Argentinian restaurant Gaucho has ended years of speculation about investing in Birmingham by announced it will open in Colmore Row.
The glamorous steakhouse, which is currently based only in London, Leeds and Manchester, has signed up to open a restaurant at 55 Colmore Row.
Gaucho had previously been linked with a host of restaurant sites across the city, including at Brindleyplace and in the old Midland Bank building in Bennetts Hill, before it became a Cosy Club.
But the deal at 55 Colmore Row, which is currently being redeveloped by IM Properties behind a giant black shroud - the largest in the UK - is another boost for the city's food scene.
The redevelopment is expected to be completed this autumn. The move follows plans by upmarket café Gusto and popular bar The Alchemist to set up shop at the neighbouring Grand Hotel.
Zeev Godik, of Gaucho, said Birmingham was chosen for its growth potential and rising profile as a food haven.
He said: "We've been looking at Birmingham for some time but finding the right location was crucial. It had to look and feel right for the brand.
"All our restaurants are individual and we needed a space that enabled us to tell the story of Gaucho to the full and create a memorable experience for customers in the city."
Gaucho will be on the corner of Church Street and Colmore Row, with a dedicated entrance in Church Street opposite the proposed new entrance to the Grand Hotel.
It will sit on the lower ground floor of 55 Colmore Row and forms part of a wider £30 million redevelopment at the heart of the business district.
Above it will be offices, with Pinsent Masons having already signed up to 40,000 sq ft of the available 160,000 sq ft.
The search goes on for another restaurant operator for the remaining space with specialist retail and leisure agents BWD appointed to find suitable operators.
An IM Properties spokesman said it was currently in discussions with a number of interested parties for the second unit.
John Hammond, investment director at IM Properties, said: "For us, 55 Colmore Row is a real place changer and everything about the building has to be aspirational.
"Our ambition was to attract a top tier restaurant and, when Gaucho approached us, we knew they ticked all our boxes for style, quality and vibrancy, paying the same attention to designing their restaurants as we have to creating one of the most prestigious business addresses in the area.
"Recent lettings at the Grand Hotel to Gusto and Alchemist are part of a push forward to make the CBD a high quality business and leisure location.
"We believe Gaucho significantly adds to the offering and will provide a real talking point in the city, becoming a place to go and be seen."
See inside the new offices of The Grand in Colmore Row
