Skip to main content

Food Hall Fiesta: Where to Find the Real Asian Eats (and My Secret Faves) in Brum!

Right, let's talk about food halls. You know the drill, that buzzing concept that's everywhere now. Everyone's losing their collective mind over the fancy new spots like St Paul's Market.

But I'm not here for the glitz. I'm here for the flavour. And in Birmingham, there are a few older, slightly rough-around-the-edges food halls that are hiding some serious Asian culinary gold. Forget the fancy decor and the 'vibes'—these places are about authentic, belly-stuffing goodness. Let's dive in, you bao-hunting maniacs!

1. Tin Tin Food Hall – The city edge bargain

Stir fried beef rice noodles
Nestled near BCU, or what will soon be the booming Curzon Street HS2 station (when it finally arrives), is Tin Tin Food Hall. I've banged on about their Siu Mei (roast meats) before, but there are a couple of other Hong Kong-style spots in there that are genuinely decent. Nothing that will make you weep with joy, but they serve up those lesser-seen Hong Kong dishes that are a real treat. Due to the location, the prices are really affordable, and the portions are enough to feed a small army. Come here when you're broke and ravenous, and you'll leave feeling like a winner.

2. Han Dynasty – The Chinese Quarter Newbie (with an old soul)

New Food hall near Chinese Quarter
This one is a relatively newer addition to the Chinese Quarter, conveniently located near the Tesco Express.

My recommendation here is Kei Hing and the Rice Noodle. Okay, full disclosure: they used to have a little Xiao Long Bao (soup dumpling) stall that made them homemade and they were excellent, but it seems to have vanished into the great food-hall-in-the-sky. Pour one out for the fallen dumplings.

But back to the living: Kei Hing. This is another Hong Kong-style Cha Chaan Teng (we'll do a full review on it later), Also the fantastic Yunnan-style rice noodle. Why do I love it? Because it actually tastes good without just setting your face on fire. So many Chinese rice noodle spots these days just dump a vat of chilli oil on everything, which is great if you hate your sinuses, but sometimes a dude just wants flavour, not a fire alarm. This hits the spot beautifully.

3. Asia Asia – The OG Multi-Culti (with the Oyster Card Problem)

This is probably the granddaddy of Birmingham's Asian food halls, and it's a brilliant spot if your mates all want different cuisines. Unlike the other two, which are heavily Chinese-focused, Asia Asia throws everything into the pot: Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, and, of course, Chinese. The sheer choice is magnificent.

Now for the little administrative hell: the dreaded pre-paid card. You have to top up their own card (like an Oyster card, but for Pho) to buy food. The only actual fuzz with this place is the worry of over-topping. If you put too much on, you'll be morally obliged to return to spend the rest, unless you paid with cash and can get a refund on the remaining balance. A clever, slightly annoying, business model.

My top pick here? The Vietnamese Pho is solid, but the Japanese food from Sakura is an absolute bargain. Great value for some surprisingly fresh-tasting Japanese grub.


The Honest Bao Takeaway: 

If you're craving a Chinese or South East Asian feed but can't commit to a single restaurant, these spots are your heroes. Just brace yourself for minimal service, decor that screams "we repurposed a warehouse," and the occasional elbow-jostle for a seat. It's a trade-off for value and genuine flavour, and frankly, I'll take that bargain any day.


Restaurant Info 

Tin Tin Food Hall

Address: Masshouse, The Hive, Masshouse Ln, Birmingham B5 5JN

Han Dynasty Food Hall

Address: 2nd floor, 143 Bromsgrove St, Birmingham B5 6RG (Note: the food hall is on the 2nd floor)

Asia Asia Food Hall

Address: Second Floor, First and, 10 Pershore St, Birmingham B5 4RX

Labels:
Location: Birmingham, UK

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

🍜 Noodle Nova London- Beyond Chinatown's Gravitational Pull

When you're craving proper Chinese food in London, your brain immediately screams 'Chinatown!' and you're mentally bracing for the jam-packed street. But London's culinary map is expanding faster than my waistline after a day out. I was loitering around the Temple station area, pretending to be a fancy lawyer (didn't work, my shoes were too muddy), when my stomach issued an urgent demand for noodles. A quick search later, and I found myself staring at Noodle Nova, a new kid on the block that's doing Lanzhou beef noodles. The Vibe and the Broth Giant vase in the centre First impression: Nice dΓ©cor. And true to its Chinese name, Qing Hua Yu (ι’θŠ±ιˆΊ), which means something like 'Porcelain Jade,' there was a rather large, fancy vase in the shop. Clearly, they've gone for aesthetic as well as noodle. Spicy broth taste good too but I prefer non-spicy one Now, onto the main event. As a specialist beef noodle joint, they offer a whole spectrum of noodle thi...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Joy -Taipei's Highest (and Priciest) All-You-Can-Eat Truly Worth the Sky-High Bill?

When someone mentions "buffet," your mind probably conjures up images of lukewarm, vaguely-Chinese food trays and a general sense of regret. But hold onto your chopsticks, because East Asia’s buffet game is a completely different. We’re talking next-level quality, and prices to match. This time, Honest Bao scaled the ultimate peak in Taipei to review what might be the city's highest and most expensive buffet... and I'm here to tell you if it's the absolute best. Great view on Taipei city This place is seriously popular, so ditch your spontaneous dinner plans. You must book in advance, and here's a cheeky little catch for you international travellers: they tend to charge foreigners a tad more since you typically have to use a booking agent like Klook to snag a spot. Once you're in, though, prepare to be impressed. The restaurant sprawls across the entire floor, and the variety of food is absolutely monumental—it easily dwarfs any buffet spread I've enco...
Post a Comment
Read more

Barcelona's Best-Kept Secret? Finding High-Quality Sushi at Sato I Tanaka

As a big city and famous for seafood, it's no surprise that Barcelona has some quality Japanese restaurants. It seems people are really crazy for them here too, as I really struggled to find any online availability when I tried to make a reservation. They are definitely busy, but not 100% full every day. Stay until the end of the post for a little tip to secure a table. Good quality tuna from Spain Sato I Tanaka, a small, unassuming spot that promised an omakase experience for less than the price of a flight to Japan. The moment I walked in, I felt like I was back to Japan. A long, elegant wooden counter, the quiet clatter of knives, and a chef who looked like he knew his way around a fish. This was the real deal. Love the red prawn We went for the lunch tasting menu, and at under 50 euros, my expectations were set to "cautiously optimistic." I mean, I've paid more for a sad-looking sushi platter in London. But what arrived was pure magic. The rice was  perfectly seas...
Post a Comment
Read more