Hands up who puts their social media location as the nearest big city to them? I’m one of those people. No one would ever know where I lived if I told them the exact town name so to say I live in Birmingham is just easier. I live about 30 minutes away from Birmingham and i’m usually always there shopping, going out to eat or having a drink.
If you didn’t know, Birmingham is actually the UK’s 2nd biggest city, following behind from London. The transport links are great with an international airport, a handful of train stations and one hell of a big shopping centre. If you ever do find yourself wanting to visit from further afield then there is a massive selection of hotels in Birmingham all via the hotels.com website! There’s a lot of main attractions like the Sea Life Centre & Lego Discovery Centre at Brindley Place, the Bullring and Selfridges for all your shopping needs and Broad Street, your go to place for bars and clubs. Birmingham really has it all to spend a lovely weekend exploring the city.
When going to a big city like Birmingham it’s easy to stick to what you know and go to the mainstream, chain restaurants like Nandos, Carrlucio’s or even Mcdonalds so before me and my Mom went out we did a bit of research to find some places for food and drink which we’ve never been to before. I was kindly gifted the spending money for this blog post by Hotels.com but of course all views are my own!
PennyBlacks – The Mailbox
PennyBlacks is a bar/pub situated at The Mailbox on the canal side, a short walk away from New Street station. They serve cocktails, wines, ales and delicious food with happy hour where cocktails are 2 for 1! We did book a table but at 12:30pm on a Sunday afternoon it was almost empty. For food, I went with beef, pickle and mustard sliders which was £9.99 for 3 burgers and my Mom went for Mac ‘n’ Cheese which came with a bowl of salad and garlic bread for £10.95. The burgers were really delicious and the Mac ‘n’ Cheese which my Mom let me try was honestly hands down the best Mac ‘n’ Cheese I think i’ve ever tried! For cocktails we both went with a bubblegum daiquiri which was £8.50 for the both as it was 2 for 1. The cocktail even had popping candy in which was an added bonus! It’s one of the food venues on the canal side at The Mailbox and you can continue walking along the canal which is a lovely walk.
Dirty Martini – Bennetts Hill
You can’t not go out for cocktails when in Birmingham with the huge range of places to go. Broad street is probably the better option for cocktails and bars but for just a casual couple of cocktails on a Sunday afternoon, we opted to go to Dirty Martini on Bennetts Hill which is near to pigeon park. The interior is funky and the happy hour includes martinis and selected cocktails for half price. We met up with my brother and his girlfriend and we each had a couple of cocktails. The atmosphere in there was nice and the cocktails tasted so nice. It took them a while to make the cocktails but you can see a lot of love and effort went into making them.
German Market
Every single year Birmingham hosts a German Market which is lovely to walk around the different stalls and even grab yourself a bite to eat. It is a given that you have to visit it when you come to Birmingham around Christmas time! I couldn’t say no to a banana and Nutella crêpe!
What’s your favourite place to visit in Birmingham?
*All opinions are my own and are in no way biased*
Don’t forget my social media;
My nearest city is Liverpool, about a 30 minute drive…I love my city. I’ve never been to Birmingham but your blog is a great endorsement…thank you! 😊
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I’m guilty of always going to the same places in Birmingham but next time I’d love to try Penny Black’s the food looks yummy and great value for money! I love the German Market but I’d have to have garlic bread if I was there it was amazing!
Jess // foundationsandfairytales.wordpress.com
xx
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Such a great idea – I think I’m going to create my very own post about being a tourist in my city.
I live all the way in Cape Town, South Africa.
Thanks for giving me a taste of Birmingham!
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Great post 😁
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Omg your city is so cute!
Brianna | https://briannamarielifestyle.com
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Wahey fellow Brummie. I got so excited at the mention of Nando’s not gonna lie, so glad we have like 3 of them in town lmao x
Al
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Ahh I love Birmingham ngl! I totally get what you mean – it’s so much easier to say that you live in Birmingham because otherwise when people ask where you live, they’re always like “where’s that?” 😂 One of my favourite places in Birmingham has to be Brindleyplace; it almost feels like you’re not in Birmingham. Also, I do love the Library. There are scenic views from the top and you can see right over the West Midlands! Lovely post! Xx
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Those cocktails sound sooo nice! My mums from Birmingham and we went up last weekend to see where she grew up:)
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Aww what a genius post idea! I’m actually really tempted to do one myself ❤ Lovely photos and lovely places xx
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My nearest city is Manchester and I’m lucky that I can literally get a tram and I’m there in 30 mins!! Birmingham sounds like such a lovely city x
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When I’m down visiting my mum I always just say I’m off to Birmingham as its easier than trying to explain where she actually lives is! But shes pretty close in the Black Country. The same as where I live, always the main city as no ones heard of where I live haha!
Heather | x Highland Beauty
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This is such a great idea for a weekend. I’ve never actually been to Birmingham, however my mum wants to take my sister and I soon, so I’m really excited.
Lexie x
http://www.whatlexieloves.com
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I didn’t appreciate how wonderful Birmingham was until a weekend there a couple of months ago. The area around the canals is definitely my favourite part of the city 🙂
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I have never been to Birmingham, but this post has really made me want to go. The Christmas Market looks so cute Xx
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This was such an amazing post! I have never been to birmingham but I definitely want to one day (: all the photos look great and it sounds like you had a great time going to the different places. xx
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Birmingham sounds amazing would love to visit some day! I actually live on the border between Hull and the East Riding so technically I don’t actually live in Hull xx
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Love this!
I was asked to do this but was poorly when I had to go to do.
But I loved your insight to Birmingham showcasing not just the bullring and showcasing something else it has to offer!
Luke | http://www.lukeheywoodstyle.co.uk
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