Damascena Coffee House in Birmingham

Horrible costumer service. I was waiting to be seated for over 10minutes behind the “wait to be seated” sign when there was barely anyone at the restaurant. The staff kept passing by and ignoring me every time I spoke to them. I love Damascena but would not recommend the Harborne branch. Go to the city center or the one in Hagley Road, avoid this one as they seem to not care about customers anyways.

Came in for the first time after passing by regularly on my commute to work. Had such a helpful interaction with a cute server mohammed who kindly walked me through the menu, pricing, and recommendations. I really appreciated him taking the time to offer help despite what appeared to be a busier period. Food turned out amazing and wanted to leave a formal thank you for the service. Will be back!

Israa was an absolute gem yesterday! She was right on the button with recommendations, effectively quick and served with a smile and gentle attitude. Love coming to eat there over the years, but Israa made it memorable, thank you :)

One of my favourite arab food places in Birmingham. I travel all the way from london to eat here. I had a memorable interaction with a young Syrian called Mohammed with Green eyes. He made me feel at home. Even after my food was served he made sure I had everything that was required to enjoy my special occasion with my newly wedded wife. He even congradulated us which made the occasion feel even better. Whenever I do pop back to Birmingham I will surely pay this place a visit. And despite the restaurant being very busy he took care of us and made sure everything was in order.

I had a wonderful experience at Damascena today, and I want to thank Nour, the gentleman who served us, for making us feel like welcomed.

Such a WONDERFUL experience, I will definitely go there again with my family. It was very busy and the staff were very helpful and quick, Mohamad from Syria is an absolute legend he helped us a lot and made the experience more enjoyable and memorable. Beautiful Green eyes ;)

I recently visited the place and had a wonderful experience. Nour was fantastic he provided excellent service and made our time there enjoyable. The atmosphere was cozy, and food was delicious.

Great food and atmosphere, special thanks to israa and nour for their great service!

Great service from Israa and Nour!

I had a fantastic breakfast at Damascena. The food was delicious. Our server, Israa was quick, efficient and very friendly. She made sure we had everything we needed. She informed us about the £10 platter offer, which included a free drink, and it was a very good deal. I definitely recommend this place for a breakfast!

The food is always spectacular here and the extremely friendly waiters israa and nour make the atmosphere lovely.

I visited Damascena Harborne today , I had a great service from Nour who was super quick and looked after us well , and explained how the £10 pounds bundle works. Very satisfied

Celebrated my son's birthday here. Being of Syrian heritage we've been many times before and it's great to see that the quality of good, authentic food, and great service is consistently good. We'll be back soon. Thank you Damascena

Not good at all. It was better before. The food was nit tasty and seemed to be same as cheap shop kebabs and not fresh at all. Especially the meat kebab was very smelly and not tasty. Very pricey too. For the same prices you can have proper food elsewhere. They also try to sell foreign cans for the same price as popular brands. This is really disappointing. For example, when you order coke, they bring something called “Salaam Cola”🤣🙂‍↔️ and they charge the same price as coke. Wouldn’t go again.

Loved my mains and dessert with Saffron tea ❤️

It was good experience Very good atmosphere drink was nice. ,Special moroccote. I recommend 👌

Excellent service from Rahi and Madina at the Harborne outlet Would recommend Aubergine Cheese Manakeesh

An amazing find. The food was fantastic and not overly expensive. Our waitress Israa was very attentive and kind. Definitely coming back.

Nice place to go and eat Middle-Eastern type lunch in Harborne. They ran out of some options by lunchtime already but the menu had a lot of choice! Baked goods and baklava looked very nice as well. Meat is halal.

Fantastic flavours! And it's not just the food that's amazing, the herbal and fruit juices are just as delicious.

