The Edgbaston

Found this place after someone posted photos on Instagram so I took a look at their website. I ended up asking four others to join me in having afternoon tea.
We found they don’t have car parking as the limited spaces are only for residents in the hotel itself so you can park across the road. We found it difficult to pay for parking as you have to do it by phone! Though there was free parking on the road, which we found out after we parked. We directed two other drivers to park on the road.
We had cocktails /​mocktails which looked great! A couple of the girls decided to order the lobster rolls and chips. One didn’t come for ages, and the girls said they were dry, and wished they had the afternoon tea instead!
Afternoon tea looked great, but smaller than I expected after seeing photos. They present the afternoon tea with theatre using dry ice and it’s a lovely atmosphere.
I would recommend the afternoon tea and cocktails! I would love to go again.

I have had this place bookmarked since I moved to England 10 months ago. When I heard about the Festive Afternoon Tea I knew it was time to try it.
We booked in for the last day of the Festive Tea. From the moment I walked in, I was blown away by the sheer beauty of this place. We were seated promptly and each given an explanation of the menu. We each went with the Moseley Serve which is the afternoon tea with all the trimmings plus a fancy cocktail (£32 each). As they were still in the festive spirit, they were offering Christmas cocktails. I had In A Pear Tree which was the sweeter of the two offered, with gin, honey, and pear. It was garnished with two slices of dried pear. Great start to the afternoon.
As many have mentioned, the china used is beautiful and ornate. It accompanies the dining room perfectly. Even the sugar bowl was visually appealing with cute little bird claw tongs. Everything looks very vintage and was in pristine condition.
I was pleasantly surprised at the amuse-​bouche that was brought out prior to our cakes and sandwiches. I’ve never seen anything presented like this at an afternoon tea before. It’s a pretty special presentation. It made me feel like I was dining at a Michelin starred restaurant!
Now for the food. There were 4 types of sandwiches. I can’t remember exactly, but pretty standard sandwiches that you would expect. The cakes, however, were truly exceptional. We were told they were all made in house. They were so pretty I didn’t want to eat them. There were a few flavored meringues, macaroons, a mince pie and a boozy rum tart. Very festive and quite good. This is the first time that I ever had afternoon tea and actually enjoyed ALL THE FOOD! Scones (plain and fruit) were brought out last for us with the cream and jam served in adorable but hard to scrape out jars. We were told to dig in as they were nice and warm. but our scones were not warm at all. None the less they still tasted great.
The only reason I refuse to give this place full on 5 stars is the service. For the price point and atmosphere I expected top notch service. Our hot water ran out in both tea pots and we were never offered a top up although the menu mentions unlimited hot water top ups for tea. Dirty dishes and glasses were not cleared so our small table was over crowded. It also seemed odd that there wasn’t a coat check. Our baggy winter coats were left shuffled next to me on the bench seating. Despite this, everything else was fantastic. They have a fantastic looking cocktail menu. I am hoping they come up with a new seasonal tea soon so I have a reason to try The Edgbaston again!

A beautiful cocktail bar in art deco style, totally reminds me of the sets of movie The Great Gatsby. The opulence and over the top style is really fitting with the building and the area it is in. The cocktails and afternoon teas here are sublime, cocktails can end up being expensive but really quirky. Service is always really good too.
Incredible value for money with what you get with your afternoon tea. I was taken here by a very good friend for a pre-​xmas treat. The Edgbaston has a lovely menu of different flavoured teas.
Before our tiered platter of finger sandwiches and mini cakes arrived, we were presented with an apéritif of elderflower and apple, served in a glass within a bowl of dry ice which then had apple & elderflower juice poured around it to «awaken our smell» senses. Sorry to ruin the surprise! I couldn’t smell it but loved the drama and theatre of all the dry smoke pouring out of the bowl on to our table.
The sandwiches were lovely (they catered for my friends dietary requirements too), the cakes were scrumptious, especially the salted caramel puff was simply delicious, and then we were served scones some with and some without raisons and jam & cream. Quintessentially British in a very trendy setting i’d say. Thoroughly enjoyed it and at £20per person (this was the no alcohol option) I thought it was very good value. I will definitely go back and sample the alcoholic option :)

Staff & food was more than expected. Well recommended for special occasions as well meeting friends.

