Rico Libre

I’ve waxed lyrical about my love of Rico Libre before. Putting aside the emotional connection I have to the building, for me it’s one of the first places I recommend to anyone who asks where they should eat in Birmingham.  Its uncomplicated and unpretentious, astoundingly cheap, and always welcoming.  Most importantly they know flavour.  There is no room for daintiness here, everything is boldly seasoned and spiced, the pepper grinder on a constant rotation.  Its authentic in the way that Spanish food does not pull any punches.

Great tapas bar with the always welcome addition of.......bring your own booze. Admittedly the wine that my dad had managed to select was pretty rubbish but still nice to see! So anyway....the food! I thought all of the food we had was great but I have to say that the dishes from the standard menu were better than those on the specials board for me! You can't meat a classic dish from any area of the world when it's done properly and everything we had from Rico Libre was spot on. -The Stars Of The Show- Chill Prawns Patatas Bravas Livers served with chorizo Our waitresses and the owners were so nice and welcoming and the service generally could not have been better. I would recommend this hidden gem to anyone that is a fan of Spanish food and wants a truly authentic experience in Brum.

What a fabulous little gem this place is! Hidden in the deepest, darkest backstreets of Digbeth (well, that might be an exaggeration but it is away from the main drag), this little Tapas joint only came to my attention via Twitter. After hearing some of the Birmingham Twitterati talk about a hot new venue, I knew we had to be one of the first people to go and try it! Firstly, let's talk booking. I had messed up with the night I had originally planned to take the guys and had put the event down as a Tuesday night (when they aren't open). Erica G. had handily spotted my mistake and spurred me into action booking the venue. I messaged them via their Facebook page and got a response almost instantaneously. Although they weren't open the night I had specified, they offered to open up as a private party for us (which is available to anyone), but I figured the minimum spend of £200 might be a tad unachievable for the amount of people that wanted to come along. After a new date was decided, I got in contact and booked for 10 people. Over the next week or so, that quickly became 12 people, which became 14... On the day itself I had to change the booking for 19 people; but they were fantastic and accommodating throughout the whole process and insisted that I wasn't being a pain (which I was!). The table was booked for 7:30, but I decided it would be prudent to get down a little earlier to ensure everyone knew we were there. We were greeted warmly and shown to our large table put together to fit the majority of our group. The venue is BYOB and we were given glasses and our bottles were opened whilst we waited for everyone to arrive. The venue isn't the Ritz. It has a lovely warm charm (like sitting in someones kitchen) and the mismatched furniture, pictures on the walls and large hand-drawn chalkboard really make you feel at home. The service matches the decor... Friendly, helpful and chirpy throughout; I did feel like I'd been invited around for dinner at a friends house. When we were all ready to order, our choices were very prudently noted down next to our names and the whole process was done quickly and efficiently. Their are other options on offer, but with the Tapas being 3 dishes for £10, it's a great way to try lots of things off the menu without breaking the bank. I went for quail, gambas and meatballs and waited excitedly for the food to be bought out! The menu offers lots of meat and vegetarian choice. As we had a vegetarian dining with us, this was greatly appreciated. Whilst we were waiting we were treated to some warm bread from the kitchen... This was a lovely touch and went down a storm. Everyone's food came out fairly swiftly (no mean feat when catering for such a large group). All of my choices ended up being divine. The Quail was a WHOLE QUAIL and all of the dishes were served in delicious sauces with just the right amount of spice. I couldn't fit a dessert in at the end... I was just too stuffed. So, as a summary... The booking; easy as pie. The service; warm and friendly. The venue; welcoming and homely and the food.... Simply divine. My bill came to £10 (as described) and I would expect a meal like that would cost you at least double (if not triple) elsewhere. The restaurant is planning to open on more evenings and get a license to serve drinks. My advice is to book and try it now - before it becomes impossible to get a table.

