Bantu Birmingham in Birmingham

Going to enjoy a meal I cherish, I ended up paying good money for nothing worth it. It is definitely not Suya what they are offering there, if you are a fan of Suya like me. Suya is made with powder of grinded Kuli Kuli (dried groundnut paste after extracting oil of it) plus ginger powder as essential constituents plus other flavor's depending on the chef choices. The so called Suya there had none of these two essentials yet I cannot figure how they call it Suya???? Suya is definitely not made with meat that has bones! Assuming that a low class restaurant might make the lamb Suya with parts that have bones because lamb bone is softer, this definitely never happens with beef meat. Beef meat used for Suya are tender boneless meat for sure. Given the high price for the starter (£8.99), one will never expect bones in such a starter meal, for it means one is paying for a high quality service but is actually receiving a mean return. And the chef assumes that Suya means chili spicy flavor, so he adds hot chili (without the ginger essence!) to make it taste somewhere close to Suya. It is evident he is ignorant that Suya can be and is traditionally not spicy except as the customer requests, i.e., it is not essential to have hot chili to make the dish a Suya dish, but it is definitely not a Suya when it is missing the Kuli Kuli coat/cover/flavor and when it is made with bones. That was simply a dish of roasted meat pieces that you can find in any restaurant that roasts meat and for a far cheaper price compared to quantity. It was anything but the lovely Suya dish!! (cannot say it was not well cooked, but that does not make it a Suya and Suya is a special dish) And what is annoying, it is a STARTER dish in little quantity for £9 a plate!!! I took two friends hoping to introduce them to the lovely Suya dish, telling them of Alhaji Suya in London and optimistic to get them amazed by the experience, I ended up paying £27 for roasted meat not even a half kilo if I summed the three plates. I would have been more lenient if after all, for that £27 they enjoyed the taste of Suya even if in little quantity. Indeed it was what made pay such a sum even though I realized it was a starter dish. I neither got a satisfying meal for £27, nor at least introduced my friends to the taste of Suya. As a Londoner visiting Birmingham, it is a shame that a restaurant will claim they are selling a meal and sell something else while they charge a high price that should be charged by a prestigious restaurant. Indeed it is just a show and I doubt their other dishes will be genuine African cuisines. My break in Birmingham is spoiled because of their fake advert claiming they offer Suya..

Avoid with a barge poll, they are completely run down and can’t afford to pay their invoices!!

This place closed on Monday 29th July 2024.

This may be quite honestly the worst place I've ever eaten. From the minute we walked through the door, the venue is not in any way, shape or form as pictured. You have Morrisons shopping trollies around, there decor is not as it is on the photos. I remember this venue as a night club, and from what it looks like they've done very little to modify this. It was previously an Indian restaurant, how do I know this you may enquire, well, it's not because I'd visited this establishmemt when it did serve Indian food, but the "authentic Indian food" branding you can see slightly gave this fact away. On top of this, as it was my first African food experience I asked the waitress for her recommendations on what was a good choice, which apparently, was akin to me asking her to donate a lung. She huffed, she puffed, thankfully though, she did not blow my house down. Now, I can forgive a venue for a few corners cut and staff attitude, as long as they're living up food wise. I regret to inform you this was not in any way the case. There were 4 of us in the venue at the time we visited. We waited 40 mins for a starter of chicken wings and prawns (we didn't initially want prawns, however they apparently didn't have any samosas that we initially requested - must have sold out in the rush of customers that came in an hour prior to us at their opening time) The chicken wings were dry yet sloppy - quite the achievement I'm aware. The prawns were lukewarm, 40 mins on the grill obviously wasn't enough to take the chill out of those fellas. The mains, which I can no longer delve into the darkest spots of my memory to retrieve the names of were equally as inedible. I can't warn you away enough. I've given up on this review. JUST DONT DO IT

Short of words actually, had such high hopes based off a false video, food was sub par and tasteless to say the least, drinks were over priced (4.50 for a cup of apple juice) a plate of just soup cost 12.50 Really exorbitant prices for such meagre food and service, not to mention the small portions. Either improve quality of food or drop down those ridiculous prices. Or best close down the store

First things first: neither the food or the establishment remotely resemble what's. The pictures online show. The place resembles an ex-nightclub that has changed hands a few times and these guys have not bothered with a kick of paint or general maintenance of any kind. Doors hanging off, trolleys / furniture in the hallway to the toilets. Proper bodge job vibes. The staff weren't exactly rude but I definitely felt like I was getting on the way of their social time with each other. The food was.. horrific. Chicken wings and prawns to start. Wings were a terrible city and dry as a bone. Which is strange as they somehow managed to be sloppy. Didn't risk the prawns as they were cold. Bunny chow sauce was tasty but who knows what flavour they were going for. Goat was also dry as a bone (when you found a bit of meat through the fat) Got to be some kind of money laundering exercise as I can't see a place like this affording the broad street rent etc. Never thought I'd see the day I'd regret a Groupon....

Food was delicious , service was fast , will definitely order from here again!!

