Birmingham

One UK city has four restaurants on SquareMeal’s prestigious top 100 UK restaurants list for 2026, with the rankings celebrating venues outside London

Britain’s top 100 restaurants have been unveiled, with one English city boasting four entries on the coveted list. An array of establishments have secured places on this prestigious ranking, spanning from budget-friendly options to truly extraordinary dining experiences.

The venues have been assessed according to their “performance, value and quality” by SquareMeal. Each establishment featured in the top 100 is deemed worthy of recognition amongst Britain’s premier restaurants.

The SquareMeal panel observed: “It’s no secret that the UK’s restaurant sector is facing formidable challenges. And yet, with each year that passes, hospitality pros continue to invest everything they have into projects for the love of what they do.”

Claiming the crown is Bristol’s Wilsons, which holds one Michelin star. Operated by Mary Wilson and Jan Ostle, the establishment is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, reports the Express.

Runner-up honours went to Manchester’s Skof, with Nottingham’s Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms securing third position. Whilst missing out on the podium places, Birmingham certainly has plenty to celebrate.

The West Midlands metropolis features four establishments on the 2026 rankings, which champion Britain’s finest offerings beyond the capital.

Birmingham’s top four restaurants

Opheem

Address: 65 Summer Row, Birmingham B3 1JJ.

Claiming the number 21 position, Opheem stands as Birmingham’s highest-rated restaurant. The venue is characterised as a “modern, plush eatery” delivering “elevated, modern Indian plates alongside shaken cocktails and wine”. Opheem holds a Michelin star and is operated by Aktar Islam. Their menu evolves with the seasons, being refreshed several times annually. Guests can choose between five or 10 courses based on their preferred dining duration.

The Wilderness

Address: 27 Warstone Ln, Birmingham B18 6JQ.

Discover fine dining at Alex Claridge’s establishment, which secured 51st position on the top 100 rankings. They present “provocative, playful tasting menus” showcasing seasonal produce. The Wilderness guarantees a distinctive culinary journey as the venue occupies a converted factory, “to the soundtrack of rock, punk and heavy metal.” They hold Michelin Guide Recommended status and boast 3 AA Rosettes.

Riverine Rabbit

Address: 1464 Pershore Rd, Stirchley, Birmingham B30 2NT.

Claiming 87th spot nationally is Riverine Rabbit, which originally launched in Cape Town, South Africa. It represents the vision of Ash and her partner Erin, who prioritises building relationships with farmers and sourcing sustainable produce. Ash secured Michelin Young Chef of the Year 2025 and the Rabbit earned Michelin Guide recognition with a Bib Gourmand last year. Riverine Rabbit presents two daily menus, which vary from day to day.

670 Grams

Address: 4 Gibb St, Deritend, Birmingham B9 4AA.

Completing Birmingham’s remarkable selection of eateries on the list is 670 Grams, at number 87. Situated in a former custard factory, the culinary team say they draw inspiration from “the diverse culture that’s within the heart of the country”. 670 Grams serves up a tasting menu that is “globally influenced” and hopes the eatery will be “approachable to everyone”.

The UK’s Top 100 Restaurants (outside London)

1. Wilsons (Bristol)

2. Skof (Manchester)

3. Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms (Nottingham)

4. Vraic (Guensey)

5. L’Enclume (Westmorland and Furness)

6. Grace & Savour (Solihull)

7. The Greyhound Beaconsfield (Buckinghamshire)

8. JÖRO (Sheffield)

9. Pine (Northumberland)

10. Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms (West Lancashire)

