Centenary Lounge

Visited this for the first time just after rush hour so there was no queue and one other person in there. The member of staff was very rude and short with me when ordering. I only found out when I got on the train (too late to tell them) that they got my sandwich wrong, which I suppose didn’t matter that much because It was soggy and cold, so I couldn’t eat it anyway. My coffee was only warm to drink on the train despite it being poured just 5 minutes ago. I don’t think I’ll be returning unless I’m dying of starvation :)

Lovely place. We had a Groupon for Afternoon Tea here and we got a great selection of tasty little treats. Well worth it. Staff are very sweet too. My only complaint is, it is a little cold in there in Winter. But otherwise, a must visit, whether you’re catching a train or not.

My friend had bought a voucher for us to have afternoon tea at this place, which despite having visited the station, I had never noticed before. There is outdoor seating but it’s a bit drafty like most stations! I was a bit worried as inside seems tiny, but they had a table reserved for us. The staff were really friendly and asked is straightaway if we wanted our prosecco before or after the tea-​tough decisions!;) We then had a choice of sandwiches –we chose red onion and also coronation chicken. Our platter also included scones with jam and cream, mini chocolate eclairs and chocolate brownies-​all delicious and fresh. We also had a huge pot of tea. The décor is great and fitting for the occasion. It’s not a big place though, so I would recommend booking if possible if you want this tea. We liked it so much we tipped them well, even though we had already pre-​paid; we would go back again:)

This beautiful train station has the cutest coffee shop cum bar, they play old bing Crosby tunes, it’s somewhere I don’t feel conspicuous having a coffee alone so it’s a cool meet up place and right by the bullring too.
They have a great selection of coffee and chai tea also a few wines and jacket potato and crisps etc if you get peckish.
It’s not great value but with a cool vibe for a train station, it’s not somewhere to spend an entire evening but if you happen to be passing through Birmingham then this coffee shop bar is so much nicer than the average.

Lovely little tea shop that doses reasonable selection of freshly, prepared bites and a nice selection of drinks, both alcoholic and non alcoholic. Plenty of seating. Excellent place to wait for your train.

Yet another place in Birmingham I hadn’t yet visited until yesterday! I had included it in a Weekly Unilocal about Coffee some time ago and made a note of the glowing reviews, but hadn’t ever had a reason to pop into this little café. When arranging to meet Unilocaler Simon H. for lunch at the Warehouse Café (and designating Moor Street Station as a meeting place), the perfect chance presented itself to give it a go.
First thing to mention is that there is two café’s in Centenary Square. «Moorish» and «Centenary Lounge» are right next to each other, but I knew which would be my destination for a midday coffee.
Now this place is cute with a capital «C». It takes you back to days of steam trains, vintage glamour and dainty china tea cups. Everything from the retro design of the furniture and fittings to the Vera Lynn era soundtrack makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a time warp. At midday it was relatively empty, so I grabbed a table and popped up to the counter to peruse their drinks menu.
This venue offers a really wide selection of hot and cold drinks to choose from. Hot drinks and Iced coffee is available, as well as a large selection of Chai and the currently trendy Matcha style tea drink. As I had never tried Matcha before (and was discussing this with a friend just that very morning), I opted to go for a Matcha latte. A large cup was £2.75 and once I had ordered, I was told to take a seat and relax whilst it was being made.
The drinks here are wonderfully presented. The majority of the crockery is branded with Centenary lounge’s retro logo, but a lot of their hot and cold drinks are served in tall glass mugs (adding a little touch of class to your caffeinated treat). I took a photo of my drink, but unfortunately it doesn’t quite capture how very green it was!
The latte was surprisingly good (considering Matcha is a bit of an aquired taste) and my short time spent in this little café was incredibly pleasant. I loved the background music, the vibe and atmosphere of the venue and the staff were friendly and smiley. Even if you don’t have a train to catch, pop in and enjoy this sumptuous vintage treat of a café.

