Caffe Chino, Birmingham

Café's Information

Unit B107 Arcadian Centre

70 Hurst Street

Birmingham

B5 4TD

Opening times: 10:00-21:00

Number: 01216221144

Site: http://www.caffechino.com/

The Café

It's been a while since I've come here which is understandable due to the lockdown, but when it's all over, and when I go to Birmingham this is the first place I'm going to go to.

Caffé Chino is a café hidden in the Arcadian Centre in the Chinese Quarter in Birmingham. It's actually quite easy to find if you go through the entrance near the Ibis hotel. It's less than a ten-minute walk from the train station and not far from the Bullring. It's a green building with a pink crest, I thought it stood out a lot. Green and pink are my favourite colours so it attracted me out of all the other places there.

If you come to Caffé Chino, expect to find teas, coffees, Taiwan bubble tea drinks and cakes and pastries. They also do puddings and snacks and they have a section where you can buy special imported stuff from Asian supermarkets. So it's actually a mixed bag.

The decor in the room is very feminine and regal. I can see the Victorian influence with the chandeliers but also a modern mix with the use of neon green, pink and white. It reminds me of something I would expect to see in an Asian bakery.

Why I Chose To Go

Before I started going there, I walked past the place several times and had a gut feeling that it would be a nice place as I have tried bubble tea before though Happy Lemon and Chatime and really enjoyed it. And a quick look online showed that they had many positive reviews and over 1000 likes on facebook and couldn't see any negative reviews about the place so I decided to have a look.

Menu

The menu consists of cakes, desserts, tea, coffees, milkshakes and bakery products. It's mainly sweet stuff, and a few savoury bites but to be honest, the beautiful looking cakes and yummy looking drinks took all my attention away from everything else.

I chose to have a green tea latte and a slice of green tea and red bean cake. I was really impressed and I thought the portions on both were very generous and I think it justified the price tag as I thought both the drink and the cake were yummy.

I've heard that the milkshakes are a bit disappointing according to one review, but I can't vouch for it as I haven't tried it. I have however heard a lot of reviews that their strawberry cake is absolutely divine and heard the people behind me rave about it.

Prices

All the prices for the cakes, drinks and desserts are on their website. The average price for drinks is £2.95. Standard cappuccino is £1.85. The green tea lattes, which is one of my favourite beverage is only £2.35, which is cheaper (and nicer) than Starbucks. I wouldn't be surprised if the prices are higher now after Lockdown is over.

Comparing the prices from here to brands like Happy Lemon and Chatime that specialise in bubble teas but not so much on snacks, I feel that this place offers a lot more value for money for a slightly cheaper price even though the prices are roughly the same.

They also do orders on cake and custom cakes from £10 per pound. They have a lot of nice designs to choose from, but you can also get a custom one too. They do wedding cakes as well, so I think that's handy to know if I ever decide to get married.

Service

I thought the service on the days I've been in were good. My drink and cake came to my table quite quickly and I thought the staff were kind and friendly. I really enjoyed myself in there as I felt they made me feel welcome.

Facilities

They have seats outside and in. Not many as it is a small venue, but I was satisfied with what there is. I think they put in a lot of stuff in one bit. And as it's near the centre of the city, there are lots of things to do and see outside of the place so it's a very convenient place. So I think it has a really great location. I think if you wanted to have a sit down, it would be hard when it's busy, but outside in the centre of the Arcadian, there are some places where you can sit down so it's not a major problem. Or if you're staying at a hotel nearby, you could always go back and have it in your room.

Conclusion

I posted a picture of my cake and drink on Instagram and they liked the picture and reposted it on their page with credit to me. I thought it was a nice touch on their service and makes me feel inclined to visit the place again the next time I'm in Birmingham. I enjoyed my stay here and I have no problem with recommending this to others if they want to try something different.

I can think of a lot of good things about this place, and I'm struggling to think of anything negative about this place. It's clean, pretty, and has a lovely colourful atmosphere. It's a really nice way to experience Asian bakery products and drinks.