Miller & Carter Mailbox — Restaurant in Birmingham

Me and my daughter visited this restaurant last week for my daughters birthday meal, but unfortunately, the experience was disappointing. We arrived at 13:00 when the restaurant was not particularly busy, yet the service did not meet the expectations for a venue of this caliber.

Our waitress did not introduce herself or make us feel particularly welcome—her first words were simply, “any drinks?” Additionally, she did not inquire about any allergies, which we found quite surprising given the restaurant’s price point and the level of service one would expect. A warm and attentive approach would have made for a much better first impression.

We ordered a Disaronno blush and coconut and raspberry punch, both of which were lovely. However, at around £10 per cocktail, it was disappointing that they were only garnished with mint rather than raspberries, as they typically are at other Miller & Carter locations. Given that we were celebrating my child’s 18th birthday, I wanted to order something special, and this small detail made the experience feel less thoughtful. Additionally, the waitress did not ask for ID, despite the fact that it was my child’s exact birthday and she does not look particularly older than 18. I understand that Miller & Carter operates a Challenge 21 policy, so this was concerning.

The starters arrived promptly and were enjoyable, but the main course was underwhelming. We ordered two 12-ounce ribeye steaks, both cooked medium as recommended on the menu. Unfortunately, they appeared to have been left sitting too long before being served, arriving lukewarm. Additionally, both were overly salty, and one was overcooked to medium-well rather than medium. I understand that ribeye is a fattier cut, but approximately four ounces of my steak was pure fat, leaving me with significantly less edible meat than expected. At around £34 per steak, I’ve had far better quality for a lower price elsewhere.

To add to the disappointment, we ordered garlic butter mushrooms, which never arrived—yet they still appeared on our bill, requiring us to request a correction. We also asked for water for the table, which was never brought to us. Furthermore, our server did not check back at any point to ensure our meals were satisfactory, missing an opportunity to address these issues.

Although we chose not to escalate our concerns to the manager at the time, as we were using vouchers, I would have certainly raised them had I been paying full price. Unfortunately, both the service and food quality fell short of expectations, which was particularly disappointing given my previously exceptional experiences at other Miller & Carter locations. It’s a shame that this branch did not uphold the same standard, and for that reason, I would not...

We visited Miller and Carter Mailbox this evening on the 22nd we both had the 50 Day age master Butchers choice black Angus filet mingnon with classic béarnaise stake sauce mine was Medium and my wife's well done witch comes with a Lettuce Wedge with a choice of dressing we went for the ranch and croton dressing chunky chips and an onion loaf( the menu on the site says you can chose to have the onion loaf or the Lettuce Wedge but you are always given both) we also paid extra for a side of chunky chips and a side of mac and cheese to share. To drink we had a fruit cider, strawberry Mojito and a pale ale. I would very much recommend to have the stake no more than medium as it just melts in your mouth anything after this its just a waist chewy and tough, The price is quite high at £32 a stake but its well worth it I would have paid more for the stake its probably the best stake they have done in my opinion The Lettuce Wedge was nice as a mini starter even tho its ment to come with the meal I wouldn't complain the dressing is very tasty,

The downfall to the otherwise present eating experience was the chunky chips and mac and cheese,

The chips were in my opinion just slightly under cooked slightly hard in the middle I like mine to be chispy on the outside and light and fluffy in the middle and the mac and cheese was just lacking in flavour and was just over kill and unnecessary for the meal it didn't really add anything to the stake so was a bit disappointed.

Not much to say about the drinks other than sadly they no longer do the passionfruit Mojito it was the best one but they offered me an off menu strawberry or raspberry Mojito so that was nice and tasty,

To top off the night as it was our anniversary they surprised us with a nice scoop of ice-cream and a choc writing wishing us a happy anniversary witch was very nice.

As always the staff are very friendly and helpful and the service is very quick,

Overall the whole evening was a very pleasant and tasty one and we are looking forward to returning in the near...

What’s your beef?

No serious, what side or cut is your go to?

We’ve always been led to believe that steakhouses do it differently and better. Excellent marketing or urban legend, who knows?

In theory, I suspect that one can cook a decent steak at home using any number of techniques, be they air fryer, charcoal grill or sous vide. Results may vary and that too in restaurants. I once had a restaurant steak prepared using a josper grill that left me feeling underwhelmed. Not because it was bad, but rather because so much had been promised, but not delivered.

Miller & Carter will not disappoint in that regard. The steaks are satisfactory in every respect and you can tell that a lot of effort has been put into considering the recommended end point. You can if you so choose wreck your chateaubriand by asking for it well done or chew the cud by having your rump rare. None of the staff will judge you for it. I will, but I don’t count. Where Miller & Carter comes out ahead of domestic steak is that each piece is done and done consistently. No fraction of a bit that transforms rare to medium. Trust me, it’s easy to do.

Service is great. It’s apparent that they’ve been well trained; are prompt and take an interest in your needs.

Are the steaks any better than Goucho Grill, Hawksmoor, etc.?

Hard to say. The sizes are bigger and the flavour decent. None of that pub minute steak here. So it’s all the other bits that come into play, location, wine and dessert menu. All of which spell consistency. No surprises here, which is not a bad thing when forking out for a ‘simple’ meal.

But if you want to hear something heretical, I put it to you that the epitome of ultimate steak being, is actually a cheesesteak sandwich! No not the loathsome ones hawked at the arches or the submarine chain, but the hole in the wall places where the beef is freshly sliced and seared. The cheese sauce used only related to the EU definition of a cheese on its mother’s cousin’s side twice removed.

Try it and let me know how it compares to...