First time at Bantu was skeptical but I was amazed at how good the food was. The egusi and pounded was fresh and definitely worth another visit

The food here seemed like nectar to me. I think the taste of the food is still in my mouth. Thanks Bantu

From when we arrived at Bantu the staff where great. From checking in our coats, taking drinks orders and service in the restaurant itself. The eating experience was great and very different to other things I've tried. The food taste great with a real contrast in textures and flavours. Would highly recommend to anyone. I can't recommend them enough. I will definitely be returning in the future

The ABSOLUTE worst restaurant in the WORLD. Service is horrible, food took an hour to come. The prices are ridiculous, the portion sizes are small, the staff is clueless. Toilets are filthy. Believe all the negative reviews. £78 for sadza, wine & a cocktail is insane. Don’t bother going there! It’s sad because the place looks pretty & it has so much potential. Just poor management. The owner is absolutely rude. No wonder the place is always empty

To start with it took a very long time for the overpriced food to arrive, the poor server was on her own trying to do everything. The drinks on offer were lack luster at best and again heavily over priced. The overall vibe wasn't welcoming at all.

Went for my dads birthday, the food was really good and well priced,the staff were pleasant and the overall atmosphere was good.. Will be back soon

An absolute joke which reminds you of Africa and not in a good way. Please read reviews first, I wish I had!! I met with a group of friends from across England and thought since it’s Africa Day, let’s go and support our own. This was a busy Saturday on a bank holiday weekend, the sun was out and we really looked forward to the meal having seen on the website. 1. The restaurant opens at 3pm despite the website saying it opens at 1pm. Staff were courteous and very polite - despite the bad experience we left a tip for the waitress! 2. We ordered drinks from the menu - there were only 2 bottles of Kopparbeg. 2 bottles!! I asked for Savannah or Hunters Gold or even Palm wine which were on the drinks menu - they didn’t have any. So 2 in our group had the bottles whilst the other 2 had coke and rubicon guava - which tasted a bit off!! The water pitcher was dirty and there were no other ciders! 3. Ordered starters and mains. The lovely lady asked if we wanted both served at the same time. I told her No thanks, I’ll have the starter first. It came same time as the main. 4. The meal (Gango) was well presented - portions were minuscule. There was one small boerewors and no gizzards in any of the 3 dishes ordered. We asked and were told that Chef did not have any gizzards to add to the meal that’s despite this being one of the main meats. 5. No table cloths to cover the dirty tables, no condiments, very few paper serviettes which were collected if you left at the table plus what looked like 1 salt shaker in the whole restaurant. Finally, as for the toilets - please avoid. We ended up going to Nandos to use their toilets and wished we’d just gone to Nandos for the entire meal!!

Portions are too small , waited for an hour to barely eat for 5 minutes.

As a trained chef and a Zimbabwean I can tell you this is HANDS DOWN the worst African/Zimbwean restaurant I’ve ever been to. Firstly we waited 30 minutes for the wrong food to come to our table and then when it did come (another 20 minutes later) food was cold and potions were small. Who pays £15 for 4 pieces of beef? You buy a KG of the beef for less than £15?? I write and design menus for restaurants and source ingredients, so I know how much of an extortionate profit you are trying to make there. Most of the food on the menu wasn’t available, including the traditional beers. Servers were very rude and when I complained about the portion size, the waiter looked at me with confusion, so I had to explain three times and ask her if it makes sense?? Furthermore the food was 100% old or going off hence why I didn’t even finish the food, however still paid for my full meal. Here I am now less than 24 hours later having had 3/4 bouts of D & V. Very very disappointed, only came to support the owner as I have frequented his other establishments. Please DO NOT waste your time or money here. Spend over £100 for complete rubbish food, the brewours sausage was one ring which had been split in 4. A packet of which sells for around £10. Yet the 1/4 piece served, was sold for £14???. Oxtail dish came with 4 pieces of oxtail for £17??? Servers are very clueless and confused. Now I understand why a lot of people I know only come to eat here for free. Wont be coming again and will 100 let people know not to waste their money. An EHO visit is needed 100%

The boss really took care of us and made us feel good and eat well.

Wanted to try here for a while as a lover of African cuisine. We bought a Groupon and were a bit apprehensive as we'd read mixed reviews before attending but decided to carry on. Firstly, the address on Groupon is wrong, glad I checked online first. When we arrived there was a private function on the top floor. The sound system was so loud we couldn't hear each other speak and had to ask to be moved to a quieter part of the restaurant, which was only marginally better. I ordered a Windhoek to be told they didn't have any African beers available. Whilst we expected a limited menu due to booking a Groupon there were many items of the menu unavailable. We were told they were only making stews that evening which was a disappointment. To make matters worse, my beef stew had total 4 small pieces of beef in it and my wife's meat and fish stew was inedible. We left and had to buy food elsewhere.

Horrible food and service. Waste of money .

Good location, good setting, good service and wide menu without compromising quality.

Silvia was a lovely host and excellent customer service.

Silvia was amazing had excellent customer service and was so kind !

The food is actually amazing the restaurant itself is so beautiful and that’s really all I can ask for

Silvia was amazing and the food was very nice. Recommend 10/10

This was the most useless so-called restaurant I've ever been to in my life. We're not that picky, but I've never been anywhere like this before. Basically, it was like being in a comedy sketch. The place had no food! We ordered starters. The waitress checked a piece of paper and said no, sorry. We chose again. Same thing, but slower. We tried a third time. Same again. We then said would it be easier if you told us what you do actually have. She just looked at us blankly. So then we left and went two doors down tothe Varanasi, who fed us some great food. Very disappointed by Bantu, though.

Very nice place, and nice customer service. But they didn't have half the food that was on the menu. Then you had a pay extra for sides as the main meal didn't come with anything extra I.e like the peri peri chicken didn't come with chips or anything. So the price was quite expensive just for one piece of chicken. The toilets were fiflty. Not being cleaned and maintained. I don't think I would return to this restaurant.

