Chakana

About Chakana

The room sets the tone immediately. Stripped wood floors, thick rustic tables, 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, a 24-hour confit suckling pig with plantain, charapita chillies, 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, 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 Drinks Program

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, 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.

Recognition and Context

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, 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.

Booking and Logistics

Chakana is located at 140 Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8HT. Moseley is a south Birmingham neighbourhood with its own restaurant and bar scene, 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, 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 ideal 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.

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