Birmingham’s Fargo’s & iconic Tinsel Town announce closure

Fargo's Tinsel Town Halal Restaurant Birmingham Burgers

End of an era for Fargo’s in Birmingham & iconic Tinsel Town

Two established Halal restaurant brands have announced the closure of all their physical stores this week.

Having first opened 13 years ago in 2012, Fargo’s in Birmingham said it is preparing for its final day of service early next month.

We cannot thank our customers enough for all the love and support we have received over the years. You guys have created so many memories for us and we have made lasting friendships that will never fade – Fargo’s

This was followed by the shock announcement made today by London’s iconic burger brand Tinsel Town that it would be closing all 10 of its physical stores in London and the Midlands.

With doors to the restaurant on Ladypool Road scheduled to close this coming Sunday 4 August, Fargo’s owner Omran did reveal that it was “actively looking for a smaller and more intimate space”.

Thanking his customers for “all the love and support”, Omran said: “If you can remember Fargo and the Food Factory team from 2012 then you are classified as old! However, this is how it all started and we will never forget the times back when we were the only restaurant on this side of the road.

“Making handmade burgers and loaded fries back then, people thought we were crazy. Right or wrong, we just wanted to be different from the norm and that has always been the core ethos for our business, even to this day.”

Fargo’s actively looking & Tinsel Town changing to delivery

Meanwhile Tinsel Town clarified that its menu would still be available for order through its delivery partners Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat.

Having been a part of the Halal restaurant scene for 28 years, one Instagram user, al11moh, summed things up: “Tinsel was the place to be in the early 00’s, such a shame to see it go as they was the first food and shake place in London [sic]. At the same time I can see why, they didn’t go with the times and service become very poor.”

Although Fargo’s said that “ideal locations” for its come back would be Moseley, Hall Green, or Shirley, Omran told FtLion that he was now “concentrating” on his other restaurant brand Shokupan.

Known for serving Japanese Halal sandos and melts, as well as Detroit-style pizza in Grand Central Birmingham, he also revealed that “our second location [is] in [the] pipeline”, with an opening date of September aimed for Birmingham’s Millennium Point.