I can’t tell you how excited I am for the Gyaru Jubilee event. The Paris meet is still fresh in my mind and I can’t wait for the partying, photos, and para para! In the lead up to the event I decided to put together a post on the gyaru guide to everything Birmingham for those who are planning on staying longer than a weekend (and for those that are, there are plenty of lush hotels in Birmingham for you to stay in). Birmingham rivals London in my eyes for it’s wide range of activities, and it’s only getting better and better.
Disclaimer: spending money was gifted by Hotels but all views are my own.
Birmingham Centre
All of the below are things within Birmingham city centre or within a 2-5 minute walk away.
Bullring
Gals love shopping and the Bullring + Grand Central is the best place for it! I always start at Grand Central and then slowly make my way to the Bullring via Link Street, and my spending begins at Debenhams’ beauty section. There’s also a Forever21 there which is a long-time favourite of the UK gals, as well as Claires Accessories and Superdrug. You can spend hours in here walking around, so I suggest taking some comfortable flats with you.
Tokyo Toys – Anime + Manga Store
31 Corporation Street, B2 4LS
There aren’t many Japanese shops around in Birmingham so I get my fill at Tokyo Toys where they sell, well, lots of toys! They sell a lot of anime merchandise, collectable items as well as Pocky, and gosh I could spend all day in there trying to decide which plushies to buy. The staff are really friendly there, too!
Buffalo + Rye
11 Bennetts Hill, B2 5RS
One of my favourite things about Birmingham is the food, and boy I love Buffalo + Rye. It wasn’t up until recently that I tried their food as I usually just have a drink there but the burgers are amazing! There’s a really friendly atmosphere there but I would definitely recommend booking as it gets really busy, really quickly.
Be At One
Piccadilly Arcade, B2 4BJ
What can I say? (Most) gyaru love to party, and Birmingham has so many cocktail bars to offer but Be At One is one of my favourites. It’s in a super convenient area located just opposite New Street Station and the music there is brilliant as they always have some 80s music (and sometimes 90s) playing. They do the occasional ‘new’ song but I do love it when Whitney Houston blasts through the speakers.
Lane7
The Cube, Lane7 Level 6, Wharfside St, Birmingham B1 1RN
I went to Lane7 with work last year and had an amazing time there! They have bowling alleys and an arcade where you can play ping pong and air hockey! They also do some wonderful cocktails (parma violet is my favourite). It is located in The Cube which is quite close to New Street Station.
Aluna
128-130, The Mailbox, Wharfside St, Birmingham B1 1RQ
This is by far one of my favourite cocktails places – I just love how spooky it is, and the cauldron cocktails are my favourite! This place is located in the Mailbox which is full of wonderful places to eat, so you can always have dinner in one place and then hop next door for cocktails at Aluna.
Chinatown
The below are places located in Chinatown/the Chinese Quarter, which is around a 6 minute walk from Birmingham New Street Station.
Caffe Chino
Unit B107, Arcadian Centre, 70 Hurst Street, B5 4TD
A few bubble tea cafes have been cropping up in Birmingham, but none can replace Caffe Chino in my heart. It’s quite hidden in Chinatown but does get rather busy as it’s so well-known in the area, so I always try to go there after lunchtime when the crowd has died down. They do delicious bubble waffles there too which have become a fast favourite of mine.
Ming Moon
16 Hurst St, Birmingham B5 4BN
KARAOKE AND CHINESE BUFFETS, Y’ALL! Ming Moon is the best karaoke place I’ve ever been too because not only is it, dare I say it, super instagrammable but you can also have a buffet while you’re doing your thang on karaoke. Oh, and cocktails! A gal meet in Brum feels weird without a karaoke session, and it’s an old favourite of ours (we went there for our previous gyaru meet).
Further Away from the Centre
The below are places further away from the centre, where they’re either more than a 10 minute walk or places you have to get a taxi to.
Dolce Lounge Desserts
203 Corporation Street, B4 6SE
Dolce lounge is located a bit far from the centre (well, about a 10-15 minutes walk from New Street Station) but it’s well worth it. It is a small dessert cafe and the pancakes are absolutely mouth-watering. They have cookie dough and other sundaes there too!
Mr Mulligan’s
Ran Kotobuki would be pleased with this place because not only can you play crazy golf, but they have lots of food there, too. Next to Mr Mulligan’s is a bowling alley, Hollywood Bowl, and there’s also an Odeon cinema directly opposite, a Frankie and Benny’s restaurant, as well as a casino… Plenty of places a gal could have fun! All of these places are located at Broadway Plaza, so I would recommend getting an uber if you’re travelling from the centre (it should cost no more than £6 to get there).
I hope you have enjoyed this gyaru guide to Birmingham and have discovered all of the amazing things that Brum (as locals call it) has to offer. There were plenty more activities that I wanted to include, so there might be a part 2 coming up in future (because who knows, maybe some new places would open!)
If you have any questions, please let me know.
In the meantime… Have any of you been to Birmingham before? What places would you recommend?
Love,
Lizzie xx
