SIAMAIS — Restaurant in Birmingham

A Long-Awaited Visit with Mixed Emotions

After waiting over a year to finally visit this up-and-coming Thai restaurant, I decided my birthday was the perfect occasion to experience the charming decor and try the enticing dishes I’d been admiring online for so long.

The setting was cozy and visually pleasing. Initially, the lighting felt soft and intimate, though as the evening went on, it became a little too dim for my liking. While the ambiance was pleasant, I couldn’t help but notice the absence of background music, which meant the room was filled mostly with chatter. It lacked a distinct vibe or the kind of authentic, atmospheric touch I expected from a Thai restaurant.

The Starters: A Promising Start

The starters were the highlight of the evening. Each dish was beautifully presented, rich in aroma and flavor, and portioned just right—not too small, not overwhelming. I had the salt and chili prawns, which were perfectly fried, generously sized, and packed with just the right amount of kick to balance the salt. We also tried the fish cakes and calamari, both of which were 10/10 in flavor and paired with sauces that enhanced the dishes wonderfully.

Main Course Missteps

Unfortunately, the mains didn’t quite live up to the same standard. I opted for a Thai green curry—a longtime favorite I’ve had at various authentic Thai spots—but this one was far spicier than expected. It’s listed as the mildest curry on the menu, but the heat level was far beyond what is typically associated with this dish. While I understand spice tolerance varies, a dish advertised as mild should generally align with that expectation. Sadly, I couldn’t finish it and had to return the dish.

On the other hand, the beef in oyster sauce was excellent—flavorful, well-balanced, and served in a generous portion. However, the “coconut rice” left a lot to be desired. It was priced higher than the jasmine rice, yet the only difference, as explained by the waiter, was a shaving of coconut on top. It wasn’t cooked with coconut milk or infused with any actual coconut flavor, which felt misleading and unjustified in pricing.

Service Letdown Turned Around by One Exceptional Staff Member

What truly shocked me was the poor customer service—particularly from the owner herself. When I returned the green curry, she sent the waiter back out with the same dish, claiming they had “dampened the spice.” They had mixed in the egg fried rice I had already started eating and re-served it all together. I was appalled—not only was the dish not freshly prepared, but the presentation felt careless and unprofessional. The owner was firm, even intimidating, and insisted the dish would remain on the bill.

I was genuinely surprised that someone with such poor customer service skills was handling the front of house. Thankfully, a staff member named Andrew stepped in and completely changed the tone of the evening. He handled the situation with professionalism and care, turning what could have been a ruined birthday dinner into a salvaged experience. Thanks to Andrew’s approach, I’d be willing to give this restaurant a second chance.

Final Thoughts

This restaurant has incredible potential—the flavors and quality of the food (starters especially) are not in question. However, the customer service needs serious improvement. I’d suggest placing skilled customer care staff like Andrew at the forefront and offering training for others to ensure the overall experience lives up to the food.

Overall Rating: 6/10 The food shows promise, but the service—especially from management—needs to catch up. I’d consider returning in hopes of a more consistent and...

I’ve been a regular at Siamia and have always enjoyed their à la carte dining experience, which made this recent bottomless brunch visit all the more disappointing. What started promisingly quickly deteriorated into an uncomfortable and rushed affair that left much to be desired.

Service: A Tale of Two Experiences Our experience began on a positive note with our initial server, who was absolutely amazing – attentive, friendly, and professional. Unfortunately, this high standard wasn’t maintained throughout our visit. The service took a sharp downturn when other staff members took over, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere that made us feel unwelcome and rushed.

Most frustrating was being presented with the bill before we had even finished our main courses and drinks. Despite having a 90-minute table allocation with 10 minutes still remaining, we weren’t offered the chance to view the dessert menu or even asked if we’d like anything else. This felt particularly unreasonable given that the restaurant wasn’t full – there were plenty of available tables.

