Varanasi in Birmingham

Gorgeous surroundings. Friendly efficient service. Lovely food. We were invited to look around at our leisure. Will be back!

Great service Sophia. Fantastic food.

Great food amazing atmosphere and friendly staff esp from Sophia

The most deceptive entrance to an incredibly impressive restaurant that made me feel like I was on holiday. All the staff were extremely attentive and friendly. The food was fantastic! Very tasty and cooked to perfection. I had the Samudri Khazana mixed sea food. Looking forward to going again.

Excellent food. Thanks Sophie for the service and food/drink recommendations.

Had a great meal here, good was fantastic and the service from Sophie was just as good! Beautiful place and would highly recommended, will definitely be returning.

Tarek was extremely polite, professional and welcoming. He made our anniversary celebration even more enjoyable. Food was lovely and atmosphere was great. We will definitely be back and bring our friends and friends.

5 star experience. From the wow effect of the restaurant entry to the top quality and presentation of the food. Staff were absolutely amazing including Tareq who made our experience unique. First time I visit a restaurant with such a focus on customer service. Will I visit again? Absolutely yes!!

The food was really good here... the staff was amazing especially a waiter call Tareq and shaq they were great

It was an amazing atmosphere with great food, in particular Sophie catered to our every need, she was very lovely.

We had a family of 20 for private dining, Faz our waiter was exceptionally good at what he does, he made the whole experience well worth the visit, i have travelled to the other side of the world and dined in many places and can honestly say he was one of the best hosts i have witnessed. Varanasi is an amazing restaurant i would recommend anyone to visit.

Had a private family wedding meal. The food was great. Atmosphere was awesome. A waiter named Faz was great through the whole evening, very professional and a gentleman,fulfilled our whole needs through the evening. An awesome thankyou to him.

I went here yesterday with my family and Faz served us and looked after our table, he was very caring, polite, and helpful. He made our experience at Varanasi truly memorable and we will definitely come again!😊

First time coming to the restaurant with the family, all I can say is stunning. Food was delicious, the atmosphere made you feel really comfortable. Faz looked after us for the night, he was fantastic. Attended to us brilliantly, cannot fault him at all. So polite and caring, would happily have him look after us again!

Had fantastic service and delicious food - chef’s special was a highlight. Sophie’s service was impeccable.

Our experience at Varanasi was so perfect , a special thank you to Sophie, her table service was phenomenal and it made our experience 5 star. You’ve been amazing , thank you again Sophie x. We will definitely revisit .

Beautiful restaurant, delicious food and wonderful service from Sophie, could not ask for a more attentive and knowledgable hostess.

Lovely place! Sophie and the other waiters were great

Sophie was an amazing server, she advised me on food choices and she was always spot on based on mine wishes. I wish I had someone like her always at my side!

Beautiful decor, fantastic food and very good service, it's not the cheapest but in a good way, you do get what you pay for. Looking forward to my next visit.

Tareq was an excellent server and appetisers were delectable.

Honestly an amazing experience. From the entrance to the table. Love the water fall. Staff are very professional and quite quick with the service. The food is delicious. I’m not a fan of panna cotta but my boyfriend loves it from here. The lollipop chicken isn’t much of how a lollipop chicken should look, but it was tasty. The wet tissue and the hand cream are a great addition to the service. The food is pricey, but it’s worth it for the quality of the food and the decor and vibes. Would definitely recommend varansi

Had a lovely lovely experience. Lovely food and the staff was super nice. Special shout out to Sophie, we had a little laugh. Will definitely visit again 😊😊😊😍😍

Good customer service, calm atmosphere, great for a birthday or special occasion

We had used Varanasi for an event we hosted in early April for about 40 people. Prior to booking, the team and the manager were very happy to talk to us and were very helpful in showing us the premises and providing us with many options. Ray, the manager, took his time to go through our options and enquired into every small detail which made our event flow efficiently and effectively on the day. The venue itself benefited from multiple private areas, seating up to 60 people in certain areas, which made it a prefect venue for us. We thought the venue was fitted to a high spec and was relatively easy to access whether you were driving or getting in by public transport. We could not fault the food, it all came out in good timing and was warm. The food was also of high quality, and our guests also loved this. Likewise, the service was up to a high quality. Ray and team responded efficiently and promptly to any last minute requests, and ensured everything was good at various points. Overall, a fine venue with fine service and food - I would recommend visiting whether for a leisurely meal or for hosting events. I would also like to say a big thank you to Ray and the Varanasi team!