A large group of us attended this restaurant, many for the first time. I understand Bantu has recently moved to a new location, that location being Broad Street. With the exception of a small amount of signage, if you did not know otherwise you would be under the impression that the restaurant was still an Indian restaurant as opposed to African. The front facing of the restaurant and interior are a lot to be desired. Whilst a few members of the group arrived late owing to traffic, it did not make a huge amount of difference as the seating arrangements had not been adequately set up to accommodate the group, despite the restaurant being called a number of times - conversations had and voicemails left to confirm the number of people in the party beforehand. To add insult to injury, despite waiting a considerable amount of time to be seated, which we had to re-arrange ourselves to accommodate the group, there was a lack of communication between the owner (Leroy Dexter) and his staff. The latter of which were stretched beyond belief and being all things to all people. Consequently, compromising on quality and service. We were told to sit down so that our drinks order could be taken and in the absence of this happening a few of us went to the bar, where we were sent back to our table. Clearly distressed, the lady serving behind the bar asked the owner if someone would be attending to our table to which he sharply replied "I don't know you sort it". The manner in which the owner conducted himself and spoke to his staff throughout the course of our visit, let alone publicly was disgraceful. Eventually, we were served some drinks though the order was wrong and the rest taken from the table - those taken from the table took an hour to arrive, in addition to the 45 minutes taken to take the order. There were significant delays between each course with the starters taking approximately 90 mins to arrive, confusion with drinks orders and a lack of awareness or knowledge of the menu from staff. A lack of cutlery and napkins. The table cloths became soiled from drinks knocked over, due to the table being so full as plates weren't cleared. We ourselves had to remove the table cloths and waited for them to be replaced with no avail. The starters were served cold and the mains some 3 and a half hours later, with only some of the party receiving their mains and the others their sides with no main. We tried to provide feedback directly to Leroy Dexter who seemingly had no interest, ignored us or ordered another member of staff to attend to us whilst they were tasked with doing the many other jobs they had been asked to complete. Leroy Dexter continually lied, blaming the experience on Groupon (amongst other things) as opposed to his lack of organisation, professionalism and ability to provide good customer service. No accountability was taken or an apology provided. A main was returned twice before a completely new dish was requested. The baby goat meat was inedible and served with cut up pounded yam passed off as casava bread with a side of cold jollof rice. Upon recieving the peri peri chicken instead, a portion that wouldn't even serve a child under the age of 5 was served which tasted as though it had been frozen, defrosted in the microwave and served. It also consisted of half of a very small chicken leg and one quarter of a thigh piece plopped on top of some pre-packed salad, again with cold jollof rice as a side this time with balls of pimento. When attempting to provide feedback to Leroy Dexter, he advised that the portion was a standard adult portion and reflected that of Nandos. The Bantu Punch served with the meal tasted as though the ingredients had gone off and appeared to be curdling. As mentioned, this was a first for many, some of whom were Nigerian and it is safe to say it will be the last. Whilst Rishi tried his best and ensured service with a smile despite the odds being against him - The food is not authentic, the atmosphere and service offering as a whole are extremely poor. Attend at your own risk.

Received a voucher gift from a foodie friend,who knows how much I love food. Was intended to celebrate wedding anniversary. This was,by far, the worst place I've eaten ever. It's not even worth the trouble of going. Or we were just very unlucky. Customer service flapped. The waitress seemed like was freed from shackles to work as she sounded and looked against her will there. We were taken to sit near the loudest teenager table in the place, mind you the place was empty, and its a beautifully designed 2 story restaurant. Not a soul besides us and the table of noisy little girls which were not just shouting at each other, pushing each other, jumping on the couch. We did asked to be seated else where but was denied. We were told upstairs was just for banqueting. No water was offered,despite water glasses were left on the table. No serviettes came until we asked for it during mains. No salt or pepper on the table.Table itself was stained and greasy. Menu was just as dirty as the table if not worse. Really dirty. Stained. Food came, we ordered tempura prawns which came frozen cold inside. Measly garnished. But we stayed hoping mains would be better. Lamb chops were charred black and hard as stale bread. Couldnt even cut as it was dry. Asked if wanted rice w my lamb with came bare. Didnt have another choice but take it. Rice came tasting burned,fainted yellow in coloring and wet as if pocket steemed. Im Familiar with burned rice when top takes yellowish hue due to burned smoke. Rice and lamb bland. This was even more chocking than the burned lamb. An african restaurant w no seasoning whatsoever,not even just salt neither in the rice or in the lamb. Calling this disappointment its a massive understatement. No desserts offered,despite voucher mentioning it. Asked to complain ,staff couldnt care less and charged us 10.00 for the 2 bland portions of rice. Utterly ridiculous experience. Asked for management ,wasnt in. Asked for an email ,she offerred his personal contact. Couldnt have had a worse wedding anniversary dinner. Despite all, the Aesthetics were beautiful, the place looked beautiful and inviting, despite empty.

