Rico Libre

Great tapas bar with the always welcome addition of… bring your own booze. Admittedly the wine that my dad had managed to select was pretty rubbish but still nice to see!
So anyway… the food! I thought all of the food we had was great but I have to say that the dishes from the standard menu were better than those on the specials board for me! You can’t meat a classic dish from any area of the world when it’s done properly and everything we had from Rico Libre was spot on.
–The Stars Of The Show–
Chill Prawns
Patatas Bravas
Livers served with chorizo
Our waitresses and the owners were so nice and welcoming and the service generally could not have been better. I would recommend this hidden gem to anyone that is a fan of Spanish food and wants a truly authentic experience in Brum.

VIsited with freinds .we were served a selection of starters and all chose three tapas .all in all we tasted about 20 dishes .all were lovely but special praise to dishes chicken in lemon and chicken in white wine which was made with a smoky paprika and sublime. fresh mojo and red pepper sauces accompanied the food and the homr made garlic flatbread was sooo good ! Really a memorable meal and one l will return to Abdul and Zaff our waiters were great hosts and delighted in the praise from the food… its a BYO restaurant so a great place for a celebration

Yum, we decided to try Rico Libre on the spur of the moment after hearing some good reviews which were definitely reliable. It gets quite busy so you may want to book ahead although we had no problems when we just turned up.
We tried a range of tapas which were all good although our favourite was the aubergine which was very tasty and came in a nice sauce with chickpeas. The halloumi also stood out as I haven’t encountered this in the form of tapas before. Unfortunately, we were too full for dessert so I will have to go back!
Plus, Rico Libre e-​mail your receipt to you so you don’t have a pesky receipt taking up room in your pocket. What more can you ask for?

This is a fab place!!! So excited it’s only around the corner from me (Soz that gets the 5^th star!) I went for my friends birthday… its bring you’re own booze which actually works really well with the relaxed ambiance of the restaurant and tapas style of eating.
The waitresses were all really friendly and helpful and the food was amazing!!! We literally asked for 1 of everything which was more than enough for the four of us. The scallops were fresh and cooked perfectly! The garlic sauce for the muscles was incredible and the warm fresh bread kept coming so we could finish up all the yummy sources! I’m looking forward to going back already.

Breakfast Review — note: they no longer serve breakfasts.
Please note that I am reviewing the breakfast, not the tapas bar, hence my star rating.
Firstly, I found this place looked just a bit like a café, but inside, there were some decent bits of artwork on the walls, which I didn’t think were in character, but, still, they were quite nice. It wasn’t very clean looking though?
The breakfast itself was average. A cheap sausage, cheap bacon, egg, mushrooms, half tomato on tinned tomatoes,(?) beans and a couple of rounds of toast. Its a cheap breakfast, if memory serves me correctly, under a fiver, so its good value for money, even though you are getting a cheap set of ingredients.
Where I thought it was let down, was the noise from the kitchen, where the was effing and blinding going on — I am no prude, but whoever it was in the kitchen had no idea that there were no kids or nuns in the café, so I thought it was wholly inappropriate. They were swearing like dockers — it was shocking!
— Addendum: since 2015, Rico Libre no longer offer breakfasts, just Tapas in the evening. This is something I am yet to try.

When you walk into a restaurant and it looks as thrown together and strange as this one does, the first thought that goes through your head is ‘the food must be amazing if this place is doing alright’. And that’s exactly the case here. The bring your own booze policy adds to the ‘pop up’ feel of the place.
The group all came to the same consensus, that this was possibly the best tapas we had ever had. Whole quail, scallops, calamari, duck, meatballs, king prawns, the amazing food just kept coming.
We were a group of 9, and due to dietary requirements/​preferences, we ordered in groups, this worked well as the staff took each groups order individually and served the food simultaneously, but called out the head of each groups name in order to avoid confusion. At the end we even had broken up bills. With this amount of food it certainly helped prevent confusion both during and after the meal.
The limited table space meant that there was no chance of getting all this food on the table, so the chef/​staff improvised by providing a constant stream of nourishment, clearing the table as we got through dishes.
Due to the size of the group, they usually state a group ‘deal’ which is basically £17 per head, but after speaking with the owner, it transpired that this was basically just a minimum order, to prevent large groups with some people of lesser appetites/​disposable cash impacting their income. After assuring him we were all hungry fellows, we set about demolishing the menu. After going heavy on the specials, ordering lots of bread and olives, the final bill came out at just shy of that £17 per head figure! An absolute bargain of a meal and everyone left stuffed to the brim.
For me, Rico Libre is the absolute gold standard for tapas in Birmingham.

