Verdo Lounge

Verdo Lounge is one of two ‘loungers’ in Sutton Coldfield, pre-​dating its cousin Quinto Lounge near the town centre by several years. Verdo serves the southern area of Sutton, and is more convenient to Erdington and the south end of Wylde Green than Sutton proper. Although I live closer to Verdo Lounge than Quinto, it has taken me months to finally give Verdo a couple of visits to see how it really stacks up against the other area Lounges.
A benefit of a chain concept is that in theory, it offers some level of consistency between its various locations. The Lounger chain focuses on uniquely designed interiors, mostly with vividly painted tables, pallet wood, and tons of paintings and photographs on the walls. Some even feature ultra rare items like ceiling lights from a decommissioned battleship. Verdo actually has a fairly large interior, given that it is in the Wylde Green shopping district where most restaurants are barely larger than your average chippy. The ceilings are fairly low for an older building, which makes the inside appear dark even during sunny days. With the wide sidewalks of the district, Verdo offers outdoor seating as well.
My first visit here was for a quick snack after visiting the local GP. I ordered two of their tapas, the hummus (with ciabatta), and the Spanish tortilla, washing it all down with a flat white. Having been spoiled by large Spanish tortillas elsewhere in Birmingham, I was surprised at how small the tortilla was, especially given its price tag of £3.75. The flavour of the tortilla was strictly average, and unfortunately came out to me lukewarm, like it had been vaguely re-​warmed in a oven or microwave. The hummus was actually quite good, however I was put off by the ordering process. The staff member who took my order at the bar stressed that their hummus does not come with enough ciabatta for the tapa, and that it would be in my best interest to order extra ciabatta. At £1.25 for extra bread, I should have gone with my gut and said no, but I relented. As you can see in my photos, I think that the default portion was enough, which left me with extra bread to eat and no extra hummus for dipping. The flat white was done well enough that I would go here a coffee over Costa any day.
On my second visit I stopped in for a full meal at dinner time. I originally wanted to sit inside, but the speaker music was so loud, that an al fresco experience was pretty much a requirement. Not being too hungry, I ordered one of my Lounger standbys, the Mozzarella, tomato, and basil panini with a side of fries. I’ve tried this meal at Loungers many times over, so I have a pretty good idea of how it should taste. In this instance, the bread was baked perfectly, however both the sandwich and fries were lacking in seasoning. Additionally, the tomatoes were not ripe and the basil and Mozzarella just tasted completely off somehow. Even the Stowford Press Cider I had to drink had a flavour that you get from an unclean tap line. Brittany A. accompanied me at this meal, ordering the Lounge Salad with chicken. This meal is one of her favourites, but at Verdo she reported similar issues with it not tasting like it should. On both visits, the staff were friendly enough, and like all Loungers the kitchen was a bit slow getting the food out to us.
Verdo Lounge is one of many Loungers in the greater Brum area that at least offers a pretty unique environment for dining. While this location has left a lot to be desired from their food, I can at least say that for Wylde Green it’s a good choice to stop in for a coffee or tea and get some work done on their free WiFi. If you are looking for a true Lounger experience, head up Birmingham Road to Quinto Lounge for truly excellent food.

I like this place, but can’t say I love it. Have had lunch here once and drinks on a couple of occasions. A bit chainy for my liking and some of the offerings are a bit pricey. Nice chilled atmosphere though.

A really good place for a catch up or informal meet. I recommend the vegetarian breakfast, it is to die for! The sweetcorn fritters on it are lovely. I have visited a fair few times and always enjoyed my time there.

The verdo lounge in wylde green is much better than their sister venue in Sutton Coldfield! I love dropping in for a milkshake and sitting outside in summer. Also, with breakfast served all day, I can eat my favourite meal whenever I fancy.

Two stars means. «Meh. I’ve experienced better»
I really want to like this place. I really do. I went before because I was told how great it was and how I’d love it.
I didn’t see what tea’s were available and when I asked at the counter I was told to look at a sign that was 15 – 20 foot away. I had to take 4 steps towards it to get a proper look. I had given my table number but no suggestion was given if I was to wait for my tea to be prepared or to return to my seat.
Then I couldn’t get on the WIFI. even though it claimed a good signal. Did it think all the people who had visited and logged on were still there?
Customer Service is KEY!
Update… They’ve just earned a star back as they tweeted me about the poor wifi issue.

Located just 5 minutes walking from where I live, Verdo Lounge always seemed to be a perfect place to chill with a nice cup of cappuccino. I always wanted to stop by and I am glad I did today. With one single day off in two weeks before the Christmas (Bah Humbug!), I liked the idea of socialise without going sooooooo far but not necessarily visiting Costa café that is literally under the building I live.
And I definitely like the place. It is spacious and today it was considerably calm. Not empty, but inviting. I tried to visit Verdo Lounge in the summer and there were no table available for several days. It can be really busy.
Today it was my kind of place day. Some couples and families around but plenty of tables. I don‘t see the «lounges» as an authentic independent café. But it definitely has some personality. Verdo has plenty of photos, that I didn’t check properly but I imagine they are related to Birmingham.
I like the food as well. I was craving for a burger. Meat, yes. The lounge burger was a good option. Not greasy. In a perfect size. Bun was nice as well. Skin-​on chips was just perfect. A bonus, for me. I love the salad that is served together with it.
Not drinking alcohol at all until Christmas, I got a winner choice? a lovely cup of cappuccino.
My husband got the Harissa chicken burger. I can tell their menu is huge. Tapas, paninis and sandwiches that can make the day of everyone passing by.
I also want to try their breakfast one of the days and guess what? I can do it because it’s in the step door.
I am already fan of Verdo Lounge and I think I am going to use this place to put my creativity on the track, in 2015. I saw loads of young faces with their computers enjoying some coffee and some work done in the afternoon. It is a nice place to get into writing for sure. Bring on my inspiration back!