Planned my mother’s surprise birthday party. Firstly I’d like to say the food was lovely and perfect for us zimbos! However - service was very bad. I’ll take accountability firstly because I was late with my mum so we had to push the food service back from half 4 to half 5. When I double checked if the food would defo be ready for half 5, I was told it would be “10/15 mins late”. I was like sure. The food didn’t come out til 8 and that was because at half 7 I finally spoke to the owner of the restaurant and he hurried our order. We ordered 5 big meat platters for approx 20/25 people. The rest of the restaurant had their food come out (I saw) and also some of the party guests got hungry and ordered starters. I’m sure this didn’t help our massive order coming out on time. - they didn’t have any of the African beers in stock, which was disappointing - the alcoholic cocktails did not contain alcohol. People commented they were watered down but when I was at the bar I did not see shots going into the cocktails before they were shaken. - plates and glasses weren’t collected from our party upstairs. I took it upon myself to clean glasses and move them to the end table away from the party at one point thinking someone who come and take them. No one did. They also ran out of glasses for drinks (ie Prosecco in a wine glass, cocktails in the wrong glasses) :( - the staff on the ground were defo struggling to keep up with the amount of people in. It was Easter weekend, full house downstairs and my party upstairs. I felt bad for them and wanted to help where I could (hence the glasses) :( they most defo need to hire more staff - you have to bring your own speaker / dj if you want to throw a party upstairs. I should’ve clarified this before my booking so my fault yes, but thankfully my bestie called her cousin who dropped off a big speaker for us :) - the toilet were dirty I think the restaurant should hire more staff and maybe even a cocktail specialist. Stock should have been ordered in advance for the bank hol weekend too. Food was great though, hence the 2/5.

Absolutely terrible staff are rude booked no one knew what was going on no vegetarian options expensive for no reason absolutely terrible

5 star amazing food! Beautiful atmosphere and great service. Would definitely recommend. If you're are looking for top African cuisine, this is the place to be. Looking forward to going again.

Came in to have a meal with my wife, we were given menus etc. Chose what we wanted and was told they don't have it. Had a think what else we'd like to order instead and we were told... They don't have it. Could say upfront what's unavailable (nearly half of the menu). We were fed up at this point and just walked away, lost 20-30min for the ordeal.

I'm a regular here and consistently impressed by the warm, friendly staff who greet me by name every time I walk in. As a Zimbabwean, the food here is a taste of home; it's simply amazing. While nothing can quite match Mama's cooking, this comes very close. I highly recommend it to anyone eager to experience authentic African cuisine.

DO NOT ORDER FROM THEM PLEASE SAVE YOUR MONEY

Arrogant staff and very poor service. I’ve been to this restaurant twice and the first experience was okay at best, the menu showed good potential so I came to visit a second time and I deeply regret it. Very standoffish waiters and the restaurant manager isn’t approachable at all, they are arrogant and seem very amateur, it’s a shame because I was rooting for an African style restaurant in such a good location to thrive.

went for my 40th birthday and the food was amazing, outstanding service .. i would recommend this restaraunt,looking going again,

Waitresses were clueless and rude. Some of the food ordered was horrible. Asked for Diet Coke because I am diabetic but received full sugar coke and was not apologised to. Main dish of peri peri chicken was one small chicken leg. Plantain was raw. No apologies from staff for such poor food

Terrible service OMG! More than 30 minutes waiting to just have a menu after we order food was late more than an hour and the waitress kept getting our drinks wrong 😑 didn’t even apologise for it. I wouldn’t recommend this place for anyone!

had a really good night here,the food was great, the atmosphere and service was exceptional,would recommend ...my partner and i will visit again soon

Visited with a groupon voucher I had been given as a present. Voucher gave address in Jewellery Quarter. It was only when we phoned to confirm we found address was on Broad Street. On arrival signage was for an Indian restaurant! However food was delicious. Service variable. Environment indescribable Would I go again? Probably not

Absolutely worst restaurant I have ever been to in my life. It was absolutely horrendous food, im actually lost for words. I really had high hopes for this restaurant but was disappointed. We spent a lot of money on the food. And some of it may have had some taste but everything else seemed very acquired. We ordered to the mixed platter for two with barely anything on it , 3 large prawns with two measly chicken pieces, some goat pieces and handful of wings on a bed of… salad. Not even rice. The place was absolutely dead and when we came in the staff even looked confused when we said we are here for Bantu: it was hard to locate and there was several waiters chatting amongst themselves. They asked if we wanted Indian upstairs but we requested African. I feel like I’ve been catfished! Seriously need to change the service and decor. The manager was nice at the start and the waiters did smile , and were fine to manage: but even though it was dead we had to ask for sauce more than once and get the waiters attention. The prawn tempura starter was decent but just doesn’t justify the price. We spend £77 on food that doesn’t justify the hefty price tag, it just baffles me how they are functioning as a business. This is a harsh critic review but I feel like the restaurant needs to make drastic adjustments. The drink was just flat we ordered mango and guava juice which came to £3.50 each!! I find it ludicrous how they are charging such extortionate prices for measly food that should be 1/3 of what they’re charging. Honestly don’t come to this restaurant it’s outdated , dry food and it needs a revamp.

I really enjoyed myself at buntu restaurant, the food was really delicious, the atmosphere was chill and relaxing and I will definitely! visit again.

They provide good service and love the food from my culture as I don’t see it often, and they were very lovely as we can as a crowd

This was one of the best restaurants l have ever went to. Everything was perfect. The food tasted soo good. If you want a nice place to have dinner then l would recommend its 10/10.

Went there for my friends birthday and the food/ service was amazing. Will definitely go back there again.

