A new Tex-Mex restaurant has arrived at Brindleyplace. Say hello to Perios.
If you think you’ve heard this name before that’s because this is actually the second venue in Brum of the same name, with the original restaurant located up in the depths of Shirley. To be quite honest, until a few months ago I’d never heard of them before noticing the brightly coloured branded boards protecting the refit of an old burger chain no one misses.
It’s in a good location – literally on the canal path towards Arena – and awash with colour inside. Dining spaces are split by splashes of pink, blue and orange and walls have been artistically decorated with graffiti work by local artists. I like that – it’s a nice touch. It’s clearly been decorated with photo taking in mind which could be cynical or genius depending on how much you value neon signs over what you’re eating.
We sat on the cusp of the pink area (pretty but I can already imagine I’ll be sick of seeing it on Instagram within a month) and enjoyed some very pleasant margaritas while we gave the menu a once over. The menu is massive; probably too big. There’s pretty much everything and anything you can think of from an England-does-Tex-Mex restaurant, including tacos, burritos, fried chicken, quesadillas, fajitas, chilli, nachos and about 100 other things. Some of them are great; some of them are not.
Nachos with guacamole or a trio of salsas make for a good start. It’s all freshly made and there’s lots of punchy flavours from fresh herbs and garlic. A side order of truffle mac n cheese is more than generous and is as creamy and cheesy as you’d hope – comforting and tasty. Can’t complain. The fried chicken wings are also great value for money and offer juicy meat that falls off the bone and a well seasoned crispy batter. You’ll notice most of what I’ve enjoyed thus far is a side or a starter – this is no coincidence.
Onto mains and it’s all a bit meh. The burritos, while packed full with meat, veggies and rice, are bland and lacking any depth of flavour. There’s no spice, seasoning or anything to make it feel that exciting. A main of half a chicken is dry throughout with a marinade that despite being marked as the hottest on the menu (heat scale works like Nandos) isn’t remotely spicy. It wasn’t awful but it wasn’t very interesting either and I ended up leaving half of it in favour of more of the mac n cheese.
Service was incredibly polite and efficient and the cocktails were great, but as far as the food goes I’d probably only return for sides and canal-side drinks. I’ve no doubt due to the location it’ll do well – particularly when the Arena has events on – but if you want authentic Mexican food there’s better out there. Fine for a quick bite but nothing exceptional.
Perios, The Waters Edge, Brindleyplace, B1 2HL
Disclosure: We used the 50% discount that was provided in an email when you subscribe to the newsletter. It was an opening offer available to anyone. Words and photos are mine because I’m sure no one else would want them.
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