Rico Libre is what the city centre has needed for some time, an authentic and great tasting independant tapas restaurant. Unlike your chains, you get great quality food at a bargain price and that warm feeling inside that you're supporting the local community. The restaurant itself is in a former greasy spoon, and is a welcome change. It's located down a backstreet of Digbeth, which can be a little worrying at night but fear not, it's easy to get to and you can always grab a cab to it for a couple of quid from the main city centre zone. I ordered scallops with a mango and coriander salsa, Grilled Quail in a green mojo sauce, patatas bravas and grilled halloumi. They were all delicious. The restaurant managed to cope wonderfully with a table of around 20 people and the food came out in nice stages which meant I was able to tuck into each dish or a mixture of them at different times. It's currently a BYOB so I brought along a bottle of prosecco to help the food go down nicely ;) I'm hoping it stays like this, however not a huge issue if not. Total for a night of food, drink and chatter? £14. I paid £16 as a courtesy for the free bread and service. I thoroughly recommend this place and would definately go back. Would be great to see it again when they've settled in and had a chance to properly transform the place. Be warned, no card machine...so stop by the coach station for free cash withdrawal should you need to (I ended up sprinting down the street to go get some money!)

Nestled away in Digbeth not to far from the custard factory is this wonderful little tapas joint. A bunch of us descended on Rico Libre on Friday night as a bit of a yelp night out and even though we took up over half the restaurant (which seats only 35) the staff were absolutely fantastic in every respect. This little hidden gem is one of only two places I can think of in the city centre that's BYOB, and for me that's definitely something we're missing out on. When you can drink cheaply or extravagantly whilst still enjoying the same quality of food is a massive plus, and it makes sorting out the bill so much easier! Anyhoo, onto the main part - the food... Rico Libre offer a great range of tapas dishes at only £10 for 3 - which is an absolute bargain. I decided on the quail (which turned out to be a whole spatchcocked quail cooked to absolute perfection), the rabbit (practically a whole rabbit slow cooked in a beautiful tomato sauce until it just fell off the bones) and the calimari which was deliciously tender with a very light batter that wasn't too greasy. I was expecting small portions in all honesty, it's tapas. I how wrong I was! I couldn't even consider dessert after all that lot. As I said, this is definitely a hidden gem sparkling in the midst of warehouses and factory buildings. If it's not on your list of places to visit it really should be!

They have a fantastic outdoor seating area where the old pond used to be. It was gorgeous sitting in the sun and eating. Great range of Tapas, sangria is well recommended. You can also bring your own but they do have a corkage fee of £2.50. Everyone was able to eat something, what ever their dietary need. Staff was great.

Had the most incredible Tapas at Rico Libre last night. Between three of us we ordered about 11 dishes I think and each of them were absolutely incredible. Even the ones you wouldn't expect to be incredible like the Spanish Omelette or patatas were delicious. The calamari and the aubergine were a standout and that's coming from a meat lover! Amazing atmosphere and the fact you can bring your own drink at a total charge of £2.50pp means the bill is so reasonable. Great service too. Can't wait to go back

Incredible tapas place, you really cannot go wrong going for a meal here. There are plenty of dishes to choose from. They have an extensive menu to choose plus at least 8 more dishes on their specials board that you should definitely try! Prices are good for the food you get and it's bring your own alcohol which helps to keep the price down of the whole meal. The staff are always friendly! Definitely need to book a table as it is always busy. It can sometimes be on the loud side due to the size of the venue and how busy it is.

Don’t judge a Birmingham establishment by its humble cover. Rico Libre is a concept restaurant that works. It is easy to see that it was set up with the “try this out and see how it goes” mindset. Scour it’s green exterior, you won’t see any flashing lights of a sign to indicate it is a Restaurant. In fact you won’t find a sign. Walk inside, ask the question “is this Rico Libre?” You’ll be welcomed and your location will be confirmed. As you’re escorted to your humble seat your attentions will be directed to the well lit specials board. Rico Libre’s focus is around tapas and unusual ones at that. Fancy frogs legs, snails perhaps? It’s on the specials along with a plethora in the main menu. Portion sizes are going to be small, so 3 tapas are recommended as a minimum. The quality of each dish is sublime, presented beautifully and complimented appropriately. Service is homely and fast. We need more of this intimate experience in Birmingham. It may be out the way in Digbeth. It’ll be worth your back teeth to go out of your way to check it out.

Such a fantastic time we all had. There 25 of us and it was such a smooth service. They were all so accommodating! Also, the girl serving us was an absolute credit to the team! She was so attentive, nothing was too much.