The best rooftop bars in Birmingham
A cocktail bar 24 storeys up on Colmore Row, real ale under a retractable roof on Bennett's Hill, a first-come terrace on Great Hampton Street and a fourth-floor bar on Broad Street. Where to drink above Birmingham, and how to get a seat.
By Only Birmingham Editorial
The highest drink in Birmingham is at 24 Stories on Colmore Row, and the best rooftop pint is at The Wellington on Bennett's Hill, under a roof that slides shut when it rains. Between them sit a fourth-floor terrace on Broad Street, a first-come roof in the Jewellery Quarter and a heated deck on Colmore Row. Most of Birmingham's rooftops are in the business district, which means they are quiet on a Sunday and rammed at 5.30pm on a Thursday. Here is where to go, and how to get a seat.
24 Stories, 103 Colmore Row
103 Colmore Row is the tower at the top of town, and 24 Stories is the restaurant and cocktail bar at the very top, which it bills as Birmingham's highest restaurant. Come for the view across the Colmore Business District; book ahead if you want a window at sunset. It opens from noon every day, until 11pm Monday to Thursday and 12.30am on Fridays and Saturdays. If the cocktail prices up there make you wince, the Stories Tavern pours pints for £5. One thing you cannot do is wander into Eighteen, the 3,000 sq ft terrace six floors down: it is a members' club for the building's tenants only.
The Wellington, Bennett's Hill
The Wellington has 29 handpumps and no kitchen, and its roof terrace is the best-kept secret in town that everyone already knows about. The terrace sits beside the upstairs bar, with eight regular cask ales and a hand-pulled cider on that bar alone, and a retractable roof that closes when a shower comes over, so it is open all year. There is no food beyond cobs and scratchings. Bring your own or get a takeaway delivered; the pub hands out plates and cutlery and nobody minds. It opens 10am to midnight every day, over 18s only, and it is five minutes from both New Street and Snow Hill.
Henman & Cooper, 110 Colmore Row
A few doors along, Henman & Cooper has a heated rooftop reached by a spiral staircase, split over two tiers, built for after-work drinks whatever the weather. At weekends there are DJs on the roof and in the Club Room downstairs. It is the busiest of the Colmore Row roofs on a Friday, so arrive before the offices empty if you want to sit down.
1565 Bar & Terrace, Broad Street
The Park Regis hotel at 160 Broad Street keeps its bar, 1565, on the fourth floor, with a terrace outside it. The menu is signature cocktails, food through the day and afternoon tea, and there are heaters on the terrace for the evenings. It is calmer than anything on Broad Street at ground level, and you can reserve a table.
Marco Pierre White, The Cube
The Cube at 200 Wharfside Street has Marco Pierre White's steakhouse and bar on Level 25, with views right round the city. It is a restaurant first, so treat it as a place for a drink before dinner or a long afternoon tea rather than a night out.
The Church, Great Hampton Street
In the Quarter, The Church at 22 Great Hampton Street is a pub with a small roof terrace and its own bar up top. You cannot book it: the terrace is first come, first served. It opens at noon from Thursday to Sunday and at 4pm earlier in the week, and stays open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays. Order an Aperol Spritz and watch the Quarter's roofs go gold.
The Button Factory, Frederick Street
A short walk away at 25 Frederick Street, The Button Factory has a rooftop terrace and a heated outdoor space above the street, plus a sun-trap balcony. It opens from 7am to 1am every day, so it works for brunch, a cocktail or the last drink of the night.
Further out: Sky Bar, Resorts World
Sky Bar & Restaurant at Resorts World, Pendigo Way, B40, is by the NEC rather than in town, with a garden looking over Pendigo Lake and a DJ on Saturday nights. Worth it if you are already at a gig or a show there; not worth the trip on its own.
Know before you go
The Colmore Row roofs fill from 5pm on Thursdays and Fridays, and the Quarter terraces fill on any sunny weekend afternoon. The Church does not take bookings for the roof, so go early; 24 Stories and 1565 do, so book. If the forecast is grim, go to The Wellington: it is the only roof here that closes over your head. For the full list of who has opened what, Secret Birmingham keeps a running count.
