Indian Cafe Racer in Birmingham

What a find…….superb service and the food is really high-end and crafted. A lovely afternoon 👍👍👍

One of the best Indian meals I've ever had. What a gem of a place with a fantastic very engaging owner. Everything was delicious.

Being a Brummie, but not having been back for 15 years, it's blown me away how the curry scene has evolved. I wasn't sure what to expect from Cafe Racer, not being an independent restaurant its own right, there can sometimes be a little scepticism about how good the food will actually be. Butter Chicken/Chicken Makhani is the Indian Singaporean national dish and there's a lot of pride in it. The one I had at Cafe Racer is up there with the best I've had anywhere in Singapore or anywhere else for that matter. These guys know what they're doing.

Very tentative staff. Great presentation

Indian Cafe Racer is well-known and appreciated by many. Our owners are very helpful to our customers, and our strong team has made our restaurant well-recognized in the UK. Our unique menu is enjoyed immensely by our patrons. We hope you won't regret visiting us, so don't miss the chance to stop by. Everyone is welcome at Indian Cafe Racer to enjoy lunch or dinner with friends and family and have a great time. #Indain_Cafe_Racer

Tasty and great interior. Liked it all

It just wasn't to my taste. I only had the wings and kept it simple, but they felt like they needed some salt, or maybe a bit more added before cooking. I returned most of the order uneaten and wasn’t charged. The chili sauce had an almond addition in it, which didn’t work for me, as I’m not a fan of almonds. Would I go back? Yes, but I’d try something different.

We went to cafe racer for lunch the front of house guy was amazing with his knowledge of what regions of India the food came from he went all though the menu with us and advised us what would suit us to eat we went for the small tapas style plates and I have to say the food was amazing the textures and flavours were unreal probably the best Indian I've ever had and very cheap will return the next time I'm in Birmingham

Fantastic customer service. Staff were highly knowledgeable of the menu & gave excellent recommendations. Food really good & value for money. Already planning on what to order next time we go.

Excellent food and super friendly / helpful staff. It’s a bit like Indian tapas. The manager brought us lots of different starters to try, so we didn’t have to choose anything, and everything was delicious. The music they had playing was very quirky and fun too!

I recently had the pleasure of dining at the Indian Cafe Racer in Birmingham with a group of eight friends, and I must say, this place is a hidden gem! From the moment we walked in, the team made us feel incredibly welcome with their exceptional service and warm hospitality. The ambiance of the restaurant is unique and inviting, perfectly blending the vibrant energy of Indian street food with a cozy, relaxed atmosphere. The menu offers a fantastic variety of dishes, each bursting with authentic flavors and beautifully presented. One of the highlights of our evening was the attentive and knowledgeable staff who went above and beyond to ensure we had a memorable experience. Azad, in particular, was outstanding, providing excellent recommendations and making sure we were well taken care of throughout our meal. The food was so delicious that I didn't even get a chance to take any photos – we were too busy enjoying every bite! From the succulent lamb chops to the flavorful chicken dishes, everything was cooked to perfection and left us wanting more. If you're looking for an extraordinary dining experience in Birmingham, I highly recommend visiting the Indian Cafe Racer. It's a true hidden gem that offers not only amazing food but also top-notch service that will make your visit truly special.

Excellent and really attentive service from staff who made the time to offer suggestions. Excellent food - full of flavour and a great portion size for us - 2 starters, 2 mains, 2 rice (e could definitely have shared one). Music and ambience were great as well.

Such a fab place, amazing food, attentive staff, happy to recommend based on your tastes. Clean, bright, welcoming and tasteful decor, traditional music. Try the broccoli and lamb chops! Attentive service. Would def recommend!

The place was a bit tricky to find as you had to walk past the bar from the entrance as it is at the back of the bar. Staff were very friendly and suggested the dishes we should try. I still wanted to try something different to what they were suggesting. The food was full of flavour and the Cauliflower Manchurian was AMAZING. Be careful of the Broccoli 65, they are very spicy with green chilly. That is why the gulab jamun. Will visit again.

ICR is a superb restaurant which never fails to impress! Impeccable service and THE most amazing food. The lamb rajastani is a particular favourite, but every dish we’ve had is amazing! Azad really is a masterclass in service- just go!

Great food and service. Azard and Simon were amazing. Highly recommend ❤️

Genuinely one of my favourite restaurants across the entirety of Birmingham. Food is outstanding and definitely listen to the recommendations of the waiters.

