If you’re a pie lover or just someone who is wanting a new restaurant to try in Birmingham, look no further than Pieminister – a Bristol-based pie shop, located on Waterloo Street in the city centre, near the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

This unique restaurant only has pies as mains, but it also offers an array of sides and starters with a small puddings menu too. Their range of pies are extensive, with just as many vegan options as meat options – a pleasant surprise as a vegetarian. Their vegan options were placed at the start of the pie list and all their sides were made vegetarian or vegan too (as well as having loads of gluten-free options), making this one of the most inclusive restaurants I’ve been to, catering for all dietary needs.

I decided to go with the ‘Kevin’; this pie contained chestnut, mushroom, tomato, quinoa, baby onion and red wine. Pieminister offers pie meals, all served with gravy, so I went with the pie and two sides deal, pricing at £11.50; the mash and minty mushy peas were my sides of choice.

The pastry was the perfect texture of softness on the sides and bottom, with a crispy topping which flakes upon bite. The filling itself offered a variety of flavours including the mushroom pieces, the sweetness of the tomato and onion and then the twang of bitterness from the sauce of the red wine; all of the fillings were blended into a paste with pieces of the vegetables in them. This filling mixed with the soft pastry at the sides was an extremely delectable meal in my mouth.

The mash was presented under the pie, and provided a creamy buttery flavouring. The mash was faultless, the ideal consistency of creaminess. The mushy peas had a mint addition to them so they tasted like peas in a creamy mint sauce and this worked as an excellent side to have with the equally creamy mash.

My partner had the ‘Tikka to Ride’ pie and thoroughly enjoyed the unique mixture of chicken tikka curry inside the pie (which also came with an onion bhaji on top).

In addition to the varied, delicious pie meal, Pieminister also offers some sundaes. We opted for the ‘Mud Pie’ sundae to share which presented chocolate ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauce, whipped cream and a brownie on top. The ‘Mud Pie’ has to be the best sundae I have ever tasted; the chocolate ice cream was smooth and rich and with the chocolate and caramel sauce adding a salty sweetness to the ice cream – this desert quite literally melted in my mouth.

It should be mentioned that Pieminister have a 2 for 1 cocktail menu too, which unlike many other places, is valid all day, every day, priced at £9.50. We chose to have two rounds of the ‘Raspberry Beret’; a blend of Vodka, Triple Sec, raspberries, cloudy lemonade and lemon juice. This sweet fruity cocktail came in a sizeable glass and whilst it was very strong with Vodka, it was certainly a enjoyable drink to have with the meal.

The restaurant itself had a relaxed atmosphere, with quiet music and a café style wooden decor but the room still gave the presence of a restaurant. The staff were beyond friendly, checking in on us and when the bill arrived, they asked how we found the food and our plans for the evening; the service was reasonably quick too, even when it got busier towards the end of our meal.

Pieminister is a great place to visit with your partner, friends or family for quality varied pies in a friendly, equitably priced atmosphere. I left the restaurant in the best kind of food coma, my belly stuffed with delicious wholesome food and the slight tipsiness of alcohol too.

Hungry for more Birmingham food spots? Check out these reviews:

Review: Hockley Social Club

Review: Green Man, Harborne

Restaurant Review: Wildwood