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Chinese Quarter, Birmingham — Area Guide & Where to Stay
The Chinese Quarter is a district of central Birmingham, set on the southern edge of the city centre around Hurst Street. Its restaurants, supermarkets and food halls mark it as the home of the city's Chinese community. The Bull Ring lies just north. With the adjoining Gay Village, it makes up part of the wider Southside district.
About Chinese Quarter
Where to stay in Chinese Quarter
The right area depends on your trip — here's what each neighbourhood is best for.
The Chinese Quarter holds few hotels itself. Most visitors book a room across the wider Southside or in central Birmingham and walk in for the evening, drawn by the run of Chinese restaurants and late food halls along Hurst Street. The Bull Ring and its markets are a few minutes north, and the Gay Village's bars sit right next door.
It favours food and nightlife over sightseeing. St Martin in the Bull Ring and the Birmingham Back to Backs stay within easy walking distance.
About Chinese Quarter
What are the main landmarks in Chinese Quarter?
The closest landmark is St Martin in the Bull Ring, the medieval parish church beside the markets on the quarter's northern edge. A short walk down Hurst Street brings you to the Birmingham Back to Backs, the restored courtyard houses kept by the National Trust. North through the city centre lie the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Thinktank science museum.
The Jewellery Quarter's Pen Museum and Coffin Works sit a little further out. All lie within a walk.
What is the history of Chinese Quarter?
This corner of Birmingham was built up during the city's industrial expansion, when workers filled courts of back-to-back houses like those kept at the Birmingham Back to Backs. St Martin in the Bull Ring, on the northern edge, is far older, a parish church of medieval origin rebuilt in the Victorian era. The area took on its modern character after Birmingham's Chinese community began settling around Hurst Street in the mid-twentieth century.
Restaurants, grocers and family businesses followed. The name Chinese Quarter took hold as that community grew.
Where is Chinese Quarter?
The quarter occupies the blocks between Hurst Street and Pershore Street, just south of the Bull Ring. Ladywell Walk runs through its centre. Its northern edge climbs toward St Martin in the Bull Ring and the surrounding market halls, while the Gay Village adjoins it to the east.
Both quarters belong to Birmingham's Southside.
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Updated July 2026