Alina who served us was absolutely fabulous! I would really wish her all the luck! Now to the review, I went there for a quick bite and I was pleasantly surprised with the good food. We only reached by 9.30 so we were at the bar for 15 mins before we got a table. This cafe shares it's entrance with the Wellington hotel/ pub. So once you get in , just get to the left and wait to be seated. The staff is very polite and I couldn't help but notice the nice setting! They also played old Bollywood songs on the night I was visited. It was pretty nice to just sit and relax . I ordered for Gobi Manchurian and kofta wrap. I loved the gobi Manchurian but the kofta wrap wasn't as great. The Kofta was yummy but the wrap wasn't quite what I expected. My partner went for prawns and chicken Biryani and he was pretty Happy with the food. I would definitely recommend this place. I would love to sit down and eat at leisure but the place promises tasty food! I wish I tasted some papdi chat! I usually judge a place by its chaat but I didn't order any to review. I would definitely visit this again , if I go to Birmingham! Pricing isn't super over the top.

Absolutely fantastic food, service and so friendly…

I love this place. Amazing food, incredibly attentive staff, great atmosphere, and convenient location. It is Birmingham's best kept secret... but it won't be for long!!

Up in Birmingham for work, staying in an awful Ibis hotel and looking for somewhere to eat I stumbled across this place across the road from our hotel that seemed to have amazing reviews. I managed to persuade the colleague I was with to try it out and boy were we glad we did!!!! The food is amazing, the staff are great and the restaurant itself has a great atmosphere and feel. Every dish was awesome, we got some great tips from the waiting staff and the cauliflower and the broccoli dishes were unbelievable out of an awesome selection. If you’re in the area for work or a gig at the O2 Academy nearby (or live in Birmingham, or any reason really), you have to try this place out!!! It really does live up to the google reviews for once, to be honest it exceeds them!!! 🙏

Lovely service and food in a warm buzzing atmosphere. A real little gem!

This place is genuinely amazing. The food is brilliant and so much nicer than any other Indian you might visit. There’s some real quality cooking at work here, with flavours and spices that are delicate and delicious - I could go on and on about the different dishes but they are all amazing. It might not look like much but that’s not the point, the food is incredible. Go as soon as you can, you won’t regret it.

Really excellent Indian. Not sure London has anything to match.

I was visitor in the city and quickly searched for a good place to have food, this came up. I must say the food was delicious and I received good service. Will recommend and return here.

Just the best dining experience I've had in a long time. Service and food were exceptional. Do yourself a favour and go and tell all your friends to go too. Can't recommend enough.

Absolutely amazing food, small venue, at back of pub, classically decorated, service from all staff was exceptional. Cannot recommend enough, you must try it.

Absolutely delicious food! I asked for a dish to have green chilli put in as I like it hot and the boss suggested it as a madras, it was incredible. Our table of 4 were all extremely satisfied and enjoyed every dish we ordered. Very good, friendly and attentive staff too, all superb and we've become regulars. Thoroughly recommend.

We had a lovely meal in this strange combination of a traditional pub with a cozy Indian restaurant. The friendly staff guided us through the menu with good recommendations. Our kids enjoyed the home cooked dishes (struggling a bit with the spice) and we ended with a nice chat with the owner. Thank you!

Great food and great service. The concept of the small starters is great to try different things. The owner is a very nice guy and it was great to chat with him.

What a great find! A true hidden gem. Don’t be put off by the slightly empty pub-the restaurant was busy. The food was top notch and the staff were all excellent. Nothing was too much trouble and they took their time to explain all the dishes. Tamarind red mullet and chilli chicken were both absolutely delicious. I’m definitely coming back next time I’m in Birmingham 😁

Such amazing service here would highly recommend if you’re in Birmingham the waitresses were so nice and welcoming and the food was amazing. 10/10 one of the nice restaurants I’ve visited in Birmingham

The food was amazing loved every dish Rhe staff were very attentive and couldn't do enough for us . Definitely go back .

Fabulous food and really attentive and knowledgeable service. First time my parents have found rasmalai since they were students in Birmingham in the 70s and they were delicious!

Not your typical curry house. Hidden away at the rear of a pub you’ll be glad if you seek this gem out. Great service and advice on the menu. Food is Indian street food and absolutely delicious. For two tourists over from Ireland this was a treat for us and a type of cuisine we wouldn’t be used to. There wasn’t a morsel of food left over. I wouldn’t hesitate to go back there.

Everything about this place is good, including the location which adds a quirky atmosphere. The service is excellent. The host is great, very friendly and gives great recommendations and prevented us from ordering too much. The service ethos permeates downwards and the other server was an example to all waiters. She was attentive to customers and also cleanliness. But the food - Indian family style- is the star. We throughly enjoyed the 5 small plates he recommended, and then she cleared the table and reset it for the 2 mains he recommended for us, 3 non meat eaters. Fish curry, and Bindi. I would never have ordered okra, believing it to be slimy. This dish of okra and potato was a revelation. Delicious. As was all the food. A most enjoyable meal. Will definitely return next time I’m in Birmingham.