«A chauffeur in a uniform of robin’s-egg blue crossed my lawn early that Saturday morning with a surprisingly formal note from his employer: the honour would be entirely Gatsby’s, it said, if I would attend his ‘little party’ that night». A Gatsby invitation it may not have been, coming as is usual nowadays via Twitter, but the feeling of pending extravagance was certainly apparent when we were invited to the launch of The Edgbaston’s first full menu. We were to sample the six course taster menu, with matched cocktails.
The Edgbaston is still little known considering it’s been up and running for a while now — I see this not as a failing but as a reflection of its niche clientele who want to keep the byzantine 1920s glory to themselves. Richly shining golds and blacks adorn every surface; coupes, flutes, and highballs are filled with smoking many-​coloured cocktails. From the understated frontage of the beautiful Georgian building to the chandeliers and checkerboard tiles of the entrance hall, the place feels special.
Chef Ryan Swift has recently joined the team which completes the epicurean triumvirate for The Edgbaston — rooms, booze, and now food. I’ll try and summarise their food offering, but like many places nowadays you may need a sliding rule and a spreadsheet.
In their fine dining setting they offer an a la carte menu, bar snacks, or taster menus. For the taster menus there’s a 4 course (£40), or a 6 course (£60) taster menu which can be accompanied with either a cocktail flight (a cocktail with each course, £45 for the 4 course and £55 for the 6 course) or wine flight (£50 for the 4 course and £60 for the 6 course). It’s pitched at about the same price point as other fine dining restaurants in Birmingham. We’re not aware of another restaurant, anywhere, that offers a cocktail flight with food and we weren’t sure whether we’d be sozzled by the end of dinner, nor whether the pairings would work — needless to say, they absolutely did. The cocktail manager, Robert, also ensured that the cocktail flight was within 1 alcoholic unit of the corresponding wine flight, so although you won’t leave sober, you won’t fall unconscious during pudding either.
Down to the nitty gritty, the food! While we waited at the bar we tried feather light earthy beetroot meringue with whipped goats cheese, and also salmon with baked lemon and cucumber pickle on rye bread. Then on to the first of our six courses — Smoked Eel which was served with cubes of apple, apple and lovage purees, and a tube of eel mousse. The eel was delicate and tender, and didn’t have that overly fishy taste that can ruin a meal. I particularly liked the delicate mousse.
Our next course was Foie Gras, a personal favourite. Served with texturally different pain d’epice toasts the buttery foie gras was also accompanied by Yorkshire rhubarb poached, jellied, and pureed. This course was served with a Rhubarb and Raspberry cocktail with Ginger, that cut through the foie gras and lifted it.
We moved on to sweet hand dived scallops that were burnished from the pan. Served with wafer thin slices of cauliflower, and dollops of caviar, and an unusual white chocolate sauce. The cocktail for this plate was a Yuzu liqueur with fennel and lovage. A very pretty plate, and luckily the other half has a shellfish allergy so I got to eat some of his too. I think this was my favourite course of the night.
My favourite drink of the night though was the «Château Edgbaston» cocktail, served in a labelled red wine bottle and looking just like red wine this was a heady mixture of sloe gin, dubonnet and crème de cassis with an oak smoke. It accompanied a filling beef sirloin with white onion and garlic, laid on a flat blanket of strongly flavoured beef.
We then had a pre-​dessert of an «Edible Cocktail». This was a liquid nitrogen frozen block of cocktail. I like theatre in my restaurants and the smoky look of dry ice cocktails and nitrogen frozen food. I’m not sure though that eating nitrogen frozen stuff is for me! I don’t think I get it.
Our final course was Valrhona Chocolate with a Parma violet ice cream and cookie crumb. The Parma violet was just right, and worked well with the deep chocolate flavours, it could’ve been so easy to overdo it. This was matched with a Rubis (chocolate red wine) and espresso and wild berry cocktail.
Certainly a marathon not a sprint of a meal! If you want that luxurious place for a evening of fine food and drink, then this is the place for you. If it’s an extra special occassion splash out on one of their beautiful rooms and make a night of it, serious boyfriend/​girlfriend points to be had!
Thanks to The Edgbaston for a wonderful evening.

We booked here for cocktails before going for a meal and as a non alcoholic the menu was quite short. However what lacked in quantity was made up for in quality. The mock tails were really good. I had aloha wahine and coconut grenade. Both were beautiful. Very rich and full of flavour. Very sweet, so if you want a sugar rush these are the drinks to go for!
Service was ok, I had my drink spilt on me! (quite minor, bless the waiter, he was well sweet though and provided a good service).

