The Early Bird Bakery

King's Heath's got a proper gem in The Early Bird — the sort of place where locals queue out the door because the bread's actually worth getting up early for. You'll walk in to the smell of fresh sourdough, pastries still warm from the oven, and a counter that changes daily depending on what's been baked. The coffee's excellent too, none of that burnt stuff, just clean, properly pulled espresso that tastes like someone actually knows what they're doing. It's the kind of café that's become essential to how the neighbourhood works — you'll see the same faces every morning, everyone knows the staff, and there's a genuine community vibe without it ever feeling try-hard.