Ad-PR invite | Middle Eastern cafe, Damascena is a vibrant city-born artisan coffee and food business that has expanded further into the city.
The brand new Damascena addition, ideally located on Hagley Road, enables customers to experience the taste of the Middle East right here in Birmingham. In addition to its gorgeous Turkish coffee, Damascena is renowned for its selection of tantalising baklava desserts, warming fuul dishes, wraps and sandwiches, meze platters and an abundance of delicious teas. I popped down just after the opening with my mom for a hearty lunch (ad gifted!) and I was pretty much waddling out of the door afterwards. Let the food coma commence!
I’ve visited many of the other branches of Damascena so many times over the past few years and a favourite of mine includes the one inside Birmingham City Centre (Temple Row). One of my go-to dishes is the LAHM BI’AJEEN PLATTER FLATBREAD PLATTER (£12.95) that includes 2 Lahm Bi’ajeen flatbreads with fattuush salad, pickles, olives and a choice of dip. The roasted aubergine BABA GHANUUJ dip is by far the most superior. During the recent lunch at Edgbaston, we ordered:
SPINACH AND SUMAC HERB PASTRY WITH FETA CHEESE (£2.50) (v)
SMOKED SALMON AND SOFT CHEESE PASTRY (£2.65) (v)
GLUTEN-FREE & VEGAN VINE LEAVES STUFFED WITH HERBACEOUS RICE (£3.85)
KIBBEH MAKLIYA – BULGUR WHEAT LAMB MINCE CROQUETTES (£5.95)
DAMASCENA LAMB SHAWARMA ARABIYA WITH BATATA HARA POTATOES (£10.95)
EXTRA SIDE OF HARA POTATOES AND FLATBREADS
All of the dishes are beautifully presented and are always packed full of flavour. There were no mistakes during our visit, even though it’s a brand new opening. You’d usually expect teething problems but the staff were excellent, suggested some new things to try, and the food came out piping hot and in great time. Most of the chairs were full by the time we arrived on a Wednesday afternoon (1pm) which already indicates its popularity. Whenever I visit Damascena, I tend to order a lot of the lamb dishes, purely because they always hit the spot and are never disappointing. It was my first time however trying the Arabiya shawarma seasoned lamb wrap and it was so succulent and oozed aroma when bitten into. We ordered a lot of plates and whatever we didn’t scoff, I made sure to bring back with me. The staff provided some boxes for me to takeaway.
Whenever I visit Damascena, I always opt for a FRESH MINT TEA (£3.30) that arrives piping hot with a crystalised sugar stick. This time around my immune system was feeling a bit low, so I also ordered a cold SWEET DYNAMO (£4.85) – consisting of fresh oranges, lemons, ginger, and honey. Whatever you order here, you’re likely to love every single mouthful. That’s a promise…
Located opposite the metro line, with the added bonus of free parking for customers – the ‘local far-away coffee house’ is easy to access from both inside and outside of the city centre. Damascena’s newest Edgbaston branch was designed by the brilliant award-winning designers Faber who are based in Digbeth, and it’s wonderful to see the team perfectly capture the majesty of the Middle East in this brand new setting.
Damascena’s founder, Anas Zein Al-Abdeen first opened the doors to Damascena Coffee House & Roastery in Moseley in 2014. Since then they have opened a further outlets including Birmingham city centre, the Jewellery Quarter, Harborne, and most recently in Edgbaston.
Browse the full Damascena food menu & drinks menu via the website.
Please note, I was gifted lunch here at Damascena with a +1.
Lyndon House, 62 Hagley Road, Birmingham, B16 8PE