City centre street 'going from bad to worse' as empty shops and delivery bikes take over

City centre street 'going from bad to worse' as empty shops and delivery bikes take overA restaurant owner is the 'last man standing' in this 'zombie quarter'.NewsSteffan Rhys Deputy Content Hub Director and Kirsty Bosley12:39, 06 Apr 2026View 3 ImagesThis restaurant has thousands of glowing reviews online for its food but its owner says its future in a city centre's 'zombie quarter' is uncertain(Image: Kirsty Bosley)A restaurant owner who says he has spent 12 years battling to keep his business afloat in the centre of Britain's second largest city says where he works is a "dead area" dominated by empty shops.‌Erminio Shahmani opened La Galleria on Ethel Street in Birmingham in 2014 and since then claims the neighbourhood has gone from "bad to worse" as businesses close and delivery cyclists congregate in his doorway. La Galleria is the last surviving restaurant in a corner building that was formerly a Masonic Hall and then a cinema. The restaurant is a stone's throw from Birmingham's New Street Station, one of the country's biggest and busiest rail stations, and has thousands of glowing reviews on Google and TripAdvisor for its food but finds itself in what is being called the city's 'Zombie Quarter' because of its lack of life.‌Erminio has worked tirelessly to make his Italian eatery a success, despite an uncertain future in the building that still harbours a poignant time capsule, reports Birmingham Live. He serves Sicilian dishes alongside plates from across Italy, with a pizza oven next to the open kitchen for freshly baked bread and slices.‌"My staff are from all over Italy and the chefs are too," he told Birmingham Live. "It's a proper, authentic Italian restaurant. Everything is cooked here, you order and it's all cooked fresh, you can see. Every night I have three chefs, a pizza chef and a porter as well as my waiting team. It's...