The Bureau

This place is a gem on Colmore Row. Inside there is a plush interior, and a good selection of booths, and seats. The wine list, and the cocktail list is pleasing. The gin terrace on the roof is more so.
I have hired the private bar area downstairs for a cocktail masterclass, and had a really good experience.
Worth noting that there is music on Friday, and Saturday nights so it can get quite crowded, and a bit loud.

I do really like The Bureau. The cocktails are lovely and I always try a new one when I visit. I love the style of the place and it is always really relaxed. The staff are wonderful and provide really good service.

A stylish cocktail bar with plenty of substance.
The Bureau is what can only be described as plush, they have gone all out to give the place a real art deco feel and have hit the right notes to get you into that 20s cocktail mood.
There’s a wide selection of cocktails on the menu to cover most peoples tastes and they tend to try and do their own twist on the classics, which by and large works very well.
The food offering is solid, of note are the DIY platters so you can have a twist on the standard meat or cheese board you might expect in this sort of bar (definitely have a duck scotch egg on it though!).

This place is a seriously great find. Good wine, GREAT cocktails and a nice atmosphere. It’s perfect during the day for meeting colleagues, and ideal for afterwork drinks too. You have to try the Poppet cocktail– delicious!

Flash. Thats the only word that you can use to describe the place as you enter. There’s marble everywhere you look, and a really striking finish to the bar that oozes luxuriousness. It feels in some respects like the bar of a very expensive hotel.
The drinks selection also runs along the same line, with whiskys, cocktails and wines the order of the day, with obligatory lager taps also present.
The décor isn’t the only aspect borrowed from fancy hotels though, at £29 for two glasses of wine, a gin and tonic and a pint, this place is not cheap (they were large wines and a double gin and tonic, but we didn’t pick top shelf selections, just specified grape and house gin).
It’s not really my scene, but its a nice place and would probably make a great place to take a date if you were trying to impress!

I was taken up to the roof terrace for drinks this summer and loved the urban Ibiza vibe going on with the outdoor sofas an low slung tables.
What I loved even more was coming back to eat here last week on a rainy November night. Now, I’m not going to lie, I’m a sucker for even a whiff of Art Deco, so just looking at the menu made me happy. The food was good and a lot of it for the money, we both had the half chicken and the chef had taken the trouble to debone it and cook it spatchcock which was a nice detail.
The best thing about the night was the service. The woman that served us had the kind of manner that you get from a high end place but was really relaxed and friendly. It was a taking point for us about how good she was and we weren’t surprised when we chatted and found out her parents were in the trade and she’d grown up in pubs and restaurants. We felt really bad when we only had enough money to leave her a standard tip.
Anyway, bars and restaurants of Birmingham please take note, this is how it’s done!

I’ve never been here for food, just for drinks, and my last visit happened to be on a Saturday evening around 10pm, so perhaps catching the last few orders and few punters. Tucked away on Colmore Row, towards the Floozy in the Jacuzzi end (where the Xmas market is!!), we decided on having a couple of swift drinks before moving on to another venue to start our night.
This isn’t your average city centre bar, it has a very exclusive feel, without the need for an invite or a guestlist. It’s very classy in decoration and very relaxed in its atmosphere. Drinks prices are relatively cheap for where the bar is and supposed clientele, and off we popped up to the Terrace, which does offer plenty of seating that is heated with lamps to keep you warm in those cold winter nights.

Have visited twice, once for food and once just for cocktails. It’s in a great location, just 30 seconds from Victoria Square.
As you walk in the door you can walk up the stairs to the terrace, which I’ve never visited, or right into the bar area. The bar is very grand with an exciting array of spirits ready to try! There are a few round booths to sit in or tables and chairs at the back. I like the vibe of the bar, it’s got a 1920’s grown up feel to it without being intimidating.
They have the all the usual food options available but I went for a deli board. You can pick five small items to share with bread and pickles. I shared this with Edd and this was plenty for lunch. The meats we chose were lovely, as were the beetroot bon bons. I really recommend the duck scotch egg– delicious!
With the deli board we had gin and tonics. They recommended Langley’s which is a local gin so we were really happy about that!
Second visit was for a quick drink but we ended up staying for two as there was so much to choose from. The cocktails are made with great quality spirits (e.g. Langley’s gin!). We tried the smoked martinis which sounded intriguing. I can’t quite decide if I liked it. There was certainly a smoky taste but I don’t know if that’s what I want from a Martini. Not that it matters, there are lots more to choose from next time!
I will definitely be back to try one of the hot dogs and more cocktails.