Best place to come for family dinner.. The food is sensational and fresh.. The drinks are very good.. I definitely Recommend the bantu restaurant... you won't regret trying food from different countries... definitely I will come back

Amazing atmosphere, drinks 10/10. The platters are fulling and delicious. The staff is very friendly

Proper chaos. Great need of revamping the food service, customer service, drink preparation and the table setup. What you have is a great location and nothing else. Advice! Don’t go there.

The best place in my life for eat African food, I will definitely recommend the Bantu for my friend and family, the food lot this nice and fresh, the cocktails is nice and the staff is so candle e so friendly. Definitely I will come back

The food was very good and filling would definitely recommend and rejoyce was very nice to me and my family.

What a disgrace of a place drinks well overpriced food never came despite ordering in advance absolutely shocking walked out after four hours waiting

Best Nigerian restaurant in Birmingham. The peri chicken is heavenly. My new spot

The worst place to go too Service poor and rude . Food is not fresh and not worth the money or time.

The food was really nice I enjoyed their service more than the food the staff was really welcoming

Went there tonight with the family, restaurant was pretty empty, that kind of gave it away. Food portion was ridiculously small and overpriced. Chicken tasted off, only 3 tiny pieces of meat in Egusi soup which was dry btw…beef stew was ok but with only 5 tiny pieces of beef in it for £18 for the stew only, that was hardly worth it. Honestly I would NOT RECOMMEND BANTU nor will I ever go there again..sadly very disappointing..

Absolutely ridiculous pricing for the smallest amount of food. If I could give the food less than one star I would. Butter chicken tasted like it’s been cooked days ago. Meat stew was good but these 5 small pieces of meat weren’t worth £18 at all. Egusi soup had 3 pieces of meat only and pretty dry. The portion sizes and the pricing are ridiculous. Restaurant was pretty empty, I can see why now!! I would 100% NOT RECOMMEND this restaurant.

Celebrating Valentine's Day at Banto was an exquisite experience that transported us to the heart of the Serengeti. From the moment we stepped in, the ambiance was enchanting, with warm lighting and subtle African-inspired decor setting the mood perfectly for a romantic evening. We opted for the Serengetti Platter, and it was a culinary adventure like no other. The platter featured a tantalizing array of flavors, from the succulent grilled meats to the vibrant vegetable dishes and fragrant rice. Each bite was a journey through the diverse landscapes of Africa, with every element expertly crafted and bursting with freshness. Overall, Banto exceeded our expectations in every way. It's not just a restaurant; it's a journey for the senses. Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or simply craving an unforgettable dining experience, Banto is a must-visit destination. We can't wait to return and explore more of their tantalizing offerings.

A large group of us attended this restaurant, many for the first time. I understand Bantu has recently moved to a new location, that location being Broad Street. With the exception of a small amount of signage, if you did not know otherwise you would be under the impression that the restaurant was still an Indian restaurant as opposed to African. The front facing of the restaurant and interior are a lot to be desired. Whilst a few members of the group arrived late owing to traffic, it did not make a huge amount of difference as the seating arrangements had not been adequately set up to accommodate the group, despite the restaurant being called a number of times - conversations had and voicemails left to confirm the number of people in the party beforehand. To add insult to injury, despite waiting a considerable amount of time to be seated, which we had to re-arrange ourselves to accommodate the group, there was a lack of communication between the owner (Leroy Dexter) and his staff. The latter of which were stretched beyond belief and being all things to all people. Consequently, comprising on quality and service. We were told to sit down so that our drinks order could be taken and in the absence of this happening a few of us went to the bar, where we were sent back to our table. Clearly distressed, the lady serving behind the bar asked the owner if someone would be attending to our table to which he sharply replied "I don't know you sort it". The manner in which the owner conducted himself and spoke to his staff throughout the course of our visit, let alone publicly was disgraceful. Eventually, we were served some drinks though the order was wrong and the rest taken from the table - those taken from the table took an hour to arrive, in addition to the 45 minutes taken to take the order. There were significant delays between each course with the starters taking approximately 90 mins to arrive, confusion with drinks orders and a lack of awareness or knowledge of the menu from staff. A lack of cutlery and napkins. The table cloths became soiled from drinks knocked over, due to the table being so full as plates weren't cleared. We ourselves had to remove the table cloths and waited for them to be replaced with no avail. The starters were served cold and the mains some 3 and a half hours later, with only some of the party receiving their mains and the others their sides with no main. We tried to provide feedback directly to Leroy Dexter who seemingly had no interest, ignored us or ordered another member of staff to attend to us whilst they were tasked with doing the many other jobs they had been asked to complete. Leroy Dexter continually lied, blaming the experience on Groupon (amongst other things) as opposed to his lack of organisation, professionalism and ability to provide good customer service. No accountability was taken or an apology provided. A main was returned twice before a completely new dish was requested. The baby goat meat was inedible and served with cut up pounded yam passed off as casava bread with a side of cold jollof rice. Upon recieving the peri peri chicken instead, a portion that wouldn't even serve a child under the age of 5 was served which tasted as though it had been frozen, defrosted in the microwave and served. It also consisted of half of a very small chicken leg and one quarter of a thigh piece plopped on top of some pre-packed salad, again with cold jollof rice as a side this time with balls of pimento. When attempting to provide feedback to Leroy Dexter, he advised that the portion was a standard adult portion and reflected that of Nandos. The Bantu Punch served with the meal tasted as though the ingredients had gone off and appeared to be curdling. As mentioned, this was a first for many, some of whom were Nigerian and it is safe to say it will be the last. Whilst Rishi tried his best and ensured service with a smile despite the odds being against him - The food is not authentic, the atmosphere and service offering as a whole are extremely poor. Attend at your own risk.

