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Cafes in and around Birmingham

I seem to recall a cafe in Lawley street, under bridge just before the traffic lights.the owners then moved to another cafe opposite the Rowton House can anyone remember the name of the couple that owned the cafe?
 
Hhi aninekie
i most certainly do my self i remember the first day it openend we was in there nearly every day on the machine trying to win a five in a line for 2pounds fifty pence for our tanner
i lived across the rd up the spring hill passage by prices the cutley makers and alibones the drapers and yards from the bell pub
those where the days kid , best wishes astonian ,;;
 
Hi all. Anyone remember the Plaza Cafe on the Pershore Road in Stirchley? (now the San Marino Pizza)
Astonian's mention of 5-in-a-line took me straight back there!! Most of the 14-25 year olds would frequent the place in the early 70's because it paid out on the pinballs and stayed open till all hours! I can remember some quite serious card games (3 card brag) going on in there! (quite often finished off in our house,with me doing tea and toast on a saturday morning)
A chap called Tony used to run it and I think his wife's name was Margaret,although we never saw much of her.He had a couple of managers there over the years,but he then moved to the Cotteridge cafe which used to be by the 45/47 bus stop and bus garage.
Mmmmmm this thread has started me reminiscing about my teenage years now....no housework now for the rest of the day!!!!
 
Hi ladylinda
i have worked in and around the selly park and stirchley for years if my memory serves me right this plaza cafe his yards from the old kwik save and yards from the second hand dealer on the corner
and more or less facing the estate agents and a good old fashioned
fruit and veg stall the old couple had been for years on the corner
it was there down fall when kwik save openened up and there business started to dwindle and to add to the misery they put yellow lines down
and as they was an old couple or family business they just compete
but getting back to the plaza it was a dark frame shop front with small windows as i recall i used to go in there afew times a week
he had a couple or two machines in is cafe if i could not beat one i would go on another one day in there i witnessed a scam which
i know does work on the old pin machines in any establishment
i also seen it done in the bamboo cafe and the old tow rope cafe
on broad street and what they used to do was to bore a hole in the
side of the machine and with getting four balls in a line you would prod a short lenght of copper wire into the hole and any odd number ball
which would not be lined up and then the bell would start ringing
when i say the bell i mean the clock would would be so loud in them machines clocking up your five in aline you would call the manager
and there was always a group around the machines the owners would
would not bother coming over and shout okay turn it off
and he would pay you for five in a line
coming to mind i think there was a curtain shop nextdoor
in years gone bye the second hand dealer got prosecuted for charging vat on the goods he sold to people and never even was registered for vat he got a big fine , best wishes astonian ,;;
 
My Mom used to have Mays cafe on the corner of Tillingham St & Ladypool Road,Sparkbrook, she is still with us but is now 91.
I worked in there before I went off to school & also before I went to work in the mornings.
She also did on Friday nights Faggots & Peas, people would come on the bus with their jugs to take them back home, on Thursday nights I used to have to peel pounds of onions & mince the offal, I used to cry but was told to just get on & do it---- happy days but as a result of this I cannot stand Faggots at all.
Any old customers of Moms out there?
I also worked on Xmas Eve at Jack Mills greengrocers all day for a fiver but I was glad of it.
Cheers
Dave Rock
 
hi does anyone remember burns cafe 1676 bristol road south rednal, it was my grandparents transport cafe and used to have all the lorry and car drivers in from the longbridge plant in the early sixties
 
Hi, does anyone recall Joe's cafe on the corner of Witton Road and Trinity Road where the bygone Villa players frequented, they had the back room to themselves?
 
Any Info on the Tow Rope Cafe?? was it on Broad st

Regards Pip
 
Thanks Mate
Great times where had there, go there after Barbs.......
Pip
 
anyone remember les cafe corner of dollman street & alma cresent my mom elsie worked there, in the 60s bacon n tomato dip 3 punce lol dolly camp done the cooking my mom served in there no till just a draw that never shut had to bang it with her hip to shut it, i remember a customer eddie worked for brs lorries used to give me sixspence on a friday while i was waiting for my mom to finish work , the cafe moved to rocky lane when they knocked it down wonder if les is still alive ?????
 
the bamboo cafe on spring hill .did a woman called olive own it .
 