11. Ynyshir (Ceredigion)

12. Restaurant 22 (Cambridge)

13. Lyla (City of Edinburgh)

14. Woven by Adam Smith (Windsor and Maidenhead)

15. Upstairs at Landrace (Bath and North East Somerset)

16. Myse (North Yorkshire)

17. Updown Farmhouse (Dover)

18. Osip (Somerset)

19. The Little Chartroom (City of Edinburgh)

20. The Kinneuchar Inn (Fife)

21. Opheem (Birmingham)

22. The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant (Perth and Kinross)

23. The Old Stamp House (Westmorland and Furness)

24. Lark (West Suffolk)

25. Tallow (Tunbridge Wells)

26. The Angel at Hetton (North Yorkshire)

27. Alchemilla Nottingham (Nottingham)

28. Dogstar Edinburgh (City of Edinburgh)

29. Heft (Westmorland and Furness)

30. Argoe Newlyn (Cornwall)

31. Stow (Manchester)

32. Juliet (Stroud)

33. Bavette (Leeds)

34. Paul Ainsworth at No 6 (Cornwall)

35. Hansom (North Yorkshire)

36. Vetch (Liverpool)

37. Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall (North Yorkshire)

38. The Sportsman (Canterbury)

39. The Shed (Swansea)

40. The Parkers Arms (Ribble Valley)

41. Higher Ground (Manchester)

42. Moss (City of Edinburgh)

43. Meadowsweet (North Norfolk)

44. The Pony Chew Valley (Bath and North East Somerset)

45. Dongnae (Bristol)

46. Gorse Cardiff (Cardiff)

47. The Barn at Moor Hall (West Lancashire)

48. Fish Shop Ballater (Aberdeenshire)

49. OTHER (Bristol)

50. Winsome (Manchester)

51. The Wilderness (Birmingham)

52. Restaurant Interlude (Horsham)

53. The Pass at South Lodge (Horsham)

54. Furna (Brighton and Hove)

55. Big Counter (Glasgow City)

56. Roots York (York)

57. The Swine Bistro (Leeds)

58. Seasonality (Windsor and Maidenhead)

59. The Muddlers Club (Belfast)

60. The Abbey Inn Byland (North Yorkshire)

61. The Forest Side (Westmorland and Furness)

62. The Cottage in the Wood (Cumberland)

63. The Greyhound Inn – Pettistree (East Suffolk)

64. Root Bath (Bath and North East Somerset)

65. Upstairs by Tom Shepherd (Lichfield)

66. Forge at Middleton Lodge (North Yorkshire)

67. Maré by Rafael Cagali (Brighton and Hove)

68. Waterman Bistro (Belfast)

69. Gwen (Powys)

70. Bybrook Restaurant at The Manor House (Wiltshire)

71. Wild at Bull Burford (West Oxfordshire)

72. The Black Swan at Oldstead (North Yorkshire)

73. Cedar Tree by Hrishikesh Desai (Cumberland)

74. Long Friday (Newcastle upon Tyne)

75. Aven (Preston)

76. Olive Tree Bath (Bath and North East Somerset)

77. Emilia (Teignbridge)

78. The Jackdaw Conwy (Conwy)

79. Manifest (Liverpool)

80. Shwen Shwen (Sevenoaks)

81. Catch at The Old Fish Market (Dorset)

82. Riverine Rabbit (Birmingham)

83. Amari (Brighton and Hove)

84. Ardfern (City of Edinburgh)

85. The Blue Pelican (Dover)

86. Skosh (York)

87. 670 Grams (Birmingham)

88. The Coach Marlow (Buckinghamshire)

89. Gloriosa (Glasgow City)

90. Cardinal Edinburgh (City of Edinburgh)

91. The Victoria Oxshott (Elmbridge)

92. Briar (Somerset)

93. Bench Sheffield (Sheffield)

94. Henrock at Linthwaite House (Westmorland and Furness)

95. Lapin Restaurant Bristol (Bristol)

96. The Suffolk (East Suffolk)

97. Tharavadu (Leeds)

98. Belzan Liverpool (Liverpool)

99. The Oarsman (Buckinghamshire)

100. Legacy at The Grand, York (York)

Mike Erush is the soccer coach at Cal State Los Angeles. He’s also the coach for Harvard-Westlake, which won its third Mission League title in four years Friday by defeating Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 1-0 on an early goal from sophomore Truman Kim.

The Wolverines (16-1-3, 8-0-1) have received strong play from the Chen brothers, JT, a sophomore, and Ollie, a freshman.

