Alfred Works: I visited a vibrant new food hall in Birmingham's coolest neighbourhood and it offered a tasty surprise
Alfred Works, a vibrant new food hall in Birmingham, has opened its doors in Digbeth, the place offers a range of cuisines from local and international vendors.
It was an extremely buzzy atmosphere at Alfred Works located in Digbeth. As soon as I heard a new food hall was opening in Birmingham. I was really excited, the city is home to some of the best restaurants in the UK and is truly underrated food haven. That’s why when another food gem was set to open in the super trendy area of Digbeth, I felt had to get down there and check it out myself.
The food hall is named after custard powder inventor Alfred Bird, paying homage to Digbeth’s industrial past.
Immediately, I headed to the bar where I had a tasty non-alcoholic drink, and enjoyed a refreshing taste of lemonade. The bar staff were hugely accommodating, walking me through the menu, recommending lots of different non-alcoholic drink options. What I truly appreciated, was how the new food hall provides a wide-range of drinks for those who drink alcohol and those who do not.
Afterwards, I joined the queues of eager foodies all keen to explore the 15 vendors with a wide selection of cuisines - from Italian classics to trendy vegan Ethiopian food.
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The place is home to a range of food vendors which include: Jimmy’s Burgers, That Ziki, Clapping Seoul, That Kick, FUKU, Little Penang, Esmie’s Caribbean Fusion, Sapore, Tai Wei, Fuego 1987, House of Habesha, Baity, Milkcake Man and Blend Family’s Coffee Bar.
The evening I visited was a really bustling one, I made sure to look at all the different food stalls on offer. But one that stood out to me was a food stall called Baity which its founder Ali Yousef explained means ‘My home’ in Arabic. The food specialises in Palestinian cuisine and extremely delicious, and was definitely worth getting if you’re looking for a warm meal that will fill you up while still feeling as though you have room for more. After a long peruse of the menu, and chatting to the staff at Baity, I settled on the House Shawarma, and loved the way the meat was cooked, it was really tender and packed full of delicious flavours. I chose to eat the shawarma with fries, and I devoured the entire plate.
Alongside Baity, there were other dishes that really caught my eye, House of Habesha, was one that stood out and I had a taster of some delicious injera (spongey flatbread) with stew on top. The interesting thing about Ethiopian food is that it offers lots of flavoursome options for meat-eaters and non meat-eaters alike.
While, I was at Alfred Works to there were plenty of sources of entertainment, which included a live DJ who played some cracking music throughout the evening. Though, by far the biggest source of entertainment for me, was the dragon dancers, for anyone not too familiar with dragon dancing. It is performed skilled artists who are able to move around colourful, bright dragon puppets in an entertaining fashion.
All in all, I had a delightful time at the new food hall and highly recommend if you’re keen to check out new food options in Birmingham’s Digbeth area.
Alfred Works is located at The Custard Factory, 13a Gibb St, Deritend, Birmingham B9 4DJ.