The entrance to the hotel is rather secluded. One wouldn’t immediately spot it unless one is looking for it. It’s not obvious that it’s open for business from the outside. Having a similar frontage as many of the neighbouring buildings. It is worth finding it out to head inside though.
The bar is decorated in ornate art deco style. It oozes a lush richness and opulence.
As soon as I entered, the barman was welcoming. Offering me a seat at the bar to peruse the huge cocktail list (or book). Each page is designated to a particular flavour. The barman must have spotted that I was a little overwhelmed by the choice. He asked me a few questions to discover the flavours that I liked and made something bespoke (off the list) just for me. I didn’t realise at first and asked him what it was called, he said to name it after myself. It was truly gorgeous! The best cocktail I’ve ever tasted. I can see why The Edgbaston are already winning awards for their mixologists.
So here is the ‘Durose’ cocktail, as invented by the lovely barman at The Edgbaston 21÷10÷14:
Amaretto (I forget the brand)
Knob Creek Bourbon
Apple Juice
Lemon Juice
Angostura Bitters
Egg white (for the foam layer on top)
It cost £9, which isn’t exactly the cheapest drink in the world. I really want to go back for more and could quite happily sit there drinking for a long time. However I don’t think my landlord would be happy if I couldn’t pay the rent because I spent it all on cocktails.
I would definitely recommend The Edgbaston to anyone. The service is impeccable the décor is gorgeous and the cocktails are to die for. Just make sure you’ve got plenty of cash to spare as it’s not a cheap night out.

Quite often when venues attempt to provide an air of opulence and exclusivity it ends up looking over the top and cheap. Not so at The Edgbaston. Every detail has been carefully thought out and it is every inch the art deco, high class establishment.
Nestled on Highfield Road just up from Simpson’s restaurant it’s whitewashed exterior is much the same as many of the buildings it neighbours. Upon entry (which was a touch difficult due to the lack of signage outside — although that will be rectified shortly) it is like a step back in time. The staff are friendly and attentive and the cocktail menu is almost overwhelming with choice but broken down by spirit to make the daunting task of choosing your drinks a little easier. There’s even a flavour map in the middle to guide your tastebuds.
I began with a heavily peated single malt based cocktail then ventured into their Japanese selection of concoctions. The ‘chrysanthemum and the sword’ was possibly one of the finest things I’ve ever had the pleasure to drink.
As I said the attention to detail makes this place stand out. The drinks aren’t cheap but you wouldn’t session here. If you’re looking for somewhere incredible for a couple of drinks then this is the place for you.

The Edgbaston only opened last week, so it was with glee that I happily accepted an invite to a Saturday afternoon meeting at the venue. I have never visited the sister venture (The Kenilworth), but had heard good things about it and was excited to see what the brand would do in Birmingham.
I was looking forward to a first foray to this luxurious art deco venue. First thing to note is that there is currently no signage on the exterior. According to the owner there will be small brass plaques positioned on the gates outside, but these haven’t been put up as yet. It certainly confused us (and our cab driver), but luckily we bumped into one of the members of staff on the street who helpfully guided us to our destination.
The exterior of the building is quite similar to many of the other properties on Highfield Road. It looks like a well kept, white washed manor house; but that doesn’t really give anything away as to what’s inside. Once we were in, we were given the whistle-​stop tour of two of the cocktail lounges. There are technically three, but we saw the «snug» area and the main bar.
Everything about this place screams high design. From the jet black and gold décor to the high quality furniture and chandeliers, it feels like you’re stepping into a set from «The Great Gatsby». The service was impeccable throughout our visit, but upon entry every single person stopped to smile and greet us. Again, this is a small thing to do but gave the best possible impression for the service at this venue.
Once we were seated and comfortable, our server offered to take our coats and bags and place them behind reception. We were then bought a bottle of fruit infused water and glasses to sup on whilst we were enjoying our cocktails. The cocktail menu is extensive (with a capital «E»). Covering all of the bases (from Rum, Whisky and Gin to Tequila), I started with a classic… The Espresso Martini.
Now, cocktails here aren’t cheap; my first cocktail was £9 (and my second was £12), the focus is all about presentation and quality at this establishment. The Martini was sweet, creamy and looked as good as it tasted. My second choice was slightly more «off the wall», being from the «Japanese inspired» collection. The «Nameless Samurai» was served in a wooden box with a shortbread biscuit and Amaretto soaked cherry on a slate. It contained Whisky, Chambord and a few other ingredients to create something was wasn’t too sweet or too sour, but didn’t taste like any other cocktail I had, had before.
We ended up spending around 2 hours at the venue and between the 4 of us we racked up a bill of £88 (on 8 cocktails). Again, this isn’t a place you would pop out to on a whim for a session, but if you are celebrating an event or fancy a payday treat; it’s highly recommended.