Michelin star restaurants in Birmingham: a guide to fine dining in the second city

Have you come looking for Michelin star restaurants in Birmingham? You're in luck, as the UK's second city currently boasts a handful of Michelin-starred restaurants, and lots more that are listed within the guide.

When the annual Michelin Guide announcement rolls around, inevitably, the headlines go to London. There’s no denying London’s gastronomic credentials - it’s a sprawling multicultural metropolis that is definitively one of the great food cities in the world, but look beyond the surface and you’ll see lots of UK cities thriving in London’s considerable shadow.

One of those cities is Birmingham. We all know about the Balti Triangle and the curry mile, but Birmingham is so much more than a good curry on a Friday night - in fact, if you’re counting the number of Michelin-starred restaurants in UK cities, Birmingham comes in second, ahead of the likes of Edinburgh and Bristol.

It’s not just about the numbers, but also the quality and heritage. Simpsons restaurant is arguably the bedrock of Birmingham’s fine dining scene, and the Edgbaston restaurant still holds the Michelin star it received way back in 1999. The city has changed a lot since then, giving birth to a host of brilliant restaurants, both in the city centre and in other areas like Digbeth, Moseley, Harborne and Solihull. Whilst the city’s fine dining scene is still predominantly modern European, Aktar Islam’s Opheem has been roundly celebrated as the only Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in the UK outside of London, and one of just a couple of two Michelin-starred Indian restaurants in the whole of the UK - a must visit for anyone passionate about Indian cooking. 

The future looks bright too, with a host of restaurants knocking on the door of Michelin stars and other awards. In 2024, Hampton-in-Arden restaurant Grace & Savour and Opheem both ranked in the top 20 of SquareMeal’s Top 100 UK Restaurants, with The Wilderness, Tropea and Harborne Kitchen also featuring in the list.

Michelin star restaurants in Birmingham

So, are you ready for a unique culinary experience? Scroll down to read more about Birmingham’s Michelin star restaurants and remember, you can click through to the restaurant page for more info and booking details.

Opheem

What: Opheem rocketed into the Michelin Guide when it first opened, and in 2024 it became Birmingham's first two Michelin-starred restaurant for some time. Aktar Islam has been well regarded in the West Midlands for well over a decade now - Opheem was his long-awaited solo restaurant and the results have been off-the-charts fantastic, holding down a high spot in our Top 100 UK Restaurants list, as well as a SquareMeal gold award and countless other honours.
Where: 48 Summer Row, B3 1JJ
Book now: Opheem

Adam’s

What: Another of Birmingham’s Michelin-starred mainstays, Adam’s’ striking white checkerboard flooring and art deco styling has made it a popular hangout. The cooking is smart and technically-assured, built on classical foundations but with creative, contemporary overtones.
Where: 16 Waterloo Street, B2 5UG
Book now: Adam’s

Purnell’s

What: Purnell’s was once the young upstart in Birmingham (scooping SquareMeal’s Restaurant of the Year award in 2012 in fact), but these days Glynn Purnell is one of the Midlands’ most recognisable chefs. Glynn’s flagship restaurant has evolved to become one of Birmingham’s very best, embracing Brummie culture and combining it with sophisticated, delicious dishes
Where: 55 Cornwall Street, B3 2DH
Book now: Purnell’s

Simpsons

What: The grande dame of Birmingham’s fine dining scene, countless Brummie chefs have cut their teeth in the Simpsons kitchens before going onto great things. Things have changed a lot in the 25 years that Simpsons has been top of Birmingham’s fine dining pyramid - these days the restaurant is home to some smart international cooking, albeit with a very classic vibe. Don’t miss the signature souffles.
Where: 20 Highfield Road, B15 3DU
Book now: Simpsons

Grace & Savour

What: Birmingham's latest star is not strictly in Birmingham (though Michelin themselves count it as a Birmingham restaurant, so we're going with it). Grace & Savour scooped our Best Restaurant in the UK prize in 2023 and promptly followed suit with a debut star. Chef David Taylor comes fresh from a stint at Oslo's peerless three Michelin-starred Maaemo, so it's no surprise his cooked here is absolutely spectacular. The Grace & Savour team grow a huge amount of their own vegetables in a walled garden outside the restaurant, and the rest is sourced from organic and biodynamic producers in a nearby radius, before David and team work their magic across a 15 course tasting menu.
Where: Hampton Manor, Shadowbrook Lane, B92 0EN
Book now: Grace & Savour

Keep exploring all the great food the Midlands has to offer with our definitive list of the best restaurants in Birmingham.