The rushed service appeared to be driven by management directives, as we could see staff being instructed to hurry our table along. This kind of pressure from management is unacceptable and creates an unpleasant dining atmosphere for guests who are simply trying to enjoy their allocated time.

Drinks: A Disappointing Downgrade The bottomless drinks were perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the meal. Having enjoyed Siamia’s cocktails on previous à la carte visits, I was shocked by how watered down and weak the bottomless versions were. The alcohol content was barely detectable – a far cry from the quality drinks I’ve experienced here before. This calculated approach to reduce alcohol content for the bottomless menu feels greedy and represents poor value for money.

Food: Mixed Results The food was a mixed bag. My salt and chilli prawns starter was unfortunately tough and served without any sauce, making it extremely dry and difficult to enjoy. However, the Massaman curry main course was well-prepared and flavorful, showing that the kitchen is capable of producing good food when attention is paid to execution.

Final Verdict While I’ve had positive experiences at Siamia in the past with their regular menu, this bottomless brunch experience was thoroughly disappointing. The combination of rushed service, watered-down drinks, and inconsistent food quality makes it impossible to recommend this particular offering.

The management should be ashamed of the pressure they’re putting on both staff and customers, and the deliberate reduction in drink quality for the bottomless menu is misleading to customers who expect the same standards they’d receive ordering à la carte.

I won’t be returning for bottomless brunch, though I may consider giving their regular à la carte menu another chance in the future, hoping this experience was an anomaly rather than a new direction for...

The place| @siamaisuk definitely goes on my top 10 pretty restaurants to visit. It is super Instagramable and just so beautiful 😍❤️😊

The restaurant has an outside seating area and an inside seating area. The decor in the outside area is full of brown and beige tones and full of comfy pillows all around super cosy and amazing to sit and chill.

The inside decor it has a full story to tell as soon as you walk in, it reminds me of a Thailand garden 🪴😍, so much to see and so many beautiful things to look at, such as hanging lanterns, and caged skulls, beautiful light, gorgeous tones of red, brown, pink, green, blue, gold, chandeliers, roses, planets and flowers and so much more. The bar area is well lit up and just looked great.

On the walls, you will find a lot of great Thai artwork ♥️♥️♥️ a few different styles of tables and chairs ( great for pictures 😍😅)

Location| 6, 7 Brindley Pl, Oozells St, Birmingham B1 2HS, United Kingdom

Opening hours; Monday to Thursday 12:00-23:00
Friday 12:00-01:00 Saturday 11:00-01:00
Sunday- 12:00-23:00

Staff| We were very well accommodated and the staff were superb. Aaron and Flo always made sure we had food and drinks on our table, excellent service from everyone 🙏♥️🥰

Friendly ✅ Excellent service ✅ Attentive ✅Service with a smile ✅

Food and drinks| It is one of the best Thai restaurants I have been to, the food was excellent, everything was well presented and cooked to perfection.

They also have an amazing drinks menus and a Brunch menu am ready to come back and try.

To eat| Pandanous Chicken Parcels 🤩 😋🥰 (Marinated Chicken, wrapped and baked in pandanous leaves, served with Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce)

Stir-Fried Mixed Seafood in Red Chilli Paste with Jasmine rice 😍 🤤♥️ (Stir-fried mixed seafood sautéed in chilli paste, with spring onion, red and green peppers, red chilli and sweet basil)

So so delicious 🤤 it’s making me hungry 😅

To drink| COCKTAIL CRAVEN -So much flavour and so good 😍 ( Edward Craven invented the lava lamp. This cranberry flavoured treat has kiwi caviar bubbling throughout.)

BANANA & PINEAPPLE BLEND - if you like smoothies this is the one for you 😍 (Coconut, banana and pineapple. Very similar to an alcohol-free piña colada. Creamy and smooth.)

Overall| We really enjoyed ourselves and the next time I am in Birmingham, I will come back and visit 🤩

Thank you so much for having us ♥️🙏

Please check out my Instagram @queenzee93 for a short video...