We visited after 3 years for a birthday, expecting the same great experience — but it was a complete letdown. We ordered our favorite dishes and asked for spicy, but the food was insanely hot and inedible. The vegetable kofta curry tasted like raw gram flour with 4 chillies, and the okra in the pickle okra masala curry was undercooked. The Paneer curry was tasteless and everything overheated. Even though the staff offered to change dishes if needed, it's uncomfortable to ask for changing everything. Worst of all, it’s been 3 days and I’m still sick with stomach pain and diarrhea. I’ve never had such an experience at any Indian restaurant in the UK. Avoid anything spicy here — not worth the money or the risk. Vegetarian food is not recommended. Paid £99 to drink tap water and enjoy 2 breads with 1 raita. What a fine dining experience — totally worth it !?

Sophie, the server was great and provided solid recommendation of the food.

Sofia tailored the food to my needs, Rose recommended drinks to suit. Thank you again for you bespoke service. It is always a pleasure being at Varanasi. Even the mistakes are amazing .

The Varanasi is hands down one of the best Indian restaurants I’ve visited in some time! The food was delicious with a lovely atmosphere, the icing on top of the cake was our waitress Sophie, she was very knowledgable of the menu and so attentive, 10/10

Sophie was brilliant! Amazing food, highly recommend.

Thanks to Sophie. Amazing food and service!

Love the everything about the place. Very cozy and the food was great too! Everyone has been accomodating esp Sophie who has been very attentive. Recommended.

Excellent food and service. Sophie served me and she made the experience even better. Big thank you. You have a great product and super people working for you. If I could give extra stars I would!

This is one of the most beautiful restaurants I've ever been to and the staff were so lovely. The food tasted amazing, but keep in mind it is a bit pricey. Will definitely dine here again xx

Extremely Disappointed – Poor Service and Dishonest Billing Practices I don’t usually leave reviews, but the experience at this restaurant was beyond unacceptable. We were promised that a review would be deducted from our bill, which never happened. Despite following up for an entire week, we received no proper assistance. Each time we were told, “someone will call you back,” but no one ever did. It felt like we were being deliberately ignored. I have called 4 times this week and spoked to someone, first callled even lied stated payment would be made and that I should expect payment in a few days. Train your staff better. To make matters worse, on the night itself, they attempted to sneak additional charges onto our bill, and even after we clearly asked for the service charge to be removed, they tried to charge us for it anyway. This behavior felt dishonest and left all of our guests incredibly upset. It’s shocking that a place operating in the service industry would treat its customers this way—with a complete lack of accountability, poor communication, and attempts to overcharge. I won’t be returning, and I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone who values good service and integrity.

Exceptional service and delicious food

Love the ambience and the service

We came here for our anniversary. The food and ambience was amazing. Thanks to Sophie for taking good care of us.

Sophie was absolutely excellent helping me plan my proposal to my mrs & gave absolute first class confident service. Highly reccomend. Experience and moment to remember

Best peshwari naan ever!! Chairs so comfortable & Sophie was amazing!!

You would be hard pressed to find a better restaurant in Birmingham. The service is impeccable, I have never had service like this is the uk, staff are just so courteous and attentive, it really makes you know you are in a classy establishment. The food is the best Indian Food I have eaten in Birmingham also, and I have been to quite a few of the well known restaurants. I love their personal dining spaces, suitable for couples or groups of up to about 15, you are still in the restaurant but set aside from the general guests, so this is ideal for a birthday meal or special date. It is along a tram stop if you do not want to drive, parking is available about a 7 minute walk away, but as everywhere in Birmingham, its limited, if you drive you may find yourself waiting around for spaces to come free. As a photographer I have photographed here a number of times, another thing that stands out for me is that they look after other working staff like myself! Ensuring we have a drink while working! I want to personally thank Faz for his hospitality and professionalism while I was working there. Well worth a visit!! These are a few images of the private dining area from my last event "Founders Dinner" that I shot here

Excellent service from Shah, the food was excellent. The venue is amazing!!!

Best fine dinner experience i had was at Varanasi. It was my wife’s birthday and she wanted to go somewhere exceptional. So i book table for 2 here. When we got there i was really happy with my decision. For welcome at reception to food service everything was spot on. Ambience and decor were amazing. Staff were polite and professional. We ordered tandori prawns and lamb chops as starters which were mouth watering. For mains we ordered Daal Makhni and lamb qarahi. Daal was so tasty we couldn’t stop eating.

The food was exemplary. I do a lot of travelling for my job, and my curry today has to rank as one of the best. Yes, you pay a premium for this, but trust me, its worth it. The only thing that surpassed the food was the wonderful service I recieved from the staff. Ray ensured I was treated like a VIP from the very start. He was exceptionally attentive, and ensured I had a great visit. Sophie was my waitress, and I cannot fault the service provided. She ensured that my meal was very enjoyable, and that I had everything I needed. I would not hesitate in recommending Verinasi to all my friends and family looking for a premium evening out, with great food and where you are well looked after.