“They have some good chemistry,” said goalkeeper Jackson Friedman, one of the best in the Southland.

The Chens take turns passing the ball to each other and pressuring opponents. Landon Marks leads the team in goals.

Cathedral 2, Bishop Amat 1: The Phantoms (14-2-2, 6-0-1) won the Del Rey League championship. Adrian Rivera and Christopher Guzman each scored goals.

Oak Park 2, Moorpark 1: Ryder Cash and Carson Casella (penalty kick) scored goals for the Eagles.

El Camino Real 2, Chatsworth 0: The Royals are closing in on the No. 1 seed for the City Section Open Division playoffs with a 7-0-1 mark in the West Valley League. Caleb Haynes and Josh Serrano scored goals.

Girls’ soccer

El Camino Real 1, Chatsworth 0: Jacky Alvarado had the goal for the Royals, who face defending City champion Granada Hills on Wednesday.

Boys’ basketball

Oak Park 61, Moorpark 49: It’s another Coastal Canyon League title for coach Aaron Shaw. Beau Prophete finished with 23 points. Oak Park is 7-0 in league.

St. John Bosco 73, Servite 65: The Braves (19-6) claimed the No. 1 seed for next week’s Trinity League tournament. Christian Collins scored 23 points and Gavin Dean-Moss had 13 points.

JSerra 67, Mater Dei 66: The Lions earned the No. 3 seed for the Trinity League tournament.

Santa Margarita 102, Orange Lutheran 81: Kaiden Bailey scored 31 points and Drew Anderson 30 for the Eagles, which have the No. 2 seed for the Trinity League tournament.

Oaks Christian 64, Newbury Park 28: Brady Sullivan and Andrew Logan each scored 13 points for Oaks Christian.

Thousand Oaks 62, Calabasas 50: The Lancers won the Marmonte League game.

San Pedro 54, Carson 45: Bryce Jackson had 18 points for 20-6 San Pedro.

Palisades 75, Fairfax 47: Jack Levey made eight threes to score 24 points for the Dolphins.

Birmingham 68, Chatsworth 47: X’zavion McKay had 19 points and Tekeio Phillips added 18 points for Birmingham.

Los Alamitos 74, Newport Harbor 60: Tyler Lopez led the way with 18 points.

Brentwood 56, Campball Hall 49: The Eagles (24-3) rallied in the fourth quarter to win the Gold Coast League game.

Heritage Christian 72, Valley Christian 34: Freshman Ty Lazenby had 20 points to set up a showdown Saturday in a rivalry game at Village Christian.

Redondo Union 101, Palos Verdes 67: Chace Holley had 21 points and SJ Madison and Devin Wright each had 18 points as Redondo Union moved closer to the Bay League title.

Girls’ basketball

Sierra Canyon 66, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 27: Jerzy Robinson finished with 20 points for Sierra Canyon (23-2).

Oak Park 89, Moorpark 20: The Eagles (17-6, 6-0) continued their march to a Southern Section Open Division playoff spot. Karisma Lewis scored 19 points and Diana Sorrondo had 18 points.

Windward 67, Crossroads 40: Charis Rainey had 22 points and 13 rebounds for Windward.

St. Margaret’s 53, Rosary 49: Freshman Jayden Witten had a 35-point performance for St. Margaret’s.

Oaks Christian 56, Newbury Park 48: Presley Kushner scored 32 points for Oaks Christian.

Despite visiting this city numerous times, I’ve never managed to navigate my way without getting lost – from confusing roads and tram lines to the maze-like train station

With the aid of my phone maps and clear road signs, you’d think I’d be able to comfortably navigate myself around a UK city that I’ve visited countless times. But no matter how many times I drive and walk around Birmingham, I always end up confused and lost, and my recent visit was no different.

As a convenient halfway point to meet my family or friends, and with its Utilita Arena for concerts, I’ve visited the UK’s second-largest city on a number of occasions. I’ve driven into it multiple times, but I’m always left permanently scarred. I mean, have you seen Spaghetti Junction?

