The video will start in 8 Cancel

The latest on shopping, restaurant news and more Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

We know Birmingham is a brilliant city.

But its super-cool credentials have received a massive boost thanks to creative quarter Digbeth topping a national list of 12 coolest neighbourhoods in the UK.

The Sunday Times' Homes supplement has named Digbeth as the ‘Coolest Neighbourhood in Britain’.

The trendy area beat two London hotspots in the list thanks to its "down-to- earth Brummie spirit and welcoming inclusive vibe."

Each of the 12 areas were selected to show "different stages of evolution and appealing to different ages from Deptford to Digbeth, Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle to Bristol’s Old Market Quarter."

Old Market Quarter in Bristol and Eastborne's Little Chelsea were named second and third coolest respectively. Clapton in East London came ninth followed by London's Deptford.

(Image: Nick Wilkinson)

The guide gave special mentions to The Old Crown pub on Digbeth High Street for its "crispy chicken wings, the wraps grilled in the souped-up engine bay of a Mini" at newly opened Baked in Brick restaurant, as well as award-winning street food event Digbeth Dining Club.

Highlighting the district’s creativity and wide range of independent businesses, the guide praised The Custard Factory’s cafes, shops, cinema and arts venues.

Food, drink and entertainment offerings at The Custard Factory include Ghetto Golf, Kanteen, Clink, Chitty’s Cakes, and The Mockingbird cinema providing "more reasons to hang out after hours" in Digbeth.

(Image: Birmingham Mail)

James Craig, co-Founder of Oval Real Estate, told BirminghamLive: “The Custard Factory is home to the most powerful collection of creative and digital businesses, independent retailers, restaurants and event venues outside London.

"Digbeth is a great place to work and play and it’s a real boost to see the district recognised as one of the coolest neighbourhoods in Britain as we prepare to launch a series of exciting new event, food and beverage spaces in the future.”

(Image: Graham Young)

Over the past year Digbeth’s social scene has blossomed.

The Ruin pub opened on Floodgate Street last October and won rave reviews from Digbeth locals.

Ghetto Golf opened earlier this year and more recently, The Rainbow pub reopened as cool cocktail bar Finders Keepers.

This what Sunday Times said about Digbeth:

"The digital revolution has been largely responsible for getting Digbeth’s post-industrial heart pumping again, with creative types setting up in the former manufacturing buildings.

"In a further nod to its history, Digbeth’s first residential square is under construction on the site of a curtain-track plant.

"At the converted (Bird’s) Custard Factory, cafes, shops, a cinema and arts venues have sprung up, so there are more reasons to hang out after hours - and not just for the crispy chicken wings sold by the kilo at the Old Crown, officially the best bar snacks in the postcode.

"You’ll find anything from goat curry to deep-fried vegan ice cream, wraps grilled in the souped-up engine bay of a Mini, and the Digbeth Dining Club, a weekly food and drink festival held on Lower Trinity Street from Thursday to Saturday.

"Hipsterfication is kept in check by down-to-earth Brummie spirit and there's a welcoming inclusive vibe.

"A 'barter for knowledge school' at the Impact Hub, a community-driven enterprise on Oxford Street, invites people to teach a class in exchange for things they are in need of, even if it's just help with finding a flat."

Live in: "The further north you go, the grittier but cooler. Flat prices average £153,550 but the coveted one bedders in the Iron Works sell for £195,000. You can rent a studio in the Drapery from £650pcm."

Why we love it : "It's playing a not so peaky blinder."

(Image: Verity Milligan)

The 12 coolest neighbourhoods in Britain according to The Sunday Times:

1 Birmingham: Digbeth

2 Bristol: Old Market Quarter

3 Eastbourne: Little Chelsea

4 Frome, Somerset

5 Glasgow: Finnieston

6 Hastings: Burton St Leonards

7 Leeds: South Bank

8 Liverpool: Baltic Triangle

9 London: Clapton

10 London: Deptford

11 Manchester: Green Quarter

12 Stroud, Gloucestershire