The place promised so much, a beautiful entrance that lead down stairs to a beautiful restaurant, However we were seated in what I can only describe as an add on low ceiling and very cold, I sat some of the time with my coat on, I the menu is small and they could substitute prawns for chicken on a dish, I ordered a medium spiced dish but I was very hot and they were then very good and changed it for a korma that wasn't on the menu, For our experience unfortunately it wasn't great The service however was excellent,

Service and atmosphere great, Well done But food was awful, better at my local takeaway And today my stomach is so upset, the holr family are struggling Not on

exceptionnal expérience , with Rafi who was a pure gentleman , excellent service

Took her indoors and the kid there for mothers day 2025. Surprisingly, not busy. You can see a lot of doe has been spent on the venue, therefore the food is pricey. I would say fine dining so portions not massive like other curry houses. You should never go home hungry after a curry. Therefore, over ordered a little. £154 for 2 adults and a kid. 1 ratten chicken sharing platter (£25) , 3 mains , 4 nan , 1 beer , 1 glass of house red, 1 bottle water, 3 poppadoms. Food is tripple A and definitely worth a visit .

What an incredible experience ... Varanasi is a hidden gem of Birmingham ... the atmosphere felt so surreal and we were fascinated by the interior which the owners have put so much time and effort into. Never ever seen such a wonderful restaurant in the UK. A truly memorable Mother's Day meal ... we felt like we were abroad.

Came to Varanasi for our anniversary and we were not disappointed at all, the restaurant decor and layout was incredible, the furniture and lighting created an ambient experience. Now, the food, the food was out of this world, I had the king prawn and my wife had the samosa, followed by butter chicken, and the king prawn in chefs hot sauce…..unbelievable quality and flavour. Service by Faz was attentive and detailed and he couldn’t do enough. An incredible experience I would repeat and recommend.

Wahid made our experience at this restaurant really memorable and special. I would highly recommend this restaurant to a lot more people.

Fantastic food & even better service by Sophie, highly recommended

Sophie was Excelient, very attentive

Amazing food. Fax was excellent

I loved visiting Varanasi. Faz was very helpful in recommending as well as with his service. I recommend Varanasi! Worth visiting!

Nice food, atmosphere and service.

Had a great time at Varanasi in Birmingham, and the service was top notch, especially from Wahid, super friendly, attentive, and really knew his stuff. He made the whole experience even better, so I’d definitely recommend this place!

We were served by the lovely Faz, he really made our experience even better ensuring everything was perfect for us, will be returning just for him!! Ambience 10/10 if u like a dark setting, food just as nice.

We recently came here and was served by Faz who made our experience 10x better! Such good service, made us feel so welcomed and checked on us regularly! Thank you Faz!

Great calming ambiance, food was great (lamb shank was amazing - highly recommend) liked the service I received by the Varansi team especially Wahid.

The food was DELICIOUS and plentiful. Our server was Sophie, and she was fantastic. The ambiance and decor was incredible. All in all a perfect experience for our last night in the UK.

Our server Sophie is a rockstar —- amazing service, her recommendations were perfect, she took her time and paid attention to detail. Because of her I would come back again… OK the food was great also!!!!

I was disappointed with the food. The butter chicken and paneer were way too sweet, like sugar syrup. The samosas had no real flavor. They used dry ice to make the dishes look fancy, but it didn’t help the taste. For the price, it wasn’t worth it. I wouldn’t go again.

Thank you. Sophie was great and very welcoming

Had an amazing dining experience. The lamb shank was absolutely delicious—tender, flavorful, and perfectly spiced. The ambiance was elegant yet cozy, making it a great place for a special meal. Our server, Wahid, was exceptionally friendly and attentive, ensuring we had a wonderful time. Highly recommend this place for anyone looking for high-quality Indian cuisine in the UK!

The food was decent, but nothing really stood out. The ambiance was nice, though a bit crowded. Service was okay, but we had to wait longer than expected for our order. Overall, a satisfactory experience but not memorable.

Faz quickly got to know is and made our whole experience so much better, the food courses were timed perfectly and service was quick

Sophie provided an outstanding experience from start to finish! Her service was exceptional, making the entire dining experience effortless and enjoyable. She guided us through the menu with expertise, helping us make the perfect choice. The food was absolutely delicious, and the overall service was top-notch. Sophie truly went above and beyond to make our visit special – highly recommended!

Sophie was amazing and incredible service. Definitely revisit this place especially when Sophie is working here! 😎

Amazing experience at Varanasi. We were served by Tareq, who was excellent and so friendly. The food was incredible and the service was fast. Highly recommend if you want to have a fantastic dinner out!

Food was delicious, Tareq was really friendly, helpful and gave us a really great experience. Would highly recommend.

