Restaurants In Birmingham 1960s

[Lloyd]

Rum Runner, Broad St.

 

[CaroleC]

thank you Northfield, I went nearly every weekend but for the life of me I couldn't remember where it was, I know the Opposite Lock was in Gas Street, I went up to Broad Street last weekend and completly lost my bearings.

 

[Old Boy]

I had my 21st Birthday Party there, that's 54 years ago!!!!! That's when it was La Reserve, it was pretty up market in those days, it has changed hands and names many times over the years. Do not know what it is like now.

Hi Katie,

It is now a Miller and Baker pub. I have been there once and twice. It was not bad but no better than most pubs in the Sutton area.

Old Boy

 

[Old & Grey]

Although I don't remember myself I have been told this was Birmingham's oldest Indian Restauraunt on the corner of Stafford Street and Coleshill Street.

 

[Old & Grey]

I used to go in there for a meal as I worked just along the street, it was the oldest Indian Restaurant in Brum. The Shah Baaa was not as old and I can't say the food was good. Went there one evening with a friend and we noticed mouse droppings and looked up to see mice wandering around in the ceiling lights.

 

[Old & Grey]

I cannot remember the street the name was I think the taj mahl or the Marharaja, it had a rather large indian gentelman wearing robes and a turban outside the door I was told by my dad not eat there as the meat was suspect? it would have been 59 or 60 time. anyone else remember?.

It was the Rajdoot at the top end of Albert Street on the left.

 

[A Sparks]

It was the Taj Mahal at the top end of Albert Street on the left.

I remember the Indian restaurant in Albert Street - I'm fairly sure it was called the Rajdoot.
I went in a with work colleagues a few times for the lunch time special price menu - it was a fabulous place, as Paul Stacey says, there was a man dressed in traditional clothes on the door.
The food was excellent and you always got a lovely scented hot towel to wipe your hands at the end of the meal - very posh!

I just put the name in Google and it looks like they are in George Street in the Jewellery Quarter now.
www.rajdootbirmingham.co.uk

 

[Lady Penelope]

Can anyone remember the name of the little Italian restaurant which was in either Needless Alley or Cannon Street? I used to go there with friends before we went up to the Rum Runner.
I wonder what the RR looked like in the daylight, if daylight ever reached it? Does anyone know where the club actually was? I can remember the entrance but it must have been a long way back from Broad Street.
I don't think H & S would allow these places today, down a long 'tunnel' to get in or up steep stairs like at the Cedar Club or Elbow Room.

 

[Old & Grey]

Can anyone remember the name of the little Italian restaurant which was in either Needless Alley or Cannon Street? I used to go there with friends before we went up to the Rum Runner.
I wonder what the RR looked like in the daylight, if daylight ever reached it? Does anyone know where the club actually was? I can remember the entrance but it must have been a long way back from Broad Street.
I don't think H & S would allow these places today, down a long 'tunnel' to get in or up steep stairs like at the Cedar Club or Elbow Room.

It was down an alley on the left-hand side of Broad Street, all most opposite the Towrope Cafe. It was used as a setting for the made for TV series Gangsters.

 

[Old & Grey]

I used to love going to the Burlington Restaurant under the Midland Bank in the Burlington Arcade. You went downstairs and it opened up into a bar and then you went into a long room with a balcony to the right. It was silver service and you sat in the bar until your table was ready. They took your order at the bar and as soon as you got to your table the first course arrived. The service was always outstanding and so was the food.

 

[Lady Penelope]

Old & Grey, I remember going to the Tow Rope cafe after the Rum Runner. What I meant was that I remembered the entrance but where did you actually end up at the bottom of the long corridor? Or was the corridor as I long as I thought it was after tottering down it in my finery. I was thinking about what the club had been previously.

 

[Big Gee]

Old & Grey, I also liked The Burlington, probably because I never had to pay on the (very) few occasions I went there. It was the favourite of a boss of mine who used to use his expense-account to its fullest extent, and we always left the place very replete and slightly unsteady. My dad took us there once just after he returned from foreign climes and was (unusually) loaded. I do remember on that occasion the waiter was very helpful regarding choice of wine, as it was fairly obvious my old man had turned pale when he saw the prices. Anyone know when it closed?

G

 

[Brookfields Lad]

Can any of you more mature people out there :lol: remember the name of any restaurants in Brum during the 60s , any type of food English, Chinese Indian etc many thanks Pam.

Here's a list from the late fifties, so some may have survived into the sixties.

Australian Bar.......................................................Hurst st
Avon.......................................................................New st
Barrows..................................................................Corporation st
Birmingham Dairy..................................................City arcade, New st, Great western arcade, Temple row.
Bodega.....................................................................High st
Burlington................................................................New st
Café Royal................................................................Union st
Cherry Orchard café...............................................Cannon st
Civic.......................................................................Cambridge st
Court.....................................................................Corporation st
Crown......................................................................Corporation st
Exchange...............................................................Stephenson st
Grahams................................................................Needless alley
Granville Inn...........................................................Broad st

More to follow.

