Birmingham welcomed its first ever two star Michelin restaurant at the prestigious 2024 Michelin Guide awards earlier this week.
Opheem, based on Summer Row in the city centre, was awarded its second star at the awards, becoming Birmingham's first ever restaurant to have two stars.
Opheem is one of the city's very best restaurants and it was honoured at the ceremony on Monday evening. The venue pushes the boundaries of Indian flavours using cooking techniques from across the world to create an exquisite dining experience.
Aktar opened Opheem in 2016 and it received its first Michelin star in October 2019. Three Birmingham restaurants: Adam's, Purnell's and Simpsons, maintained their prestigious one stars at the 2024 ceremony, with Opheem winning two stars.
Carters of Moseley, which previously had a Michelin star, wasn't included in this year's list as it closed and moved to Evesham last year, before relocating to Colmore Row in Birmingham. Chef's aren't able to take their Michelin star with them to different restaurants which is why Carters wasn't included in this year's list.
Other than Opheem, no other Birmingham restaurants were awarded with stars at the ceremony. But we know that there are plenty of brilliant Birmingham restaurants that deserve somr praise. We decided to ask our readers on Facebook which city restaurants they think deserve a Michelin star. Here's what they said:
1. Harborne Kitchen, Harborne
This community restaurant, serving delicious modern British cuisine at affordable prices. It was mentioned a few times by our readers
2. The Wilderness, Jewellery Quarter
The Wilderness is a fine dining restaurant by Alex Claridge, serving playful British dishes with seasonal ingredients. Another brilliant city diner that deserves a star acording to our readers
3. Sweet Chillies, Billesley
This Bangladeshi restaurant and takeaway in Yardley Wood is one of the city's highest rated Indian eateries. It was mentioned by a few of our readers
4. Cheal's Solihull
Cheal's is a little bit out the way in Knowle, Solihull, but it was mentioned by a few of our readers as a venue deserving of a prestigious Michelin star. Cheal's create fine dining menus to reflect their love for classic British cuisine – all dishes are freshly prepared and seasonal.