Coast To Coast

So a bit cliché for the American to select an «American style restaurant» while on the road but it was purely due to one of my most endearing traits-​laziness. This place was directly across from my hotel and I could see they were showing sports on TV. Now as a pleasant surprise the food was actually quite tasty and being able to sit at the bar was nice as that is something I do miss about bars in the US. Bartender was very friendly and even put the sound to the game up (another rarity). Good selection of beers and cocktails and a reasonable selection of «regional» food. Think Cajun vs BBQ vs steaks vs burgers type of thing.

I’ve been here three times, at two different locations (Solihull and City Centre). I’m not horrified, but I’m not even mildly impressed.
For the price and reputation I thought I was getting a «must return» type of experience… And while I have returned, it wasn’t my choice (one must appease the Birthday girl/​guy).
Food is creatively described in the menu and well displayed when served, but that’s doesn’t make up for the lack of flavor or mediocre cooking techniques leave the food with a «not quite right» texture.
As an American (who had lived in many of the places «celebrated» at Coast to Coast) I DO recommend the Mac-​N-​Cheese… But I also recommend you use quite a bit of salt and pepper.
Drinks are well made but not creative, and the atmosphere is generally pleasant and lively. Not MY choice for a celebration, but I won’t begrudge others theirs.

Ok food ok service, could do a lot better quite easily.
2 mistakes on our order but our waiter was a really nice guy and he said it was his 3^rd shift.
Go for burgers, they are excellent — the buffalo sauce was very weak but the burger itself good.
Home made nachos to start were ok and fully loaded but the frickles were so good.

I’ve been here a few times but only for brunch. I really like the seating areas and its perfect for a girlie brunch in one of the booths.
The unlimited hot drinks are great as I always need a few coffees on Sunday morning. One of the unique items on the menu is the options to have pancakes with a full breakfast. I love that i don’t have to choose between the two. But my favourite now has to be waffles.
Would give it 5 stars but I find that the customer service can be mixed. Sometimes the staff have been very good but other times it has been difficult to get waiters attention and get drinks quickly which is can be annoying when you want the free refills

I’m still in two minds over this place. I loved the atmosphere and the staff were friendly, great music (in fact the staff were singing along with the music). We were booked in for 7pm on a Friday, my partner in crime was already seated but when I arrived they couldn’t find the booking on the computer system … The lady just happened to remember a person sat alone waiting for someone to join him. We were sat at a little table for two which was lovely but we weren’t offered anywhere put our coats so we ended up with them stuffed on the seats next to us, my seat was so wobbly that if I leaned too far to my right I was in danger of falling right off it! They have a great menu to choose from, all looking incredibly tasty. I chose a wrap and sweet potatoes which I have to say was absolutely delicious. I wasn’t thrilled with the prices, whilst they aren’t exactly sky high they are a little hefty for what you get, I got the feeling your’e paying for location too. Although it was a busy Friday night we didn’t feel like they were trying to move us on to get more customers in, they seemed happy that we took our time and enjoyed drinks at the table after eating. Overall I enjoyed my experience here and would recommend it to others.

Went here once on Saturday afternoon at 4.30pm — must have been 15 staff buzzing around looking ‘busy’. By that, I mean chatting, gossiping, doing sweet FA.
I was greeted by the maitre d’ who told me a table would take 45 minutes. Now bear in mind that there where no more than 10 customers in the restaurant.
AVOID

This place seems to be getting a bit of a beating, so I’ll try and level up the playing field somewhat with my experience of Coast 2 Coast…
So, this place popped up last year (I believe) and dominates one of the big glass buildings towards the Brindley Place side of Broad Street. The building always seems to be pretty clean (which is unusual for Broad Street) and is well signed, so you’ll spot it if you are heading here.
I had wanted to go when it first opened, but as I always say «too many restaurants, not enough meals in the day». I joined their mailing list to keep an eye on what’s going on and received a voucher for a free main course on my birthday. This seemed as good a reason as any to take a trip down and try it out.
We made a reservation through their super easy online booking and rocked up of an eve to see what was in store at this posher-​than-​average Americana style bar and diner. First thing to note is that if you’re a fan of Frankie and Benny’s, you’re probably going to love this place. It has a similar sense of décor and menu, whilst being a tad more new and independent (although there are now quite a few branches across the UK).
The voucher I had received has stated «one free main course». Now, this isn’t my first rodeo and I was expecting a lot of stipulations, but no! I was informed by the helpful and polite waitress (who was training) that I could have anything I wanted off the menu! Result! I opted for the second most expensive steak (the most expensive was off the menu) and some sides. We also both ordered a cocktail to accompany our meal.
The steak was pretty damn good, actually. Well cooked and served with nice fries. It certainly wasn’t the BEST steak I have ever eaten, but I didn’t have any complaints about it. We even got an apology for our food being late (it was about 6:30 on a busy Friday night), but we hadn’t noticed any delay at all…
The dessert bit was strange. We were pretty full and weren’t sure if we would fit in a sweet, so a peruse of the menu would have been nice. Our waitress informed us that there WASN’T a menu and proceeded to tell us what was on that night. Now, I get that this must be a bit of a skill is the menu changes regularly… But A) I want to see what’s IN the desserts B) I want to know the Price of the desserts and C) How am I supposed to remember a massive list?! By the time she got to the end I had totally forgotten what she had said at the start and we gave up and opted not to bother. This was a shame really as we might have stayed for another course if we could have physically read and seen the menu. **NOTE — This was March last year and could well have changed**
Our bill was higher than you might have thought (with Dan’s burger coming in at £15 — a little on the high side really), but we were looked after and the food was good. Now, I would give this place more like 3.5 stars, but looking at some of the poorer reviews it has received, I have bumped it up to 4.
I hope to go back soon and see if the dessert menu policy has changed and if it’s deserving of that star based generosity…

