Part-time Traveller, Full-Time Brummie

Original Patty Men: Finally popping my OPM Cherry

Original Patty Men has been the hot burger joint to visit since December 2015, and long before that as part of Birmingham’s fabulous street food scene. But I’ve never made the trip to OPM before. Before a snowy Saturday in March that is…

Located beneath the railway arches behind Birmingham’s Moor Street (aka Selfridges)  Car Park, OPM is extending it’s offering into the neighbouring unit, and not a moment too soon. Even with new exciting places springing up all the time, there’s a queue for tables, proving that this place is still immensely popular both with locals and with those visitors who’ve heard good things about the self-proclaimed Purveyors of Filth . We’re second in the queue, but we beat the rush arriving just before 1pm – when we leave the queue is out the door. There are a couple of spaces available in the outer area, but with an Arctic blast whenever the front door is opened we opt to wait for a table in the inner sanctum.

There are no frills here, it’s first and foremost still a street food joint with tables, chairs and a bar. There’s plain wooden tables, exposed brickwork, neon signage on the walls, tasteful graffiti, cool hanging lights and a 90s R&B playlist. It’s table service, and the staff are super friendly and remain cool and efficient despite the full house. Top marks as well for the fact that they acknowledge those in the queue, keeping people informed of wait times and letting them browse the menu and order drinks. Non-acknowledgement is one of Mr Fletche’s bugbears so this is a tick in the OPM box for customer service.

Chicken-fan Mr Fletche opts for the Alabama Slammer, a boneless chicken thigh, deep fried in buttermilk batter, served with lime and ginger slaw and Alabama Sauce. I go for the classic Bacon Cheese, with an aged longhorn beef patty, maple coated bacon, American cheese, fresh red onion, lettuce, pickle, ketchup and mustard. All the meat is locally sourced and organic. My burger is slightly pink in the middle and is juicy without being too sloppy – buns that fall apart every time you pick them up aren’t my bag but apart from a couple of errant pickles, this remains well-constructed.

The ODB fries are definitely worth a visit on their own – skin-on, triple-cooked fries with OPM’s secret spice mix, loaded with house slaw, sriracha mayo, crispy fried onions and spring onion. And the slow cooked BBQ beans cooked with bacon are a lovely spicy accompaniment. We both opt for Soundwave, a West Coast IPA by Siren Craft Brew with grapefruit, peach and mango flavours, which is refreshing and complements our food perfectly. There are plenty of other drink options too, including spirits, wine and some interesting sounding soft drinks from indie retailers.

Compared to burger chains such as Handmade Burger, Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Ed’s Diner – and even some pubs – the burgers are relatively good value at around £8. This is similar to what you’d pay for any good street food dish at Digbeth Dining Club. There’s three beef, one chicken and one mushroom option on the menu, plus a couple of specials – by keeping the menu small and sticking to what they know, OPM are able to maintain top quality

You can find Original Patty Men at 9 Shaw’s Passage, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 5JG. Their website is http://originalpattymen.com/

Original Patty Men is open Thursday to Saturday from 11:30am – 11pm and Sunday from 11:30am until 8pm. Unless they sell out. Which happens. They are now also open for “Wing Wednesdays” from 5pm (on surprise, surprise, Wednesdays). You can read more about Wing Wednesdays on Bite Your Brum’s blog here.

They also offer a takeaway option if you don’t have time to eat in or wait around for a table

Disclosure: I paid in full and enjoyed my visit as a hungry customer and not as a blogger. But I blog about fab places to go in Birmingham, and this definitely deserved a mention. All opinions and photos are my own.

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5 responses to “Original Patty Men: Finally popping my OPM Cherry”

  1. Steph says:

    I still haven’t made it to OPM either, and this post just reminded me that has to change! Loos awesome, I’ve never heard anything but good things (also, I’m super hungry now…!) x

  2. I’m originally from Birmingham and can’t wait to visit this place when i return home from Canada. I’ve heard so many good things from friends about here 🍔🍔🍔

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