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The Karczma Restaurant image

The Karczma Restaurant

Restaurant Polish restaurant

A thatched roof and fleece-lined benches adorn this cottage-style setting for classic Polish fare. People often mention restaurant, service, Polish, nice, good, friendly, recommend, atmosphere, portions, polish,


Address

Polish Millennium House, Bordesley St, Birmingham B5 5PH, United Kingdom

Website

www.thekarczma.co.uk

Contact

+44 121 448 0017

Price rating

$$ $$

Rating on Google Maps

4.50 (1K reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

Permanently closed.

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: restaurant (27) service (20) Polish (18) nice (14) good (14) friendly (13) recommend (11) atmosphere (11) portions (10) polish (10)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Csilla Czine (. 2 years ago on Google
    Amazing food, really nice vibe. I believe if in a Polish restaurant you see many Polish guests, it's a good sign, must be the place to be. I ran in from the cold and had an amazing żurek, followed by a variety of dumplings. They also have a nice selection of drinks. Great staff, good prices, I will definitely be back! Dzięki!!!
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Justyna P. 1 year ago on Google
    Been a few times over the years. Every time food and service second to none. Highly recommended
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 2/5 Helen W. 1 year ago on Google
    Overall, unfortunately I was not impressed with this restaurant. The food is expensive for what it is. The soup I had was so hot it burnt my mouth - and even after leaving it for 5 minutes it was still too hot (and I’m not a stranger to hot food and drink!). I’m also unsure why it costs over £4 for a simple drink of Pepsi! We just stuck to tap water in the end. The restaurant itself seems cluttered and as a result, feels unclean and dusty. I unfortunately would only consider returning to try more dishes if the price wasn’t so extortionate. I can get better value for money elsewhere in Birmingham City Centre.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 David P. 5 years ago on Google
    I thought I knew Birmingham City Centre. I thought I knew where all the best food spots were. I was wrong. Tucked away just round the corner from the hustle and bustle of the Bullring is this delightful Polish themed restaurant. Walk inside and prepare to be transported to comfy, traditional Polish surroundings. The large wooden tables and benches covered in animal fur nod to its Prussian roots. Service is relaxed, warm; the staffs recommendations were spot on. The food served is hearty, large in portion size and very tasty. The Karczma Restaurant caters for all, more so for groups. Bring your appetite, a smile and a bag to take the left overs home. The food portions are huge.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Grigoris G. 1 year ago on Google
    Well hidden from the busy streets of the city! This place gives you a warm feel with its cozy decor and prepares you for the great feast that you will soon experience! The duck was slow cooked and extremely juicy! The stew was made to perfection and the chicken liver was from another planet! Great selection of polish beers and vodkas! The staff was polite and attentive! The prices reflect the quality and the quantities are impressive!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Deborah C. 4 years ago on Google
    Fab food and loads of it! Beef stew was incredible. Served in the lightest and crispiest potato pancake I've ever had! You need to take a bit of cash if you want to leave a gratuity as they don't have the facility to add it to a card payment.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Kamil O. 1 year ago on Google
    Delicious food, beautiful interior design, kind and polite service. Me and my wife visit this place quite regular and we have never been disappointed. Very authentic polish cuisine, wide range of drinks, hot, cold, alcoholic and non. If you are looking for the place to chill and eat well, this is the one we can recommend to you.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Martin L. 4 years ago on Google
    Visited for the first time in a few years for my birthday and was delighted to find very little has changed. Friendly, efficient and knowledgeable service, good quality ingredients, extremely large portions!!! The ham platter was a new addition to the menu since my previous visits. The platter for two is easily large enough as a starter for four people if main courses are being ordered too. The pork knuckle in cabbage (pictured) is every bit as good said remembered. Highly recommend, I won’t leave it so long to visit again.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Rhealyn D. 2 years ago on Google
    Love the ambience, interior decor and the vibes inside the restaurant. Feels like im really in Poland. Food we ordered were all yummy. Waitress was friendly and nice. Ive been to a few Polish restaurants in and out of London and this is on my top list. Would definitely go back if we visit around the area again.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Axel G. 2 years ago on Google
    This is my girlfriend & I’s third time visiting The Karczma and what a brilliant restaurant it is! The food they serve is super tasty and has such a home-made flavour about it, as does the decor of the restaurant itself. The cheese’s they serve are incredibly succulent and flavoursome & the meats they do are juicy and packed with tonnes of flavour. They also do some unbelievable dumplings that you have to try! I don’t have another Polish restaurant to compare this to…but trust me when I say that The Karczma is something special!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Blake V. 4 years ago on Google
    I like to go with friends to this restaurant with my highest recommendations. I visit this restaurant often. I get very good feedback from my friends. The the cooking is yummy and the stuff is efficient and cooperative. Every time we visit this place we enjoy a pleasing evening. highly recommended.