Edit: Morning staff is ruder Evening staff is much nicer and accomodating

Thank you Esraa and Rani for the great food and service

thank you Esraa and Rani for the great day

i want to give big hug to Esraa and Rani for the wonderful service, that made our meal something special

Damascena is a great spot for brunch, offering a cozy and welcoming atmosphere with a Middle Eastern flair. While the food wasn’t quite on par with other locations in the franchise, it was still satisfying. We tried the foul, shawarma, and za'atar flatbread—each had a nice balance of flavors, though they didn’t stand out as much as expected. The highlight of the meal, however, was the selection of hot drinks. They were rich, flavorful, and perfectly brewed, complementing the meal wonderfully. Despite the food being slightly less impressive than anticipated, the overall experience was enjoyable, and we look forward to returning for another visit.

Amazing food, shwarma was incredible. Great service, very kind and attentive, we were served by Israa who was lovely. Thanks all.

Great food and drinks. I go in every time I'm in town. Handy for the Oxfam bookshop over the road.

Just a lovely place to eat good food. Welcome break while shopping excellent choice of teas and coffees, food and cakes.

Great food and a great service from Salma this morning. 💯

Nour was an outstanding, offering warm, attentive service throughout my visit. He served the coffee perfectly, with great attention to detail and impeccable timing. His friendly demeanor and professionalism made the experience truly enjoyable, turning a simple coffee break into something special.

Nour provided an excellent experience and a great atmosphere. Made our visit more special

Food tastes good with ok portions. Service can be slow but overall is acceptable. Prices are high though, 4 stars for this.

Had a wonderful experience at Damascena in Harborne with amazing Turkish coffee and excellent service. A special thanks to Nour for being so kind and friendly!

Feels like the place has seriously gone downhill. Visited over the weekend, place was almost empty and yet the service was not great. We waited more than 20 minutes and in the end we had to ask someone to take our order. The food took another 40 minutes to arrive and it wasn't up to the usual standards we knew before. Not sure if the kitchen was prioritising deliveries but on the whole it didn't feel like we were looked after at all. Sad but won't be coming back.

AMAZING service from Muhammad Noor, Madina and Rahi, they made sure everything was good and provided us with amazing services! The food was so delicious as well, will definitely visit again!

I ordered second time from Deliverro the quality was so bad and pricy, wasted money and time, also one time my friend and I went there for lunch, the Atmosfer was so bad waitress behaviour were streng, restaurant wasn't clean and quality of food was low, we didn't eat our food and just left.

Excellent value for money, good quality food and drink.

Excellent food and drinks, very good value for money.

Never fails to impress. Yerba Mate with milk is the go-to drink - BUT it is now off the menu! Gutted. The saffron latte is a good replacement.

Great service by waiter and food quality is improved.

Harborne. The staff need training.in customer care!!! I queued at the counter for some takeaway pastries and told an assistant what i wanted. She then vanished and as I stood there another assistant served a couple behind me. I quite mildly told this assistant i had given my order but was left. Not a word of apology - he justt said what do you want then? He served me on silence and i left. Terrible - I accept that the first assistant just forgot- I have always worked customer facing and consequently I understand and I always speak courteously but this attitude was awful. I was dismissed. Do you teach your staff to own problems? If not you should. DAMASCENA PLEASE ANSWER THIS REVIEW.

From reception to orders to everything..it was just perfect

A pleasant atmosphere and delicious food and drink

this kind of menu u going to find been going there for about 1 year straight now every weather loveliest place to be there

Everything is excellent specially the stuff member namely Israa who is polit and helpful.

The best food in birmingham thank you❤️❤️

great service from Rahi and Nour as always!

My recent visit to Damascena Restaurant was nothing short of exceptional. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with a welcoming atmosphere. Every staff member we encountered was incredibly friendly and attentive. A special mention goes to Sedra, one of the staff members, who made our dining experience even more delightful. She went above and beyond to ensure that everything was perfect for us, particularly with the drinks. Sedra was incredibly thoughtful, demonstrating a level of care and attentiveness that truly stands out. The service was truly amazing!

Amazing service from Rahi & Nour..

Amazing food and great service especially from Insaf

Ordered the salami and cheese on bread... Was bland and dry, don't order, first thing in the morning too from their breakfast menu.

Great service in busy times by Nour and Rahi, as always. Good food options for vegans as well.

