Coventry & Warwickshire Foodie Awards – Taste of Coventry Finalists
The Taste of Coventry Award category recognises and celebrates the outstanding food and drink businesses based within the vibrant city of Coventry.
This category highlights the culinary excellence, creativity, and commitment to quality demonstrated by the local establishments that contribute to Coventry’s gastronomic landscape. Whether it’s a cosy café, a trendy bar, a fine dining restaurant, or a bustling food truck, this award showcases the best of the city’s food and drink scene.
The finalists have been shortlisted, and now it is time for you to have your say! The public vote is now open! Need more information before you make up your mind? Check out the finalists below for more information.
The Finalists
St Mary’s Guildhall – The beautifully decorated space set in the oldest part of the Guildhall, provides a unique setting with its soaring vaulted stone columns, stylish décor and warm atmosphere. They offer a range of culinary experiences like nothing else in the city with a real ‘wow’ factor. From brunch to lunch, via afternoon tea to pop-up offers including summer fine evening dining, innovation and high-quality tasty food is what we are all about.
The vision has become a reality and Tales of Tea has become a destination in its own right, with numbers growing week by week to try out our ever-evolving menu.
Miss Ellie of Coventry – Miss Ellie’s is a Coventry-based vegan (and occasional vegetarian) catering company specialising in bespoke food packages for clients with a focus on inclusive eating, local sourcing, eco-friendly principles, closed-loop eating, slow food and an absolute commitment to sustainability that underpins all they do.
Inclusive eating is key to their practice; and vegan food is exactly that as everybody, regardless of social, economic, personal preference, religious law or moral stance can enjoy vegan food without reservation.
Turmeric Gold – A firm favourite among locals, businesses and visitors alike, Turmeric Gold is one of Coventry’s most popular and longest-established restaurants.
Opening its doors for the first time 22 years ago the restaurant is unlike any other in Coventry and Warwickshire, delivering the very best Indian fine dining experience to every customer within the walls of a quintessential, historic 700-year-old building in the heart of medieval Spon Street – arguably the jewel in Coventry city centre’s crown.
Sky Blue Tavern – They are an authentic Punjabi restaurant with a street-style/sports bar twist. Specialising in Indian grill dishes and sizzlers and offering much loved homemade desi style curry and their exclusive desi-fusion dishes, mixing traditional Indian dishes with British favourites. Their dishes and brand have become a fan favourite since their inception to the market two years ago.
Surf and Slice – A small independent pizzeria based in Coventry that prides itself on making pizza the exact same way you would find in Naples, the home of pizza. We use an Italian wood-fired oven for that authentic taste and finish and make all of our dough in-house using fresh yeast and “OO” flour. all of our ingredients are imported straight from Italy so they can guarantee authenticity.
The Green Dragon – A gastro-pub in Coventry that is popular with locals and visitors alike. What makes The Green Dragon Stand is its use of locally sourced products. The meat comes from The Lost Farm which only uses Native British breeds that eat local grass, and the beer is made by Purity who produced locally with local grains.
Benugo Bar & Kitchen Restaurant at Warwick Arts Centre – Benugo Bar & Kitchen is a beautiful, leafy restaurant situated within Warwick Art’s Centre. It serves a vibrant range of seasonal food, to share and binge on before watching a show. Our restaurant is family-friendly, and even offers children the chance to make their own pizzas during quieter times!
Metropolis Restaurant Coventry – Metropolis Bar and Restaurant is quietly developing a reputation as one of the city’s best places to eat in the city centre. If you search Tripadvisor for the best pubs and bars in Warwickshire it returns Metropolis as one of the No 1 choices, based on the strength of its glowing reviews. By any search, filter or metric, Metropolis is a food destination people really want to visit.
Spice Fever – Creating home-made authentic samosas using only the finest locally sourced ingredients, chicken, lamb & vegetables. They are unique in that they not only make samosas completely from scratch themselves but also cook them there & then onsite the authentic way at every market, event and farmers market.
The Pod Cafe – The Pod Cafe is a part of Coventry City Council Adult Social Care and sits within ‘The Pod’, which is a mental health social advocacy and brokerage service. The cafe has been running for around 10 years and has been fully plant-based for the previous 6 years. Its core purpose is to support the work of ‘The Pod’ and create a welcoming space for all. They have recently been listed in The Telegraph and Muddy Stilettos as a go-to location for plant-based food in the Midlands, adding to their recommendation in The Guardian just before the Covid-19 pandemic forced a change to the way they worked.
Culinary Bites with Sophie – Self-employed Chef running her own catering business. A knowledgeable, competent and professional chef who always goes above and beyond to give their customers a dining experience they want to come back for time and time again. Sophine aim is to ensure the magic happens when you put food in your mouth. The sophistication is found in the simplicity of ingredients making each component pop full of flavour. Menus are based on seasonality and using local suppliers where possible. High-quality ingredients are a must because without these their dishes could be mediocre which is not the goal.