A match made in Paradise

By Charlie Young, co-founder, Vinoteca

More than perhaps anywhere else in the country, Birmingham is really making its mark at the moment.

It is a city transformed by what’s going on around it: yes it’s changing physically. But it’s also changing from a reputational point of view as well.

What many of us in London still have in our minds is a vision of the city as it was twenty years ago.

Yet what we’ve found when we’ve come up here as a potential investor is a city not just self-evidentially on the up, but also one that has welcomed us with open arms.

This friendliness is a huge attraction for investors. No-one wants to spend time in a place that is stand-offish or takes itself too seriously. The down to earth grittiness of Brummies themselves is a huge plus and something that I think should be celebrated more.

There is simply so much going on – in terms of the arts, the bar and restaurant scene, the growth of the city centre thanks to new development and infrastructure. For us as a small group of restaurants looking for our next venue, coming to Birmingham has become a total no-brainer.

And luckily for us, we’ve been able to secure one of the prime spots at Paradise, right on the corner of Two Chamberlain Square, facing the main pedestrian route through the development and overlooking the transformed public square.

Pouring great wines in welcoming, informal bars since 2005, we want Vinoteca to be known as the place to go for wine and food, friends and conversation, in Birmingham as we are in London.

We can’t wait to come to Paradise and offer something a little bit different to the existing city food and drink scene.

Inspired by the wine bars of Spain and Italy, we serve simple yet imaginative, seasonal food paired with characterful & exciting wines. But we are also so much more than just another bar or restaurant – in our on-site wine shop we will sell more than 200 wines by the bottle (to take home) at highly competitive retail prices.

Our atmosphere will focus on being unfussy and welcoming – a haven of informality equally appealing for a business lunch or family meal. Our number one ambition is to be known as the friendly face of wine and I like to think our approach matches Birmingham perfectly.

We’re not alone in our enthusiasm for Brum, of course. It is entirely possible that by later next year every single retail and leisure space in the first two Paradise buildings will be occupied by a top class operator.

So, while the city is undoubtedly changing at the moment, we hope it’s down to earth approach to getting on with things and openness to outsiders will always remain, and reward businesses like ours that value that difference.