The Botanist

I was invited to a Cocktail making masterclass with some instagrammers as one guy won it as a prize for 6 people!
One end of the bar was reserved for us. The barman explained to us how to make three different cocktails, then in pairs, we went round the bar and made the cocktails! It was great fun, and I recommend you booking the masterclass!
I got to taste the three cocktails he made plus the three I made! I’m so glad I got the bus into Birmingham!!! Lol
We then had a meal there, and was able to use the 50% off meals voucher (off Facebook) so it was a bargain night!!!

It’s hard to write a review of how it actually is, as I was refused entry to the half empty place, despite only being after a drink or two with a friend because I didn’t have a booking. It was half empty and I was sober.
The place looked like it was full of Patrick Bateman wannabes with their respective Cressidaes. Possibly dodged a bullet, as I am not an Armani clad sociopath.

Very nice bar with very strong cocktails!
We stopped off in here at about 5pm on a Friday and it was RAMMED with the after work crowd! Still, we managed to get to the bar and checked out the drinks menu. We then proceeded to ruin the barman’s night by requesting a mojito and an old fashioned. Our barman poured what seemed like half a bottle of bullit bourbon into my glass, with a few dashes of bitters, he then spent a good 10 minutes stirring my old fashioned until the ice had melted sufficiently, before bitch-​slapping some mint and muddling it with a lot of rum and sugar for my pal’s mojito.
This guy grafted to make our drinks, but I didn’t feel so bad because 2 drinks cost £16!
The venue is smart and has a really well thought out décor with lots of themed little touches. You really trust that they’ll know their drinks, and we weren’t disappointed.
If I go back, I’ll try one of the many gins they have available, as I’m sure they’ll have some great recommendations.

I think there may be a shortage on herbs coming. I would strongly suggest getting down to your local supermarket and stocking up… The Botanist has arrived. I made the mistake of saying to a female friend ‘ill just have what you’re having’…I got presented with a dark red cocktail in a martini glass with what can only be described as a window box worthy amount of rosemary as a garnish. Given the unusual presentation of the drink it was actually packed full of flavour and spice, this has encouraged me to sample a few more options from the menu over the coming months taking full advantage of the watering can option I saw being poured at peoples tables.
One negative I have to mention is that we couldn’t hear each other over the music at the bar. This forced us to rely on what I feel are the globally recognised symbols for drink, cigarette, lighter, how much and so on… If its a club then turn it up, if its a bar let people talk and relax a little more.
Overall a decent first experience, I will be back for the food soon.

The Botanist is okay but I certainly wouldn’t rush back. On one hand it is well decorated inside and there is quite a lot of seating but this place is let down by a couple of key things firstly the service is indifferent, yes the staff were polite but it lacked any wow factor, for example there always seemed to be two members of staff standing by the entrance but they didn’t seem to do anything other than talk to each other. Also for a place this big only having one set of toilets outside and beneath the restaurant is a bit strange as to access them you almost have to leave the venue completely.

Had heard good things about this place so wanted to check it out. The décor is really nice and the staff are really helpful. The food was yummy, I had the halloumi kebab. The only problem was it was incredibly messy to eat! I had a non alcoholic cocktail and a pot of tea and both were great. I like the style of the place. It’s vintage and classy but not pretentious.

Having frequented Drake and Morgan pubs of a similar ilk in London I wasn’t exactly rushing to get my share of chips in a plant pot. But if you hit it at the right time the Botanist has a lot to offer — even if just for the dishy handpicked bar men.
I’ve been twice now, once on a Saturday when it was unbearably rammed and on a Thursday where there was still plenty of atmosphere but you weren’t about to suffer internal injuries on your way to the bar. The wine is averagely priced for that kind of joint (£5.50 large glass, £15.95 bottle house white) not quite as back breaking as the £19.45 I accidentally paid at the Rectory (may my bank balance rest in peace) and the cocktails are pretty good too. Presentation is key here and you won’t be disappointed.
We opted for English 75’s (6.95) and the Watermelon and Sage Sling (7.50) both we tasty and well made. We didn’t sample the munchies but the prices on the menu didn’t look nearly as scary as envisaged. In all definitely a good date spot and perfect for a midweek girly catch up. But personally I’d avoid at the weekends, unless you’re a size 8, perma tanned River Island wearing poser — then you will fit in just fine and have the time of your life.