I’m not convinced enough to try and dinner at this branch yet.
They were kind enough to host 40 instagrammers on a Saturday afternoon and give us a free lemonade and cocktail off the menu.
The service was very friendly and our waiter made a grand effort with us. We were given mini pretzels to sample.
I have previously had more than one great family meal at Touchwood in So it makes me wonder why people are not saying the same great things about this branch.
Is it just not unique enough for a big city with lots and lots of different types of food?

Breakfast Review:
Its an American styled restaurant. The breakfasts are quite unusual.
The venue is on Broad Street in Birmingham, its a cracking venue, right in the middle of Birmingham’s number one ‘going out’ street. Its really cool inside too — like a massive diner — which I imagine is the point? I did find it weird that every time I have been in there, they seem to be showing horse racing on the TV’s?!
You get a generous portion: 2 Sausages, 2 Bacon, 2 fried eggs, a whole roasted tomato, black pudding, beans, (mine were separate — its a thing I do), potato cake and for some inexplicable reason, a mini Oreo?
In fairness to the restaurant, when we turned up, I believe there were about 15 of us, so its not really fair to expect everyone to have a perfect breakfast. That said, it was pretty impressive, everything was OK, but I didn’t think that the ingredients were particularly good. It could be worth 4 stars, but I am comparing this breakfast against the others I have tried, (about 35 to date), and it wasn’t enough for me to merit the 4^th star.
I couldn’t fault the service either. It was excellent.

Totally loving this addition to Birmingham Brindley Place although realistically its more a Broad Street location.
I was not sure what to expect when my friend invited me for dinner here with another uni friend. Apparently there are other locations but this was the first I heard of it and instantly my assumption was it would be crap.
Did not think that an establishment could pull of the real american deal look and vibe but this place has it in bucket loads. From the wood to the TV screens and the menu it was spot on.
I ordered some sliders which were less than impressive and the drinks took what seemed like forever to come but that did not deflect me from liking this place.

After our recent trip to coast to coast and seeing some scathing reviews I thought it best to try and even out the balance a touch.
We arrived at half 6 on a Friday, a little early for dining but the place was really quite busy. We were greeted, seated and introduced to our waitress in an incredibly timely and friendly manner. We actually had two serving staff as one was in training so her trainer took a seat with us and engaged in a bit of light banter while she went through the menu.
Drinks ordered, food ordered, drinks served and then we were given an apology for the delay in our food arriving — much to our confusion. It can’t have been more than 20 minutes. Not that I’m complaining the level of attention shown by the veritable army of servers was really impressive.
I went for a black and blue burger with sweet potato fries coupled with a portion of macaroni cheese and Vicky opted for the steak (you get a voucher for a free main around your birthday, normally that wouldn’t include steak but there’s no restrictions here). The burger was good, although the bread to meat ratio was way off in my opinion, and the accompanying Cajun dip, sweet potato fries and macaroni cheese with bacon were all delicious. The steak was great and very well cooked. We were offered dessert, although there isn’t technically a dessert menu — instead the waitress reeled off the desserts available and we were left to ponder them with no reference. I thought that a bit weird. In all honesty after that much food neither of us could stomach dessert so we left it at that.
The food was good, the service was good it’s just the price of the place that lets it down a bit. I don’t mind paying for good food but the best part of £15 for a burger that didn’t come close to the best I’ve had seems way too high. Needless to say though I will probably be back, although I’ll be on the hunt for vouchers as I wouldn’t want to pay full whack there. If I could I would give it 3.75 stars but as it is I’ve bumped it up to 4 as it’s more than a 3 star venue.