  • 5/5 Vanessa v. 4 years ago on Google
    Hearty Food,. Good on a cold night. Near to train station.

  • 5/5 Andrzej K. 4 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) Fantastic food and a friendly staff. I would highly recommend. (Original) Fantastyczne jedzenie i przemiła obsluga. Gorąco polecam.

  • 5/5 Anita P. 4 years ago on Google
    A bit pricey but the food is amazing and really nice atmosphere

  • 4/5 Robin P. 4 years ago on Google
    Unusual and possibly authentic atmosphere here that makes this place a bit quirky and worth the visit. The food choices were different to regular fare but the portions weren't huge. Good quality all round including the choice of vodkas and good service.

  • 5/5 Marzena B. 4 years ago on Google
    Najlepsze pierogi,its like being back home😍just like mamma use to make polecam kazdemu

  • 5/5 Criddy 4 years ago on Google
    Tasty boi

  • 5/5 DANIEL l. 4 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) Very nice Polish restaurant, delicious and fresh food. Portions such that it is impossible to leave hungry. Nice decor and professional and friendly service. It is a pity that I can give only 5 stars. Keep it up 💪💪💪🇵🇱 (Original) Bardzo fajna polska restauracja, jedzenie przepyszne i swieze. Porcje takie ze nie sposób wyjsc z tamtąd głodny. Miły wystroj oraz profesjonalna i miła obsługa. Szkoda że mogę dać tylko 5 gwiazdek. Tak trzymać 💪💪💪🇵🇱

  • 5/5 Clem R. 4 years ago on Google
    Great food, excellent service

  • 1/5 Karolina S. 4 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) Awful place, unpleasant service, dirty. (Original) Okropne miejsce, niemiła obsługa, brudno.

  • 4/5 Wayne F. 3 years ago on Google
    Lovely staff, nice food, much too expensive though sadly. A real shame because we'd like to go more often. Oh well.

  • 5/5 stasznik 4 years ago on Google
    Amazing food, great service, thanks.

  • 4/5 Alexandru G. 4 years ago on Google
    Tasty food , nice waiters . No comments .

  • 5/5 Ashleigh D. 2 years ago on Google
    Gorgeous, authentic polish restaurant in central Birmingham. I stumbled across this gem years ago and haven’t been back to Birmingham since. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to come back I enjoyed having dinner here again, and the quality of food and deliciousness is just as good as it was years ago. Highly recommend.

  • 5/5 Vinicius C. 2 years ago on Google
    I had a lovely meal with my girlfriend, dtaff were very helpful explaining the menu, they recommended us a couple of dishes that were absolutely delicious. We had soup and chicken liver as a starter, would highly recommend the soup, then we had pork and chicken as a main that came really quick when they cleared our starters, atmosphere was great as we had a quiet and cosy table! Will definitely come back!

  • 3/5 Filip C. 2 years ago on Google
    It was a good experience. I definitely got my friend to try out the regional Polish cuisine but it did not live up to the expectations we both had, especially considering the price point. It's probably one of the better Polish places I've been to in the UK but not as good when compared to the actual restaurants in Poland. I'm giving it 3 stars as an ovaral good place but not one of my go-to.

  • 3/5 E A. 1 year ago on Google
    Been here twice sept 2021 & Jan 2023. The first time we visited, we were amazing by the freshness and the taste of the food. The quality of ingredients and the attention to detail with seasoning was faultless. The service was warm and friendly and the restaurant was very busy and clean. Fast forward to Jan 2023, and the prices have understandably gone up but sadly the quality is no longer there, and there has been no change in menu (apart from the price). There are surely more different polish dishes you could add, not even any seasonal specials. The beef roulade was very dry and not cooked fresh. You could tell it had been previously cooked and poorly reheated. The Silesian noodles had a nice texture but lacked any seasoning and the sauce for the beef tasted like brown water, completely flavourless. The pork knuckle was another let down too, flavour and seasoning was lacking in the meat & sides. Service was inattentive, hence why we didn’t make any comment about the decline in food quality, we thought it best to just eat and get the meal over and done with. Well as for the toilets, I understand these may be shared with upstairs, but some kind of quality check wouldn’t go amiss. The restaurant in 2021 was full of Polish natives enjoying themselves with food and drink, yet it now seems to be more of a tourist spot, not a countryman/woman in site.