Lovely atmosphere, also very warm and charming layout of the bar.
Ordered 2 cocktails which were lovely and presented well.
You’re looking about £7-£9 a cocktail which isn’t too bad.
Throughly enjoyed my time at the Botanist.

I visited the Botanist as a smallish group a couple of months after it had opened, I had heard great things about it so was really looking forward to our visit. First impression on walking in was ‘Wow, it’s REALLY popular’, we visited on a Thursday and people were literally back to back along the bar which was impressive considering the initial buzz of being the new kid in city centre should have worn off.
We’d pre-​booked a table so were shown directly to the dining area and a drinks order was taken pronto — good this is what I was here for! I’m a gin girl so I had the gorgeous cherry blossom martini and it was delicious. For food I had been really taken in by their deli board sharer style food so me and my husband both chose from there and shared between us our spoils.
The impressive food lies in the kebabs which are served dangling down on a stick drizzling delicious oil onto your side order of fries. Not going to lie I had massive food envy of my friends who had opted for one of these, should I ever go back I’d definitely go for them. The portion sizes aren’t massive, but they are big and style and finished polish, just don’t go there for a big feed is my advice.
My only bug bear with our experience was once our plates were cleared we were asked to vacate our table and take the drinks we’d ordered with our meals into the bar area which meant we lost the convenience of being able to talk at our table and were instead required to head to the bar and crowd around the end of the bar. It would have been nicer to be able to enjoy those drinks, being as they were ordered with our food and then vactated the table once they were done.
I’ve given The Botanist its conservative 3 stars based on two things, one being my usual value for money related to product or service and two if I were rating this purely as a bar it’s just way too crammed in there for you to enjoy any kind of quality catch up time with your fellow diners or drinkers.

I had a meal here last week. From entering the Botanist to leaving all the staff were very friendly and personable. I actually enjoyed their company more than my date so thanks for that guys.
The prosecco arrived and while the manager was opening the bottle she slipped and she reenacted something from the winners enclosure at a Grand Prix. Needless to say she hurried off in a flurry of embarrassment.
The food was delicious. My Camembert for starter was scrumptious if a little u see cooked and could’ve done with a little more bread. The main course was superb.
The only issue i took was that being a Celtic boy there was no sticky toffee pudding left when I ordered dessert. However the warm chocolate fudge cake was a great substitute.
The toilets are immaculately clean but what a trek to them from upstairs at the back of the restaurant to downstairs.
I will happily go back to be fed and watered here. Cosy warm atmosphere and attentive staff, prices though wee bit over the top.

The Botanist is the new kid on the block on Temple St. in the centre of Birmingham. It’s a lovely cocktail bar and restaurant that has certainly made an impression since opening a month or so ago.
On my (first and only, so far) visit I was impressed by the detail of the décor. You enter the bar across a patio-​cum-​smoking area adorned with some lovely metal rails. Inside there are lots of intricate lights hanging from the ceiling and a bar area that looks like a cross between a wild west saloon and an Edwardian conservatory (a combo that carries throughout the whole place).
The cocktail menu has a lot to offer. Classics rub shoulders with new concoctions and all of them sound very tasty. I opted to try a few of the more unusual ones and all of them were, as expected, really tasty.
In terms of the menu, Botanist offers posh British pub food. You’ll find fish and chips, burgers, pies and that sort of thing. Feeling unadventurous (and wanting a bit of stodge), I went for the fish and chips, which was nice and tasty and pretty generous in size. Not amazing but pretty good.

