and also talk about two more places where I ate in Birmingham.

My main focus will be on the places where I ate breakfast because the other two restaurants are just too commercial.

First we’ll start with this place, Ju Ju’s Cafe.

On the canals of Birmingham, this place is a must if you want to eat a good English breakfast. Sorry, not good. GREAT.

I loved it here.

I visited this place a few days before going to London with work and after I just dropped the car to Hertz at Birmingham airport and boy I’m glad i did.

This place is not exactly central. You have to walk about one kilometer from the Arena but it is well worth it.

I got there on a sweet, warm, October day and just sat outside enjoying the views of the canals while waiting for my meal.

Yes, it did take quite a long time to get the meal but it was packed inside(and inside is big) and also the tables outside were almost all fully booked.

The hour also didn’t help me since I chose one time to visit when usually everybody is out eating on a Sunday.

Now, the menu is great and i needed some time to decide what to take.

I’m not kidding, I just wanted to try at least three things from the menu but in the end settled for a full English breakfast.

It is priced at 10 pounds and for an extra 2.5 pounds i added a side of black pudding.

Many things passed thru my mind while waiting for my breakfast.

As I was sitting there, in the sun, enjoying the great weather i started thinking of my family, my friends and how i missed home.

You see, even though i love travelling, even though i love seeing new places and taking pictures I’m a sucker or my hometown.

Yes, it is crowded, kind of dirty, the traffic just sucks and others but it is home, it is where my family and friends are.

And no matter how much i enjoy a new place, i start feeling homesick after a while.

So all this passed thru my mind while i was reviewing some photos from my trip and waiting for my breakfast.

At this moment I just remembered ordering something else besides the full English breakfast and that is scotch eggs and a bottle of water.

The whole thing took 22.49 pounds out of my pocket which i reckon is expensive but you know, it was just delicious.

I wouldn’t pay that sum everyday but once in a while a treat is needed and Ju Ju’s breakfast is top notch.

I don’t think i need to tell you more about the quality of the food since it is clear by now that i loved it.

I will just let you enjoy this picture while i talk about some other things.

The staff is great. I ordered, we joked, they were very professional while making you comfortable.

I just hate those kind of places where i feel i’m being watched constantly.

I’d rather look for someone if i need a thing than have someone over my back all the time. But that’s just me.

Anyway you like it i am sure you will enjoy the staff here.

Before ending and moving on to the next place on my list I just want to say that Ju Ju’s is a great place, a great option for eating a wonderful breakfast and if you are in Birmingham you should give it a try.

If all the food they make is equal and as tasty as the full English breakfast then we clearly have a big winner on our hands.

Gas street social.

You can find the link here and I think this place is a bit further from the center than Ju Ju’s but trust me, you want to go there.

First of all the place looks great.

If you sit outside or at the windows you still see the canals of Birmingham and that adds an extra bonus point. At least for me.

I was really impressed by how nice it looks inside. I just loved it and unlike most of the times when i just photograph the food, here i took some photos of the place also.

Since I tried a full English breakfast at Ju Ju’s i decided to go for the same thing here also.

I had to think for a while because there were many things on the menu that left my mouth watering but i was focused on that English breakfast so i stuck with it.

And boy, am i glad i did.

It is brilliant. And i know many of you might be wondering, hey… It is just some breakfast. How can it be different or better or who knows how?

And i will let you on a little secret.

It is the same things all over but this is where quality of the ingredients, style of cooking or even spices come in.

It is one thing to eat some ham bought from the supermarket and another thing to taste a ham that was grown locally, aged, seasoned and even had awards for its quality.

In these details the difference is made.

It is one thing to eat some regular sausages and another to eat something made entirely from meat, locally grown from a producer with history behind his name.

A full breakfast, a small espresso and a bottle of water took 15.75 pounds out of my pocket and just with Ju Ju’s i consider that every penny was worth it.

It is really hard for me to name the best English breakfast because I loved the one I had in St Ives but these two places in Birmingham were just amazing.

When it comes to staff i couldn’t be more happier. Wonderful staff, smiling, always there when you need them, nothing to comment about.

I am sure that I will be visiting Birmingham again. Now i don’t know that if I will do it in 2019 or later but one thing i am sure. I will eat in both these places again.

The quality of the food, the way a simple breakfast looked, the views or the arrangement inside all add up to two lovely places that should be on your list if you visit Birmingham.

Now i will spend a bit of time talking about the two other places I ate while in Birmingham but I won’t get into so much details since they are both commercial and i don’t know if I will eat there again when in Birmingham.

This is not due to the quality of the food but rather to the fact that i always try eating special things, different things and big, commercial chains or stores don’t offer that.

Wagamama.

Call me crazy but I never ate at Wagamama before.

Even though I visited the UK a lot and there are quite a few Wagamama restaurants there I never got the chance to try one.

Until Birmingham.

Location is great, central, on the canals so that’s a plus.

Staff is very OK and I don’t have complains here.

The food is actually good. I love ramen, i love miso, i love sushi(don’t know if they have sushi) so this is a place that caters to my needs.

Frankly, if it was back home, I could see myself eating from time to time at Wagamama.

I have nothing bad to say about the place except the fact that when in UK I’m usually in the mood for a different kind of food.

Looking at the picture of the ramen i started thinking maybe i’ll give it another try when in Birmingham.

I chose to eat edamame, steamed buns and ramen and that plus a bottle of water costed me 24.60 pounds.

One small note here. Those little buns were great. Too bad they were little.

So all in all, nothing bad to say about this place but as you saw from my food experiences in St Ives, Polperro or Lizard Point I was looking for something else on this trip.

I only entered here out of curiosity and who knows, maybe I will eat again here some day.

Smokehaus.

Big restaurant across Wagamama and American themed.

Since it was late and didn’t want to spend much time waiting for food i went for a hog father and sweet potato fries.

This costed 14.95 pounds and as usual I think it was way overpriced.

I wasn’t particularly impressed with the burger let alone with the fries.

I ate burgers in many places, both in my country and abroad and frankly I can’t put them in my top 10 or 15.

Wasn’t too impressed with the service either so that’s another minus for me.

When drawing the line i really can’t find a reason why I should give this place another chance while on Birmingham again.

I would rather eat a great pie again at The Malt House, try something new at Ju Ju’s or at Gas Street Social or try something new.

I am pretty sure Birmingham has a few more gems hidden when it comes to eating and I see no reason to eat in a place i didn’t enjoy the first time.

The article is near the end now and by looking at the pictures in it all I can say is ‘boy… I really miss a good English breakfast’.

Until next time,
Take care!