Restaurant Folium, gay restaurant in City Centre, Birmingham
restaurants LGBTQ+ Friendly

Restaurant Folium

Google (266) 4.8
Tripadvisor (345) 4.8
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GayOut Score
G4.8 🦉4.8
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Address
8 Caroline St, Birmingham B3 1TW
💰
Price Range
$$$

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About this place Restaurant Folium

Folium is a small fine-dining restaurant on Caroline Street in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, serving modern British cooking as a set tasting menu. It is a mainstream, gay-friendly restaurant, not a gay venue, and sits at the upper end of the city's price range. It holds a 4.8 Google rating from about 270 reviews. Seating is limited, so book well ahead, and allow two to three hours. The Jewellery Quarter station is a few minutes' walk away, and Birmingham's Gay Village around Hurst Street is a short taxi ride south.

Features

Gay-friendly (straight venue) LGBTQ+ Casual Food served Staff multilingual Walk ins welcome Lounge area Evening venue Gay-friendly (straight venue)

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Community Reviews

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Google Reviews

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4.8
★★★★★
266 reviews

Based on 266 Google reviews.

Stuart Lock Aug 2026
★★★★★

We had read a lot of good reviews about this place and am happy to say it easily lived up to its great reputation. We went for the long tasting menu and wine flight. The food was really superb - surprising flavours and textures, all very well presented as you can see. Service was excellent creating a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. We will be revisiting!

Russell Lock Aug 2026
★★★★★

First time we've visited and had a fabulous meal. All of the many courses were excellent. Highly recommended, we'll definitely be back, Thank-you.

Theo Neumann Jul 2026
★★★★★

Visit number two and I love the place even more. When Simpsons closed, my defacto favourite restaurant became Folium. But now they are outright my favourite restaurant and deservedly so. I absolutely love everything about Folium. Impeccable service, attention to detail , precision in presentation and cooking. Chef Ben is a hell of a talented chef. Takes on Ramen and Curd Tart are found there at time of writing. Scandinavian thought process marry with Japanese and all rounded off with french techniques and unashamedly Northern English personality. It deserves a star and has been the case for a while... but to be quite frank it would only bring unnecessary pressure, and the fact it hasn't got one speaks volumes about the inadequacies of the inspectors more than anything. Folium is on par at least with (former) restaurant Simpsons but it is actually CONSIDERABLY better than Adam's and I say that with no hesitation. Real foodies know the true level of Folium. Anyway definitely want visit #3 to be before the end of this year and it will happen. Exquisite in every regard. 💘

Natasha Griffiths Jun 2026
★★★★★

An exceptional dining experience at Folium Restaurant. Every course was as good as the one before it. Presented beautifully and packed with flavour, using the best seasonal British ingredients. I couldn’t pick out a favourite dish however the biodynamic grain noodles with shiitake mushroom was a flavour bomb! The restaurant itself is welcoming thanks to Ben & Lucy for creating this relaxed and spotless place to eat with good music that you don’t have to shout over to have a conversation. Folium is a fantastic restaurant that I will happily recommend to anyone looking for an outstanding dining experience. I can’t wait to return!

3ziz Jun 2026
★★★★★
Tom Bradshaw-Smith Jun 2026
★★★★★

Undoubtedly the finest food you will taste in Brum, matching any of the restaurants with a Michelin star. Me and my wife continue to go back to mark special occasions - most recently on our wedding anniversary. The food was simply superb from start to finish. Inventive, clean and wholesome dishes with real depth and thought. Ben is a special talent in the Kitchen and Lucy's passionate service and wine pairings make for a wonderful all round experience. In some respects, I'm not sure Folium gets the credit it deserves from the wider industry. I hope that changes. Make sure you go if you haven't already!

Jane Swann May 2026
★★★★★

We recently enjoyed the long dinner tasting menu at Folium and had a fantastic experience from start to finish. Every course was beautifully presented, delicious, and thoughtfully prepared. The menu offered a great variety of flavours and textures, and despite being a tasting menu, we felt perfectly satisfied and pleasantly full by the end of the meal. A particular highlight was that each dish was carefully explained when served, which added to the overall experience and helped us appreciate the ingredients and inspiration behind each course. The service throughout the evening was excellent – attentive, professional, and friendly without ever feeling intrusive. The staff clearly take pride in what they do and helped make the evening feel special. A wonderful dining experience that we would happily recommend to anyone looking for a memorable meal in Birmingham.

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Last updated on 14 November 2026

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