Rico Libre is a fantastic little spot down in the side streets of Digbeth, Vicki had made an en-​mass booking for around 20 of us to descend the one evening.
If you didn’t know Rico Libre was where it was you could either walk past or just never even venture down to its front door slightly off from the common through flow of pedestrian traffic.
We pretty much all decided the way forward was the option of 3 tapas for £10 each — over 60 dishes ordered and all served to the correct people and very quickly, no real wait time. With the dishes these can very slightly in size, the mini fish and chips and quail dishes being the biggies! As we had had some of the smaller dishes we just about felt there was room for desert and again I would heartily recommend it.
With Rico Libre one of the main draws is the bring your own they offer, through this we enjoyed a fantastic tapas and desert for 2 with a great bottle of red for £30 all in, in most places you’d pay the best part of that just for the wine.
I would say get in here while it’s still off the radar or it could be difficult to get a seat!

Rico Libre is definitely worth a visit. The staff were friendly and accommodating; the food plentiful and fresh.
I had quail with salad, patatas bravas and a tasty mushroom dish: all for £10. I would not have baulked at paying double for the quality and quantity of food. BYO on top of this ensured a very inexpensive evening.
The staff coped admirably with our ever expanding numbers and were happy to engineer the moving of tables and ensure individual billing… so we didn’t end up with that inevitable moment when someone starts trying to add everything up on their phone: thank goodness!
For me, the only down side is the location which, while actually not being far from the centre of town or Digbeth Coach Station, is not somewhere I would want to walk alone in the dark.
That being said, with excellent Digbeth pubs, such as the Crown where we headed afterwards, you could always meet your friends before heading over.
Overall, I would really recommend Rico Libre and would like to go back soon.

If you go down to the woods tonight…
Tucked away down one of the side streets of Digbeth and slightly off the beaten track is Rico Libre; a greasy spoon that has been converted, menu wise, into a tapas restaurant.
This place is pretty new to Birmingham, but it has, in one sitting, become a place I would definitely consider as part of my regular repetoir of Birmingham Restaurants.
The menu here is small, but it works well. There isn’t reams of dishes on the menu; roughly 15 dishes with some breads and olives and some specials. However, from what I understand of the large group I went with, pretty much all of those dishes are pretty much spot on.
I had the Quail, the Aubergine, the Halloumi, and Scallops. Each dish is £4, however, you can buy 3 dishes for £10. As Tapas is a sharing /​grazing affair, this represents excellent value. The restaurant is BYOB, with a few soft drinks available, so if you’re looking for a night that isn’t going to break the bank, this is definitely worth putting on your list. The size of the plates isn’t stingy either. The quail was just that; a quail. On a salad.
The service is pretty swift. As we were a large group and overtly all with Unilocal,it’s possible they were giving us good treatment, but I kept an eye on the rest of the diners and they seemed to be getting the same level of service. And this leads me to my next point; whilst we had a great time as a huge group, I’d love to go back for a more intimate meal; I think it would work really well.
Why have I not given the place 5 stars? Well first of all, I think only Purnell’s has reached that heady hight in my eyes. The place isn’t perfect, but I think that adds to it’s charm. The décor is incongruous (although I liked that!) and it doesn’t take card, which an be a hassle. A slightly wider selection probably wouldn’t go amiss, but I really am picking at the bones of my quail here.
I’m not a Tapas officienado, maybe this isn’t all as authentic as it could be, but I enjoyed the food so much, I really don’t care! Take £10 and a couple of beers and give it a try. You really have nothing to loose. This Unilocaler will be back.

