BAZAR at Harvey Nichols: A Love Letter from Persia
There's something inherently poetic about Farsi. Even gratitude can become a little more beautiful, with dastet dard nakone, literally “may your hand not hurt”, used as a warm thank you for the effort someone has made. It's a small insight into a language and culture where feeling, hospitality and expression are often intertwined, and it feels like an appropriate place to begin at BAZAR.
Set within Harvey Nichols at The Mailbox, BAZAR brings the flavours and spirit of Persia into one of Birmingham's best-known luxury shopping destinations. Here, the experience stretches far beyond dinner, moving from brunch and afternoon tea to cocktails and an evening menu, all within a setting that feels as fashion-conscious as its address suggests.
But it's the Persian influence that gives BAZAR its soul. Rather than treating the cuisine as something fixed in tradition, the restaurant presents Persia through a contemporary lens, bringing its flavours, hospitality and sense of occasion into a distinctly modern setting. The result is a restaurant that feels less like a formal introduction to Persian food and more like an invitation into its world.
The Backstory
BAZAR’s story is rooted in a desire to bring Persian culinary heritage into a new setting, drawing on centuries of recipes, ingredients and traditions while allowing the kitchen freedom to reinterpret them for a contemporary audience.
The result is a menu that moves between familiar and less familiar territory, with Persian influences providing its strongest sense of identity. Rather than treating heritage as something static, they approach it with a lighter touch, allowing traditional flavours to sit comfortably within a more cosmopolitan dining experience.
That balance is perhaps what makes the restaurant feel at home inside Harvey Nichols. Persian heritage remains the foundation, but the experience is unmistakably of its time, designed for a city where food, fashion and culture increasingly meet around the same table.
The Location
The address does some of the work for BAZAR. Located inside Harvey Nichols at The Mailbox, the restaurant is around a three-minute walk from Birmingham New Street station, making it particularly easy to fold into a day of shopping, a business lunch or an evening in the city.
Interior Design
If the food is BAZAR’s expression of Persia, the interiors are its expression of unabashed luxury. This is a restaurant that does not whisper opulence; it embraces it.
Tiffany blue sets the tone from the moment you enter, carried through the wallpaper with intricate gold detailing and punctuated by deep green velvet booths. Gold cutlery sits against marble dining tables, while parquet flooring brings warmth and texture beneath the glamour. The open-plan layout allows the different elements of the restaurant to flow into one another, from the main dining room to the raised bar and elevated dining section, while a private dining space offers something more intimate.
An impressive wine display adds another layer of theatre, with bottles becoming part of the design rather than simply something to choose from. The raised bar creates its own focal point within the room, while the varying levels give the open-plan space a sense of movement and allow each area to feel distinct without being closed off.
At the centre of the visual identity is BAZAR’s butterfly logo, a recurring symbol of the brand that feels particularly fitting within a restaurant built around transformation. The butterfly appears as more than a decorative motif, becoming part of BAZAR’s visual language and its sense of movement between heritage and modern luxury.
The result is unapologetically glamorous. Tiffany blue, polished marble, gold accents, velvet and parquet create a palette that feels rich without becoming dated. It is a space that can shift effortlessly from daytime dining to cocktails, celebrations and more intimate evenings.
There's substance behind the glamour, too. BAZAR is female-owned and led, and the brand has a strong philanthropic side, regularly hosting events in support of charitable causes. It gives the restaurant an identity beyond its interiors and menu, where luxury is also used as a platform for bringing people together and giving back.
Dining
The menu is at its most interesting when it allows Persian and Lebanese influences to sit alongside more familiar contemporary dishes. For sharing, the Mezza Platter brings together beetroot hummus, baba ganoush, mast-o-khiar and hot butter sourdough, while individual dishes range from smoked baba ganoush and grilled halloumi salad to tiger prawns and Persian sausage.
The larger plates move between Middle Eastern classics and dishes with a more contemporary restaurant sensibility. The Persian Lamb Shank comes braised with root vegetables and rice in a broth, while Anar Chicken combines cinnamon and pomegranate with roast chicken, mushroom and spinach. There's also a melt-in-your-mouth spiced lamb tagine, shish tawook, lamb chops and a vegetarian moussaka, giving the menu enough breadth to make sharing particularly appealing.
The drinks programme is another part of the experience rather than an afterthought. BAZAR works with Spirits of Anarchy (SOA) on cocktails inspired by Persian and Lebanese flavours, alongside wine, Champagne and non-alcoholic creations. Its loose-leaf tea offering is equally considered, with exclusive blends including The Calm of the Caspian, signature Heart of Persia, and Sultans Earl Grey, reflecting the restaurant's Persian heritage through ingredients such as rose, hibiscus, jasmine, mint and pomegranate. All poured from a traditional brass Dallah teapot.
Dessert continues the theme. The Persian Love Cake combines vanilla, cardamom, cinnamon, rose, cream and crushed pistachio, while the 24K Sundae is designed for sharing, bringing together pistachio and vanilla ice cream, cream, pistachio and chocolate beneath a 24-carat gold finish.
Why Visit
BAZAR is interesting because it isn't trying to be one thing. It's a restaurant, cocktail destination, afternoon tea spot and place to pause during a shopping trip, all while keeping Persian influences at the centre of the experience.
Its location inside Harvey Nichols gives it a distinctly Birmingham luxury feel, but the food prevents it from becoming another polished restaurant without a point of view. There's enough heritage in the menu to make the cuisine meaningful, while the contemporary presentation, drinks programme and wider experience make it feel relevant to the way people actually dine now.
For those looking for somewhere that can take you from shopping and brunch to cocktails, afternoon tea or a proper dinner without changing the address, BAZAR makes a convincing case for staying a little longer in The Mailbox.
BAZAR
Located in: Mailbox Birmingham
Address: Harvey Nichols, 65 Wharfside St, Birmingham B1 1RE
For more information, visit HERE
Images courtesy of BAZAR
Words by Jheanelle Feanny
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