One of the best butter chicken dishes i've ever had. The staff were absolutely amazing. Best service i've received at a restaurant. Will definitely go back. Thank you to the staff :)

A hidden gem. Seek it out. Was in Birmingham with my wife, on a visit from Ireland. This place is at the back of a pub, easy to miss. Don’t let that happen. Find it. Great food, so different to your average Indian Curry house. Great service and a great experience.

This Indian restaurant is located at the back of a pub. The staff provides excellent advice. It deliberately asks about allergies and the desire for spiciness. Children are also treated warmly and in a child-friendly manner here. The price-performance ratio is right. There is one star less for the ambience because it was unfortunately very loud in the restaurant. This results from the open transition to the pub. If you come to Birmingham and want Indian food, this is the right place. Recommended!

The food, especially the small plates/starters, were excellent. The broccoli and cauliflower, for instance, were full of flavour with a good hit of spice and heat. The gol goppa was superb - it’s surprisingly hard to find these done well in Brum, but this place delivered. The mains (dhal & bhindi) were less exciting/flavoursome by comparison, but good nonetheless. And, while I was sceptical about the unusual bhindi and potato combination, it worked really well. The staff were brilliant - really friendly, helpful, and attentive. Would definitely recommend!

Excellent service, food and value. Don’t be distracted by the entrance, go through the pub, the restaurant is at the back! Really great quality food, passionate staff and good value….all the food is great as far as we could see…but we had and loved various tapas and fish/chicken curries…. Also loved that my minor peanut allergy was managed carefully but without the fuss that usually accompanies mentioning allergies nowadays !! REALLY, GO - need to keep independents like this going, I love a chain restaurant and they have their place but we must keep the independents and diversity of food/culture alive - really special place Good luck Indian cafe racer 👍

10/10, would recommend. The greatest surprise Birmingham has to offer! After finding this place on Google and choosing it from the Trip Advisor reviews its easy to say we were very much looking forward to eating here. We thought we'd gotten a little navigationlly embarrassed when we walked into the Duke of Wellington Bar, only to find the greatest Indian restaurant my wife and I have ever been to stashed away in the back. The food was incredible! Every dish was fantastic and surpassed all expectations! The Rajastani Lamb was an absolute treat! The flavours were spectacular, and only surpassed by the Chicken Chetinad. Topping off the whole dining experience was the whoesone and welcoming manner of the staff, and spot on service. Definitely will be heading back to Birmingham, just to eat here again.

An absolute gem of a restaurant tucked in the back of the Wellington pub. Service is warm and friendly, and the servers are knowledgeable about the Indian street food menu. The food was delicious and easily the best I have tasted in this price range within Birmingham city centre. Would highly recommend, although it is important to book as it is often busy even on weekdays.

The restaurant is located inside a pub in a separate area. The menu is Indian and Indo-chinese street food. Quality is excellent and the service very good.

Attentive staff, smooth service and delicious food, what else could one ask for ? We had a very pleasant experience here, would definitely recommend dining here if you enjoy Indian and Indochinese cuisine.

Such an authentic restaurant with extremely friendly service. The food was amazing with lots of vegan options. It is within a dog friendly pub so you can enjoy an Indian with your best friend by your side. What more could you ask for?

Spur of the moment booking last night, but we have been several times. Food is out of this world, the benchmark I use to rate all my Indian food. My son had two starters and obviously we all tried a little bit of each other's plates (sharing's caring!) Every dish was fabulous especially the chicken chetinad... and the lamb chops and the red mullet.. you get my drift! Looking forward to the cookery school...

The best Indian food I’ve eaten in years. Great recommendations from staff, great options for vegans, fresh, tasty & unique dishes.

What a gem. Lamenting the recent loss of Bundobust but this is a great discovery. The Gobi Manchurian is to die for. Not many settings so don't expect to able to rock up. Well worth booking.

An incredible culinary experience, a real joy to eat here, the food and service exceeded all my expectations. From the starter, to the mains including the rice and naan, everything was a treat for the senses. These guys are very serious about the quality of food they serve and their standards. Impeccable and highly recommended! I had absolutely nothing to complain about.

Amazing service by Prakhar. The food was really good. Started with the spicy lamb chops, which were cooked really well, I believe they marinated them and kept them for 12 to 13 hours. The second dish we ordered was the chilli chicken, which was also good. The main dish that we had was chicken chetinad with garlic naan and butter naan, which also tasted really good. A must visit place for someone who wants to enjoy good indian food. In dessert, we ordered the gulab jamun and phirni.