Due to the nature of my work, my main source of sustenance over the years have been cafes. I must have been in hundreds in Birmingham and the Black Country and nowadays I only tend to use the ones where there are toilets.(well, you never know.) Now I have noticed, that over the last 3 or 4 years, especially during the school holidays, there has been a sharp increase in the numbers of young girls with their children using these cafes for breakfast/dinner. I often use to wonder why, then I thought "is it because they are lazy or they cannot cook". I suspect a bit of both. Which if true, it's a sad reflection on society today. Perhaps someone can tell me different.

Terry
 
Aston John said:
Hi, does anyone recall Joe's cafe on the corner of Witton Road and Trinity Road where the bygone Villa players frequented, they had the back room to themselves?
Click to expand...
Do I REMEMBER It!!!!! I used to play cards in the back room with the Villa players. no mane no pack drill, but one stills owes me £200,
 
hi all
anyone remember roses cafe weoley castle,between "barnes hill, and stonehouse road, quite a landmark in its day, also I worked for a few months in 63 as steel fixer on the wates job "the birmingham news" building near steel house lane, before I joined the army, and we used a cafe near by but I don't know the name but did the real brummie dish "fried bread in tomatoes" to die for, and sausage and beans sandwiches.
regards
paul stacey
 
I remember the cafe used by the Villa players after training but I do not think that it was on the corner of Trinity Road/Witton Road. If my memory serves me correct it was the corner of Trinity Road/Nelson Road. I was a police constable at Victoria Road and often had a cup of tea with the Villa lads in the back room.

Can you imagine the present lot (Gareth Barry and Co) using a greasy spoon cafe. Where would they park their BMWs?

Old Boy
 
Does anyone remember a transport cafe called "rylands" (not sure about spelling) on corner of Grosvenor Street/Road and Island Street in Ladywood?

Surnames searching for: Turner, Nicholls
 
hi harley
in answer to your question about sweet olive at the old bambo cafe
yes she did and well she did i lived along the rd from it
and remembered when they first openend it up on spring hill
have a nice day , best wishes astonian ..
 
debs_jj said:
Does anyone remember a transport cafe called "rylands" (not sure about spelling) on corner of Grosvenor Street/Road and Island Street in Ladywood?

Surnames searching for: Turner, Nicholls
Click to expand...
There used to be a Cafe on the corner half way down Ryland st in Ladywood, used to collect the sandwiches for the older Mechanics when i worked at Ryland garage, i could only afford tomatoe dips.
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nickcc101 said:
There used to be a Cafe on the corner half way down Ryland st in Ladywood, used to collect the sandwiches for the older Mechanics when i worked at Ryland garage, i could only afford tomatoe dips.
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Click to expand...

Cool - if its the same one my great grandmother Mary ran it at some time. Not sure of dates. Only thing anyone can tell me about her is that she was a scary lady!!!
 
The only cafe I recall going in as a kid was on the corner of Gerrard St and Alma St, I can't remember its name but chances are it was something like 'Jims Cafe'. My friend from school and I used to go in and have a cup of tea and toast. I think it was just the atmosphere we liked, we were only 9 / 10 and there was always steam and the smell of bacon frying ( no surprises there then LOL ) and we just enjoyed the whole experience, made us feel 'grown up'. Lots of cigarette smoke as well of course, so we did the old passive smoking too !!!
 
does anyone remember the bamboo cafe on spring hill i used to go there
in the sixties and have many happy memories from them days
regards anniekei
 
KUNZLES, corner of Union Street and Corporation Street. I think Sainsbury's are on that site now. My Mom used to take me there as a child, all the waitresses wore black dresses with a starched white apron and little white hat.

The toilets I remember were spotless. There was a lady sitting at a table, and as soon as anyone had used a toilet she would go straight in and wipe the seat. That made such an impression on me I remember that and not what I had to eat -
 
My late mother, Irene Wilson ran the Bluebird cafe on Warwick Rd, Tyseley in the 60s.It was in the line of shops between Knights rd and Acocks Green,a bit further up from where Cousins is now. Margaret.
 
any body reall the route 66 cafe on winson green rd facing the smiths arms pub winson green rd the number 11 bus stopped out side there
best wishes astonian ;;;;
 
Hi Bobs like you i was a lorry driver for 55 years know hundreds of cafes.
i got a small book of hundreds of cafes all over the countryi think the last good cafe i went in was the saucy sausage on the A5 by Milton Keynes
Regards.
Richard.
 
Hi Old boy the name of the owner of the cafe in witton was Ernie and his miss's name was Olive. used to go in there nearly every morning for breakfast.when i worked for Ansells Brewery
 
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