Vietnamese Street Kitchen

You're walking through St Martins Square near the Bullring and suddenly there's a queue snaking out of Vietnamese Street Kitchen. That's not by accident. This place does the fundamentals right — fragrant broths simmered properly, crispy bánh mì that shatters when you bite it, and stir-fries with proper heat and wok char. It's unpretentious stuff, the kind of food you'd get from a street cart in Hanoi, except you're in the middle of Birmingham city centre. The space is compact and buzzing, packed with people who actually know what they're after, not Instagram tourists. Prices won't break the bank either — you're looking at around £8-12 for a proper bowl of pho.