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Cafes in and around Birmingham

topsy you are doing a brilliant job of it too..it will make such a difference to the forum as the images do play such an important part..we must not let the blithering idots who tried to bring us down get the satisfaction...

lyn
 
Does anyone recall the Café on the Coventry Road, near Bordesley Bridge ?

It directly faced New Bond Street. The rear of the café was Birmingham smallest park ! This was almost on the corner of Sandy lane near the traffic lights
The Café’s main windows were boarded up and painted brown with just top part of the window showing to let in some light. This had to be boarded due to missiles being thrown with football crowds walking past on their way to and from the Blues ground. This was in the 1960’s and early 1970’s long before metal shutters that we see today.
The café did not have a name , but was often referred to as The little Brown Café.
Long before microwaves, mod cons or cling film , food was bought in fresh everyday and cooked to order. Besides breakfasts, a lunch time roast meat and two veg was also cooked fresh, with various puddings, besides sandwiches to take out in grease proof bags. The bread pudding was delicious.
There were many industries /factories in the area during that time , they used to telephone their orders through. However, I suspect that the outside appearance of the café put many of the general public off. Yet inside was spotlessly clean.
My relative had to leave the café in 1973 due to the widening of the Coventry Road and to make way for the large Island.
 
it might have been a old consul when he went round his cafes to get his rent with Penny, but it was some much better going at weekends.
 
Hi Stitcher great photo of the cafe was this the cafe on the corner of Chesterton St off Rocky lane in Aston. like you i was a driver of hgv's for 56 years.

all the best
 
I used the Last Chance in the mid sixties when I worked nights, during the main holiday season, as a mechanic for Stocklands Coaches. About the nearest local Cafe at 2 in the morning.
 
I used to drive a tipper, seven and a half tonner before I was old enough to drive the big ones and the company I worked for had a lot of work demolishing many parts of Aston and Perry Barr so I was always out and about with hardcore. We also did a lot of 'muck shifting' which was the phrase used for taking away and tipping or delivering topsoil, We were busy with that when Spaghetti Junction was in the very early stages of construction. You will know if you were on the road that one quickley learns where all the good breakfasts are cooked.
 
As an Engineering Apprentice at G.E.C.in the 1960's, I used to do day release and one night a week at Erdington Technical College.
On Wednesday night I used to leave work and pop into a cafe on the corner of Electric Avenue and Westwood Road. I cannot remember the name of the cafe or who owned it but the food was real comfort food. The couple who ran it always had a friendly smile and kind words to say which made you come back the next week. Mike.
 
Mike Bond said:
As an Engineering Apprentice at G.E.C.in the 1960's, I used to do day release and one night a week at Erdington Technical College.
On Wednesday night I used to leave work and pop into a cafe on the corner of Electric Avenue and Westwood Road. I cannot remember the name of the cafe or who owned it but the food was real comfort food. The couple who ran it always had a friendly smile and kind words to say which made you come back the next week. Mike.
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Mike. I know which cafe in question, but I can not remember either. I used to have sandwiches from there when I worked down electric avenue in 1969. I was a trainee welder making tables & chairs for schools just after leaving school.
 
Does anyone have any memories of cafes run by Lil and Chris Livesey in Warwick Road, Tyseley next to the Klaxton Factory, or in the meat market in Jamaica Row?
 
Carl Chinn's article in the Evening Mail on 27/4/1996 offers memories of cafes in and around Birmingham from people who used them, including the Minerva in Digbeth, Mearn's Coffee House Thimblemill Lane, Collin's Coffee House Bordesley Street, Adelaide Street Coffee shop and Hubbard's Sherlock Street coffee house
Screenshot_20230225_153424_Chrome.jpg
(Photo of the Mikado below was spread over two pages).The Mikado on Martineau Street became a civic restaurant in 1951.
Screenshot_20230225_153226_Chrome.jpg
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Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
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Other cafes and coffee houses mentioned in Carl's article include Jelf's of Aston, Dot's on Newtown Row, Tillotson's of Gerrard Street, Georgie Silk in Nechells (a bookies too!), Joe Wheelers (also a bookies) on a corner of Frankfort Street and Alf Wragg on Sumner Lane. These must have been colourful additions to many local Birmingham communities. Viv.
Screenshot_20230225_153226_Chrome.jpg
Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
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Vivienne14 said:
Carl Chinn's article in the Evening Mail on 27/4/1996 offers memories of cafes in and around Birmingham from people who used them, including the Minerva in Digbeth, Mearn's Coffee House Thimblemill Lane, Collin's Coffee House Bordesley Street, Adelaide Street Coffee shop and Hubbard's Sherlock Street coffee house
View attachment 179273
(Photo of the Mikado below was spread over two pages).The Mikado on Martineau Street became a civic restaurant in 1951.
View attachment 179274
View attachment 179272
Source: British Newspaper Archive
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I remember the Minerva cafe in Digbeth, the staff would slice the bread with a long bread knife, you could see the slicer in the bay window of the cafe, very very good bacon and tomatoes sandwich
 
The cafes I recall from my youth were :
Jack’s Cafe on the Coventry Road Hay Mills
Mays Cafe on the Ladypool Road Spakhill
The cafe on Kings Road by the old CWS bike factory cantor remember the name
 
Great that people are remembering their local caffs, as many might never get a mention unless they happen to pop up on photos. Thanks.

