Tapas Revolution

Top quality tapas that is sure to please more than just the travelling crowd, if you are travelling this place will really get you back on track after/​during a journey and the service is very fast, but it’s worth a visit for any tapas fan in the city.
Located on the balcony of Grand Central in the food court (I hate calling it that as it belies the quality of the places that occupy it, not somewhere to just grab a spud!) they have done a nice job of decking out their space, there’s also a good view over the atrium and the skylight over the station makes it a lovely light space. For me it lacks the atmosphere for an evening meal, it’s just a bit open and the noise of the station is around you.
The main thing though is of course the food and it is across the board excellent, this is the group’s first foray out of London and it’s clear that they really care about what they put out. They are brave with things like chilli in the oil to give you a good punch of flavour and the octopus probably ranks as the best I’ve ever had. Also worth noting that they do delicious churros, something I’m not normally a fan of and you can often just pick it up to go if you want a tasty treat.
Staff were really friendly and they actually corrected a mistake they’d made before we even brought it up with them.
Drinks are understandably limited but the house white was a great accompaniment to all the food and at a good price.

For those familiar with the old New Street Station and Pallasades shopping centre, the new look station and Grand Central are a breath of fresh air. What was once a concrete block of misery is now a spacious white dome straight out of a Stanley Kubrick dream. Its detractors may complain about the lack of independent business within the curved walls and they are right in doing so, but I remember just how rubbish the shops were in the Pallasades. Call me whatever you want, but I will gladly now take Cath Kidston over Gimme Gizmo, and John Lewis over Poundland.
The same argument appears to have been rolled out for the restaurants here. Walking around the open plan floor it does feel a little predictable with the usual suspects of nationwide brands and a smattering of smaller groups still trying to find their feet outside the stampede that is London. It is one of these smaller brands, Tapas Revolution, that would feed us tonight. I am sorry if you have come here looking for your corporate fix, though if you want to read someone trying to ascertain just how cheeky a Nando’s really is, please do me a favour and never talk to me again
Tapas Revolution already feels polished enough to be in every city. They have a glossy brand, modern interior and counter seats. More importantly they have a menu that screams ‘EAT ME’ in every possible way at a price that wont break the bank. There is proper hams from the correct pigs, regional dishes such a Asturian sausage and the promise of a lot of garlic. I want to love it but I cant. Everything we try was flat in flavour and lacking in love.
Take the paella. At best it is a textural delight of rice — some bits crispy, others tender — heavy on the flavours of chicken stock and saffron. Here it was one level of overcooked rice and metallic saffron, with meagre pieces of chicken and green beans. It is under seasoned to the point that I fail to detect any salt at all — a problem which would repeat itself nearly as much as the alioli the following day
The disappointments never stopped there. Pisto should have been the Murcia version of caponata; a punchy salty, sweet and sour display of Mediterranean veg at their best. Nothing. If my doctor ever tells me to cut salt out of my diet I will show him this dish and load the revolver for him. We make the most out of a bad situation by piling it on to bread smeared with alioli overloaded with intense garlic. A tortilla with potato and onion suffered similar levels of blandness.
Perhaps the best thing we ate was hot croquettes, big on ham flavour and deep fried to a crisp exterior. These and a potato, chorizo and egg dish indicated that there was a degree of skill in the kitchen, though just how much is debatable. The bill at £35 with a couple of beers puts it in the same bracket as the brilliant Rico Libre. I know which one I would choose. If convenience is your thing, please head to the domed roofs of New Street Station. If its big, gutsy Spanish cooking is what you are looking for take a left at the stairs of the station and keep walking until you hit Digbeth.

Tapas revolution is a open space restaurant on the upper floor food area of grand central. They serve tapas, drinks and churros. The menu is vast and the staff are great. On this occasion I was trying the churros and still am waiting to sample everything else on the menu.
Churros are one of my favourite things to eat when I’m in Spain. I can confidently say Iv tried most of the churro places in Barcelona and have acquired a appreciation of quality churros. So far a lot of churros available in Birmingham have underwhelmed me. I often find they are too hard or too oily. Tapas revolution serve decent churros! They aren’t the best churros Iv ever had but they certainly taste authentic! So if your looking for a churro fix or haven’t tried churros this is a great place to go!