We were served today by Nour the service was amazing and the food was great

I Had an amazing experience at Damascena!The atmosphere was inviting, and the food was absolutely delicious. Our waiter, Insaf , was exceptional—attentive, friendly, and made excellent menu suggestions. The combination of great service and fantastic food made for a memorable evening. Highly recommend both the restaurant and asking for the pretty waiter insaf

Not friendly female staff Saturday evening horrible energy 😪

We were served a beautiful meal by Nour and Insaf. Staff are lovely here, food is well presented and amazing value for money. We will certainly be back!!

I visited damascena today and the server Nour was great .

I had a great service from rahi he’s so polite and knowledgeable. Highly recommended!

Poor service. Was seated at a table, and no one came over. They kept staring at me from behind the bar. The Moseley branch is much better. They come over right away with a smile. I'm still seated here waiting. Might be time to take my leave.

An amazing cafe, with a wholesome atmosphere. Staff are so kind and welcoming with smiles on their faces accommodating to everyone. The food was well seasoned and cooked and prepared with upmost care. The exotic flavours and spices make dishes out of this world. They also have fresh juices, which you can really taste the freshness. The berry smoothie was also full of flavour.

Ordered F'Toor, was delicious, more than enough for two people. Service was great as always.

It's an amazing spot in the heart of Harborne. My go-to place. The food was yummy as always, and the service was great too!

Damascena lamb and beef shwarma arabiya was delicious with a balanced mix of flavors and textures. 5* The ijjeh omelette looked great and was fluffy but a bit bland for my taste. 3* Service and atmosphere took a hit because we sat outside. Service staff were infrequent and it took a while before someone came to take our order and our view was essentially a brick wall, but inside was so noisy we didn't wish to sit in the throng. 3* service and atmosphere but rating 4* as we chose to sit outside the main thoroughfare.

Today I called and order coffee for collection dinesa took my order and made it the coffee was amazing we took 6 coffees and all of them was so nice just made our day thank you

Absolutely lovely! Lots to choose from, greet portions. The strawberry milkshake is lovely. Salmon bagels and chicken wraps are made so well. Love the salad!!

Great food and drinks. Great service from friendly staff.

As soon as you walk in the beautiful scent of foods hits you. Such a lovely smell! The atmosphere is wonderful, the staff are very friendly and the food taste perfect. Me and my friend ordered in deliveroo but decided to eat in. The staff accommodated this and the service was over and above. I recommend this place to anyone who would like to try the best food in the whole of harborne.

Good prices, very good food, excellent service.

First time visiting but definitely will come back! The food was very tasty, polite and friendly staff

Really fresh tasty food and good value. Would highly recommend

Really nice and relaxing place with friendly and helpful staff and great food (including good vegan options) - would definitely recommend a visit.

Famous for it's hot and cold drinks and desserts . Do try 🫰

Excellent food and excellent service! Nour always makes us feel very welcome.

Had a great first time experience. Five stars for everything! ❤️

I have been here twice now and I have been impressed both times, truly a wonderful place for food and drink, servers are lovely aswell! Really great atmosphere and always clean!!! I will be returning

Delicious food Highly recommended

We enjoyed a great meal together at Damascena. The juices were fresh and tasty and the food was served quickly while being very tasty. The baklava platter can be recommended. Special shout out to Rahi and his colleagues for a great experience.

I recently visited and was served by Rahi. I had the falafel platter with vine leaves. The falafel was perfectly crispy and flavorful. The vine leaves were tender and well-seasoned, with a delicious filling. Great food, attentive service, and a welcoming atmosphere. Highly recommend!

Went for lunch today I was so impressed the food was amazing beautiful atmosphere and the great service from Madina was so nice, she was so helpful and friendly she took care of our table very well we’ll be definitely back

Amazing food with beautiful flavours and incredible depth, wonderfully presented, at fantastic prices. A true treat, and I'll definitely be back. I have multiple food intolerances and allergies, and the team provided a clear allergen menu, and highlighted any potential issues. I felt really safe - which is a rarity with food issues.

