We took on Birmingham’s ultimate food festival — Super Weekend plans? Sorted

On Friday, July 4 and Saturday, July 5 the Colmore Food Festival is taking place in Victoria Square in the middle of Birmingham, with 32 stalls, the festival is predicted to attract more than 30,000 visitors, this year.

The stalls which line up Victoria square are made up of local restaurants, coffee shops, bars and hotels offering a selection of meat, vegetarian, and vegan options, as well as a selection of drinks.

And this year’s event will kick-start the much-awaited ‘Birmingham Super Weekend’ - read more on this here.

With a diverse range of people and food options, there was a lot of entertainment available, and musicians playing steel pans drew in the crowds.

Kelsey Dwyer, events manager at Colmore Food Festival shared more about the festival with us. “We’ve had it for thirteen years now and it's all about bringing the community together, giving the businesses a place to network.”

In terms of trading, leisure and hospitality venues flock to the festivals, with most being food. Though the event organisers shared that they have the odd alcohol operator.

Kelsey shared that the event has exploded over the past decade. She said: “We’re on the biggest year so far with 32 traders, which is really big for us, we can’t actually fit any more on the square.”

The event has also expanded its entertainment offering, with a demo kitchen and a stage this year, as well as a kids disco. Kelsey recommends all the stands but shares that her ones to watch this year, include, Pasture and Regina’s Bar and Restaurant, a new restaurant in the city.

While perusing the food stalls, we bumped into food vlogger, @omega.eats aka Omar Fletcher who shared that he was also looking forward to trying Pasture. “They’ve recently opened up and I’m looking forward to trying it because I haven’t been to their restaurant yet so this is the perfect chance to try them out.”

Meanwhile, Aaron Wincott, the general manager of Hotel du Vin which is based on Church Street, shared the benefits the business has found as they’ve been a part of the Colmore Food Festival for more than 10 years. “It’s a date in the diary we always make sure we’ve got in.

“We love taking part in it, we’ve got some of our own brands. It’s cheaper than what you’d find in the hotel, only £5 a glass. It’s a way of getting our products out there, getting the awareness of the hotel out there.”

Our verdict

Mimi’s take

It was challenging to decide where to begin at the food festival with 32 exhibitors lined up in the middle of Birmingham city centre, set up in time for the Friday lunchtime rush.

After spending some time in the bustling square, I was drawn in by the lively ambiance, entertaining music, and, of course, the lovely aromas of hot food that filled the air.

Around Kuala Poké, I noticed a queue of people. I looked over the menu and, influenced by the crowd, I decided that the Teriyaki Roasted Loch Duart Salmon Poke Bowl, which cost £6, would be a refreshing summer meal in the unusually hot Birmingham weather.

What truly caught my tastebuds was the yuzu ponzu sauce and coconut brown rice. Mangos, my favourite fruit, were also included in the dish, which enhanced the flavours of summer.

Harmani’s take

Amidst the cornucopia of food stalls and delicious smells, I managed to spot a familiar favourite, Yakinori, an authentic Japanese cuisine with two restaurants located in Birmingham.

Being vegetarian, I tried the Firecracker Cauliflower meal, topped with roasted sesame seeds - and it certainly lived up to its name! For £5, I got a large portion of crispy cauliflower bites that were coated in golden breadcrumbs and tossed in Yakinori’s spicy firecracker sauce, crackling with heat and flavour.

Not only was this dish a delight to eat, but the portions were so generous, leaving me unable to actually finish the food, despite my best attempts to do so!

Overall, the flavoursome food, topped with friendly service and served with a side of refreshing mango bubble tea, led to a hugely enjoyable experience that I will definitely be coming back to again!