1. Urban Pie
How far would you walk for a good pie? It's a pertinent question, because, while a visitor may struggle to find this place in the bewildering maze that is the Bullring Shopping Centre, its pies are certainly worth the hassle. Generous, handmade, all-butter-pastry creations, the Guardian's steak and mushroom sampler was packed with good, chunky meat in a hearty gravy. You can get mash, beans or superb, fresh mushy peas on-the-side (all served in a cleverly designed box which folds flat, like a plate), to takeaway or eat at communal counters in the warm, woody store. Fresh, honest fast food and neat packaging to boot, this could catch on. Bargain hunters note: 5pm-8pm Mon-Fri, all pies are half-price.
• Pies £3.95. 124 The Bullring Shopping Centre, +44 (0)121 643 0040; urbanpie.co.uk
2. Great British Eatery
It looks very sharp and modern, but, in one crucial area, this new-wave chip shop is ultra traditional. In time honoured fashion, and in sharp contrast to those chip shops which cook in bulk and then leave their fish to sit around going limp, everything is cooked-to-order in beef dripping at very high temperatures. The effect is dramatic. The fish is first-rate - properly steamed within its crisp, golden batter casing - as are the dense, fluffy chips. Wash it all down with a Freedom lager (from £2.20) or a beer from local brewery, Holden's.
• Meals from £2.50, cod and chips £6. 13 Broadway Plaza, Francis Road, +44 (0)121 456 5955; greatbritisheatery.co.uk
3. Opus
Good value doesn't necessarily mean dirt cheap. For instance, the £17 two-course lunch menu at Michelin-starred Purnells (55 Cornwall Street, +44 (0)121 212 9799; purnellsrestaurant.com) is arguably Birmingham's best bargain. Just across the road - this is the business district, hence this cluster of high-end restaurants - Opus has won much praise for its rigorous seasonal British cooking. At lunch, price-sensitive gourmets can join the suits, and enjoy one of the daily market specials, such as warm quail, crispy bacon and carrot risotto, or rabbit and wild mushroom broth.
• Specials from £8.50. 54 Cornwall Street, +44 (0)121 200 2323; opusrestaurant.co.uk
4.Handmade Burger Co
You'll find an in-depth essay on each table, which explains the key tenets of the Handmade Burger Co's philosophy. Beef comes from traceable, traditionally reared cows, all food is cooked fresh. The wisdom of all this is born out by their creditable burgers: thick, tasty chargrilled hunks, served on substantial sourdough buns with fresh salad, mayo, and an interesting raisin chutney.
• Burgers from £5.55. 14 The Water's Edge, Brindleyplace, +44 (0)121 665 6542; handmadeburger.co.uk
5. Asha's
This is a serious Indian restaurant, but don't be put off by that 2009 Michelin guide sticker in the window, or the swish interior. Certainly at lunchtime (curry, rice, raita and soft drink, £5.95), you can still afford to eat here. The simple choice is between unspecified chicken, lamb or vegetable curries, but the quality is high. A sensitively spiced, tomato-based curry is packed with vegetables, and arrives with a veritable mound of perfectly cooked white rice, and a pot of zingy, thick sour cream.
• Evening mains from £10. Edmund House, 12-22 Newhall Street, +44 (0)121 200 2767; ashasuk.co.uk
6. Canalside Cafe
Going by its herby, homemade vegetable soup (£3.95), the food at this semi-veggie daytime cafe is serviceable, but it's the place itself that's inspirational. All clutter, character and mismatched furniture, this whitewashed former lock-keeper's cottage is an idiosyncratic refuge from the chain hell that is nearby Broad Street. Sat outside, nursing a pint of Pardoe's Entire (£2.80), watching the barges putter past, it feels like the place to be.
• Meals from £3.95. Canalside Cottage, 35 Worcester Bar, Gas Street Basin, off Gas Street.
7. Cafe Ikon
It's part of the Ikon contemporary art gallery, but this cafe enjoys a strong reputation in its own right. The Good Food Guide, among others, has praised a Spanish menu that takes in a broad swathe of tapas and larger raciones dishes. However, the budget traveller may be better going for one of the toasted bocadillos - tortilla with tomato salsa perhaps; or Serrano ham with Manchego cheese.
• Bocadillos £4.45; main tapas from £2.25. 1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, +44 (0)121 248 3226; ikon-gallery.co.uk
8. The Warehouse Cafe
Yes, Allison Street looks drab and (light) industrial, but press on, and you'll come across the Birmingham Friends of the Earth HQ, a prettily painted building that houses several "green" businesses, including this casual vegetarian restaurant. A bright, open-plan space, it's popular with everyone from new mums to creative types from the nearby Custard Factory complex. Mains, like vegetable balti or goat's cheese arancini with pea puree, sugar snaps and parmesan crisps, hover around the eight quid mark, but the Warehouse also does cheap, filling "light meals". The falafel is recommended: delicately spiced with a good "nutty" texture, they're served with decent tabbouleh, pitta bread, tahini and cumin-dressed carrots. Drink tap water: it's free and green.
• Meals from £5.50. 54-57 Allison Street, +44 (0)121 633 0261; thewarehousecafe.com
9. The Lord Clifden
One of the Jewellery Quarter's real gems, the Lord Clifden is best known for its collection of urban art, including pieces by Banksy, Blek and D*Face. However, there is much more to this contemporary boozer than stencils and paint. Its real ales (six in all, four guests) have won it CAMRA approval; its music events run the gamut from indie to jazz; and its beer garden - complete with table football, all-weather table tennis and bright pink post box - is one of the best in Brum. As for food, the brunch and "quickie" menus offer sandwiches and jacket spuds from £1.75, while the main menu features dishes of surprising sophistication. A salad of bacon and wood pigeon (£4.95) is fantastic. The sweet-tart flavours of the marmalade dressing are beautifully restrained, and the yielding, gamey pigeon is cooked to a precise, perfect dark ruby.
• The Lord Clifden, 34 Great Hampton Street, Hockley, +44 (0)121 523 7515; thelordclifden.com
10. The Balti Triangle
A cooking style, rather than a dish, balti, Birmingham's best known culinary export, was created by Pakistani Kashmiri chefs in the Sparkbrook area of the city in the mid-1970s. Rather than cooking large batches of curry, en masse, using lots of ghee and pre-mixed curry pastes, balti chefs started to cook and serve their curries, individually, in thin, pressed-steel balti pans. Onions or tomatoes are cooked quickly over a high heat, with a little vegetable oil. Meat is then added, and, finally, fresh herbs and whole spices (cardamom, cassia bark, cloves etc.) to season the dish. A good balti-style curry should be flavourful rather than hot, and is traditionally served with naan bread, not rice.
There are over 50 restaurants in the Balti Triangle, but, among aficionados, two names crop up again and again. Adil (353-355 Ladypool Road, +44 (0)121 449 0335; adilbalti.co.uk) is well into its fourth decade, and claims to be the original Birmingham balti house; while relative newcomer, Al Frash (186 Ladypool Road, +44 (0)121 753 3120; alfrash.com) - a slick, minimalist space compared to many restaurants in the Triangle - is renowned for its vibrant, authentic balti cooking. Main dishes from around £5 at both.
• Share your Brum eating tips on our Word of Mouth blog
• The Taste of Birmingham festival, 9-12 July, Cannon Hill Park. See taste.visitbirmingham.com for details. Standard tickets cost £10
