Restaurant in Birmingham, United Kingdom
Michelin-recognised cooking at everyday prices.
Riverine Rabbit in Stirchley holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition (2024 and 2025) at the ££ price point, making it Birmingham's clearest value case for serious cooking. Chef Ash Valenzuela-Heeger's menu moves between South African, Asian, and European influences with genuine intent. Book if you want Michelin-quality cooking without the ££££ spend.
At the ££ price point, Riverine Rabbit in Stirchley is one of the most direct booking decisions in Birmingham's dining scene. Ash Valenzuela-Heeger cooks flavour-forward Modern Cuisine from behind an open kitchen counter, Erin Valenzuela-Heeger runs the floor with warmth and genuine hospitality, and the whole operation has earned back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025. That combination of price, quality, and consistent critical endorsement makes this a clear recommendation for food-focused visitors who want something more interesting than a standard city-centre dinner without spending at the ££££ tier.
Riverine Rabbit started as a pop-up, generating early word-of-mouth before Ash and Erin secured a permanent site on Pershore Road in Stirchley. That transition matters for the reader deciding whether to book: this is no longer a provisional project. The permanent space gives Ash room to develop a consistent menu, and the Bib Gourmand in two consecutive years confirms the kitchen has maintained its standards through the move. If you were curious about Riverine Rabbit during the pop-up phase but never made it, the permanent address is your cue to go.
The kitchen draws on Ash's South African heritage alongside a confident use of Asian flavours — tom yum, furikake, and similar references appear on the menu alongside European technique. The result is a menu that shifts between cuisines without losing coherence, because the throughline is flavour intensity rather than geographic consistency. If you get the opportunity, the honey-cured beef is the dish that most clearly demonstrates what the kitchen is doing: curing as a technique applied to beef, delivering a depth of flavour that reads as considered rather than casual. It's the kind of dish that explains the Bib Gourmand without needing a lengthy justification.
The cross-cultural references keep the menu from feeling predictable. A diner who has worked through Birmingham's Michelin tier , Adam's, Simpsons, Opheem , will find something genuinely different here, at a fraction of the spend. For context on how Birmingham's dining scene sits within the broader UK picture alongside venues like CORE by Clare Smyth, L'Enclume, or Moor Hall, Riverine Rabbit occupies a different register entirely , it's not competing on ceremony or tasting-menu architecture, it's competing on value and cooking intelligence.
Pershore Road address puts Riverine Rabbit outside Birmingham's city centre, in a neighbourhood that's more residential than tourist-facing. That's part of why the ££ pricing works , the rent profile is different from Colmore Row or the Jewellery Quarter. For visitors, Stirchley is accessible from the city centre and the location doesn't require a complicated journey, though you should plan your route in advance. The suburban setting also shapes the atmosphere: expect a relaxed, neighbourhood-restaurant feel rather than the formal dining room dynamic you'd find at Simpsons or Adam's.
Google reviews sit at 5 stars across 80 responses, which for a relatively small permanent site suggests a high degree of consistency. A single bad experience at a low-volume restaurant can skew ratings significantly, so 5 stars at 80 reviews is a meaningful signal rather than a statistical quirk.
Book Riverine Rabbit if: you want Michelin-recognised cooking without the ££££ spend, you're interested in cooking that moves between South African, Asian, and European influences with genuine intent, or you're building a Birmingham itinerary and want a strong neighbourhood option alongside a city-centre dinner. It also works well as the primary dining choice for a visit, rather than a secondary booking , the quality level justifies treating it as the main event rather than a casual add-on.
Consider alternatives if: you're specifically looking for a tasting-menu format with full front-of-house ceremony, or if you need a city-centre address for logistical reasons. 670 Grams at £££ is the closest peer in terms of creative ambition, while Tropea at ££ offers Italian cooking at a comparable price tier if you prefer a more focused cuisine. For the full picture of where Riverine Rabbit sits among Birmingham's options, see our full Birmingham restaurants guide.
For visitors spending more time in the city, Pearl also covers Birmingham hotels, bars, wineries, and experiences if you're building a broader itinerary.
Booking difficulty is low. This is not a venue where you need to plan months in advance , a week or two of lead time should be sufficient for most evenings, though weekends may fill faster given the limited seat count implied by a kitchen-counter format. Check availability directly via the venue.
Quick reference: Michelin Bib Gourmand 2024 and 2025 | ££ pricing | Stirchley, Birmingham | Modern Cuisine with South African and Asian influences | Open kitchen counter format | Easy to book.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine Rabbit | After generating a fair amount of buzz with their pop-ups, warm and welcoming couple Ash and Erin have found a permanent home in this Birmingham suburb. Erin leads the friendly service, while Ash proudly delivers her dishes from behind a kitchen counter; if you get the chance, order the honey-cured beef, which epitomises the flavour-packed cooking. Influences from Ash’s native South Africa occasionally make an appearance, as do those from Asia, ranging from tom yum to furikake. That this all comes at wallet-friendly prices is a welcome bonus.; Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025); Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) | ££ | — |
| Adam's | Michelin 1 Star | ££££ | — |
| Simpsons | Michelin 1 Star | ££££ | — |
| Opheem | Michelin 2 Star | ££££ | — |
| Tropea | ££ | — | |
| 670 Grams | £££ | — |
How Riverine Rabbit stacks up against the competition.
The honey-cured beef is the dish most worth ordering — Michelin's own write-up singles it out as representative of the kitchen's flavour-focused approach. Beyond that, look for dishes that reflect Ash Valenzuela-Heeger's South African background or the Asian-inflected plates (tom yum, furikake) that rotate through the menu. At ££ pricing, ordering broadly is low-risk.
Riverine Rabbit is a neighbourhood restaurant in a residential Birmingham suburb, not a formal dining room. The Michelin Bib Gourmand recognises good food at accessible prices, and the atmosphere — led by Erin's front-of-house — is described as warm and welcoming rather than stiff. Come as you would to a reliable local: neat but relaxed.
Specific dietary accommodation details aren't documented in available venue data, so check the venue's official channels before booking. What's clear from the Michelin write-up is that the menu spans South African and Asian influences with varied ingredients, so it's worth flagging any restrictions in advance rather than assuming flexibility on the night.
For a step up in formality and spend, Adam's and Simpsons are Birmingham's fine dining benchmarks. Opheem is the stronger choice if you want chef-driven cooking with a distinct South Asian point of view. Tropea covers Italian neighbourhood dining at a similar price register. Riverine Rabbit wins on the combination of Michelin recognition and ££ pricing — that pairing is harder to find elsewhere in the city.
Tasting menu availability and pricing aren't confirmed in the venue record, so verify the current format when booking. What the Michelin Bib Gourmand does confirm is that the kitchen delivers at ££ across whatever format it runs — if a tasting menu is offered, the value case is likely strong given how the price point sits against comparable Bib Gourmand holders nationally.
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