Viv.
 
Covroad said:
The cafes I recall from my youth were :
Jack’s Cafe on the Coventry Road Hay Mills
Mays Cafe on the Ladypool Road Spakhill
The cafe on Kings Road by the old CWS bike factory cantor remember the name
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Hello
I can recall the cafe in Blythewood road/ Wharfdale road junction( of the King road )Tysely early sixties I’m sure this was by the bike factory and smiths crisp factory would this be the one it was run by a chap and his wife sorry can’t recall name but can recall ordering sos sandwich with a tomato dip!! And using the pinball machine (6d a go)
Peter
 
I worked in Digbeth in the late 60s in an office block by the lights opposite the cop shop.I used to go with a pal from work to a cafe about 100 yards away down the Coventry Road.The cafe was run by a man named John and his brother whose name we never knew.This John was the epitome of surliness.No danger of a Good Morning or How are You.He greeted us with his permanent scowl and a "YESSS ?"We asked for our usual sausage and tomato sandwich."SEEAAKIDATTHEBACK "he snarled.We duly obeyed,went to see "Our Kid ",who was also not known for effusive jockularity and placed the order.Why on earth did we even set foot in the place you may ask.I'll tell you why.Those sos and toms were fantastic !! So we went back time after time.I still think the sosantom is the best sarnie you can have.
Tojo
 
Vivienne14 said:
Anyone remember this one on Dawlish Road - when it was a cafe ? Used to be 'Mick's Cafe'. Often used by Birmingham Uni students around 1970s/80s. Viv.
View attachment 179279
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Yes Viv, I used to go there in the mid-1970s .... the huge Mixed/Mick's Grill was legendary. There used to be an annual pub crawl race around Selly Oak for students competing in pairs .... drinking in 10 (I think) pubs and finishing with a Grill in Mick's Cafe. Not a pretty sight!
 
waverlee said:
I worked in Digbeth in the late 60s in an office block by the lights opposite the cop shop.I used to go with a pal from work to a cafe about 100 yards away down the Coventry Road.The cafe was run by a man named John and his brother whose name we never knew.This John was the epitome of surliness.No danger of a Good Morning or How are You.He greeted us with his permanent scowl and a "YESSS ?"We asked for our usual sausage and tomato sandwich."SEEAAKIDATTHEBACK "he snarled.We duly obeyed,went to see "Our Kid ",who was also not known for effusive jockularity and placed the order.Why on earth did we even set foot in the place you may ask.I'll tell you why.Those sos and toms were fantastic !! So we went back time after time.I still think the sosantom is the best sarnie you can have.
Tojo
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Ha ha.....if its the same place it was just before Oxford St on Digbeth......must be same place next door to the newsagaent.I worked in Oxford St and had to run the errands for workers in the printers......yes 2 brothers ...one used to cut the loaves of bread with an ultra sharp knife and the other would do the fillings etc and serve the customers. AS you say the Sos and Toms were brill.I also have the Corn Dog and Tom as well. Around 1979 we were picketing the printers after being locked out and around 5.30 the one brother who served people came down and asked if we knew where a certain car was as he had forgotten where he had parked it that morning......last time I saw him.
ON a different topic did you work in the building on the corner of the lights...think it was red and white......it was another place I had to visit as it was the supplier of certain inks we used.....
 
waverlee said:
I worked in Digbeth in the late 60s in an office block by the lights opposite the cop shop.I used to go with a pal from work to a cafe about 100 yards away down the Coventry Road.The cafe was run by a man named John and his brother whose name we never knew.This John was the epitome of surliness.No danger of a Good Morning or How are You.He greeted us with his permanent scowl and a "YESSS ?"We asked for our usual sausage and tomato sandwich."SEEAAKIDATTHEBACK "he snarled.We duly obeyed,went to see "Our Kid ",who was also not known for effusive jockularity and placed the order.Why on earth did we even set foot in the place you may ask.I'll tell you why.Those sos and toms were fantastic !! So we went back time after time.I still think the sosantom is the best sarnie you can have.
Tojo
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I remember that place, between the traffic lights and the cold storage place. Two bothers who didn't get on or speak to each other, one in the front part of the cafe cooked bacon and tomatoes (the latter in a saucepan that by it's look hadn't been cleaned out since before the war) and the other in the back who did the sausages and baked beans. Seating was old high back church pews facing each other eith tables between. No way would the place pass todays health checks, but the taste of the sandwiches was legendary. It was a favourite breakfast sarnie supplier for staff at Midland Red's Digbeth garage & coach station, where I worked from the mid 70's.for about 3 decades. There was also an Indian restaurant, the Manzil, which one should never use until at least a half dozen pints of beer had been consumed at the Midland Red social club, a bit closed to the cold store.
 
There was a cafe on the corner of Preston Rd Coventry Rd in the 70s
i was working at Yardley Ex Service Mans Club
i used to go to get the sarnies for the guys on the site about 20 plus every day
a big order i used to get a free Breakfast while i waited
Any of you Folks recall this cafe ?
 
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