Cafe Ikon

Voila, the destination of the style cognoscenti. The Ikon Gallery, in the beautifully converted Oozells Street School, is Birmingham’s modern art gallery but many go just for this gorgeously airy arty caff. Friendly staff talk you through a great Spanish-based menu dominated by tons of tapas – chorizo al jerez, gambas a la plancha, albondigas, calamares, tortilla – perfect as informal, share-it-with-friends fare; it’s satisfyingly tasty & well cooked, too. There are several versions of paella (cooked to order, which few Spanish restaurants bother to do in this country), daytime toasted sandwiches (try the coarse cut chorizo sausage), & the wine list brings together a bunch of eminently drinkable Spanish wines, opening with a fine selection of sherries. Doors open out to fair-weather tables looking onto Oozells Square.