 

[Phil]

LadyP,

Although I remember a good few restaurants and Cafe's in needless Alley and Cannon Street I cannot remember any one that was overtly Italian. What years are we talking about and I might be able to look it up?

Big Gee

I also used the Burlington in the 60's until it visibly began to deteriorate or perhaps it was just me changing, but I understood it remained open until at least the mid 70's. I'm sure that the Burlington was one of the last eateries in Birmingham to flambé Steak Diane (amongst other things) at the tableside. I understand the premises are still used today under the new name of the Bacchus Bar,

 

[Big Gee]

Phil,

Steak Diane.....that's really retro, and most definitely of the Fifties and Sixties. I only ate it once, and that was at a little restaurant in York (once again, I wasn't paying...). Tournedos Rossini is another steak dish that you don't see any more, one of my favourites.

Bob's list mentions Graham's in Needless Alley - at Christmas 1965 I took my first 'serious' girlfriend to lunch there....I'd forgotten all about the restaurant, but sadly not about her. What do they say about 'first love'....?

G

 

[Old & Grey]

Old & Grey, I also liked The Burlington, probably because I never had to pay on the (very) few occasions I went there. It was the favourite of a boss of mine who used to use his expense-account to its fullest extent, and we always left the place very replete and slightly unsteady. My dad took us there once just after he returned from foreign climes and was (unusually) loaded. I do remember on that occasion the waiter was very helpful regarding choice of wine, as it was fairly obvious my old man had turned pale when he saw the prices. Anyone know when it closed?

G

Sorry, I can't help you there, but on a Tuesday I used to go to a wine bar in Needless Alley have a few glasses of wine, then on to The Burlington for a meal with a G&T to start, then a bottle of wine and to finish a brandy. The up to Snobs to dance the night away drinking Vodka, Tia Maria and Lemonade. To this day I have no idea why I never got alcohol poisoning I really did down a lot of booze. I always remember Erskin T the DJ he used to work in a lot of clubs around Brum and in The Diskery in Bromsgrove Street, he used to recommend some really great import music to me. I spent a small fortune on them, but they were well worth it. Sadly Erskin died a few years ago. A man of many talents

 

[Lady Penelope]

Phil, I will have to speak to 'the girls' to see if my memory has once again gone astray.... I remember the waiter used to mix the dressing for us and we had a carafe of rose before heading for the Rum Runner. It would've been in the mid 60's.

Old & Grey, I'm amazed at the variety of alcohol you were able to get through. I'd have a glass of wine and then go on to halves of Woodpecker cider - none of the wonderful ones on offer now.

I never had steak Diane but did try Tournedos Rossini.

 

[castalla]

Sorry if this has been mentioned before, (sorry in advance about spelling) 1960´s ¨Cunsuls¨ Martineau Square,you went down stairs to it. Restaurant on the right with waiting staff, to expensive for my family to pay for, so we went into the left hand side, great Toasted ¨T¨cakes, running in Butter

 

[Old & Grey]

Something else that has come to mind that I still look back and think of as funny and a slap in the face for those involved. A friend of mine and I went into a Chinese restaurant in Needless Alley for a meal. My friend was from Hong Kong, his father was from the UK and his mother was from Hong Kong and he was born and raised there. He had come to this country to further his education, he spoke fluent Chinese as you would expect from someone raised in Hong Kong.

We went in and sat down the staff we sitting at the back of the restaurant and seemed to take ages to come and take our order, Eventually one came up to us and my friend asked if I would order our meal, he told me to make it a large meal, really expensive.
As we sat there I started to chat to my friend, he asked to be quite as he was listening to what the staff were saying. I asked when they had stopped what was being said? He said that they were abusing him in Chinese, calling him all sorts of names and saying things like his mother was probably raped by a white bloke, he was scum, filth like him didn't deserve to eat there etc.

The large first course arrived and he asked me to get them to get the second course out, which I did. We didn't touch the food and when the waiter came back and asked us what was wrong with the food? My friend looked at me and said shall I tell him? I nodded and he let rip in Chinese, I didn't understand a word he said, but the waiter seemed to go pale and step back. Then he went to the rear of the restaurant and through the door.

My friend said he told the waiter that he understood everything they had all been saying and demanded to see the manager. Who soon turned up looking really embarrassed. My friend tore into him and said that he didn't like being called a bastard who was the result of a rape and he would make sure his family in Hong Kong found out about this.

His family were, how can I say it, well off with contacts in high places. By now my friend had switched to English and the manager started to apologise, he got very agitated and said the meal was free and asked how he could make it up to us?

The answer was, not at all we turned around and left after my friends parting shot in Chinese, he wouldn't tell me what he said but the manager had that brown trouser look on his face.
My friend was steaming when we left and was cursing and swearing in Chinese as we walked down the street, as you can guess we never went near the place again.

Tripadvisor would have loved it.