What a fabulous little gem this place is! Hidden in the deepest, darkest backstreets of Digbeth (well, that might be an exaggeration but it is away from the main drag), this little Tapas joint only came to my attention via Twitter. After hearing some of the Birmingham Twitterati talk about a hot new venue, I knew we had to be one of the first people to go and try it!
Firstly, let’s talk booking. I had messed up with the night I had originally planned to take the guys and had put the event down as a Tuesday night (when they aren’t open). Erica G. had handily spotted my mistake and spurred me into action booking the venue. I messaged them via their Facebook page and got a response almost instantaneously. Although they weren’t open the night I had specified, they offered to open up as a private party for us (which is available to anyone), but I figured the minimum spend of £200 might be a tad unachievable for the amount of people that wanted to come along.
After a new date was decided, I got in contact and booked for 10 people. Over the next week or so, that quickly became 12 people, which became 14… On the day itself I had to change the booking for 19 people; but they were fantastic and accommodating throughout the whole process and insisted that I wasn’t being a pain (which I was!).
The table was booked for 7:30, but I decided it would be prudent to get down a little earlier to ensure everyone knew we were there. We were greeted warmly and shown to our large table put together to fit the majority of our group. The venue is BYOB and we were given glasses and our bottles were opened whilst we waited for everyone to arrive.
The venue isn’t the Ritz. It has a lovely warm charm (like sitting in someones kitchen) and the mismatched furniture, pictures on the walls and large hand-​drawn chalkboard really make you feel at home. The service matches the décor… Friendly, helpful and chirpy throughout; I did feel like I’d been invited around for dinner at a friends house.
When we were all ready to order, our choices were very prudently noted down next to our names and the whole process was done quickly and efficiently. Their are other options on offer, but with the Tapas being 3 dishes for £10, it’s a great way to try lots of things off the menu without breaking the bank. I went for quail, gambas and meatballs and waited excitedly for the food to be bought out!
The menu offers lots of meat and vegetarian choice. As we had a vegetarian dining with us, this was greatly appreciated. Whilst we were waiting we were treated to some warm bread from the kitchen… This was a lovely touch and went down a storm. Everyone’s food came out fairly swiftly (no mean feat when catering for such a large group). All of my choices ended up being divine. The Quail was a WHOLE QUAIL and all of the dishes were served in delicious sauces with just the right amount of spice.
I couldn’t fit a dessert in at the end… I was just too stuffed. So, as a summary… The booking; easy as pie. The service; warm and friendly. The venue; welcoming and homely and the food… Simply divine. My bill came to £10 (as described) and I would expect a meal like that would cost you at least double (if not triple) elsewhere. The restaurant is planning to open on more evenings and get a license to serve drinks. My advice is to book and try it now — before it becomes impossible to get a table.

Nestled away in Digbeth not to far from the custard factory is this wonderful little tapas joint. A bunch of us descended on Rico Libre on Friday night as a bit of a Unilocal night out and even though we took up over half the restaurant (which seats only 35) the staff were absolutely fantastic in every respect.
This little hidden gem is one of only two places I can think of in the city centre that’s BYOB, and for me that’s definitely something we’re missing out on. When you can drink cheaply or extravagantly whilst still enjoying the same quality of food is a massive plus, and it makes sorting out the bill so much easier!
Anyhoo, onto the main part — the food…
Rico Libre offer a great range of tapas dishes at only £10 for 3 — which is an absolute bargain. I decided on the quail (which turned out to be a whole spatchcocked quail cooked to absolute perfection), the rabbit (practically a whole rabbit slow cooked in a beautiful tomato sauce until it just fell off the bones) and the calimari which was deliciously tender with a very light batter that wasn’t too greasy. I was expecting small portions in all honesty, it’s tapas. I how wrong I was! I couldn’t even consider dessert after all that lot.
As I said, this is definitely a hidden gem sparkling in the midst of warehouses and factory buildings. If it’s not on your list of places to visit it really should be!

I visited the restaurant for the first time on Friday for a Unilocal get together that Vicky O. had arranged. — Such a lovely evening ! and a great idea!
The restaurant itself can be approached by walking down Digbeth high street and turning left onto Milk Street, before the Custard Factory and then you can’t fail to miss it, as it’s like an oasis — there is nothing else around apart from industrial units and the Backpackers place. It’s a bright green colour and really cheery. Infact, the staff too are really friendly and happy and easily approachable.
The décor inside is very simplistic, but that’s not a problem. The atmosphere and great company made up for that.
The menu too was fairly simple, but that’s fine, some times there are too many things on a menu and this place prefers to concentrate on simple ingredients and quality. 3 tapas for £10 — and they are a good portion size too. I chose meatballs, Halloumi with peppers and chicken and chorizo. I also had a Crème Brule for dessert — all delicious! It’s bring your own bottle too, so this helps keep the cost down.
The staff were so accommodating to our changing group numbers and I think we all felt at ease.
I would definitely recommend it and hope to go back again soon.