I came here on the back of some positive reports from friends. Absolutely loved it. The food and service was amazing. Only one very small criticism and that was it was very warm in the place, so an air con unit wouldn't go a miss going forward. All the best Steve

Absolutely outstanding by every metric.

Genuinely outstanding. Amazing food, fantastic service. At time of this review, Indian Cafe Racer is the highest rated Indian restaurant in Birmingham, it's easy to see why. Faultless, will definitely be returning

It's just amazing. Go there, try as much as you can. Honestly.

Truly delicious, forget Opheem, dine here.

Excellent food and really helpful, friendly staff. One of the best Indian meals I’ve ever had.

Wonderful tasty, flavourful and delicious food without any of the heaviness you usually get with Indian restaurants. Because there is so little oil, the flavours burst through. Really superb food. My favourite was the bhindi … though the other dishes were very close behind Manager is very enthusiastic, knows his food and very personable. One of the best Indian meals I have ever heard.

We have been looking for a great local Indian restaurant and this definitely fits the bill. Hand crafted starters, tasty main courses and excellent service throughout. We will be back!

Booked a short trip to Birmingham and found this restaurant near the hotel. I ate there twice. Very friendly welcome, excellent information about the preparation and combination of the dishes. Never had Indian food so good. You should definitely visit if you come to Birmingham. Unfortunately I come from Germany and therefore probably won't be able to enjoy this again.

Best service I’ve ever received at a restaurant! The staff went above and beyond to ensure we had a lovely meal. From our warm welcome to the attentiveness throughout, I couldn’t be more pleased. The food was absolutely fantastic! During our visit there was a power cut in the area but this didn’t affect our visit- the owner and all the staff went out of their way to ensure we still enjoyed our time! I’ll be back again to try a full meal here and I’m so excited. Also- excellent knowledge about veganism and plenty of options!

Amazing food, amazing service and amazing atmosphere. Hidden gem in the city. All the dishes were a flavour bomb in their own unique way and for the first time ever we could not decide what was our favourite dish. Servers were polite, friendly, knowledgeable and very helpful in suggesting dishes. Service was also very quick.

Very nice place. Hard to deduct from the outside, but then inside it is a restaurant behind a pub (shared room). Super nice service and communication to the guests. Great guys. Food was also really good and beautifully prepared (4/5 because not the best ever, but really good. I‘m picky and 5/5 is only reserved for a handful of places in my live). Clear recommendation!

Wow what a hidden gem! Staff were so attentive, explained the menu to us with and gave recommendations. We went for the gobi manchurian, lamb chops, chicken 65, lamb rajastani and garlic naan and it was all absolutely fantastic, full of flavour and the lamb was so tender. Our favourites were the chicken 65 and lamb rajastani. They even came out with a dessert for my birthday which was a lovely touch. Highly recommend!

This Indian restaurant is a must visit! Staff looked after us very well- food was incredibly delicious, been to a lot of Indian restaurants but by far this is the best. Shout out to Pema, she was an amazing waitress

Good food liked the lamb dishes would recommend a try

Fantastic service and possibly the nicest Indian food I have ever tried!

Just incredible, it was a fantastic and pleasant experience, the best Indian I ever had in the uk. Ever!

Unexpectedly good. I only heard about this place a couple of days ago and thought of giving it a try and I was pleasantly surprised. The taste is good and quite authentic. A little pricey however for the quality and service, it is well worth it. I would certainly recommend it and would be going back again very soon.

Visited for Saturday Dinner. The food was delicious and the whole experience from start to finish was superb. Staff were super friendly and the feel of the place was just great. Best meal I’ve had this year and I think possibly my new favourite restaurant. A must go to if you love Indian food.

We had a really good meal here. Very good food and really good staff. Very much recommend.

Great place. Great food. Great welcome. My partner thought maybe they didn't need to fill up our water and rearrange the plates quite as much but I didn't mind.

Best Indian in a long time very authentic and tasty well done Indian Cafe Racer...Top place

Excellent food and service. We went for 5 starters for 3 of us because they were like tapas. All gorgeous. Then we had prawn curry and paneer makhani mains. Really excellent. Try it!!!

This was absolutely delicious - I thoroughly recommend this restaurant. From the outside I didn’t know what to expect but the experience was fantastic - if I could give it more than 5 stars, I would!