I stumbled across this place whilst looking for somewhere to grab a quick snack whilst on the way to take care of some boring business in north Birmingham. The reviews are generally pretty decent, although a little mixed, so it looked a good should.
Inside the décor is really relaxed with lots of shabby chic and exposed wood, pleasant and with plenty of space to sit. Its apparently part of a chain of lounges situated throughout the country, but I cant say I have ever come across one. Each lounge has a different name (i.e. Ocho, Trago, Verdo) so perhaps its that it isn’t immediately obvious (or im not very observant).
The food menu is extensive. This often worries me, because getting such a wide range of food spot on is always going to be pretty difficult, and in this case it proved to be an issue. The burger was served on a stale bun and was generally uninspiring and the Chicken and Avocado panini was served with an avocado sauce rather than fresh. The chicken was also reminiscent or packaged stuff from the supermarket. The portions were a little stingy too.
So the food wasn’t great, but with the general vibe of the place, the service and the comprehensive drinks menu, this place is a pretty good catch all type of bar/​café. I wouldn’t advise travelling to go here, but I don’t think there’s anywhere local doing anything similar at the moment.

Mediocre breakfasts at high prices. Great atmosphere and perfect for summer with the big windows.
Some OK menu choices though the tapas are probably the worst I’ve ever tasted with over priced and too few/​minute chicken wings to over cooked and overly bland prawns. Stick to a cold beer and a burger and you’ll be fine!

This ambiguous pub-​come-​restaurant-​come-​café never fails to grab me whenever I’m doing a bit of shopping in Wylde Green. Orange and green plastic chairs are strategically positioned outside, and various speciality nights such as ‘Sunday Quiz Night’ and ‘Taco Tuesday’ are advertised on sizeable boards. I guess you could say that the place appears to be a sort of colourful, extravagant pub; perhaps the kind aimed at under 30s.
Once you get inside, however, the set-​up seems a much more like the sort you’d expect from a café or coffee shop, with basic chairs and tables complimented by wooden-​panelled walls. Yet if you pick up a menu, £15.95 steaks and other pricey dishes give you the impression that the place may actually be a high-​end restaurant. In reality, it’s all three and personally, I love little this enigmatic hybrid; it gives off an original ambience which I’ve never seen matched by any other expectation-​bending eatery (Though let’s be honest, you don’t exactly find these kind of places on every street corner). The evening menu is very pricey and the coffee is a little on the strong side, but for an evening drink with friends, or a quick bite for lunch, this place is top-​notch.

The name, plus a location along the main arterial route linking Sutton to central Birmingham, would seem, on paper, to be enough of a warning sign. But, should you steer clear, you would miss out on discovering three crucial things: Just what is meant by the term café-​bar (normally the Lampard-​Gerrard axis of casual dining (or, er, drinking); a suburban venue that manages to pull off a vague non-​English feel; and, best of all, that it seems bent on curing hangovers. You can’t tell me its special Bloody Mary, so-​called Champion Breakfast and all-​day brunch isn’t designed for your poor morning-​after noggin. Oh, and there’s free wifi to allow those leisurely, paper-​reading Sundays to pass even easier.
With its unsual main road location, time will tell how the atmosphere changes at night, and whether it finds itself unintentionally pitched for the daft, faux-​WAG scene or, equally inadvertently, one step up from Wetherspoons. But, for now, from breakfast until work’s out, you will be hard pressed to find a better venue of this type in North Birmingham.
It’s on a commercial strip, but it’s consciously anti-​high street. Think of it as a nicer Après, then; not a coffee morning host with crèche facilities, rather something you may find in that London you’ve been hearing about, or even — no, honestly — a continental city. Oooooh! It’s enough in weak moments to describe the place, as… eek … whisper it … chilled.
The reason it is able to pull it all off — complete with outdoor seating to the front — is the food and drink.
It’s hard to know which Verdo takes more seriously, its tea, coffee or cocktails; the selection of draught beers also ignoring the usual, tired suspects for, among others, Barcelona’s Estrella Damm. Meanwhile, that arm you’re bending is as long as the individual burger and breakfast menus, buoyed by a range of main courses avoiding the homegnised limpness of two-​for-​one carbonaras and front window posters boasting ‘deals’ of «curry and (non-​descript) drink for a quid.»
Talking of price, you must, of course, expect to pay for more than standard pub fare. But it is not expensive, and any dent to the wallet can be off-​set by a range of changing deals, including Tapas Tuesdays, its generous Breakfast Club and under-£5 lunch deals of soup and paninis.
Among these rotated, daily events is a quiz night. Starter for ten: Will you visit Verdo? ‘course you will.

It’s surprising to see a new place open in these times of doom and gloom but Verdo Lounge has done a great job with this plush place. Modern and comfortable, it feels right at home among busy shops on this busy high street. I didn’t eat on this occasion but I did glance the menu to find dishes such as battered cod and chips, burgers, then teriyaki beef, a butternut squash and spinach curry. The plates passing my table looked piled high and other cliental looked happy with their experience. Like me, there were plenty of other loungers enjoying a selection of coffees sitting in comfortable sofas or outside in the warm sunshine. This place has a certain buzz and seems to be an instant hit with shoppers, local business people and family. I wish it well.