First time, totally enjoyed it. Brilliant atmosphere, friendly service

sophie was an amazing host!!!! as well as the manager not sure of his name but i’m sure he’ll see this also. They gave us the best time we could possibly ever have at a restaurant, not to mention how accommodating they really was towards us. Genuinely can’t say one flaw about this place. i go all the time and love the food more and more everytime i go. I absolutely adored the staff and their customer service. we had an amazing experience thank you sophie and everyone else for making it amazing!! we will be back most definitely. thank you to tareq aswell he was ever so lovely. And might i add this is probably the best place to be and also eat at in birmingham!! 1000/10.

Love experience and atmosphere, especially the service was amazing by our server faz

Sophie was the sweetest waitress always came up to us and checked if we’re okay

Here's the thing, Birmingham is an amazing city, with lots of great eateries. Varanasi is very much up there. The surroundings are spectacular, Sophie, with some assistance from Tariq looked after us so well. Sophie was a diamond and a credit to the establishment. The food, wowza, it blew me and my 5 friends away Thank me later...its that good

Absolutely great food and fantastic service from Sophie.

Sophie was an amazing and attentive host

Sophie was the sweetest girl ever she and the food were amazing !!!! Love this place for bdays

All food drinks and atmosphere are undiscribable, picture do not do it justice you have to go to truly appreciate and vale such experiences I'm not spoiling anything here. Go there no regrets. Paying the price we did for mains 2 sides to poppadoms plenty full sauce with it 2 alachlocic drinks and 2 desserts and sharing minus desert due to my allergies they say no but everything else no issues at all. Water served napkins broken on to laps. What you'd expect from a beautiful environment such as this actually felt I was in India itself,food drink environment hospitality has nothing on anywhere else I've ever been before and probably ever go again. Gonna take alot go beat this for sure. From couple you took photos of and previously lady myself here trained in hospitality as supervisor and I said then I have no complaints about it and I say it now. Can't wait to see you again soon. Kind regards

Tareq & Whaied serves our table, very professional and helpful. Music suits the vibe well. A few tables were a bit loud near us. Food tasted great! Very nice setting and layout. The walk from the desk to the dining area makes you feel as though you are in another world.

The best place ever, the food is exceptional, the service is just as good (Tarik was fantastic) The building is beyond belief and we can’t wait to come back next month! Thank you for making dads special day ever more special, everything was perfect as always.

Wonderful atmosphere and great service from tareq

Beautiful restaurant and absolutely amazing food. Tareq our server was very attentive and assisted with my food choice as I am vegan. The food was presented beautifully and was very flavoursome and filling. Cocktails were beautiful too.

Amazing food and amazing service from Tareq. We will be revisiting again. Best wishes

Great food & service. Our waiter Tariq was great highly recommend.

Great food and service and our host tariq was very polite and friendly and gave great service

Tareq was an amazing man, that provided a fantastic service! The food was first class. Would totally recommend this venue. It is amazing!!

Tareq and the food = exceptional

The atmosphere here is simply extraordinary

I visited Varanasi specially from London to celebrate a special occasion while the ambience was undeniably impressive, the overall dining experience left much to be desired. The restaurant’s decor and atmosphere create a great first impression, but unfortunately, the food did not live up to the expectations. The taste was quite mediocre for the price charged, and the portion sizes were disappointing. What put me off further was the unexpected additional charges—chutneys served with the popadums were added to the bill, and when I requested a Garlic Chilli Naan, I was told there would be an extra charge just to add chilli. Given the already steep prices, these small yet unnecessary add-ons made the experience feel even less worth it. Overall, while Varanasi excels in ambience, it falls short in value for money and taste. If you’re looking for a place with a great setting, this might work, but if food quality and fair pricing matter to you, it may not be the best choice.

We were visiting from London and looking for somewhere close to our hotel to eat. We were pleasantly surprised by Varanasi. We dined in and the food was exceptional. Our waiter Wahid was very attentive and knowledgeable about the menu, he recommended the lamb shank and the butter chicken both of which were delicious (give this man a raise or a Bonus). Special mention to Tarque who made sure we were topped up with drinks and checked in on us. The entire staff (including Shah), created a pleasant and welcoming environment. Would highly recommend (and for a 5 star experience ask for Wahid). I will definitely be coming back on my next visit to Birmingham.

Gorgeous interiors and very attentive staff. I had the lamb karahi which was tasty and rich. The whole experience was 10/10.

What a stunning restaurant and the food is equally as stunning! Absolutely fantastic service from Tareq, he couldn’t do enough for us. 10/10 experience

very good food and service from wahid and Tarque

Lovely experience and the food was amazing. Faz and Tareq were great hosts and made sure me and my friends enjoyed our food. Thanks both!

Lovely restaurant, great fine dining food and amazing service from faz and tariq :)

Excellent service, especially from Tariq our amazing waiter for a company dinner

Evening well spent with great food and ambience. Tariq was very patient and provided us with great service.

Beautiful restaurant and lovely ambiance! Butter chicken was good but a tiny bit sweet. Wahid was very attentive.