Restaurant in Birmingham, United Kingdom
Book it for pisco, ceviche, and the bank vault.
Chakana brings Michelin Plate-recognised Peruvian cooking to Moseley at a ££ price point that makes it one of Birmingham's better-value restaurant decisions. Chef Robert Ortiz's menu runs from technically sharp ceviches and tiraditos to ambitious mains, backed by one of the largest pisco selections in the UK. Book easily online — no weeks-out planning required.
At the ££ price point, Chakana is one of the more complete nights out in Birmingham: a Michelin Plate-recognised Peruvian restaurant with a drinks program built around one of the largest ranges of pisco in the UK, housed in a converted Lloyd's bank in Moseley. If you want creative cooking with real technical ambition at a price that doesn't require a special occasion, this is where to book. It earns a 4.8 on Google across nearly 600 reviews, which for a neighbourhood restaurant in a competitive city is hard to ignore.
The room sets the tone immediately. Stripped wood floors, thick rustic tables, and the generous ceiling heights of a former banking hall create an atmosphere that is lively without being oppressive. This is the kind of space where a group dinner builds energy naturally across the evening, where the noise level rises as the pisco flows, but where a table of two can still hold a conversation. The building's past life is not entirely hidden: the original bank vault has been converted into a private dining room, which is one of the more interesting group-booking options in the city.
Chakana is the first solo venture from chef Robert Ortiz, who previously worked at Lima in London, the Peruvian restaurant that helped establish the cuisine's credibility in the UK. That background matters here. The cooking is not a simplified version of Peruvian food pitched at an audience unfamiliar with the cuisine; it engages with the full range of the tradition. The menu runs across ceviches and tiraditos, braised squid with Andean potato stew, duck escabeche with plum and beetroot sauce, and a 24-hour confit suckling pig with plantain, charapita chillies, and 100% Amazonian chocolate. The tasting menu draws on the same kitchen and has drawn consistently positive responses, with tuna quinoa nigiri (built on potato rather than rice, in the Peruvian tradition) and sea bass ceviche with multiple textures of corn cited as highlights.
For those who prefer a la carte, the starters lean heavily on marinated fish. A scallop tiradito with hibiscus and rocoto tiger's milk alongside a contrasting yellow tiger's milk is the kind of dish that signals how seriously the kitchen is thinking about flavour architecture, not just ingredient lists. The menu is ambitious in scope, and that ambition is generally backed up by execution.
There is also a Sunday roast, which combines Peruvian technique with British produce. It reads as an oddity on paper, but it reflects how Chakana positions itself: as a neighbourhood restaurant first, not an exercise in culinary nationalism.
The bar program is the strongest argument for choosing Chakana over its peers at this price level. One of the largest selections of pisco in the UK is a specific claim, and the cocktail list is built around it in a way that rewards exploration. Pisco sours are the obvious entry point, but the list extends further into less familiar territory. For anyone with a serious interest in South American spirits, this is the main event, not a supporting act.
Wine starts at £24 and the list covers both South American and European producers. It is not a destination wine list, but it is built to complement the food rather than simply fill a gap on the menu. If the drinks program is your priority for the evening, the pisco selection is where to focus. For Birmingham's broader drinks scene, see our full Birmingham bars guide.
Chakana holds a Michelin Plate for both 2024 and 2025. The Plate is not a star, but it is the Guide's marker for restaurants producing consistently good cooking, and at the ££ price range it carries more weight as a value signal than it would at a higher price tier. For context on how Birmingham's Michelin-recognised restaurants sit relative to each other, Adam's and Opheem are operating at ££££, and Simpsons sits in the same bracket. Chakana's double Plate at ££ is the most direct evidence that the kitchen is performing above its price tier.
Peruvian cooking at this level of execution remains relatively rare in the UK outside London. If you want a comparison point in other cities, Causa in Washington D.C. and ITAMAE in Miami are operating in a similar register. In the UK, Lima in London is the obvious reference point given Ortiz's background there. Chakana in Moseley is doing something comparable, at lower prices, in a room with considerably more personality.
Chakana is located at 140 Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8HT. Moseley is a south Birmingham neighbourhood with its own restaurant and bar scene, and Chakana is the most recognised dining destination in the area. Booking difficulty is rated easy, which means you do not need to plan weeks ahead the way you would for Adam's or Opheem. That said, weekend evenings fill faster than weekday slots, and if you are booking for a group or want the vault private dining room, earlier planning is sensible. The ££ price range means this is a restaurant where booking a group of four to six and ordering broadly across the menu is both financially reasonable and the leading way to experience the range of cooking on offer.
For more on eating and drinking in Birmingham, see our full Birmingham restaurants guide, our Birmingham hotels guide, and our Birmingham experiences guide.
Quick reference: Peruvian, ££, Moseley, Michelin Plate 2024 & 2025, 4.8/5 (591 Google reviews), easy to book, one of the UK's largest pisco selections.
