Two Cats, 27 Warstone Lane, B18 6JQ

After a volley of glowing reviews in the national broadsheets, Two Cat's "new Baltic cuisine" is currently the city's most sought after scran. It's an ever changing menu so we can't guarantee that the squab, caramel, artichoke, fennel and almond dish (pictured) will be available, but we guarantee that whatever is plated up will be eye-catching, original and stupendous.

twocatskitchen.com

Butchers Social, 175-177 Harborne High Street, B17 9QE

Two of the city's most exciting young chefs have landed themselves a strong following at their pop-up in a former butchers. Their salted caramel chicken wings are the thing of Brum legend and their brunches are an absolute must.

butcherssocial.com

Sky Bar, Resorts World Birmingham, Pendigo Way, B40 1PU

Atop the city's newest development sits one 0f Brum's classiest bar-cum-restaurants. Just six seats are available at the theatrical chef’s table, which has a Teriyaki and Yakitori serving platform. Rumour has it Sky Bar managed to tempt a top member of the kitchen team from London's Michelin-starred Hakkasan to the West Midlands, to ensure their food is tip-top. The drinks are also insanely good.

resortsworld.co.uk

The Wilderness, 1 Dudley Street, B5 4EG.

Experimental, but not to the point of inaccessible, this is exciting and daring cookery from a chef not afraid to use reindeer moss (no idea), ewe curds (no idea), sea buckthorn (no idea) and treacle oats (nope, no idea). Having toured Brum in pop-up mode they finally and deservedly have a permanent home at Bom Lab, near the city's new, all singing (it doesn't sing), all dancing (it doesn't dance) John Lewis. If they're booked up for dinner, which is likely this side of New Year, they're now serving lunch too.

wearethewilderness.co.uk

Original Patty Men, Shaws Passage, Digbeth

Okay, okay, so it's not open just yet, but here's a heads up everyone needs to pay attention to. The Original Patty Men were, this year, winners of Britain's best burger and the National Street Food Awards and, in early December, they're setting up their first restaurant in the Digbeth area of Brum. For those out of towners, it won't be far from that Selfridges building you see in all and any image of Birmingham. Keep up to speed, here. We'll be the ones queueing from late November.

originalpattymen.com

Adam's, 16 Waterloo Street, B2 5UG

Recently voted number 3 on Tripadvisor’s best restaurants in the UK, Adam’s is a contemporary British fine-dining restaurant which boasts a Michelin star as well as three AA rosettes. The restaurant was opened back in 2013 by chef Adam Stokes and his wife Natasha, quickly gaining a reputation as one of the best eateries not just in Brum, but in the UK.

adamsreataurant.co.uk

The cooler little brother to Brum's brilliant Lasan (one time winners of Gordon Ramsay’s F Word) Raja Monkey is all about tip-top Indian street food served with style and without stuffiness. Try their thalis. And their panni puri. And their dosa. And their bhoti kebab. Oh, just try all of it for the love of God.

rajamonkey.co.uk

Sabai Sabai, 268 High Street, Harborne, B17 9PT

Hands down Brum's best Thai restaurant, you'll struggle to find a weak link in their fragrant, zesty and authentic food and their stonking cocktail offering is equally accomplished. Two branches exist, a cosy set-up in Moseley and a flagship venue in Harborne, both serve the spectacular jumbo prawns with lemongrass (pictured).

sabaisabai-restaurant.co.uk

Bar Opus, One Snow Hill, B4 6GH

One of three restaurants in the Opus family (their high-end Cornwall Street main restaurant is incredible, but doesn't really fall into the "cool" bracket), Bar Opus is the edgier, most playful of the trio. Their standard menu includes a corking "Desperate Dan" pie made with steak and Peaky Blinder ale - an actual beer from the nearby Sadlers Brewery - but often Bar Opus is also the venue of choice for Brum's best barbecuer. Street food doyen Andy Low N Slow pops up regularly, right here, so follow him on that there Twitter to be first in the know.

baropus.co.uk

Carters of Moseley, 2c Wake Green Road, B13 9EZ

Brummies will be quick to tell you (ad nauseum, to be honest) that the city has five Michelin stars to Manchester's none but, incredible as they are, not many can be classified as "cool". The latest star winner absolutely is. Carters of Moseley is Brum's least pretentious of the top foodie accolade winners serving stunning plates (obviously) alongside cans of local brewery Purity's Longhorn IPA. Outrageously affordable, too, all things considered.

cartersofmoseley.co.uk