Good food, good cocktails, the roof area is fantastic in good weather. It is quite pricey though.
It is a shame they they closed two floors of this building.

Ooo oh so marvellous cocktails– an espresso martini and then a toffee apple went down a treat– bar food inc a duck scotch egg yum!
Lovely service, will be back!

Ok… I’ll put my hands up and say the last review may have been down to teething problems, I gave them another chance last night and I’m glad I did.
When arranging where myself and Unilocaler Jon B. were going to meet I had a conundrum. We could only meet for an hour and Jon works in the Colmore Business District, so where to go? I could have opted for one of my faves in the area, but thought it was about time I got back on the horse and gave the Bureau another go.
Firstly, I will admit we didn’t have food (which was my main gripe last time). I intend to remedy that soon. So, back to my experience. I was meeting Jon at 5:45 (prime afterwork drinks time) so was a little worried that everywhere might be packed. I was pleasantly surprised to note that whilst the venue wasn’t empty, but there was a booth free. I grabbed this, dropped my stuff down and perused the cocktail menu.
Both times I have visited before, I didn’t really look at the cocktail menu (as the first visit was a lunch meeting and the second time I just had a hankering for a «Bloody Mary»). The cocktail menu is pretty darn extensive. Covering a good range of alcoholic (and a small range of non alcoholic) cocktails, as well as a large selection of spirits, beer and wine.
For our first drink I decided we would try a signature cocktail for the venue, The Bureau Iced Tea. It’s a bit lethal booze-​wise, but very tasty and well presented. I was served by a friendly and helpful barman and our drinks were ready within 5 minutes. The venue was a good choice to meet and chat, as it had a nice atmosphere but wasn’t too loud and was neat, clean and has an opulent feel.
For our second cocktail, Jon decided we would go for a couple of Mai Tai’s. These were the cincher for their second star. Firstly, once ordered, they told us to take a seat and they would bring them over. Secondly, the drink was fresh, sweet, a little sour and you couldn’t taste the alcohol. All in all, maybe one of the best Mai Tai’s I have EVER had.
Again, I can’t say that they’ve fixed the issues with food — but I have heard good things about their offerings since. I will say head down and try a Mai Tai. See what you think (and let me know!).

Only given this place a try once and so I can’t comment on the food, but the seating arrangements inside are set out in two’s so therefore aimed more at couples eating there. Having said that a group of 5 of us went one Friday night for drinks and managed to grab one of the few booths. I would say this is more of a ‘bar’ that a ‘pub’ but that’s fine becomes everyone has different tastes and something its nice to feel like dressing up a bit when you go out:) The décor is quite smart and chic and the ambience is fairly relaxed, smart/​casual. Drink wise we stuck to house white which wasn’t bad value (these days!), large glass for £6. Not much choice on the taps though so if beer/​ale is you thing then you might not stop here long.

I haven’t hear about The Bureau until last month when I have spotted it was the new trendy bar in the Colmore Row. Even I just have popped there just for some (last) couple of drinks in a night out, the first impression about it was really good.
To start with, the building itself that reminds a bank (and almost 99% sure it as a bank before) is really beautiful. I like all marble floor and walls and the traditional bar is also a complement to the décor.
It was crowded but not packed. It was easy to find a table even being a Saturday night. My interesting at the place increased in high levels when I spotted the cocktails in the menu. Caipirinha, the traditional and popular Brazilian drink was there and didn’t take me too much time to decide about what to drink.
While the barman was preparing my first round, I spotted something called «smoked drinks» and for the very first time in life I tried the smoked Caipirinha. And obviously i have to ask the barman how the magic was done. Apparently, they have a smoking gun (tool or whatever it is called) that gives this smoked taste to the drinks. First slip is a bit strange, but after the glass empty you really feel it adds an extra enjoyable taste to the cachaça, lemon, sugar and ice from the caipirinha itself.
The staff was really nice and kind when explained to me (a Brazilian) how the drink was prepared and the bar got some kudos for it and I really recommend everyone into cocktails to face the smoked drink challenge. The price is also inviting, £6.50 for a caipirinha is still on the budget!