Fun in Birmingham Chinatown at Chinese Restaurants & Shops

When in Birmingham, I really enjoy visiting the Chinatown area for food and drink. Birmingham has a Chinatown near New Street train station with plenty of Chinese, Korean, and Thai restaurants. There are also good food shops, with plenty of Asian supermarkets and indoor markets in the area too.

The area has many Chinese decorations and signs, making it a unique part of Birmingham. The area also blends in with The Gay Village, an LGBTQ-friendly area with a party vibe.

Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong founded Birmingham Chinatown in the 1950s; however, it wasn’t officially recognised until the 1980s. Since then, it has grown significantly into a wonderful place to visit for Chinese and Asian food. The biggest event is the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Asian Food Shops in Chinatown, Birmingham

The area has an excellent selection of Southeast Asian food shops. These supply ingredients for Chinese, Korean, Thai and other regional cuisines. It’s fun to mooch around and pick up some interesting ingredients. I love to enhance my sauce and spice selection in a variety of these shops.

One of my favourite shops is Day in Chinese Supermarket on Cathay Street, which is always well stocked and has a variety of interesting ingredients. Day in Chinese Supermarket is a good shop to grab some sauces and flavourings to enhance your cooking. They also have staple ingredients for Asian cuisine, including rice, noodles and vegetables.

Vanguard Supermarket

Vanguard is one of many food shops selling Asian cuisine ingredients. They sell a vast range of food products, including staples like rice and noodles. They also sell sauces, spices, and seasonings to enhance your food cupboard.

Day In Oriental Supermarket

Another favourite place to purchase food supplies in the city is Day In Oriental Supermarket. Day In Oriental Supermarket stocks Asian spices and sauces to help make delicious home-cooked food. They also stock staples such as rice and noodles.

Day In Oriental Supermarket also sells fish and meat, including some more unique options. My main reason for shopping at Day In Oriental Supermarket is their Southeast Asian sauces. I usually purchase sauce blends and individual spices here.

Restaurants in Birmingham Chinatown

If you love Southeast Asian cuisine, this is the area to head to for a restaurant that suits your cravings. These are some I’ve enjoyed when visiting and living in the city.

Pepper Chef, a Chinese Restaurant

Pepper Chef on Hurst Street has one of the most interesting menus I have come across. They have a diverse selection of meat choices, from typical to unusual, for example, duck tongues. They describe themselves as a classic Chinese restaurant with an open kitchen. The dining experience here is top-drawer, and the food is absolutely delicious.

During my visit, I enjoyed a scallop starter with great flavours. They served these in shells, and they looked good, too. For my main, I had a spicy beef dish with loads of coriander for extra flavour. They served this with plain rice.

Their drinks menu has both Chinese beer and soft drinks to have with your meal. Pepper Chef also offers delivery on Deliveroo, which I highly recommend.

Ming Moon: Chinese Buffet Restaurant

If you enjoy Chinese buffet restaurants, Ming Moon is the place to visit. Buffets let you try a bit of everything, and this eatery is no different. You can eat as much or as little as you like. I also leave way too full when visiting Ming Moon. The interior is lovely, and the restaurant is in the heart of Chinatown.

Their food is also delicious and a treat. The buffet includes a wide range of Chinese and Pan-Asian food for starters, main courses and desserts. Overall, Ming Moon is a superb choice for a meal out.

Chung Ying Cantonese Restaurant

Chung Ying is one of Birmingham’s longest-established Cantonese restaurants. It has a reputation for top-quality Chinese food. They have won many awards. They serve lunch and dinner. Chung Ying has an extensive menu with plenty of protein and cooking-style options. They are well known for their fantastic dim sum.

China Court Restaurant

Another fantastic place to dine out in Chinatown is China Court Restaurant. China Court Restaurant has a nicely decorated interior and is easy to find. They specialise in dim sum, and it’s delicious. Another thing I’ve enjoyed here is their crispy duck, which is very crispy on the outside and tender inside. If nearby, the shops at China Court are worth a look too.

Happy Lamb Hot Pot

Another unique place to eat out is Happy Lamb Hot Pot, a Mongolian restaurant. Happy Lamb Hot Pot has a lovely interior. I enjoyed a solo lunch here, which was very filling and washed down with a few beers. Happy Lamb Hot Pot is a buffet with a range of fascinating options.

They start by serving you a spicy soup, which you use to cook raw buffet ingredients. They also bring you thinly sliced meats, including pork and beef. The buffet included noodles, raw seafood, and vegetables. After figuring it out, I added the raw ingredients to the spicy soup and served it on my plate once cooked.

Malaysian Delight: A Unique Restaurant

Another excellent restaurant in the area is Malaysian Delight. They showcase some delicious traditional Malaysian food. They have an interesting food menu with some unique dishes. A top pick is their Kapitan Chicken Curry with rice. Malaysian Delight also serves beer and wine to enjoy with your meal out.

Pubs & Bars in Chinatown, Birmingham

The area has pubs and bars, from traditional boozers to more vibrant options in the Gay Village.

The Sly Old Fox

The Sly Old Fox is a pub on Hurst Street in the Chinese Quarter. They are very close to the Hippodrome theatre and the Arcadian. It is one of the city’s older pubs. They have been serving customers since 1891. They have a colourful decor and also stained glass inside.

The Sly Old Fox serves English beers, spirits and food in the main. They are a handy place for pre-theatre drinks and ideal for a quiet pint during the day.

The Dragon Inn

As with most areas, there is a Wetherspoons pub, The Dragon Inn. This is one of my go-to places for a big, delicious, and hearty breakfast. As a bonus, this comes with bottomless coffee. On a hot day, I like to sit in their outside seating area, which has views of Chinatown.

Top Spots In Chinatown

My favourite places to see while visiting the area.

Cathay Street

Cathay Street is home to a few Southeast Asian shops, including a supermarket and purveyors of Chinese medicine. The street has a nifty gate at one end, leading along a lantern-lined pedestrian area towards the Arcadian.

A Chinese-style gate into the row of food shops and onwards into the Arcadian.

A beautifully decorated passageway in the Chinatown area that leads to food shops and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.

Bath Passage

A cool little alleyway in the area is Bath Passage alongside China Court. It has shops and small restaurants. A fantastic place for lunch here is Peach Garden, which specialises in roast meats. As a bonus, there is usually some street art at the far end.

The Arcadian

The Arcadian Centre is a great place to go for a meal out or a drink in the evening; it offers dining options. The Arcadian entrance is a Chinese-style gate leading onto Cathay Street.

It also has a decorative entrance towards Hurst Street. This is in the form of an LGBTQ rainbow crossing. This signifies the border of the Gay Village.

A decorative rainbow level crossing marks one route from Hurst Street. This shows the start of the Gay Village. The Arcadian Centre is a collection of restaurants and shops in Birmingham. This is a popular nightlife spot in the city, with a variety of bars and eateries.

The centrepiece of the Arcadian is a fountain, visible from the terraces and outdoor seating areas of the nearby restaurants.

Back to Backs

A cool place to see on Hurst Street is the National Heritage site, Back to Backs. Back to Backs is a place where you can find out about historic Birmingham and how people lived over the last 200 years. They’re great to see when exploring Chinatown and are quite photogenic. You can arrange guided tours of the historic houses on their website.

More Photos Of Birmingham’s Chinese Quarter

The Chinese Quarter of Birmingham also has some cool street art. Not quite on the scale of Digbeth, but some interesting artworks to see.

The area is also decorated over the Christmas period and is a great place for a unique festive meal out.

Near Snobs nightclub, at the end of the Chinese quarter, there’s some lovely street art under the bridge.