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August in Birmingham means one thing for food lovers across the city: Birmingham Restaurant Festival is back. For the whole month, restaurants across Birmingham roll out exclusive set menus designed to showcase exactly what they do best, all at prices that make trying somewhere new a much easier decision.
If you haven’t taken part before, or you’re just looking for a reason to get out and explore the city’s food scene this summer, here’s what you can expect.
- A Genuinely Wide Choice of Restaurants
One of the best things about Birmingham Restaurant Festival is the sheer range on offer. This isn’t a festival built around one cuisine or one part of the city. You’ll find everything from fine dining to casual favourites, traditional British menus to international flavours, all taking part side by side. Whether you’re after a quiet date night, a big group dinner, or somewhere new to try with friends, there’s almost certainly something on the list that fits the mood you’re after.
It’s worth taking a proper look through the participating restaurants before deciding where to book, since new names get added every year and there’s a good chance a few surprise you.
- Set Menus Built Specifically for the Festival
Rather than just offering a discount on the usual menu, most restaurants put real thought into their festival offering.
Expect set menus that have been designed to give you a proper taste of what each restaurant does well, often featuring signature dishes alongside a few specials you won’t find any other time of year. It’s a chance to experience a restaurant at its best, rather than just picking something safe off the regular menu.
- Better Value Than You’d Get the Rest of the Year
The whole point of the festival is value, and it shows. Set menu prices during August tend to be noticeably kinder than what you’d pay for the same quality of food outside the festival period, which makes it the perfect time to try somewhere that’s normally reserved for special occasions.
If there’s a restaurant in Birmingham you’ve been wanting to try but have been putting off, August is usually the cheapest month to finally do it.
- The Need to Book Ahead
This is the one detail that catches people out every year. To access the festival menu at any participating restaurant, you need to book through the official Birmingham Restaurant Festival process, rather than just turning up or booking directly as you normally would. Walk-ins won’t get the festival pricing.
The good news is booking is straightforward, but popular restaurants do fill up well before the end of August, so it’s worth deciding early where you want to go and getting it booked in rather than leaving it to the last week.
- A Full Month to Explore
Unlike a lot of food festivals that run for a single weekend, Birmingham Restaurant Festival gives you the whole of August to take part. That means there’s no pressure to squeeze everything into one trip. It’s a good excuse to spread things out across the month, working your way through a few different restaurants rather than committing to just one night out.
Treat it less like a one-off event and more like a month-long invitation to actually use the city’s food scene properly.
Siamais Is Taking Part This Year
We’re pleased to be joining Birmingham Restaurant Festival 2026, and we’d love to see you at Siamais this August.
For anyone who hasn’t visited before, Siamais is a Thai restaurant and cocktail bar tucked into Oozells Square, just behind Brindleyplace. The setting alone makes it worth a visit, with a gothic interior that pairs unexpectedly well with authentic Thai flavour, and a terrace out front for anyone who wants to make the most of the summer evenings. Inside, the food sticks to proper Thai cooking rather than a watered down version of it, think fragrant curries, fresh sharing platters and a tom yum soup that’s become a firm favourite with regulars. The cocktail menu leans into a bit of theatre too, so it’s worth arriving early enough to start with one before your table’s ready.
Our festival set menu has been built around the dishes people come back for again and again, giving you a proper introduction to what Siamais does best without needing to commit to a full evening’s spend. It’s exactly the kind of restaurant this festival is made for: a bit different, full of flavour, and easier to say yes to in August than any other month.
To guarantee the festival menu, book Siamais through the official Birmingham Restaurant Festival booking process rather than booking with us directly. Find us on the 2026 restaurant list and reserve your table before August fills up.