Metro Bar & Grill

its been two years since visiting Metro Bar & Grill in Birmingham due to a working stint in London and as it was one of favourite places in the city I was full of trepidation for what might have happened in the light of lots of new bars & eateries opening over the last couple of years ( not to mention the review on this site that suggested a demise!)

No need to worry! - the place looks slightly older but still in great shape for its 10 year + age. The bar still had a great chattering buzz with the cities proffessional brigade and they amazingl have staff who smile when you approach them! (something sadly i never experienced in London anywhere!)

we moved into the restaurant for our early pre-theatre dinner and we were delighted to see they have bought back the crisp white table cloths they used to have but stopped using just before we went south. They make a huge difference. The restaurant had 5 other early dining tables and a very nice atmosphere for early evening. Our waitress was very understanding of our need to dine quickly and was very attentive.

Our starters came quickly (crispy duck salad and chilli fried squid) and were very good. I had halibut with piri piri prawns, the fish cooked perfectly, the prawns a touch spicy but worked well with the halibut. My wifes ribeye steak was perfectly cooked but the home made onion rings with it were just superb.

I was delighted the Metro lived up to my old recollections and left feeling its a very safe place to eat where they appear to do simple things well - we were thanked and smiled at again when we left! Simple things but by no means common these days!
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John Christy
Wednesday, July 09, 2008

I have been going to Metro Solihull for some time and decided it was about time I tried their Birmingham branch.

The entrance is quite small on Cornwall Street, but the L shaped bar and restaurant behind is very airy and spacious. Design is modern, I could not believe that it is 10 years old.

The staff were extremely welcoming and after a drink at the bar we headed up to the restaurant, the tables are covered in crisp white tablecloths with sparkling glasses and cutlery and the room very virtually full with a very nice ambience.

For startersI had the chilli fried squid, and my wife the crispy duck salad, both were beautifully presented and tasted delicious, 2 superbly cooked steaks served with crispy chips and a side salad for main course. All washed down with a bottle of Pinot Noir from Burgundy. All for under £75.00 - excellent
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George Cooke
Wednesday, July 09, 2008

I have been dining at Metro for many years, however over the past couple of years there seems to have been a distinct downturn in all areas.

That said,there is nothing like nostalgia, so on Valentine's day to Metro we went. Oh dear. How many decent restaurants have empty tables on 14th February ?

We had mushroom tart to start, one duck, one rotisserie chicken (very greasy) and strawberries for dessert. The food was mediocre, unimaginative, poorly executed and the service poor; the consistent lack of any staff fluent in English is the fundamental problem. How can one have any kind of conversation with waiting staff who don't understand you ? There was little atmosphere and the cost for drinks, one starter, two mains, one pud was just short of £70 ! I wouldn't mind if it was worth it, but we left feeling deflated and as if we had wasted our time and money.

Metro is a great looking place - all glitz and glam, but the food and the service do not live up to the hype. I think the empty tables on Valentines said it all.
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Rebecca Walton-Hayfield
Thursday, February 22, 2007

EXcellent little place in lawyer territory...... the food is much better than it reads. The menu sounds boring but once you have ordered, and the food arrives, it is really good. A little bit expensive but good value for a ``night out''
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Jayasri Dutta
Friday, November 10, 2006