1847, Birmingham

Good vegetarian food can often be hard to find when eating out and about. My veggie friends are often complaining to me about how few and boring the choices usually are in restaurants. I’d heard good things about 1847, located in Great Western Arcade in the centre of Birmingham so when it was my friends birthday (who is vegetarian) I suggested we went here as a group.

1847 is a pure vegetarian restaurant and also has lots of options for vegan and gluten free diets. They are fine dining but reasonably priced at £19.75 for 2 courses or £25.50 for 3 courses.

There was seven of us in total, one of us a vegetarian. The boys were less than excited about not getting any meat for their dinner. However, they were all pleasantly surprised when we got there, read the menu and picked something, and enjoyed it!

A few of us opted for the vegetable pakora to begin with. You actually got three pakoras which were wonderfully spiced and fragrant and served with a cooling mint yoghurt. However, I also need to mention the salt baked carrot that my friend had which was honestly the best carrot I have ever tasted in my life. It was incredible! (top picture)

I went for the veggie ‘fish’ and chips for mains which was battered halloumi cheese with triple cooked chips and a pea puree. This was the first time I had tried battered halloumi and I can tell you now it won’t be the last! It was delicious. The batter wasn’t at all greasy and the pea puree complemented the whole dish.

Chris went for a mushroom and vegetable broth. He said it was nice, but thought it would have been nice to have a chunk of bread to soak the sauce up with after he had finished. The sauce has a wonderful sweet and sourness style to it which made it light but enjoyable. He tried my halloumi and chips and said I had chosen better…

I also decided to have a dessert, because it’s me and I always have dessert, even though I was full to the brim. I can't remember what my dessert was called but it looked and tasted gorgeous. It wasn’t too heavy either, which was ideal after two previous courses.

Would I go again? Yes definitely. They update their menu regularly to accommodate what’s in season and what they can get locally. I’d love to go back and try something new.

Even if you’re not vegetarian I would recommend giving 1847 a go. It’s fine dining without the cost and you’ll try lots of different things you never thought you would! They also have locations in Manchester, Brighton and Bristol. 

Disclosure: We paid for our meal in full and they did not know I would be reviewing.