Purnells Reviews Summary

Category: Fine dining restaurant Birmingham

Address: 55 Cornwall St, Birmingham, B3 2DH, United Kingdom

Phone: +441212129799

Rating: 4.7
based on 170 reviews.

Service

Pros:

  • "The waiting staff were all impeccable! The service was like nothing I’ve experienced before."
  • "From the moment we arrived (30 mins early) we were made to feel welcome, it was like going next door to a friends house!"
  • "The staff are amazing and well-informed, making you feel very welcome and are a credit to the restaurant."
  • "Mr Purnell let us look in his kitchen and delivered my wife a birthday treat."
  • "The staff really go the extra mile too."
  • "Staff are welcoming and attentive and the food is just wonderful."
  • "The staff we so attentive and friendly and the venue is top draw lovely decor throughout."

Cons:

  • "We were told he was VERY busy as the place was full (it wasn't), but he would try his very best to get out later."
  • "Service was very poor. The guys and girls explaining the food mumbled and spoke so quickly you couldn't understand a word they were saying."
  • "Service was slow and one of the waiters was quite rude to another customer and clearly didn't know what he was talking about."
  • "The staff seemed too busy smiling at themselves to offer a service."
  • "We were then told by the waiter that customers had complained about the noise and asked us to be quieter."
  • "The staff were mixed - some were quite professional and as you would expect of a 1 Michelin star restaurant but others would be more suited to Nandos - they constantly interrupted the conversation at the table."
  • "Really disappointed with the service that we experienced on Saturday night."

Food Quality

Pros:

  • "The food is spectacular demonstrating an incredible intelligence and understanding of flavour, texture and colour."
  • "Food was excellent, brilliant experience."
  • "The food is out of this world. We went for the tasting menu and were blown away."
  • "Every course was sublime, rich in flavour and beautifully presented."
  • "Food is excellent and I would never have tried edible charcoal, octopus, etc but wow they are great."
  • "The food itself was tasty, with several dishes presented in a fun way."
  • "The tasting menu is absolutely amazing. Perfect combination of flavour; visual; and smell bring the experience into a whole new level of sensation."

Cons:

  • "The content of the food provided was poor. The mussel course consisted of just 3 mussels!"
  • "The menu doesn't look to have changed at all from last year, plus I found it rather bland."
  • "Food was poor - lacking in imagination, flare and taste."
  • "I wasn't keen on a couple of courses but with such variety you're sure to like most."
  • "Very overpriced for very mediocre food."
  • "The food was great but not phenomenal, and the menu felt like a love note to the nostalgia of growing up with British cuisine."
  • "Tried tasting menu. Not recommended cause all the flavors are literally quite strange as for me and the materials are not fresh enough as for me."

Ambience & Decor

Pros:

  • "Lacking a bit of atmosphere which may be due to the building."
  • "Very relaxed atmosphere, no specific dress code and most importantly no pomposity or pretention to be seen heard or felt."
  • "Prunells has an amazing, quiet atmosphere perfect for a romantic night or a special occasion."
  • "The whole atmosphere was buzzing."
  • "AMAZING!!! Special treat for 4 yesterday post lockdown and it was incredible."
  • "The restaurant had a really pleasant, relaxed and fairly informal feel about it."
  • "The atmosphere was special without being pretentious."

Cons:

  • "The place wasn't very spacious, so it was a bit crowded last time I visited on a Friday night."
  • "Only downside was the decor - could do with a revamp/rethink. Kinda lacked character which is ironic given Glynn Purnell is so full of character!"
  • "It would be 5 stars but the interior / decor is extremely dated and doesn’t match the quality of the service or food."
  • "We were disappointed with the decor, it certainly needs a refresh and the mixture of patterns is quite upsetting after a bottle of wine."
  • "The setting is not as nice as one would come to expect from a Michelin star restaurant."
  • "The décor being very eccentric and feeling rather dated in 2021."
  • "The only downside was I was expecting a little more ambience given it is a Michelin Star, the mixed grill like tables and hotel like carpet sadly wasn't giving me those vibes."

Value for Money

Pros:

  • "Definitely thought the menu was priced appropriately and thoroughly enjoyed every mouthful."
  • "All this for £60 was an absolute bargain."
  • "Reasonably priced for the amount of food we got and we found the pace of the meal was just perfect, we didn’t feel rushed at all."
  • "The three-course menu at £45 was absolutely amazing value for money."
  • "Evening dinner was under £300 for three adults including a very nice bottle of Rioja. Daytime lunch is under £40 a head."
  • "Expensive, but worth every penny."
  • "Obviously not an experience for everyday but completely worth every penny for an occasion."

Cons:

  • "Wine paring was a complete waste of money (£60) would have been better ordering bottles of wine."
  • "For spending £114 I would've expected better, especially when you command a deposit of £20 for the table."
  • "We had quite a disappointing visit and not worth the price."
  • "The charge for wine is higher than the food (taster menu) and the service could be improved."
  • "Nice evening, although in my opinion the experience is not value for money."
  • "So disappointing Very overpriced for very mediocre food."
  • "We paid over £500 for lunch and a wine flight...... Too expensive really for 1 Michelin star."

Thanks! Your review is awaiting moderation.