Table booked for 14. Arrived to be shown to table for 9! Waited near half hour to be seated as they had to make up more seats and rearrange the table. Waited an hour for our drinks order to be TAKEN & a further 45 mins to receive them. Requested 4 jugs of water, took 1hr to receive 2! Spilt drink on table, alerted staff, after waiting over 30 mins we ended up removing the table cloth which was not replaced. Approx 90 mins for starters, of which some were cold but were eaten as we were starving as many not eaten since lunch. 2.5 hours for main of which only 9 were brought along with 2 sides for those who had not had their mains. When we advised staff of the fact we were told to "just keep them on the table" as it took a further 1 hr (totalling 3.5hrs) for the remaining 5 mains, those sides were eaten. Throughout the whole time when calling the manager over he would either ignore us or direct us to someone else and then later would tell us he would pass on our comments to "the manager" he clearly couldn't decide whether or not he was the manager You had 1 member of staff storming off, clearly having a meltdown and you had another member of staff dressed in a tracksuit looking like he'd been called off the street to help out. One of the busiest nights off the year and they had inadequate staffing levels. I cannot comment on the food as due to waiting 3.5hours for the easiest option on the menu, chicken skewers. I was starving so a scabby horse would have tasted delicious. My first time visiting this restaurant and I can honestly say, I wouldn't go back in a hurry

We were a group of 14 women, pre booked our table when we arrived the seating was only for 9 people. The food I had was fantastic authentic and delicious 😋. But the wait we arrived at 7 didn't get our food til 9pm we had a 12 year old child with us, we tried to speak with the so-called manager who kept ignoring us we asked for cocktails again took 45 mins to arrive even then not all the drinks came at same time. Sone members of the group got sides before the main meal which went cold waiting for the main. We are a friendship group who eat out regularly and have been to several African restaurants in and around Birmingham. It seems as if the restaurant couldn't manage group bookings. In short the food is nice but don't go as a group or if you want to ho with more than 4 people sit a separate tables. Absolutely poor customer service , very poor service such a shame.

Table booked for 14. Arrived to be shown to table for 9! Waited near half hour to be seated as they had to make up more seats and rearrange the table. Waited an hour for our drinks order to be TAKEN & a further 45 mins to receive them. Requested 4 jugs of water, took 1hr to receive 2! Spilt drink on table, alerted staff, after waiting over 30 mins we ended up removing the table cloth which was not replaced. Approx 90 mins for starters, of which some were cold but were eaten as we were starving as many not eaten since lunch. 2.5 hours for main of which only 9 were brought along with 2 sides for those who had not had their mains. When we advised staff of the fact we were told to "just keep them on the table" as it took a further 1 hr (totalling 3.5hrs) for the remaining 5 mains, those sides were eaten. Throughout the whole time when calling the manager over he would either ignore us or direct us to someone else and then later would tell us he would pass on our comments to "the manager" he clearly couldn't decide whether or not he was the manager You had 1 member of staff storming off, clearly having a meltdown and you had another member of staff dressed in a tracksuit looking like he'd been called off the street to help out. One of the busiest nights off the year and they had inadequate staffing levels. I cannot comment on the food as due to waiting 3.5hours for the easiest option on the menu, chicken skewers. I was starving so a scabby horse would have tasted delicious. My first time visiting this restaurant and I can honestly say, I wouldn't go back in a hurry

Good place to eat delicious African food

probably the best african food in the UK they have a variety of food great atmosphere and good service

Great service, staff was attentive and polite… food was very tasty, the restaurant looked beautiful, music was relaxing and the atmosphere was amazing… Highly recommended…

The authenticity of the food was impeccable. Pure African delight. The staff was helpful and cheerful. really enjoyed the Bantu punch cocktail. Would come back for the real Sadza

Didn't eat there but went for an event the bar service was beyond terrible

To be honest we thought this was still the Indian restaurant that we had visited on our last trip (sign outside is still there). Only once seated did we realise it had changed to African but thought we'd give it a try. A decision we later regretted! When the drinks finally arrived after more than 30 minutes we found the 'African beer' to be over priced cider at £6 for 300ml. After nearly an hour one main course was delivered to the table followed after another wait by the rest - but these were then removed when we pointed out we hadn't had our starters. Again after waiting only one arrived then a 5 minute wait before the other two. The mains then arrived again but before the table was cleared from the starters. We had to ask for napkins as none were provided. The second round of drinks was wrong. So the food...portions were very small (especially the ribs!). The meat for all 3 dishes was poor quality, mostly bone, gristle and skin. On visiting the toilet one walked past random piles of debris and up stairs that can't have been cleaned for weeks. We won't be returning.

We came in to the restaurant and sort of shown our seats, we were told to sit anywhere that was free...then proceeded to wait and noone came to serve us. Another couple came in and were served straight away. We left as we were not even offered menus to order. It's a shame because I honestly root for African restaurants as we don't have that many in Birmingham.

This has to the worst meal ever !!! I had the Peri chicken 3 pieces very small of chicken which were 80% bones, it didn’t qualify as a starter!!!

