Trip Advisor: The Jekyll & Hyde

Situated in the classy business district of Birmingham, a short 5 minute walk from Birmingham Snow Hill station (25 minutes, door-to-door from Smelly Oak), The Jekyll & Hyde certainly stands as one of Birmingham’s hidden gems. When approaching it’s door, purple hues glowed through the windows and two heavy lion head knockers perched on the door, it certainly stood out with it’s purple exterior and the giant Victorian-esque lantern hanging, against the clean-cut glass architecture of the skyscrapers and smart area.

Relatively untouched by students, it felt as though we’d stepped out into Canary Wharf, rather than central Birmingham.

Upon entering the threshold we were instantly entranced by the zany decor, dripping with kitsch ornaments; oil paintings of handsome dogs, clad in aristocratic, cavalier suits and miniature statues of doggie butlers dotted around the place. It was described by the staff as ‘Alice in Wonderland meets Edgar Allan Poe‘.

When approaching the bar we were greeted by helpful and friendly staff who seemed to have an inexorable knowledge of the ingredients and history/heritage of the cocktails which was very refreshing. Head to toe in quirky attire and oozing an air of eccentricity, we were politely pointed towards our reserved corner table, perfect for casual drinks after work (we noticed many a suited gent having an evening pint or three) We asked the bartender what he would recommend, to which he inquired what our favourite base liquor was – we both said gin. He explained that the first six on the list were inspired by Victorian sweet shops and would arrive in the appropriate attire – sweet jars, garnished with various candies. However we thought as it was characteristically deemed a ‘gin specialist’ it would only be apt to try a gin based cocktails. Each cocktail was ‘5 ½’ and  ‘4’ during happy hour and Saturdays. 

I ordered the Bramble which came in a short glass with crushed ice and topped with a blackberry and a slice of lemon, it was very easy to drink, a little too easy actually… Charlotte had the girlishly tea cupped Blueberry Thrill which certainly had a delicious edge, embellished with fresh blueberries on the side and a symmetrically sliced lemon floating on its foaming surface. Described by Charlotte as “Lemony citrus with a summery smell.”

Bramble on the left, Blueberry Thrill on the right. This was not just a cocktail, but an educating experience.

Some of the ‘Victorian inspired’ concoctions above, topped with a cube of honeycomb, YUM!

The place was embroidered with crystal IP glasses dangling from the ceiling, teamed with he velvet lamp shades and Baroque style flowered carpet, the place screamed, ‘Instagram this NOW’.

We were then directed to the gin parlour upstairs which is open Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays and hold up to 90 different types of gin. I asked one of the helpful bar staff what their most rare and perhaps antique gin was, The Crown Jewell is no longer produced and is 15 pounds for a shot! 

If you’re not a gin connoisseur and wish to expand your horizons, they offer a ‘gin float’ option which provides you with three different gin tasters to help you decipher your favourite. Or if you wish to share, there is the ‘Teapot Sharers’ which arrive in miniature china bathtubs:

Colourful Alice in Wonderland style graffiti painted the courtyard, in-keeping with the Victorian themes.

There was also a lit winding staircase….

Along with its exuberant myriad of cocktails, the place also offers a few other fun features: Cluedo evening, retro quiz night held every Tuesday, private dinging, ‘magic’ (palm reading), burlesque & cabernet, juniper cinema (described on the website as ‘SCREENING CLASSIC FILMS FROM A BYGONE ERA OR CONTEMPORARY FILMS WORTH APPRECIATING AGAIN ON THE BIG SCREEN’, there’s also free popcorn – every Monday @ 8pm) and of course, the cocktail workshops (25 pounds a head with a discount of 10%/20% depending on the size of booking). These are all held in the gin parlour as shown below:

Luckily, being a Tuesday night, we managed to catch a glimpse of the Retro Quiz, presented by the notoriously entertaining fictional character, Bobby Fontaine who politely accepted our request to take photos and ask a few quid pro quo’s. Tonight the actor was fashioning an “American dejected fallen star, who has subsequently ended up in a bed-sit in Birmingham…tries to make the best of it every week, but there’s only so much spite you can cover up with enthusiasm.” – If you want to catch the velvet-blazer-adorning Mr. Fontaine, performances start at around 9pm and are sadly only based on supply & demand so get yo asses down there.

If you’re looking for somewhere new to explore in Birmingham, this will surely tickle your fancy. Their food is inspired by The Soul Food Project.

And if you like the sound of all this, be sure to check out Bodega, Island Bar, The Victoria, The Rose Villa Tavern and The New Inn (Harborne), all are under the same ownership so expectantly, all will be great.

Check the website for more details & prices.