I’d heard the name Pieminister floating around Birmingham quite a few times over the last couple of months, but it was only when I was given two meal vouchers to come and try the food that I actually researched where it is and what the place is about. Pieminister is a chain restaurant fairly new to Brum and is situated on Waterloo Street next to Adam’s. In all honesty, I was very sceptical of the place at first because 1) It’s a chain restaurant and we’re trying to encourage independent restaurants into the centre. 2) They serve pie, just little bit standard right? and 3) I hadn’t read any reviews about the place until looking it up. But I’ll hold my hands up and admit I was wrong, the place actually surprised me and we genuinely had a great dining experience.
I headed straight to Pieminister after work but Josh was held up in traffic so I went into the restaurant alone. I was greeted by a lovely gentleman who was front of house and he led me to a table for two and served me two gin cocktails while I waited. The good thing is they do a happy hour, so you can order any two for the price of one at a reasonable price of £7.95. While I was waiting, I read some of the leaflets on the tables and found that they serve a Pieminister main menu, lunchtime menu and gluten free options, in addition to a weekend brunch offer too – so they really do cater for everyone, at all different times of the day.
My vouchers entitled us to any pie and one side, but since it was pay day, I decided to go all out and order some Pork Scratchings with Apple & Ginger Sauce (£3.50). They were extremely salty as you would expect and were appetising when dipped into the cold sauce. It was a fairy big portion too and I don’t think we managed to finish all of them between us so you definitely get your money’s worth. They’re not trying to over complicate presentation either, they came in a pot with the sauce inside. Simple and Instagram worthy!
Kate & Sidney and Moodog
There’s quite a few pie options to choose from as you can imagine and to make it easy for every customer, you simply select the pie ‘meal’ with the sides you wish to try. There’s the Classic Meal, Mothership, The Feast and Stick Em Up. You’ll understand the menu better if you saw it first. Some include Stilton, others include craft ales, chicken and mushroom, and one even includes cream and white wine. There’s a pie to suit every taste bud. I opted for the Kate and Sidney which is the standard Steak, Kidney and craft ale pie with halloumi fries on top (as they ran out of onion rings!). We found out that every single pie is produced in Bristol and they are transported to Birmingham on a weekly basis. They all taste incredibly fresh and the pastry isn’t too thick. The mash is fluffy and creamy and the gravy accompaniment tops off the meal.
The second pie to come out was Josh’s Moodog pie – British beef steak, bacon, Brewdog 5AM Red Ale Pie. It came with pigs in blankets on top and a side of Pieminister Coleslaw with Sesame Seeds. We both thought the venue was fantastic as we could see out of the huge front window and watch the world go by as we eat. The restaurant was packed by the time we started eating at 7pm and people seemed really happy with their meals. I saw a lot of empty plates go back into the kitchen which is always a good sign. Unfortunately we were both a little too full for pudding but I can guarantee I’ll be back soon to try the Glastonbury Ice Cream Mud Pie (£5). I recently found out that a few of my Instagram images encouraged a few of my friends to visit Pieminsiter which is always lovely to hear. Have you tried this place before?
Please note: I received vouchers for two meals. I was not asked to write this review but all opinions are my own. Huge thanks to Pieminister for the wonderful service and great food.
Address: 16 Waterloo Street, Birmingham, B2 5UG