This has been a long time coming really, I have been meaning to go here since it opened. I’ve received some mixed opinions about the place but I really love it. I love what it does and the way it goes about it but its hard not to listen to those little criticisms.
Food wise it is very good quality, all about the presentation but I do feel it lacks a small amount on the quantity, especially for the money. Go and try one of the kebabs or tapas style dishes and you will not be disappointed. I saw someone also have the Scampi which comes in a really cool little basket with a very diddy watering can full of tartare sauce.
Drinks wise it where this place excels. The variety of beers and ciders they have on offer is excellent. I have just come back the US and drank loads of really cool little independent beers whilst I was over there and I have been looking for places that sell similar over here, there aren’t many but this place ticks that box. Cocktails wise i was really impressed. Everyone seems to be having a stab at cocktails at the moment and with that there are very few places that do them well, this is very good for that.
The problems with the place that I have heard from people is things like, being asked to move from the table after eating even when everyone hasnt finished their drinks, they have then been moved into the bar. This is a difficult area as the place does need to seat people for food and it can’t wait forever for people to finish, but likewise it’s not nice to be moved on so soon. Maybe when the hype dies down on this place this will become easier to tackle.
If i could give a 4.5 i would as i am definitely coming back here, for a Thursday it was very busy which is good to say, i can imagine on a Friday it will be rammed but that is only a good sign of good business.
I am coming down to try out this quiz that i have heard about soon, I am told its quite unique and with quizzes being my business, I need to know what I am up against.
Good work Botanists.

To start with, the Botanist looks awesome. They have put a huge amount of effort into making this (deceptively large) venue look like a kind of Victorian conservatory/​outhouse/​land of botany. I’m almost entirely sold on its looks alone.
On entering there’s no shortage of staff to help you find a table, and as I’ve mentioned, there’s quite a lot of space here, but not to the detriment of an otherwise cosy and fairly intimate feel. There are covered outdoor seating areas at the front, with heat lamps turning on in the evening (we thought it was atmospheric mood lighting at first). The atmosphere is great, particularly because of the live singer/​musician– apparently there is live background music every night.
But. Onto the drinks. The Botanist is a cocktail bar, with a particularly large selection of gins– what with The Botanist being a gin (and one of my favourites, too). It also has a huge craft and draft beer and cider menu, in a lovely book which sorts them by type. Unable to choose, I went for the Botanist Number One– a craft beer (Innis and Gunn Rum Cask) served with a complementary mini cocktail– in this caser a Wray and Nephew mojito. They really did complement each other, and they look cool too.
The menu is quite a ‘pubby’ mix of pies, curries, fish & chips and stews. I had the lamb tagine with pearl barley, which was really lovely. The only issue was, there just wasn’t quite enough. I could have eaten two of them. Next time I’ll be having a starter as well.

Really pleased to have finally made it here on Monday. I met some fellow Unilocalers for a drink and some food after work. Even though it was a Monday it had a good busy buzz and live music, on everyday I hear, which was a lovely background for a small group to chat and hear one another.
The services was very attentive, and were happy to grab us some drinks whilst we waited for the last person to arrive.
We all ordered an array of dishes off the menu, I went with the Malaysian veg curry, which came with rice. Went it arrived it was lovely and hot, it had a really warming spice, slightly hotter than expected but very flavoursome and by no means spicy (I’m just a whimp).
All the other dishes looked great and I had particular food envy for the Lamb tagine.
There is also a great selection of beer and cocktails which cater for all, I washed my food down with one of the Salopian brewery beers, served in a traditional glass tanker which I really like although not everyone does.
So my round up, great atmosphere, topped with live back ground music, overall good service and good food.

