Faculty Coffee

Faculty is café tucked inside one of the many arcades that sprinkle Birmingham's city centre, and it's possibly the most 'coffee-ish' of the options in the city centre, along with Tilt. There's a better array of kit to buy for home brewing here, for example, and a good range of coffee from Round Hill, Colonna, and Square Mile, among others, to buy and take home. There are also various coffee books lying around, and it's clear that the staff are passionate about their brews. Espresso-based drinks are cranked out on a lovely Synesso Hydra, and they also serve up V60s, with at least two possible roasts on offer. Tea comes from Waterloo Tea Company.

The venue itself is small and intimate, with a red brick back wall, wood bar, and small seats (which are not enormously comfortable, it must be said). Food options run to pastries and biscuits and a very limited, but fresh, brunch menu. The nearest toilet is in Birmingham New Street, which is, helpfully, a literal stone's throw away.