The trendy neighbourhood of Kings Heath in Birmingham has a new inclusive community dining venue which has replaced a Wetherspoons that closed down. The renowned Pear Tree pub ran for 20 years before calling last orders in October 2021.
Now the site of the former pub, located on 25-27 Alcester Rd South, has been transformed into an independent food hall - with a bar, food vendors, coffee shop - and a live entertainment and events space. The team behind the food hall hopes to revitalise the High Street with the massive venue being able to accommodate 300 people at a time.
Across the world, food halls and marketplaces have become more popular and the team behind this food hall named District Marketplace - hopes to create a lovely space for the local community to enjoy. The venue opened last Friday (July 21) and is currently in their soft launch phase before having a big bash for their opening in the next few weeks. The venue is being led by Manager Matt Fraser, who has longstanding experience in fast casual dining.
The family-friendly and pet-friendly venue will host live music gigs between from Fridays to Sundays every week and has a variety of street food options like pizzas, burgers, Asian and Turkish food. District Marketplace is also looking for new or established food operators to collaborate with and is an expanding business with plans to acquire additional sites across the UK.
The venue is open from Wednesday to Sunday. On Wednesday and Thursday it is open from 8am to 10pm while on Friday and Saturday it is open from 8am to 12am and on Sundays it will be open from 8am to 10pm. For more information, see District Marketplace website. Here are 10 photos inside District Marketplace in Kings Heath showing what it has to offer:
1. Coffee bar at District Marketplace
The venue will have a bar, coffee shop, food and so much more. (Photo - District Marketplace)
2. Alicia’s Bakehouse at District Marketplace
Several amazing street food vendors have been roped in by the venue. One of the food vendors is Alicia’s Micro Bakehouse. They will be serving pizzas at the venue. The bakehouse in Stirchley is known for amazing pizzas, salads and more. It has 4.6 stars on Google reviews. It is an independent Artisan pizzeria operated by brothers Adrian and Martin Gallo who serve authentic Neapolitan style pizza. The brother’s ensure that only the finest products are used and even the simplest of ingredients are treated with respect by applying traditional artisan techniques. Alicia’s speciality dough is allowed to rest for a minimum of 24 hours perfecting its light texture and beautifully bubbly crust.(Photo - District Marketplace)
3. Mount Nemrut at District Marketplace
Turkish restaurant from Bearwood Mount Nemrut is also one of the vendors. Rated 4.7 stars from 1,271 Google reviews, it is one of the best Turkish restaurants in and around Birmingham. They are known for their kebabs and other authentic Turkish food. Proprietor Chef Deniz has been regularly featured on outlets such as the BBC due to his commitment to using the finest locally sourced products such as Welsh lamb. (Photo - District Marketplace)
4. Live music and DJs District Marketplace
The venue will have live music and DJs performing on weekends. (Photo - District Marketplace)