 

[Old & Grey]

Phil, I will have to speak to 'the girls' to see if my memory has once again gone astray.... I remember the waiter used to mix the dressing for us and we had a carafe of rose before heading for the Rum Runner. It would've been in the mid 60's.

Old & Grey, I'm amazed at the variety of alcohol you were able to get through. I'd have a glass of wine and then go on to halves of Woodpecker cider - none of the wonderful ones on offer now.

I never had steak Diane but did try Tournedos Rossini.

Looking back at it now I'm amazed I survived

 

[Old & Grey]

Phil, I will have to speak to 'the girls' to see if my memory has once again gone astray.... I remember the waiter used to mix the dressing for us and we had a carafe of rose before heading for the Rum Runner. It would've been in the mid 60's.

Old & Grey, I'm amazed at the variety of alcohol you were able to get through. I'd have a glass of wine and then go on to halves of Woodpecker cider - none of the wonderful ones on offer now.

I never had steak Diane but did try Tournedos Rossini.

I used to cook both of them as a chef in Bristol in a French restaurant, beating the steak flat for a Steak Diane always gave me a feeling of satisfaction. I also made the pate for the Tournedos Rossini it was my own recipe and people used to ask me what it was, let's just say that a load of butter, chicken livers, lambs liver and a few other ingredients went into it. I keep meaning to make some but my health is not what it used to be.

 

[Lady Penelope]

O & G - Your post about your Chinese friend reminded me that we have an Indian friend who will not eat in some Indian restaurants due to the same sort of problems. Dreadful.

We went veggie quite a few years ago due to the dog. I went to the butchers and tied the dog up outside. In I went to buy a leg of lamb for Sunday lunch. When I came out I realised that the joint was the same as the dog's back leg and couldn't touch it. I have to say that I do still miss my Sunday lunches. Nut roasts just aren't the same!

 

[Old & Grey]

Dogs and food, we had a German Shepperd that we left in the back of our estate car. She had water and the window was open so we thought she would be fine. When we came back she was sitting in the driver's seat looking really pleased with herself. On the floor in front of the back seat was what remained of 10 pounds of steak, in fact, it was just the bag. She had chewed her way through the dog guard and part of the back seat helped herself to the steak and settled down to wait for us. Needless to say, she didn't need feeding that evening.

 

[Lady Penelope]

Sounds about right, Kvin got through a chocolate gateau and an apple pie in a matter of moments. His most notorious episode was when he pinched 4 frozen burgers from a frying pan while they were cooking. He spent the evening lying on his back groaning. I seem to have strayed so I'd better get back to the topic or I shall be in for it!

Have we had a query about the restaurant over the road from Snow Hill station. I think it became the Fillibuster but what was it before? Or have I got it the wrong way round?

I do remember going out on a date in the very early 60's not knowing that people went out to eat. I was still at school and we only ate in restaurants on holiday. It was a nice place but when he asked me what I'd like to eat I replied 'nothing - I've had my tea thanks'. Surprisingly it didn't put him off.

 

[Old & Grey]

Sounds about right, Kvin got through a chocolate gateau and an apple pie in a matter of moments. His most notorious episode was when he pinched 4 frozen burgers from a frying pan while they were cooking. He spent the evening lying on his back groaning. I seem to have strayed so I'd better get back to the topic or I shall be in for it!

Have we had a query about the restaurant over the road from Snow Hill station. I think it became the Fillibuster but what was it before? Or have I got it the wrong way round?

I do remember going out on a date in the very early 60's not knowing that people went out to eat. I was still at school and we only ate in restaurants on holiday. It was a nice place but when he asked me what I'd like to eat I replied 'nothing - I've had my tea thanks'. Surprisingly it didn't put him off.

It wasn't the Kardomah was it?

 

[maypolebaz]

I remember, in the 60s, there was a restaurant down the side of Snow Hill station. It was The Place to go, they did a steak on a wooden board. The eatery was called "Fanny's", such places didn't last long in those affluent times.

 

[Lady Penelope]

maypolebaz, that's the one! Fanny's - I seem to remember it had a sort of music hall atmosphere.

Old & Grey, I remember the Kardomah well. Used to go downstairs to have coffee and a fag. It was a really nice place.

 

[Phil]

I'm not a fan of this idea of serving meals on meals on bits of wood, pieces of slate, garden spades and so forth. I can't see that it can possibly be hygienic, how can these surfaces be kept as clean as ordinary plates?

 

[Maria Magenta]

I often used to go into the Kardomah, Lady P. It was near Rackham's, I think?
In the 1980s, cappuccino seemed really exotic!

 

[Lady Penelope]

It was on Colmore Row I think Maria Magenta, I can't remember whether it was actually part of the Gt Western Arcade or was a little further up - couldn't have been much further if that's where it was as the churchyard is there. So not far from Rackhams. Talking of Rackhams, they had a nice restaurant on the 6th Floor, something to do with Lilac, was it Lilac Tree. I remember the Orange Room too at Kean & Scotts (or was it Keen?) opposite Lewis's, was the Cabin there later?