Byzantium

Quite simply some of the best Mediterranean tapas I’ve tried.
Byzantium is just off the main street in Kings Heath in a converted house, it’s a pretty, cosy little place (make sure you book it gets full) with plenty of dark wood.
Now if the idea of getting out to Kings Heath (and people that live there love to be smug about this place being around the corner) for some tapas seems to be a bit much of an effort I understand but the food here is well worth the journey and that’s all I’ll say on the matter.
The staff match the food, friendly, welcoming and leave you happy at the end of the meal.
Price wise each dish comes in at around £5−8 so a selection of 5 – 6 for two is pretty reasonable, especially considering the quality.

Yum! Ignore the daggy pics of the outside see around the internet. This place rocks! Very down to earth delicious tapas with heaps of vegetarian options and a hell of a lot of flavour. A little bit of a church theme going on inside but usually quite busy which gives the place a real buzzing atmosphere. Great music– we had some gypsy kings-​esque sound track on.
Their flat bread is delicious and I recommend starting with that, some spiced tomato-​y smoked aubergine dip and their amazing chilli olives. Their potatas bravas with aioli is also a great filler.
They have meatballs, king prawns, chorizo with chickpeas, stuffed vegetables, greek salad, tortilla, tzatziki, a baked aubergine something, pork belly, chicken or lamb kebabs etc. And much, much more
Not a single item of the above mentioned food requires salt or pepper and there is a nice chilli heat through a lot of the dishes.
Oh and the equal best bit (along with the amazing food): an excellent wine list that is cheap cheap. I think the most expensive white was £17.50. All the wines were on the dry and semi + acidic range all except one. We had a £14.50 bottle and it was sensational.
Very good service– our glasses never seemed to run dry and food was pretty quick. I would recommend ordering some starters, wait a bit, some mains, wait a bit, then some more mains, wait a bit, then consider dessert.
For three of us, 4 beers, a bottle of wine and many, many dishes over two hours to the point of food coma came to just under £90.

Tasty tapas with with friendly service.
A few weeks ago, some friends and I were planning to go out for a meal and stumbled upon Byzantium by chance. We made the booking and as time approached we realised they had changed their menu to cater for the Christmas party crowd. When we told the manager we were all hoping to order the A La Carte Party Menu, they were more than happy to accommodate our food choices.
We arrived to a fully booked restaurant and were guided to our private table tucked away in the alcove between the main seating area and the kitchen. They apologized for not being able to seat us in the main restaurant area, but we all agreed that we actually preferred being sat away from everyone else as we found it easier to talk to each other.
Our waiter was fantastic all night, taking drinks orders often and bringing extra flatbread when we asked for it.
The range of tapas available was quite varied but all of it tasted amazing!
The full bill including drinks was about £20−30 per head, which we all agreed was really reasonable for the standard of food we ate.
Thoroughly enjoyable evening at Byzantium, we’d definitely go again!

I visited Byzantium last week having not been for around 18 months. The purple façade has been replaced with gold, and apparently new owners took over in December 2012.
The place is much the same as I remember it. A lovely selection of tapas dishes from across the Mediterranean. Service was glacial (the restaurant wasn’t full) and dishes didn’t come to us as hot as we would have liked but I will give Byzantium the benefit of the doubt. I would happily dine there again.

A dark and luxurious décor creates a very cosy and intimate atmosphere. It is a very small restaurant, however you usually find yourself sat amongst another cheerful group of people who you interchangeably (and in good spirits) smile about the bizarre subject choices of your conversations.
The food is really, really good. It is a fusion of North African, Eastern and Mediterranean styles which is suggested by their choice of name for the restaurant. It refers to the ancient city of Byzantium which was a rich convergence of cultures throughout history, and this restaurant is a testament to the wonderful produce created by the rich inter-​influences of multi-​culturalism.
This fusion they have mastered creates a really divine menu of exotic and unrivalled tapas.
So, if you like sharing good food with good company and revelling in some delicious gastronomic exoticism in the rather un-​exotic Kings Heath, then Byzantium is really worth visiting. I love this place!

There are quite few tapas places in Birmingham — including The Ikon in town and Kitchen Garden Café just up the road and I would rate Byzantium as up there with both of these. As well as offering tapas staples such as hummus, patatas bravas, olives and chorizo — which are all cooked perfectly and taste wholesome and earthy the menu offer less traditional Mediterranean fare and the fish dishes (e.g. anchovies and gambas) are particularly tasty. There’s a wide range of veggie options — last time I went the aubergine dip proved to be very moreish and although the wine seemed pretty average the service was attentive — hence us leaving clean plates and a pretty hefty tip.

This is one of my favourite spots for breakfast /​lunch in the Kings Heath area. It’s simple, smart and a really classy place. The food is excellent and the service is great — really attentive and friendly. There aren’t many better places to go on a Saturday morning with a newspaper and wonder why Tim Dowling has a job.
For me it’s a toss-​up between the two types of Eggs Benedict on offer. Whether you chose the Smoked Salmon or the Bacon you will not be disappointed. Personally, I’d pay a premium to have both.
The bloke that owns the place always reminds me of former Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill, so much so that he could actually be a sibling of the former Nottingham Forest midfielder. In fact, and my wife will testify to this, for some considerable time I was convinced that the opening of Byzantium and the appointment of O’Neill as Villa boss were clearly connected. Martin takes over at the football club, his brother opens a restaurant. This made perfect sense to me.
Martin O’Neill left his position of Aston Villa manager in August 2010 and has not returned. Meanwhile, Byzantium continues to trade. This either suggests that my initial theory was flawed, or else, and this is more likely, that there has been some sort of argument between the O’Neill brothers. When Byzantium opens a branch in Sunderland, you’ll know I was right.

Tapas eating is certainly different in England to in Spain. In Barcelona I’ve had tapas with some locals as an after-​work quick fix standing up outside a bar; a little stop gap to soak up an early evening beer. In England tapas is more likely to be served as an evening meal for a formal celebration, lots of small dishes ordered to be shared between a couple or a small group of good friends.
From the times that I’d peered in through the window, Byzantium looked expensive and exclusive. Softly lit with soft furnishings and ornate candle lamps with detailed filigree, it looked fit for royalty and I assumed the food would have a price tag to match.
To start with we had sherry. Not the sickly sweet type that you associate with grandma, but an ice-​cold, bone-​dry fino. Soon after the orders started coming. Fussy eaters would ask that all the courses are bought out at the same time, but I took delight in how the courses came. The flatbreads and olives first, followed soon after by garlic and chilli chickpeas, chorizo and garlic, a shellfish dish (the name of which escapes me), and the piece de resistance Higados de Pollo al Vino de Jerez. (Chicken Livers in Sherry Sauce).
I know that they are but a few ingredients in this dish but it is hard to get it right. The chef at Byzantium should be proud of his version. A good ratio of cream to Sherry, with the chicken livers cooked perfectly; pink but hot throughout. I was misguided about the prices too which represent good value for money. Go down and see for yourself.