I visited The Botanist with half a dozen other Unilocalers for an early evening meal and drinks. Despite it being a Monday night, the atmosphere was buzzing with the place being very busy and diners at the surrounding tables having fun with live music playing in the background.
The restaurant is very big with stylish décor. It reminds me of a New Orleans jazz venue, with live music, attentive service from the staff, a bar with a good selection of both beers and cocktails, and a covered seating area out front where you can relax.
My meal was the Malaysian Chicken Curry served with Rice. It wasn’t a massive portion, but it was tasty and satisfying. The price was reasonable.
The informal relaxed atmosphere of The Botanist, which has an vibe that transports you away to far off places despite being in the centre of the City, and the attentive service mean this is somewhere I could see myself going again with friends. Recommended!

Whilst we were away a number of new venues popped up in Birmingham. The highly anticipated Botanist (a chain that’s finally made it to our fair City), was definitely one of them.
A highly stylised venue with a focus on food and cocktails (but that offers a very generous beer menu to boot) located in the centre of the City, a trip is well worth a visit. I popped in on my first day back to work after my Japan adventure and was not disappointed.
My husband and I decided to pop in and try it at lunchtime. We checked on Unilocal and noticed it was open at 12, so decided to hop down there for when it opened. Firstly, it’s well worth booking if you decide to visit at the moment. Only time will tell if it continues to be as busy as it is right now, but as it’s a new place — it will be packed. We easily grabbed a table at 12pm, but by 1pm — most of the tables were full.
The menu is interesting enough to be a bit different, but not «out there» crazy. We chose to sample a lamb hanging kofta (served with fries) and a lamb burger — as well as a couple of draught pints. The beer was good but the meat was actually really, really good. Designed so the sauce drips down onto the fries as well — I was mightily impressed.
The beautiful design of the venue left me feeling like I was eating in a greenhouse of a English garden, rather than in Cheltenham house. I loved the details and touches to create an oasis of calm in the middle of the city. The service was pretty spot on to and the waitresses were chatty, helpful and happy to provide recommendations on the venues offerings.
It’s not the cheapest (2 main’s with a tip came to £30), but I think it would be worth a visit for a «posh lunch» or a date in the evening. I am yet to try the cocktails, but I will be back (soon) to give them a go!
Good job Botanist! Keep up the stirling work!

So, I was very excited to go to one of the launch nights of this restaurant and bar, which is new to the area. Even my invitation was pretty-​like a wedding invite!
The outside of the building has beautiful iron gates (also on the Chester branch although with a slightly different effect), which makes you feel as if you are going on an adventure if you walk through! There is a large (for the city centre!) outdoor seating area surrounded by plants, which gives the effect of sitting in a posh greenhouse I guess… apart from the stairs down to the toilets;). When you walk inside though, the place feels quite warm and cosy despite the outdoor décor them. The room is divided basically into two halfs by a screen-​the bar and the dining area, so you can take it as you wish:)
So, we were told we were getting drinks and canapés. We definitely stood in the right place for drinks-​they didn’t stop coming! The cocktails were great (to buy would be between £6−9 approx). The white wine was nice, but not as special as the waiter was implying. I didn’t really like the champagne –we probably had the cheapest, but even so it would’ve been £29 a bottle. Still, I really can’t moan when it’s free! This is definitely a cocktail place it seems.
I kept asking where the food was and was told three times it was on its way. I’d heard great things about it, so really wanted to try it, but sadly we had to wait until 9.45 before we got olives, a few pieces of ham and cheese. It was quite nice but I couldn’t see why there was such a wait and didn’t think it represented the menu. Still, I had a lovely evening. The atmosphere was buzzing and the staff friendly. I will definitely come back and try the food properly:)