  • 5/5 Leslie P. 1 year ago on Google
    A cute romantic restaurant near the train station. The food here is fantastic. I forget what the actual name of the dish is, but it was the potato pancake with beef stew. The potato pancake in particular was the highlight of the dish, with it being fluffy and well seasoned. Really cosy atmosphere and the staff was really friendly.

  • 5/5 Dawid K. 1 year ago on Google
    Perhaps it's not the cheapest place in the area, but the food is delicious and the portions are large which is always a plus. Lovely atmosphere and definitely worth a visit. Customer service is also top notch.

  • 5/5 Azaa T. 6 years ago on Google
    Loved the food and interior of the restaurant. They also have a selection of drinks including Polish vodka. The sharing platter we ordered was enormous which included 2 types of soup, the giant platter along with some veggies and dessert afterwards. 6 of us couldn't finish everything. Highly recommended!

  • 5/5 Vikki R. 2 years ago on Google
    Absolutely love it here. The staff are so nice and friendly and the decor and atmosphere make it really romantic and cosy. The food and drinks are fab, although I would say it's more of a main course kind of place as the desserts are quite limited. Highly recommended.❤️

  • 5/5 adrian p. 3 years ago on Google
    Great place. Highly recommended!!!

  • 5/5 Romans 3 years ago on Google
    Great food that comes in really big portions. Lovely babushkas house atmosphere. Helpful staff.

  • 5/5 Trey B. 3 years ago on Google
    From the moment you arrive in this place the stuff gives you an enjoyable feeling. Very congenial waiters, it is a friendly restaurant to go out with buddies or with your date. delightful meals, creative chef de cuisine, honest cost and generous service. Highly recommended.

  • 5/5 Darren H. 3 years ago on Google
    Extraordinary atmosphere and very attentive service. The food was fresh and delightful. Will surely recommend this spot to my friends. Reasonable rates and large meals. Keep it up.

  • 5/5 Adrian B. 3 years ago on Google
    Very tasty food and very friendly service.. I RECOMMENDED THE KARCZMA..

  • 5/5 T P. 4 years ago on Google
    Delicious food, friendly service and lovely atmosphere for a meal. We'd planned on visiting a while ago but was put off as it seemed like a meat heavy menu and my partner is vegetarian, but the veggie options were amazing! And the fish as well. We wish we'd have visited sooner. Best and biggest dumplings I've ever had. 10/10 would recommend.

  • 4/5 alice h. 3 years ago on Google
    We came for lunch today. The service was friendly and brisk, and the beer tasty! We shared a huge bowl of pea soup with sausage which was generously filled with bacon lardons, sausage, and a surprise pork rib in the middle! My husband enjoyed the wild boar ragout and my eyes were far too big for my belly with a huge serving of pierogi (half came home with me). If I had any criticism it would be a lack of side dishes which are available separately (small potato pancakes, cabbage, pickles, etc.) - if they had been available we'd have bought more. Also, British people (like us) are becoming more adventurous with food - I would offer a taster dish with 3 or 4 classical Polish dishes available to try (maybe as a sharing platter). All in all, well worth a visit!

  • 4/5 Dawid P. 3 years ago on Google
    Good food, decent portions but overpriced in my opinion.

  • 5/5 Ewelina G. 3 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) Awesome restaurant! Delicious home-made dishes, very friendly service, I definitely recommend it if you want to taste Polish cuisine. Very short waiting time, but in the meantime you can order a drink or just enjoy the family atmosphere. (Original) Super restauracja! Pyszne domowe dania, bardzo miła obsługa, zdecydowanie polecam, jeśli chce się zasmakować polskiej kuchni. Bardzo krótki czas oczekiwania, ale w międzyczasie można zamówić coś do picia lub po prostu rozkoszować się rodzinna atmosferą.

  • 1/5 Adam J. 3 years ago on Google
    Rubbish place not to be nice popish house.

  • 5/5 Sandii K. 3 years ago on Google
    Delicious food

  • 5/5 Валентин �. 3 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) Very atmospheric and good restaurant with delicious cuisine. (Original) Очень атмосферный и хороший ресторан,с вкуснейшей кухней.