I just lost the counting on how many times I have passed in front of this café and wanted to have a reason to check it properly. So last weekend I saw myself having a nice cup of latte while waiting for someone to join me a visit to JQ.
I always thought that Moor Street Station itself is stunning but with a tiny gorgeous place like this, it makes your coffee time much more appreciative! I just loved Centenary Lounge menu as well. Cakes that are impossible to resist and I didn’t say no to a sweet treat. So, a Cranberries kind of tiffin, it was. Really delicious.
For being a bit small, I thought the tables were too near to each other and there was no much room for elbows. As well as it is busy all the time, it makes me believe that during the summer or in a better weather we all would prefer sitting outside. Well, there is something else about watching people coming and going from train stations. Not in a weird way, of course!
I had no idea that Centenary Lounge also serves drinks and it is good to know that is is famous for it as well.
I also love the décor that really adds to the whole beauty in the station.

Small but pleasurable this coffee loungr adds to the magical character of Moor Street change.
Just like stepping back in time with a modern twist! :-)

Their free wifi is great, and the deal for tea & a breakfast roll is good — otherwise, as is the nature of railway cafes, it’s a bit on the expensive side. Lovely staff and seating though!

This tiny art deco café would be great anywhere but it’s location within Moor Street station makes it’s high quality sandwiches, soups and coffees a pleasant surprise. They offer a £4.75 lunch special featuring a toastie and homemade soup. While other cafes seem to be downsizing their portions, Centenary just added a nice green salad to the lunch special for the same price. The cakes and pastries are wonderful as well.
They serve an array of coffees, teas, wine and cold drinks. Being able to have a glass of wine in hand really takes the edge off of late trains!
The café is small but comfortable with leather chairs, café tables and an outdoor seating area that lets you keep an eye on the train times. They offer internet on their computers for £1 an hour and convenient plugs for charging your gadgets. Their place setting are all reproductions of 1930’s designs. They sell place setting to take home, cater and host events as well. The staff is unfailingly polite and the service is fast.

If you’re a reader of my reviews then you’ll already know how much I love Moor Street Station. Inside the station there is a newsagents and two cafes and this is the one I always frequent.
I was drawn in by the combination of the menu on the board outside and the Art Deco interior. The staff here are obviously used to people in a rush to get trains so the service is very speedy. I usually buy a chai latte and a pastry if I’ve only a few moments to grab something.
They also have a seating area inside so if you’ve a long wait for your train or are in the area and looking for somewhere to have a bite to eat and a drink in a glamorous setting make your way here. There is wood panelling and a mirrored bar and the hot drinks and food are served up on china carrying the insignia of Great Western Railway which really adds to the ambiance, You can usually grab a table as most customer buy their drinks to go. I had a delicious hot chocolate last time I was in here and it was a pleasant experience to sit and relax before boarding my train.
I’ve only ever had their cinnamon whirls, croissants and pain au chocolat so I can’t comments on the rest of their food however I mainly hear people ordering their cooked breakfast rolls so I think that must be one of their popular items.
If you’re in the mood for a decent hot drink in a vintage themed setting you should definitely check out Centenary Lounge.

It is hard to imagine Brief Encounter happening in many modern train station cafes. Except, maybe, in this art deco gem of a place, hidden away in the ticket hall of Moor Street Station.
The café is inspired by the glamour of the Great Western Railway’s heyday. The china plates and cups come emblazoned with the GWR insignia. There is a mirrored bar and abundant wood panelling. The clock and light fittings scream 1930s elegance.
They serve good hot drinks as well as a bistro-​style menu of hot and cold food. You can get food and drink to go, but why not eat in and soak up the gilded age glamour?

This small tea room has become my default stopping point for coffee on my way to work. I like Moor Street station anyway, and this really fits in with the unique feel of the place; clean and with modern amenities, but with a 30s art-​deco style. Apparently there are other places that sell coffee in this station, but I’ve never been in those places.
Also the coffee and cakes are very good. As Rickie points out, the lockable lids on the takeaway drinks really stop you from losing any as you dash for your train. I will have to try coming back here for a lunch at some point.