Start with the ceviches and tiraditos — the scallop tiradito with hibiscus and rocoto tiger's milk is the dish most frequently cited as a highlight, and it gives a clear read on what the kitchen does well with marinated fish. From the mains, the 24-hour confit suckling pig with plantain and charapita chillies is the most ambitious plate on the menu and worth ordering if it is available. If you are on the tasting menu, the tuna quinoa nigiri and sea bass ceviche with multiple corn textures have drawn consistent praise. On drinks, start with a pisco sour and ask the bar team for a recommendation from the wider pisco list — with one of the largest selections in the UK, there is range here beyond the standard offering.
It works well for solo diners, particularly at the bar or on a weekday evening when the room is less densely packed. The ££ price range means a solo meal with a couple of dishes and a cocktail stays within a comfortable budget. The menu's emphasis on starters and sharing-format dishes means solo diners may need to be selective, but there is enough on the a la carte to build a satisfying meal without ordering for two. For solo dining in Birmingham more broadly, Bayonet and 670 Grams are also worth considering depending on what cuisine you are after.
Yes, and the converted bank vault private dining room makes Chakana one of the more interesting group options in Birmingham at this price level. For larger parties wanting a dedicated space, booking the vault in advance is the move. The main dining room works well for groups of four to eight without a private room, and the ££ pricing means a group dinner with food and drinks across the pisco cocktail list remains financially manageable. Contact the restaurant directly to enquire about private dining availability , the address is 140 Alcester Rd, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8HT. For group dining at higher price tiers in Birmingham, Simpsons and Opheem both have private dining options.
Bar seating is available and makes sense here given the strength of the pisco cocktail program. Eating at the bar is a practical option for solo diners or pairs who want a shorter, more informal visit , a couple of tiraditos and a few pisco cocktails is a very good way to experience Chakana without committing to a full table booking. The bar is also the right vantage point if you want to ask the team for guidance on the pisco selection, which is extensive enough that a recommendation will improve the experience. For Birmingham's broader bar scene, see our full Birmingham bars guide.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chakana | Peruvian | What was once a high street bank is now the ideal destination for a fun night out with friends. Chakana has all the ingredients you need for a great time: a lively laid-back vibe, punchy Peruvian food and one of the largest ranges of pisco in the UK. The cooking itself is colourful and packed with bold flavours, across a range of recognisable Peruvian dishes including ceviches and tiraditos. There's a streak of originality running through the menu too, as evidenced by the hot crab causa.; Peru comes to Brum in the shape of Chakana, the first solo venture from chef Robert Ortiz (ex-Lima in London). Located in the city’s Moseley district and housed in a former Lloyd’s bank (the safe is now a private dining room), this neighbourhood restaurant is an airy, plain and comfortable space with stripped wood floors and thick, rustic-looking wood tables. Food-wise, the ‘ambitiously sized’ carte delivers ‘creative and exciting’ dishes such as braised squid with Andean potato stew, crispy artichoke, seaweed and anchovies, or duck escabeche with plum and beetroot sauce and vegetable saltadito. Starters are mostly riffs on marinated fish, perhaps a visually arresting, incredibly fresh scallop tiradito – a citrusy, bright-red tiger’s milk sauce of hibiscus and rocoto peppers cut with another vividly yellow tiger’s milk, all squiggled around slices of incredibly creamy shellfish. Others have commented on the tasting menu, with highlights ranging from ‘excellent’ tuna quinoa nigiri (a take on sushi involving potato rather than rice) and sea bass ceviche with beautiful coloured chillies, different types and textures of corn and a sweet potato purée to superb 24-hour confit suckling pig with crispy crackling, plantain, charapita chillies and 100% Amazonian chocolate. Chakana may be Peruvian, but it also serves up a very decent Sunday roast combining the best of native produce with British lunching traditions. To drink, a mix of South American and European wines starts at £24; otherwise, the list is very strong on pisco-based cocktails.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Adam's | Modern Cuisine | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Simpsons | British, Modern Cuisine | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Opheem | Indian | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Riverine Rabbit | Modern Cuisine | Unknown | — | |
| Tropea | Italian | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Chakana and alternatives.
The ceviches and tiraditos are the anchors of the menu and the clearest demonstration of what the kitchen does well — the scallop tiradito with hibiscus and rocoto tiger's milk has drawn consistent praise. Beyond the marinated fish, the 24-hour confit suckling pig with plantain and Amazonian chocolate is a highlight of the tasting menu. The pisco cocktail list is extensive enough to treat as its own course; if you're only ordering one drink, start there rather than the wine list.
Chakana's airy, neighbourhood-restaurant format works for solo diners, particularly at the bar if seating allows. The ££ price point means a solo meal across a couple of dishes and a pisco cocktail stays reasonable. It's a livelier room than somewhere like Adam's, which suits solo visits if you want atmosphere rather than silence.
Yes — the former Lloyd's bank safe has been converted into a private dining room, which makes Chakana a practical option for groups wanting a defined space. The main room's stripped-back, high-ceilinged layout handles larger parties comfortably. check the venue's official channels via their website or in person at 140 Alcester Road, Moseley, to arrange private dining.
The bar is a genuine draw given one of the UK's largest pisco selections on offer, and eating there is in keeping with the venue's laid-back format. For a shorter visit focused on cocktails and small plates like ceviches, bar seating is the right call. If you want the full tasting menu experience, a table is the better option.
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