There was a point when I couldn’t scroll through my Twitter timeline without someone saying that they were, or had just been, here. So I took my time before paying Tapas Revolution a visit. Every time I walked past there was always a queue, and it seemed to be a busy place. So I had no doubt that they are doing something right or they wouldn’t have the custom.
When I finally got the chance to make a flying visit with Mr Ting one evening before heading to the cinema, I wasn’t disappointed.
The food came out very quickly, though the restaurant was pretty quiet at that time of the evening. We enjoyed quite a selection of tapas but the highlight was the roasted cod loin for me (thanks to great textures, and a lovely balance of flavours). The small paella was a little dry however so not a favourite — shame but it is tricky to make mini paella as well as a full size dish. Mr Ting’s favourite was the steamed octopus, which was divine. The paprika was perfectly balanced, and not overdone thankfully.
I did try their nod to an espresso martini and to be honest found it not to my taste. I will stick to the wine when I next return. Or perhaps have a look at some of the other cocktails.
I do like the menu with a few options under each heading. It gives a nice range of options to choose from though if you’re vegetarian or vegan you may struggle on return visits to keep finding inspiration.
After spying what other diners were ordering we decided that we would give the churros a try. They were crisp on the outside, doughy in the middle, and not too sweet. That may be a disappointment if you have a particularly sweet tooth but for us it was great.
We are planning a revisit in a few weeks time actually. There are some things on the menu that we didn’t get a chance to taste that we would like to. And I want that cod again.

I d been meaning to try Tapas Revolution since Grand Central opened but it always seemed very busy… perhaps it was the delicious aromas enticing passerby in.
We need to grab some food before a gig on Tuesday and after the day I had I really needed a large gin, thankfully they are 241 between 5 – 7 at tapas revolution and they offer a range of high end G&Ts using fever tree tonic. I asked for slimline which seemed to confuse the server but the manager sorted it out.
We ordered a package of tapas as selected by the restaurant for £24 and all arrived with the sauce on the side as requested by me & my silly garlic intolerance. We had fresh but crunchy bread topped with Parma ham, chorizo, battered calamari, cod, mussel and potato croquettes & a tomato salad with olives. I was still a bit hungry so ordered some pork belly too! That was the most delicious part of the whole meal, the sauce was spicy but sweet and added some interest to the other dishes we had ordered. I do think I’ll need to go back and try some of the other dishes.
Unfortunately the restaurant was freezing and lots of people were complaining about it — I think it’s more the design of grand central than anything that tapas revolution can remedy but i will consider this next time before I go. The meal came to around £40 which isn’t bad with the Gins but we were in and out within 30 mins so I probably would t go on an evening where I want a longer dining experience.

Whenever I get a hankering for some patatas bravas, there is one place in Birmingham I can count on to deliver every time. Tapas Revolution is the brainchild of Madrid native Omar Allibhoy, who is on a mission to spread Spanish cuisine across the United Kingdom. Brum was chosen as the first location for a Tapas Revolution outside of London, and Grand Central is a good fit for this style of restaurant. Tapas Revolution has a sit down area, a bar, and a takeaway counter facing the food court concourse. The seating has a lovely view overlooking the main lobby of New Street Station from the second floor of the building.
I recently spent some time in Barcelona, and Tapas Revolution lets me relive my experiences there. The Sangria is delicious (£11.95 for a jug), and Estrella (£4.85 a pint) flows from the taps. The usual suspects are all here, including pan con tomate, patatas bravas, queso manchego, and padrón peppers. They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I recommend dropping in between noon and 5PM on the weekdays to take advantage of their lunch special, with includes Paella or a Spanish Burger (with one veggie option), and tap beer/​sangria/​or house wine to drink all for £7.95. Although the prices are reasonable for the food quality and the location in Grand Central, you’ll be wishing you were in Spain, where Estrella is € 1 and most tapas do not exceed € 3.
If you don’t mind a sugar rush or expanding your waistline, an additional £3.50 will net you some of the best churros and dipping chocolate you’ll find in the UK. There is a convenient separate takeaway area and sign dedicated to the churros that faces the main food court area in Grand Central, clearly designed to grab the attention of random shoppers. It honestly works, and even though the churros are on a case display, they will be cooked to order just for you. So far in my visits I’ve tried their toasted breads, piquillo peppers stuffed with mushrooms, patatas bravas, pimientos de padrón, and the spanish omelette. All of the vegetarian items are priced below £5, and you can easily become full on two tapas. These items have been expertly prepared on my visits, and are a cut above even some of their counterparts that I’ve tasted in Spain. Most of the professional and friendly wait staff are Spanish to add an air of authenticity, and are very prompt in taking food orders and getting it out to you quickly.
I’m not sure if Tapas Revolution is going to start one, but at the very least this is a solid, well-​executed tapas bar that still has character despite being stuck in Grand Central. Oh, and did I mention that they have horchata?

One of the many new food outlets in grand central. I quite liked the atmosphere once sat down, but you may not really notice it while walking past as the others appear more inviting. Nevertheless the staff were really friendly and service quick-​good if you only have a hour to spare. I wouldn’t call the food revolutionary, but I love chorizo so all is good!;)

The mostly Spanish staff are lovely as well as friendly. Everyday 4−7pm is sangria time meaning regular specials on drinks offers like 2 for 1 on cocktails. The light snack menu is very tasty and you can from the bar seats, see everything being freshly cooked and prepared.
As they are still fairly newly opened, there are some shortages in ingredients for drinks and desserts — which will be down to unexpected popularity for those options.
One thing I really do like is that you are offered tasters on anything you’re not sure about, both with food and drink.