  • 5/5 VW R. 3 years ago on Google
    Best Polish Cuisine I ever had in UK. Nice and friendly stuff.

  • 5/5 Paweł W. 3 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) Polish flavors in the UK. (Original) Polskie smaki w UK.

  • 5/5 Emma A. 4 years ago on Google
    Fab. Lovely, cosy restaurant, big portions of hearty, tasty food. Lovely staff. Very relaxing.

  • 5/5 Adam D. 3 years ago on Google
    Great taste of Poland with exceptional customer service and good prices! If you don’t want to spend fortune and eat well that’s the only restaurant in Birmingham that I would recommend for anyone that would like to taste Polish food.

  • 4/5 Abdurrahman �. 3 years ago on Google
    Good taste

  • 1/5 Crowell C. 3 years ago on Google
    Edit: when you make a mistake you take responsibility for it. Trying to blame your client for a wrong booking that you made when everybody already arrived is really low. Thanks god we found quickly a better restaurant. That's it for introducing my friends to the polish cuisine, won't come ever again. it would be hard to find better polish food in Poland. Really nice interior design, very classic and authentic - home countryside vibe; great food. Prices are mid lv (expect 15-20pp) but the portions are enormous.

  • 5/5 Grazina M. 3 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) Very tasty. Great service (Original) Labai skanu.puikus aptarnavimas

  • 2/5 Lidia A. 3 years ago on Google
    Well below expectations. It was my first and unfortunately last visit. Customer service failed on start, forgot about us and we were waiting over 15 min to order food. We ware disappointed about the food as well, because meat was overcooked and dry, potato fritter was burned. Bit overpriced to compare with other polish restaurants. Bay the way restaurant itself need good and deep cleaning. Even table runner was dirty and cover with the old food markings. I think it is time to change them.

  • 5/5 ollie s. 3 years ago on Google
    Second time here this this time for lunch my partner is Polish and it's authentic Polish food amazing decor with food to match.

  • 5/5 Maïté M. 3 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) One of the best polish ever eaten, better than some restaurant tasted in Poland. The portions are huge and delicious. The atmosphere is warm and friendly. To do or redo! (Original) Un des meilleurs polonais jamais mangé, meilleur que certains restaurant goûté en Pologne. Les portions sont énormes et délicieuses. L'ambiance y est chaleureuse et sympathique. A faire ou refaire !

  • 5/5 Aurélie H. 3 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) A massacre (Original) Une tuerie

  • 5/5 Louisa G. 3 years ago on Google
    Great polish food. A bit expensive, but definitely a nice place to go for a family diner. Not far from here you can catch a direct coach to Bournemouth Boudencoachtravel.co.uk

  • 5/5 Avery M. 3 years ago on Google
    My friend and I went to The Karczma last Friday 7th February. We both ordered their famous soup with sausages served in bread. It was really, really delicious and very filling! We were served by Paulina who made us feel very comfortable and welcomed! Food was delicious.

  • 5/5 Gustavo S. 3 years ago on Google
    I like this restaurant a lot. theres a different feeling. The meals are great. the service is dynamic and the crew is courteous. The price is reasonable. I highly recommend.

  • 5/5 Robert W. 3 years ago on Google
    I love this place! They serve superb dishes, they have a nice menu, The chief cook in that restaurant is a professional, I love very much eating all their food. The food is always of high qualtity, the attitude towards the visitors is nice. I frequently visit this place and I not even once was unhappy. I highly recommend it.

  • 3/5 sorin b. 4 years ago on Google
    A good place to eat polish traditional food, didn't like the staff


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Amenities


  • Payments
    • ✓️ Cash only
    • ✓️ Debit cards
    • ✓️ Credit cards
    • ✓️ NFC mobile payments
  • Offerings
    • ✓️ Beer
    • ✓️ Wine
    • ✓️ Coffee
    • ✓️ Alcohol
    • ✓️ Spirits
    • ✓️ Cocktails
    • ✓️ Salad bar
    • ✓️ Small plates
    • ✓️ All you can eat
    • ✓️ Late-night food
    • ✓️ Free water refills
    • ✓️ Vegetarian options
  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible entrance
  • Dining options
    • ✓️ Lunch
    • ✓️ Dinner
    • ✓️ Dessert
    • ✓️ Seating
    • ✓️ Counter service
  • Service options
    • ✓️ Dine-in
    • ✓️ Delivery
    • ✓️ Takeaway
    • ✓️ Outdoor seating

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