Overall 9.5/10 They know how to cook!! Actually I don't like spicy at all, but indian cuisine change you a lot :) Stuff are friendly and nice , helpful. They are explaining everything on menü. And give you some recommendations as well. Prices of food are a little bit high, it can be cheaper, in my opinion.

Was recommend by a friend and not disappointed! Little gem of a restaurant hidden in an unassuming part of the city centre. Lamb off the bone chops were Devine. The manager and server were both attentive and knowledgeable of the menu. Nice atmosphere, would love to return on a weekend when busy. Bathrooms immaculate. Definitely recommend.

Visited with the wife, the service was ok…but overkill for us really!! I have to say that for what it is the food is hugely overpriced….your looking at £14.50 for a curry so by the time you add five and a naan your into £20-25 which is sound enough if your in a really nice Indian restaurant but this is a pub that’s been cut in half to accommodate the restaurant. I had a tikka wrap and it was tiny!! Literally 4 bites for £9 and all the food we had was really spiced which is great if you enjoy that. All in all would I visit again? Naa, there way better curry places nearby than this gaff….and much better value for money!

Had a really lovely meal last night. Our waiter was very welcoming and friendly, explaining how the concept was his idea and about bringing an authentic experience to diners. Delicious food. Highly recommend

Fantastic food and service can’t wait to visit again to try other dishes. Great options for vegetarians and well labelled menu do for allergens.

Incredible food, service and experience

What an absolute gem! Brilliant service, wonderful hosts, and the food!! 11/10 So good that we had another of their Indian tapas for desert. We will be back.

Superb! The best Indian restaurant I’ve ever been to. The service is impeccable, the food perfect. Are they going for a star? Ignore the slightly strange, verging on authentic pub setting, once seated it’s as convincing as the food. It’s ridiculous that you can walk in without reservation…

Hidden Gem...cosy atmosphere with attentive staff. The manager came around and recommended some amazing dishes. Too many to mention but everything was presented with pride. The taste was authentic. Keep it up guys...we will be back!

Very good mains. Even better starters. Nice to be offered something different with imagination and quality. Could happily just waded my way through every starter on the menu.

Fantastic food, lovely well informed and attentive staff, great evening. We will come again to try the dishes we missed - or just to have the same again!

One of the best Indian restaurants I’ve ever been to

Having sampled a lot of Indian cuisine including around India itself my wife and I were in agreement that this was the best Indian meal we had ever had. The food was fresh and flavours were a delight. The service was excellent and very reasonably priced too. A must visit for anyone who enjoys Indian food.

The cuisine at this establishment is excellent. We enjoyed chicken biryani, samosas and gobi Manchurian, both of which were delicious. Prakhar, who works there, is very friendly and good.

Service is over the top!! Great experience, food was delicious, I really liked everything but puri and butter chicken were impressive! Didn't have time to take photos but will definitely come back and document it. Such a good finding!

Lovely food and very friendly and attentive staff, would definitely go again.

Nice place to be: delicious indian food and a relaxed service

Well this was our first visit. What an excellent meal we had. Everything freshly cooked (but no waiting). Fabulous flavours. Great spicing. Super friendly service. Good range of gluten free and veggie options (and they are planning to expand these). Can’t recommend more strongly. Forget the Birmingham Balti triangle. This is the best Indian food in Brum.

Fantastic food and brilliant Serivce. Will definitely be back

Cool vibe, fantastic service and amazing food. Definitely give this place a go and you'll be in for treat, in a curtained off area of an otherwise unremarkable pub is a real gem of Indian street food and a thoroughly enjoyable dining experience.

Great and quirky Indian restaurant. Attentive staff who are friendly and knowledgeable. Superb food in small dishes. Great quality and reasonable prices. We will be back

Excellent food - would advise listening to the staff's recommendations, this truly enhanced our experience. Service was impeccable. We will most certainly be back 😊

Been meaning to try and glad we did. We opted for a selection of the small plates - absolutely fantastic. Nice variety of dishes, everything was superb. Lovely quality food. The staff were excellent, welcoming and attentive. Highly recommended.

Absolutely fantastic food and great service. I had heard about this place and had yet to try it until last night. Cannot fault a single dish. I had the tempura prawns, the broccoli, calamari and the red mullet. It was throughly splendid. I will be going back. If you haven’t been yet! Do not delay! Amazing!

We went to the Indian Cafe Racer for my partners birthday. We were absolutely blown away with not only the really attentive, lovely service but the tastiest food. We were guided to make some selections by the gentleman that was serving us, the cauliflower starter was advised and honestly as meat eaters we were not overly expecting much but it was unreal. This restaurant is such a find and really affordable for the quality of the meals. I really do want to thank the staff for being so wonderful and making the experience really enjoyable