Dating in Birmingham
Birmingham is home to one of the youngest populations in Europe, it also has a high percentage of single people looking for love…
The traditional industrial image of Birmingham still exists, but there are new industries and employers in the city, from financial to law, customer services to retail and the city is home to over one million people.
Many people work hard during the day and then struggle to get the time to go out at night, if they do it may be a busy weekend, and if you are single, it’s not always easy to find someone you like amongst drunken revelers and loud bars.
For many, online dating, or speed dating, is the new way to meet up and have fun. It’s not all about love though, friendship often comes from online dating.
The question is, where do you meet for a quiet or romantic drink?
Bar or Restaurant?
There are literally hundreds of restaurants in Birmingham, the city boasts three Michelin starred restaurants and many others which are close to that standard.
One of the noisier and possibly less romantic places is Broad Street, it’s loud and a bit commercialised, so unless you want to be shouting across a packed bar probably not the best place to start off the night.
Brindley Place is a nice starting point with a cool mix of bars and restaurants, it also backs out onto the canals, which are redeveloped beautifully.
From Brindley Place, you can take a stroll to the Mailbox, via the canal, there are a similar mix of bars and eateries here with nice views. Bar Room bar is a good meeting place to begin.
If you want trendy chic bars, and you are prepared for some lively music then you could always try the Arcadian. Men will need to wear shoes and a shirt for most places around here. There is the Comedy Club and a cinema close by too… as well as a bustling China Town (good food)
There are similar bars on Summer Row, this is not far from the Central Library, with Apres and Mechu, but again, these places can be quite strict on entrance.
Close to Summer Row is The Jewellery Quarter, which now has a great variety of bars and restaurants too, this includes the Victorian ‘St Pauls Square’ with the Jam House for live music.
Off The Beaten Track
Other bars off the beaten track include: Bar Red and the Trocadero on Temple Street, Bacchus Bar underneath the Burlington Hotel on New Street, The Yard Bird live funk venue on Centenary Square, Bar One Ten on Colmore Row (say you are thinking of becoming a member and ask for a guided tour of the roof top bar) and The Old Joint Stock opposite St Phillips Cathedral.
All these places are great and within a few minutes walking distance of each other, it’s a case of ‘suck it and see’, you will probably find other places en route, but that’s party of the fun. If you are happy to climb into a taxi then other areas worth exploring with a new date are: Moseley, Kings Heath, Harborne and Digbeth but do some research on Digbeth first as it can be a bit dark and moody. There is the Custard Factory which has plenty of space and there are plenty of old Irish Boozers down the back streets, with anywhere in the city, it’s always best to tread with caution, but don’t be afraid to try new places. Most couples starting out dating end up having a few favourite haunts… good luck and keep safe, even if your date turns out bad, you can still find a new place to ‘hang out’.