I should note that I’m a competent driver and often travel long distances, but driving into Birmingham is no mean feat. I’ve found myself driving back on myself, taking the wrong turning, hitting a dead end, encountering unexpected roadworks, and constantly circling roundabouts – even with the help of Google Maps!

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The worst panic of all came when I was driving through the city a few years ago and found myself, alarmingly, driving down the same road as a tram line. My maps had led me in this direction, so I followed, yet the anxiety set in as I saw the tramlines, expecting the trolly-car to come hurtling up into me.

I continued to follow the road with nowhere else to turn, before I thankfully came back to a normal road. Little did I know that this could happen in some areas of Birmingham, as the West Midlands Metro shares some parts of the street with cars.

West Midlands Metro warns of the potential danger. “Please don’t obstruct the tramway – it sounds obvious, but remember we are on fixed rails and can’t get around you,” it pleads.

“Wherever possible, avoid driving directly on the tracks, particularly at speed, because they can become slippery, especially when wet. Please pay attention to highway regulations and remember that trams have different signalling systems to those of cars and other vehicles – even when we are using the same stretch of road.”

Those caught in restricted areas of tram roads could be fined. But it can be confusing for visitors. One resident shared on Facebook: “There are certain parts of the network where you can’t avoid sharing with the trams, Beeston/Chilwell springs to mind, but there are others.”

Another added: “Depends where in the city. There are places where you can drive in the tracks and places where you can’t, normally places where you can’t, you will get stuck.”

Personally, for me, it’s a route I won’t risk again.

Birmingham is sometimes known as the ‘workshop of the world’, thanks to its historical transformation from a medieval market town into a major ‘motor city’. The city prioritised cars as the future of transport, introducing inner ring roads, flyovers, and interchanges to welcome more people into the area and facilitate easier travel.

Yet for me, I vowed never to drive in the city again. And it’s not just me who has failed to navigate the impressive yet complicated roads of Birmingham, including its residents.

One person shared on Facebook: “A lot of drivers in Birmingham are confused by red lights, give way, traffic priority, roundabouts, timed bus lanes, and lane closures.”

Another shared: “I haven’t driven in Birmingham city centre for years now, it’s been confusing for a long time now not just recently.” A third also confessed: “I don’t ever drive in town. Either I would be heading to Scotland or a dead-end street due to getting lost because of the changes.”

From my driving experiences, it meant my recent trip to Birmingham was by train. I wrongly thought it would be the easier option. I boarded the overcrowded, stuffy but thankfully direct train to Birmingham on a Saturday morning, and was relieved to be dodging the traffic and avoid the fear of navigating the roads. But I still found myself lost.

Birmingham New Street Station is large, stretching out across 12 platforms, yet what confused me was the different zones. While they’re clearly labelled and colour-coded for the different platforms, I still found myself lost and confused with various directions and barriers to navigate. Plus, finding the exit was another ordeal for me.

Locating a toilet at the station was even more complicated. I followed the signs, but still had to go back through a barrier with my train ticket. And meeting people at the station is a challenge in itself, requiring me to go through yet another barrier to reach my family, who were in a completely different area.

I must have spent a good 20 minutes wandering around the station, trying to get my bearings and failing miserably. But to my defence, I’ve only boarded the train to Birmingham on a handful of occasions, and it sure beats the roads and extortionate car parking prices.

Only adding to the complications of visiting Birmingham is navigating the roads and paths on foot. In a bid to find my hotel, I turned to my trusty phone maps and followed the route, but I mistakenly risked a shortcut, only to find a boarded-up path and roadworks – Birmingham really doesn’t like shortcuts.

I also encountered a long-winded route to get to dinner that evening, and then on my way back to the station, I was taken through a pedestrian underpass under a roundabout, which was equally confusing. Perhaps my maps were just as confused as I, or maybe it was simply user error.

Whatever the reason, travelling around Birmingham has left me defeated. While it’s a fantastic city with brilliant transport links and a catalogue of restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, and a vibrant nightlife, I have to build up the momentum with every visit, bracing myself for getting lost in the well-connected yet confusing city.

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