Ever since I saw an episode of Gilmore Girls where Lorelai declared tacos the best hangover food I’ve fully embraced Mexican food after a heavy night as a thing! I can’t get enough of burritos on a normal day; so with a hangover it’s highly probable you’ll find me with one in my hand. I’ve heard so many people mention that they love Bodega that I thought it was about time I finally tried it. Adam raves about it and always takes his friends from home there when they come to visit (but he’s never actually taken me… can a get a HELL NO!?)
I met up with my lovely friend Sophie a few Saturday’s ago for a ‘sorry you’re leaving Birmingham/ let’s hang out’ day. We planned to take some blog photos for each other but wanted to have an uber catch up first as we haven’t seen each other in ages. Sophie was the one who suggest Bodega and knowing that I was out the night before with work chums, I immediately took her up on the offer.
Bodega is owned by Bitters n ‘Twisted – a family of local bars and restaurants around Birmingham and beyond. They describe Bodega as a ‘contemporary cantina bringing fresh, homemade South American inspired food to the Midlands’. As I was carrying a delicate head from the night before, I opted against trying one of their fabulous cocktails (although I have sampled their mojito before when nipping in for a quick drink with a friend, and I can confirm it was very good!) The decor is lovely – just what you’d expect from a South America style restaurant; bright colours, cactus, wooden furniture. The ambiance of the place was chilled out, relaxed vibe, with a kick when the food comes. My only criticism of the decor is that they’ve packed the tables in. I had to really squeeze myself between the tables to leave and i fear if it was busier I could have potentially knocked somebody’s food all over them.
After hearing that they were the stuff of legends, I opted for the burrito which came with a side of sweet potato fries. As my plate landed at the table I spotted something I instantly liked – the fact that the sour cream, salsa and guacamole were all on the side so you could add as much or as little as you liked. The chicken and rice inside the burrito were cooked well – not dry or crispy in the slightest and they’d packed a heck of a lot of food into the wrap. I also tasted some of the best sweet potato fries I think I’ve ever tasted. The right amount of crispy and soft combined with a great flavour. Not dull or bland in the slightest.
It’s easy to see why Bodega were the recent winners at the Birmingham Food, Drink & Hospitality Awards. I’ll certainly be heading back to try more of the menu very soon… hey maybe one day, ADAM will take me! It’s not just Birmingham where you can find Bodgea; they have restaurants in Worcester and Leicester too!