Went to Coast to Coast for the first time last night with my husband and 2 children aged 15 and 10.
It was 18.15 when we finally arrived after struggling to book a table via the online booking system and not getting a response by phone.
1. Friendly door staff extremly welcoming.
2. We were told we could have a 45 minute wait, so we had the buzzing device and went to the bar. The bar is huge with a great selection of Cocktails, spirits, wines and beers.
There is ample space, loved the way the bar hugged around, great atmosphere, great music (Disco/​Motown/​80s) I was in my element .
3. The buzzer went off alot sooner than anticipated and we were shown to our table which was a both on the main teir looking down on everyone else. (Royalty)
4. Our waitress was helpful but looked tired — my son ordered from the junior menu which is near the back of the main menu which was helpful and made him feel included.
5. The food came out timely, hot, and well presented.
6. All the staff that came to our table had good customer service, the floor manager came with my daughters meal that was slightly later and was professional and apologetic.
7. The music. it wasnt just me, we all enjoyed it and laughed and sung along (we do things like that) lol. When Shannon — ‘Let The Music Play’ came on I wanted to get up and have a boogie. (We loved the tunes).
8. We had an amazing night!
Coast to Coast is an American themed restaurant so if your looking for Michelin 5* with the ambience to suit its not the place. But if your looking for a place to hang out with friends family eat drink get merry and enjoy a buzzin atmophere I would recommend it.
As we left my daughter said, «mum can we go there again?» And before going to bed she gave me a hug and said «I have had a lovely evening» now, that goes a long way for me.
Just my opinion of course

I must say my experience at Coast to Coast conflicts directly with other reviews on this site.
A friend and I went for dinner there on a Monday night after work and the staff were very helpful. When I first got there, I was guided to the table at which my friend was sat by the attending manager. Drinks orders were taken within minutes and thanks to me visiting the Coast to Coast website before our meal and signing up to their mailing list, my friend and I got a free cocktail using my free cocktail voucher too.
The cocktails were of decent quality and were definitely not lacking in the alcohol content! The prices were not unusual for cocktails either — a mojito was about £6.
For dinner, I ordered a club sandwich with sweet potato fries which was delicious. The portions are generous to say the least and I didn’t think the £12.55 price tag attached was unreasonable. The food arrived quickly and we both ate so much that we physically couldn’t manage a dessert, which also reduced the bill! Throughout our meal, the staff were attentive and were keen to help us with anything else we might need.
The décor is in the typical American style with pictures and decorations all round, and the music also fits with the theme. The toilets were clean and nicely presented, though I couldn’t make the soap work but that might just have been me!
My friend and I stayed for another drink after dinner and were not asked to leave or move despite the fact that the restaurant was getting busy, which we were both happy with.
Overall, I was pleased with my experience and I would definitely come back.

Ok, so finding out that the works team meal this month would be at coast to coast after reading other reviews left me a little apprehensive…
However there were some pleasant surprises…
Good time American rock and roll playing all night (Kiss’s Crazy Nights was our entrance theme), Blue moon (a moorish American craft beer) appeared on tap & a healthy cocktail menu (though missing the espresso martini — a personal favourite) was also available for high end restaurant prices (expected for the location). Food was very tasty but quite high priced — the 14oz T-​Bone clocking in at just shy of £30, however burgers, calzones and pizzas were far more reasonable. Drinks were offered within 2 minutes of seating and the whole dining experience (from seating to bill payment) for a table of 14 on a Friday night was rounded off in a respectable 2 hour slot with smiles all around.
Slight disappointment was caused by the un-​sturdy table which waiters tried to fix with beer mats to no avail — luck of the draw I guess but disappointed in a lack of recompense or alternative seating (booked out facilities may not have helped)…
Not the most wide ranging menu and one to avoid for veggies unless you fancy margarita pizza or calzone, basic pasta or a veggie burger (better options elsewhere).
One shining redemption though came in the offer of 2 free baked New York cheesecakes deserts for the birthday girls…
Perhaps comments about staff attitude left previously have been taken to heart, the voucher for £10 off the next visit provided with the bill may be a good reason to go back for a second opinion ;)

Paid this place a visit last night (Jan 12) In all honesty having been to this one I would never go to another of their venues.
Overpriced food and drink and staff bordering on rude.
This place is billed as an American style kind of pace. I have some experience of American bars/​restaurants being from that neck of the woods and all and I can say hand on heart that this place really doesn’t live up to its claims.
The decour is similar to some US joints but then so is Burger King & McDonalds it don’t mean you get that ‘experience’.
We had a simple Burger and Fries and a pint of lager, bill came to £33.20.
The Burger was nice as were the fries but certainly not worth £11.60 each and £5.00 for a pint of lager seems a little pricey even for Broad Street.
The staff were more interested in talking between themselves and we felt as though we were an inconvenience to them.
This place certainly isn’t the American experience it promises to be — its lacking customer service and is overpriced for average quality food.
Its a shame as the décor is actually pretty cool.

Wow! To start £5 a pint and £12 for nachos. Questioned on arrival and told we couldn’t eat in the bar and all the tables were full (but eventually they graciously accepted our money), had to ask for the big NFL game which they knew nothing about and then were unable to show (even though they advertise it, they don’t subscribe to sky sports 3), one of the bar staff was particularly rude, the bar lamps add ambience but obscure the two TV screens in the bar. Had the feeling of a superficial American restaurant, rather than one with any soul. Hopefully, it’s teething problems because the interior is really nice and it could be an absolute gem.
(Mistakenly posted this on the Solihull branch of this change but it is for the Broad Street, Birmingham restaurant)