Worst service. Added 2x price to the orders via needles sides (we don’t ask for) without mentioning extra fees.

Beautiful food and atmosphere and excellent service at a very reasonable price - we both left absolutely stuffed. Our only regret is not deciding to visit sooner! So much on the menu to get through...

For the second time, I found hair in my food. I contacted customer service, and they promised to get back to me, but they ignored my complaint.

Walked in waited by the sign to be seated, despite seeing 5 staff members, not a single one acknowledged our presence. Spoke to one of the two staff stood by the bar who said, with no apology, "someone will be with you in a minute". Waited another couple of minutes, left and went to Arco lounge, id recommend the shakshuka. We've also since found out about the restaurants poor hygiene rating, so glad we didn't go!

Nice Arabic food with very chilled atmosphere, not too pricey and yummy milkshakes for the kids.

Used to eat here all the time before they got a 2 star food hygiene rating? I’d also got food poisoning from there in the past so maybe it was related :( Will be going there again once they get a new, hopefully better rating!

Regular chilling and breakfast spot you can’t go wrong with the options on the money, Rahi was very polite and nice, he made sure we were happy along with the rest of the team, always top service!

It was our Fırst experience with this cuisine..we loved it..Staffs are super friendly,taste is perfect .There is no customer parking it is a shame ..we spent lovely time,thank you

Great food- delicious, fresh, satisfying. The spicing is so tasty, ingredients great quality. Coffee & dessert plates good also.

The taste of the food is still satisfying, but the portions are smaller than they used to be.

brilliant food and drinks had the tahini wrap and flatbread pizza

Very nice place to be in, spent a day here breakfast and had my dinner while doning my work, very pleased with the service specially Insaf she was very friendly and spot on trying to help all the time.

Great food and great service by Rahi!!

Not a great experience. I’m a fairly frequent visitor and popped in for a late lunch. Main issue was the service. It took ages to be served. The restaurant was incredibly quiet. Two people who came after me were served before me. Drink came out - good. No sign of the wrap. I went to ask about it and they went over to the kitchen where it had obviously been sitting for a while and it was tepid to say the least and overpriced for what it was. It appeared to me that they had forgotten. I’m quite prepared to cut people some slack if they are busy but they weren’t and the server appeared bored and disinterested. I won’t be coming in again. They do add service charge to the bill but on this occasion I asked for it to be removed.

I’ve been going to damascena for years - all branches really good overall can’t fault much. On this occasion I attended harborne branch, the customer service I feel is poor, young girls who gossip/ignore you while you wait to order they need to be taught better customer service such as telling the customer “one minute” etc… which is what the other branches do. I also asked for a specific cheesecake slice a few times and she proceeded to give me the wrong one, I don’t know why she wasn’t paying attention to my order but it was annoying having to repeat three times. Then they provide a fork for a cheesecake with sauce, they were rummaging around for spoons- ridiculous. It appeared unprofessional, an older member of staff did intervene and asked if she could be of help which was good. Usually really enjoy my experiences and atmosphere here but on this occasion it was bad, I wanted to get out of there asap, also it was not a busy period it was quiet on a Sunday so no excuse really.

Food was delicious, vegan and gluten free options, even vegan baklava, yummy! Very helpful staff - ladies and Nour especially... The new updated menu with even more options made it difficult to choose :) I will have to come again... Apologies for leaving mess behind

Service is really mediocre. Staff don't even look at you. Strange for a restaurant. Really need to sort the recruitment process.

i I went to damascena today with my family the food( raboula) was really delicious 😋 everything was clean i like it and the service was profional (the lovely girl insaf) ❤️

This was my first time at this restaurant, and it was a lovely experience. I had no clue what to order, and the staff were friendly, knowledgeable and very helpful. We followed their recommendations- and the food was fantastic, and a taste sensation. Really enjoyed it, and will return.

I had the No.7 from the breakfast menu this morning and it was amazing. The taste of all the dishes was perfect. The service from the staff was on point and Rahi was very welcoming, polite and had a very relaxed demenar about him. I would 100% recommend this restaurant to anyone who hasn't yet tried it.