Having been to the sister venue in Manchester, I was excited and intrigued to find out that The Botanist was making it’s way to Birmingham, especially in the heart of a new social-​centre plagued by Young Professionals.
My experience of the Manchester venue has been substantially okay in the past, however, when invited to book alongside a couple of friends on Good Friday evening, I was met with a welcoming glow from their website. «Do enjoy your adventure Mr Muckley». Didn’t realise I was going on a journey?
Well, when you walk through the doors of this Victorian-​inspired back garden-​type place, you feel like you’ve walked through the door in the Secret Garden. It’s got plants, lots of bloody plants, pots of plants, plants that grow, plants that talk to you, plants that smell lovely, plants that you can drink and eat. I’m surprised the staff weren’t really plants.
We were greeted by a lovely waitress, sat down and left for around 10 minutes to take it all in, decide what we wanted and what to devour from the menu. Our first round of cocktails came, all very nice, indulging in several English 75’s as the night went on — my friend did order a carrot-​inspired cocktail, however, my personal feelings is that they should never be mixed, unless you’re in to your Nutribullet.
For food, I opted for a Malaysian Vegetable Curry, which was probably the most exotic choice on the menu, which was packed full of your overpriced, gastro-​pub type choices. Think scampi and chips with a little extra salad.
I was quite underwhelmed by this place, but deep down I need what to expect. There are plenty of these types of venues popping up all over the place, and to be quite honest, it’s quite samey. Sure, it’s a warm welcome to the Birmingham nightlife scene and I’m sure I’ll frequent the venue again for some lovely cocktails prior to an evening of debauchery. Yet, the food and the pretentious nature leave a lot to be desired for.

Experience is key at new venues in 2015 the slapdash idea of barely registering customers Not interacting with them leads to poor social media feedback, and venues are starting to see this. At least the Botanist does! It is full of things you want to take photos of and share with other people.
Julie W and I arrived 30 minutes early for our test lunch experience. We were welcomed warmly and invited straight to the bar. We were the barman’s first live customers at the venue and he was assured and confident. He and one of the bar managers suggested a Strawberry Cucumber Breeze which was very fruity.
We were led through to the restaurant and asked to try whatever we fancied off the menu.
I chose Goat’s Cheese and Tomato Quiche which was great, and not too large followed by the most Birmingham thing on the menu Malaysian Chicken Curry, (You might think I’m being mean with that comment but this is Birmingham and curry is what we do!) It was fragrant and light!
My second cocktail was a Blackberry and Rosemary Fizz with Beefeater Gin, and this was the most «botanical» style drink I’d had all day.
I wanted a light dessert so I chose toasted marsh mellows with strawberries, and a scoop of ice cream, which came hanging on a skewer with warm melted chocolate poured over it by our server.
More Gin was in order as I wanted to stick to one spirit. This was a lunch time after all! i had a cherry blossom with more Beefeater Gin and we headed around to the bar area.
This isn’t a pub its an upscale bar with distressed reclaimed wood, and reclaimed iron. It made feel like we were in a converted country shed with a skylight to let natural light pour over the main bar.
There’s little in the way of sofas as this is a post work market which is pretty emerging in the post-​recession new vibe of 2015 Birmingham.
If I was coming here for lunch I’d probably have fish and chips with a cup of tea!
Thanks to Vicky O Birmingham Unilocal Community Manager for inviting us to go!

I’m really rather impressed with botanist, it’s an informal setting, comfortable but very shabby chic, with emphasis on chic not shabby, stripped wooden floor boards, tables trying to look like potting benches in the bar area, all rather fun, even the lavatories have high rise systerns and garden sheddy type doors.
The food is really good, I chose the baked Camembert starter, served on a wooden bread board with grapes and apple, very nice and presented very prettily too, my main was sea bass and spinach, oh so lovely, beautifully cooked fish, very easy to over cook but this was spot on, ordinarily I would have ordered a side of potato, but I’m out tonight and already battling with a 3 course lunch! Dessert was warm chocolate fudge cake with ice cream and it was a lovely small portion, but really tasty and rich so small was plenty big enough.
The cocktail menu is mind blowing, 4 pages of everything, talk drinks, martinis, a fab gin selection too. Botanist is going to be really popular and super busy, the staff are a tiny bit wobbly in these first days but I’m sure their confidence will bloom (see what I did there?)
To sum up all I can really say is try this place, it’s blooming marvellous.