Music was on point. Some of the furniture needs to be repaired. Things like tissues or cloth napkins can be put on the table.Some of the waitresses did not quite know the menu. Most of the food items and drinks were out of stock. The menu you get online is different from the one you are given. Once issues were pointed out it was sorted out quickly. The food was really good and this reflects the price. I will definitely visit again

Do not get me wrong the food was decent, the atmosphere was good but the service was very poor I had to wait almost and hour and half for my food only to find out my order was not put through despite the Waitress saying she could multi task, I was the first one to order my food but somehow the customer that came after me got their food before I did. I definitely won't be going there again plus the prices are crazy expensive. I do not recommend this Restaurant its poor

Very great environment, friendly staffs and amazing foods

Had amazing time. They had the variety of drinks that we needed and reasonably priced. The music was good. Absolutely loved it.

The service was lovely. The staff really made you feel welcomed. The food was delicious. The proprietor came and introduced himself which added a personal touch and he showed us around the restaurant including the function room upstairs. As I don't eat meat l would personally recommend the tilapia. They also do a sweet potato curry. I have already booked to go back.

I booked through Groupon for myself & husband after seeing positive reviews and wanting to try some authentic African cuisine.From start to finish it was a nightmare! The location of the restaurant had changed but not been updated on the Groupon site ,we had to pay parking twice unnecessarily, we arrived to no one at the reception desk and had to flag a lady down ,we was seated in a booth downstairs where the upholstery was ripped on the sofa and table cloth dirty with no napkins,a young waitress came over and took our drinks order,said she would be back with drinks and gives us time to look over the two menus we was given.20 minutes later another waitress came over to once again take our drinks order,we told her we had given them to the other waitress but still not arrived,so she took them again with our starter & main orders,some things was off the menu that we was hoping to try so that was a little dissapointing. A another couple came in while we was still waiting on drinks and was seated opposite and received their drinks before us.We finally got our drinks and the starters followed ,my husband had vegetable samosa as the chicken was wasn't available ,the samosas was ok ,I had the beef suya which was very tough and didn't taste like it had been marinated just some spice thrown on top with a bit of lettuce & shredded carrots as side salad, not what I was expecting. The two mains was dreadful to say the least! My peri chicken was raw and my husbands biriya was cold and had to be sent back,came back hot but like rubber. Its a real shame because the location is good and its a big restaurant and looks like they started to do it up but stopped. They definitely have a staffing situation with no organisation and communication,I am not a fussy eater at all and love to try authentic foods but I draw the line at raw chicken! Really don't like to give negative review but this was the worst restaurant I have ever dined at.

We booked this through groupon, my advise is don’t waste your money, the food is awful, the smell of some of the dishes smelt like gone off meat. One of our party ordered the chicken, when they cut into it, it was raw. AVOID THIS RESTAURANT AT ALL COSTS. Lots of other unhappy customers in there also

Was so disappointed with this place.Initially,it looked promising and attractive and the food was very nice.However there were multiple issues. First of all, our started took OVER AN HOUR to arrive,cutlery was in an appalling state,no condiments on the table or napkins which is standard,they gave us wrong food and things in the order were missing. We were expecting dessert as we had already pre-ordered;however they didn’t start making it half an hour later and after waiting they eventually told us that they didn’t do dessert although they had still put it on the website. Finally,when it came to the bill,they charged us extra for things we hadn’t ordered and took ages to sort out. I definitely do NOT recommend this place

I’m giving 4 stars because the atmosphere was aesthetically pleasing. The service was not impressive and the food, it felt like to was rushed I didn’t enjoy it all I still recommend

It was a place to take your loved ones to and they will be forever grateful you took them there. Everything was so amazing, the service to the food. So unique

Had a bad experience at the over priced and over cooked food which was tasteless all so charging £4.50 for multi pack can of coke which is ridiculous

Excellent service and atmosphere….great food

Amazing food, great presentation Taste is on point; it hits taste buds like a tank

Had some amazing food over here last weekend .Great atmosphere overall

I had the pleasure of dining at Bantu, an exquisite fusion of Indian and African cuisines that left me utterly impressed. The vibrant and inviting atmosphere set the stage for a culinary journey like no other.The staff added to the overall charm, providing impeccable service and insightful recommendations that enhanced our dining experience. The presentation of each dish was a visual feast.

Wowed with its inviting ambiance, impeccable service, and a culinary journey of perfectly crafted dishes-a must visit restro!

Arrived at Bantu for our very first time. Greeted by unfriendly reception staff member. Seated at a table where the table cloth was covered in food stains. When pointed out to staff member, she took a menu and placed it over the biggest stain and said there you go! Then we noticed the plates on the table still had food stuck on them from not being washed properly. When this was pointed out, staff members immediate response was, you can sit at this other table if you like! Extremely disappointed to say the least. We obviously left without ordering. We definitely did not feel welcome. I will not be going again and will recommend to friends and family to do the same. Very poor experience and unfortunately poor staffing.

Great food. Amazing ambiance and service

I rarely write reviews but since our “ experience” yesterday I feel that I should. I can understand why the previous reviews range from excellent to dreadful as the food is good but it ends there. Firstly the restaurant has moved and is not at the address on the groupon ( according to neighbours it was raided by Police who closed it down). It is now located in a former Indian restaurant in Broad street, which has clearly not been cleaned since they took up occupancy as it is filthy. The service is appaling, Faulty Towers without the humour or charm. We asked four times before we were given menus, we waited an hour before being told that a dish wasn’t on the menu, items that we didn’t request were delivered and items we did weren’t. However every time we were told that we were wrong. We were told that dishes were one thing when they clearly weren’t. In the end we eat them as after two hours we were too hungry not to. The whole experience was of untrained staff who lie as a matter of policy, a dirty and disorganised restaurant which given how many have said this in feedback clearly do not care. Nothing would persuade us to revisit.