Rico Libre is what the city centre has needed for some time, an authentic and great tasting independant tapas restaurant. Unlike your chains, you get great quality food at a bargain price and that warm feeling inside that you’re supporting the local community.
The restaurant itself is in a former greasy spoon, and is a welcome change. It’s located down a backstreet of Digbeth, which can be a little worrying at night but fear not, it’s easy to get to and you can always grab a cab to it for a couple of quid from the main city centre zone.
I ordered scallops with a mango and coriander salsa, Grilled Quail in a green mojo sauce, patatas bravas and grilled halloumi. They were all delicious. The restaurant managed to cope wonderfully with a table of around 20 people and the food came out in nice stages which meant I was able to tuck into each dish or a mixture of them at different times.
It’s currently a BYOB so I brought along a bottle of prosecco to help the food go down nicely ;) I’m hoping it stays like this, however not a huge issue if not.
Total for a night of food, drink and chatter? £14. I paid £16 as a courtesy for the free bread and service.
I thoroughly recommend this place and would definately go back. Would be great to see it again when they’ve settled in and had a chance to properly transform the place.
Be warned, no card machine… so stop by the coach station for free cash withdrawal should you need to (I ended up sprinting down the street to go get some money!)

This is a fantastic tapas restaurant, tucked away on a Digbeth side street. It might take a little effort to find, but it’s worth it. Small, friendly, unpretentious food and service, with a menu that covers all the tapas classics plus a few dishes which are less common like quail or rabbit. I tried both of these, and they were lovely. My only small criticism is they both had a lot of small bones, which is unavoidable with the quail, but maybe the rabbit stew could have had the bones removed.
They coped admirably with a large group of people (20 or so, each ordering 3 or 4 dishes). Each dish was £4, or 3 for £10. I didn’t try anything from the small dessert menu, but those who did seemed happy. One thing to note is they are not yet licenced, so bring your own bottle of wine.

Rico Libre is a wonderful little tapas restaurant, nestling in the heart of Digbeth. It’s a new (and welcome) discovery for me and offers great food and warm service in an unfussy setting.
The restaurant is located a short walk off Digbeth High Street, on the corner of Milk St. and Barn St. Although a few steps off the beaten track it is definitely worth the extra little walk! The exterior of the restaurant is bright and welcoming, and really stands out in its setting. Inside the décor is, I suspect, work in progress, but is bright and pleasant.
The food is the main star. I’m a greedy tapas fan and I’ve tried a few tapas restaurants in Birmingham and elsewhere — this place has to rank among the best. There’s a good selection of classics on the menu, including plenty of vegetarian dishes, meat and seafood options, as well as more unusual specials. Going for a good spread, I chose the meatballs, grilled halloumi and calamari from the main menu, as well as rabbit from the specials. All were delicious. I particularly enjoyed the rabbit, which was cooked on the bone in a stew and was really tender and tasty. For all of that I paid just £14. Rico Libre is amazingly good value for money — you can get 3 dishes for £10, with additional dishes for £4 each.
Rico Libre is BYOB, so you can spend as little or as much as you want on drinks.
If you’re a tapas fan you’ll really enjoy Rico Libre. The hosts did a wonderful job of catering for our group of 18 Unilocalers, with a continuous stream of dishes coming from the kitchen. I think this place would be great for a group, or equally for a more intimate meal.

If you like tapas please try this delightful little tapas bar, ok it’s tucked away but is well worth travelling a little bit off the beaten track for. I had scallops which were so beautifully cooked, I think I will remember them forever. The quail was succulent and tasty and the mussels in white wine were super tasty. Hubby had the rabbit so I had to try that, needless to say, beautiful again.
Lovely lovely food, fantastic value for money, a bit off the beaten track but worth it. We had plastic to pay with and I don’t know if the card reader was due or not, but the night we went it was cash only so I’d suggest checking to see if its card ready there yet.
Considering we was a crowd of about ¹⁸⁄₂₀ the service was great, it’s bring your bottle so it really adds to the value, we are planning to return.

I quite like tapas. I presume in Spain that it’s served all evening and rather than being a main course it’s a mini dish of something.
I’d looked at the menu for Rico Libre more than two days before going. And because I’d not finished blogging for my day job I’d thought I probably wouldn’t attend. I’m really pleased I did.
Unilocal Birmingham Community Manager Victoria O had organised our group to try 3 Tapas for £10 with a «bring your own drink» policy.
When you are a group of 18 people turning up on a Friday night this is likely to be a 3 hour experience.
I scoffed my yummy Patas Bravas before taking a photo of them. Then my meatballs were eaten just as quickly. Other people’s first and 2^nd items came out which meant I got to chatter a bit. And then my third plate appeared pollo something. To be fair I’ll eat chicken with pretty much anything.
Great little eatary well worth popping to try out. I’m sure its much quieter when it’s not filled with us loud Unilocalers.
Give it a try if you get chance.