Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery Reviews Summary

Exhibits and Collections

Pros:

• "A great museum, clean, spacious. Lots of interesting, fabulous exhibits."
• "So much to see! I have visited many times and still not seen it all."
• "A treasure trove full of fascinating artifacts including real mummies and ancient gold!"
• "The collection of antiquities includes coins from ancient times through to the Middle Ages, artefacts from Ancient India and Central Asia, Ancient Cyprus and Ancient Egypt."
• "What a great museum!! It's MUCH bigger inside than it looks. And what a variety of collections!"
• "The art collection is outstanding, the Staffordshire haul exhibition excellent."
• "The museum's collection is extensive and covers a wide array of subjects, from archaeology and natural history to fine art and contemporary works."

Cons:

• "The building is stunning; however, the artefacts are disappointing."
• "Absolutely abysmal. Both the Museum and Art Gallery have been destroyed by political woke policies."
• "Very limited exhibitions due to refurb."
• "It was interesting, though disappointing to be able to see so little due to the renovations."
• "Never seen a so badly arranged museum. It looks like a maze and it feels tired and run down."
• "There were almost no exhibits."
• "Some lovely art and paintings but not much else. More like an art gallery than a museum."

Facilities and Accessibility

Pros:

• "The museum restaurant is reasonable and it's just great to sit amongst history while you eat your lunch!"
• "The building from outside is magnificent."
• "Very friendly helpful staff."
• "Free entry to such a beautiful artistic and ancient place is a pleasant surprise."
• "Free entry Family friendly Wheelchair accessible."
• "The Edwardian Tearoom is beautiful and very relaxing after a busy day seeing the city sights."
• "Good disabled access by lift to each floor plus toilet facilities."

Cons:

• "Despite being disabled and on crutches, I wasn't offered any assistance."
• "The toilets however were questionable, I feel that's more the public's fault rather than the museum staff."
• "Not even allowed to walk around with a coffee."
• "A lot of the gallery seemed to be closed off when I visited which was a shame."
• "The main entrance is services by only a single lift which is slow."
• "Toilets were very crowded especially with pushchairs."
• "The only down side is with all of the construction parking is going to be a nightmare."

Staff and Customer Service

Pros:

• "The staff were more than helpful and a real credit to the museum and gallery."
• "The staff made us very welcome."
• "Knowledgeable, friendly staff."
• "The staff were all incredibly friendly and I found the experience very enjoyable."
• "The staff were friendly and very helpful; a credit to the museum."
• "Helpful, knowledgeable and friendly staff."
• "Staff are all super friendly."

Cons:

• "Several of the people working in the tea room didn't seem so confident in what they were doing - customer service very mixed there."
• "Paid a lot of money for poor service."
• "Even so the service was slow and inefficient."
• "Had afternoon tea at the Edwardian tea room which was also disappointing. Not enough staff and the staff that was available were new and did not know what they were doing."
• "Service was underwhelming - many but not all staff didn't seem to care."
• "Sadly my experience in the Edwardian Tearoom was extremely disappointing."
• "Ordered our food, had quite a long wait, then received very poor standard, small portion cold food."

Food and Dining Experience

Pros:

• "With regards to school holidays and activities for children there is plenty to do. A watercolour painting session for kids was an excellent couple of hours indoors."
• "The cafe was absolutely beautiful, and tastefully furnished."
• "A regular spot to enjoy a coffee and cake!"
• "The tea room is very spacious, serves good food and staff are very friendly and helpful."
• "The edwardian tea room is a must serving light lunches and beverages also Champagne service available too!!"
• "Great Edwardian tea room is amazing. Clean, inviting and very friendly staff."
• "Food was a tad expensive but was lovely and the Tearoom is a sight to behold. Total Edwardian beauty."

Cons:

• "Similarly the cafe was somewhat remote and a little expensive."
• "The only negative thing I have to say is the scones with the cream tea could be a lot bigger as they were bite size little balls, it's not what I would call a scone."
• "Food is expensive in the tearoom."
• "Visited the Edwardian Tearooms, bought a latte coffee but it came in a tiny coffee cup and despite being disabled and on crutches, I wasn't offered any assistance."
• "I personally found the exotic looking flavoured teas overpriced and tasteless."
• "The 'Edwardian' Tea Room that wasn't particularly Edwardian so was disappointing."
• "The upholstered seat at my table was covered in crumbs as was the floor."