The staff was lovely, the official Dj Josh was lit and fun. I enjoyed myself, I would recommend you to try it out, especially, Official Dj Josh...

The food was absolutely appalling. £150 for 4 people?! For the absolute dire quality and service it was absolutely not worth it. The jollof tasted like microwave rice. The service was shocking they were stressing like it was a full restaurant when there was about 5-6 tables. The servers were quite rude and one of the servers almost dropped the jollof rice on my face and it wouldve dropped if i hadnt caught it. The peri peri chicken felt like a lazy chicken marinade that was banged in the oven. Payed £10 for a mango or passionfruit cocktail that was clearly just a spirit with a dying mint leaf with a bit of rubicon. The cocktail was not even shaken. Almost forgot to mention our starters came very late and the gizdodo was mushy, cold n just a bit off. Happy to say i will never be going back

Please do your research this isn't owned by actual Africans and if so what part of Africa? it's giving turtle bay vibes.

Just left Bantu after visiting this evening. Our table of four was booked in advance and (fortunately) we had a Group on voucher that allowed 4 of us to have a starter, main and a drink for £55. It’s a good job we had the voucher because I would definitely have been unhappy to have had to pay full price. The starters came after a bit of a wait..however, quite a few items (prawns - chicken livers) were unavailable. The dishes were all good sizes and in the main quite tasty, however, the chicken wings were nowhere near being hot enough. It really all started to fall down when the mains started to appear..I say started to appear…one came out along with half of a second! The rice failing to arrive with that dish. By the time the other two mains had arrived 10 minutes later, the complete main was almost finished & the incomplete main was cold…& still minus the accompanying rice. So that was sent back and it came back having been seen to by chef Mike (microwave!) along with, finally the rice. Unfortunately, the main (goat) was now far too tough to eat. Shame as it tasted like it would’ve been quite nice. The other two mains were chicken skewers and were well cooked and again, substantial ..although both appeared to be chicken tikka, which wasn’t what was ordered. There is a bit of confusion as it’s supposed to be African cuisine…but they also do an Indian menu…where at least one item has the exact same description! So this left us with the situation where 1 of the party had finished his meal when the other two arrived whilst one was sent back to be nuked! During this time, we requested more drinks and had to remind the server twice that drinks had been ordered…this was typical of the service we received from the 3 young servers on duty. One told ya she’d been working there for a fortnight and it really showed, none of the staff showed any signs that they’d had any kind of customer service training. All in all, it was a disappointing experience, which was a shame, as most of the food looked and tasted decent, wrong items, cold food, missing items off the menu and poor customer service service explains the low score. I feel this restaurant would be better suited to much smaller, intimate premises as this space is massive, I suspect it was a nightclub in a previous life and it’s wide openness does nothing to make a pleasant ambiance, and must be very difficult and expensive to heat…it wasn’t warm in there at all. Overall, a disappointing first try if African (or is it Indian?!) cuisine. Could and really should be so much better given it’s prominent position in the city and the high quality of restaurants nearby

Visiting Birmingham for a few days (not enough, so many places here are worth visiting) Reached our hotel quite late and all other places nearby stopped serving food. Bantu staff was very welcoming and remaining chef cooked us a meal from available ingredients. Lovely large crunchy prawns and very tasty lamb chops arrived alongside “African Giant” cocktail that I recommend to those who like Margaritas We came back tonight to try other things and loved it! Best goat I have ever tasted, mature and rich meat, bursting of flavour, nicely smokey in delicious African spice mix, ox tail was amazing too. Plantain and yam sides were very good. Wish we had more time in Birmingham Would love to come back to try other things here

Absolutely love it here . Didn’t even expect this kind of food and menu in the city center . I recommend this place and will be booking for work do. Very classy and elegant.

Bantu restaurant is one the worst restaurants in Birmingham food is tasteless cold? Not well cooked. The management is a total fraud. Please be careful not to book your events with them. They will mess you up. The food will not come out on time and when it comes out. It's gonna be a messed up s***** food. I had my 40 birthday there 3 weeks ago. And this people gave me the disgrace of my life. I was asked to pre-order. We were there7pm We didn't get our food open till 9.30pm o'clock. The guests who did not order who tried to order were told that there was no food. My booking notice was over three weeks please be careful with this restaurant

Me and my family came here for a meal, the food was amazing, good choice of drinks I had a cocktail. We all enjoyed our starters and mains and plan to come back for another visit.

Lovely food, service was quite average. Lovely and friendly, but Need to remind the waiter about five times before getting a serviette

Beautiful place.Beautiful food.Staff are so friendly.I went from Groupon and was lovely.I will recommended it to everyone.

Loved the food and drinks. Could have put 5 stars but didn't have 2 of the main foods I had gone for. Understandably since it's Sunday. Definitely recommend

Amazing ambience, delicious meal, the suya was really dry and the peri chicken, the shrimps were amazing, the jollof rice was ok, the buffalo tail with rice was a fail for me , kids loved the nuggets and chips, nice cocktails with funny names (loved it), no baby changing station P.s... no matter what you do make sure you park properly, does not matter the time of the day Overall was a good experience but it took over an hour and half for our meals to be ready