One of two restaurants by famous British celebrity chef, Marco Pierre White in Birmingham, this is located on the fifth floor of the Cube giving nice views of the overlooking canal making it a cool place to grab an outside drink on a summer's day looking out onto the canal, or perhaps an Afternoon Tea if you want to perhaps avoid his other location which is more of a premium steakhouse on the 25th floor of the Hotel Indigo / The Cube building. The store is set out more like a bistro but the décor is pretty nice, modern and open especially with the open door into the outside area which I presume is shut in the cold winters days. The service seemed a little slow - perhaps it is to do with Bardolino not being as premium as his other locations and this one being the only Bardolino store in MPW's selection of restaurant brands. They don't have a service charge like the other MPW restaurants here which is no excuse for bad/good service. I did only notice two people working, one wearing a standard uniform and the other was dressed as a chef despite working the floor - he had no knowledge of the menu and what could be gluten-free which was a shame, he seemed friendly enough but firstly when he offered to sit me down I thought he was lost and not a server. It is designed to be an Italian/ pizza and espresso bar serving pizzas, pasta and brunch, the latter between 11 pm and 5 pm. They do however also serve Afternoon Tea during the day like any MPW restauraunt. I ordered the Bardolino Breakfast after being told it could be modified to be gluten-free, costing £9.50 this isn't too bad for the quality and it being in a nice area with nice surroundings. I was upset to not be given the choice of what I could have in lieu of the sausage which of course contained gluten - I did feel misled as he told me it would be gluten-free originally much to my surprise, excitement and delight. Obviously, I'd rather have what could be gluten-free, but to be told something and then being given something else for me gives me a lack of confidence in the server's knowledge of allergies and communication skills and of course disappointment as 1. I expected a sausage 2. They included extra mushrooms and eggs instead, I would have preferred a choice of which I'd have perhaps ask for a different type of egg because eventually the large amounts of mushrooms/poached egg for boring and repetitive and beans. The brunch option also includes poached egg so it is a shame it didn't include a choice, as I would have most likely asked for scrambled. I feel like the kitchen tried to be too artsy with my food to the point it failed miserably and knocked the quality, being served in a big, heavy black pot - some of the food was hidden and squashed each other and one of my eggs felt the full wrath of that, it also made food harder to cut - and with the mushrooms being pretty big you wouldn't be able to fit a whole one in your mouth, nor would one even attempt. The ingredients were good quality and it was good portion size, but for me, there wasn't enough on the plate to the point it becomes boring and a little tasteless towards the end, especially with the squashed egg. Most of the pancetta seemed crispy however parts were a little fatty and chewy for me to the point it becomes disgusting, annoying and again, boring quite quickly so perhaps some scrambled eggs, potatoes or beans would have livened up my plate. They also didn't have any gluten-free bread which I was also promised - instead they partially toasted a pizza base - yes you heard it A PIZZA BASE FOR BREAD? Which was partially raw - the whole point of a pizza base is to have toppings not to have raw with a breakfast (obviously the base was cooked from the dough) and it just tasted bland, they like Birmingham City FC and the Premier League just don't go together (Sorry Brummies) 2* - Good quality ingredients but issues with service and minor issues with food do make this one of the worse of the locations MPW has in The Cube. read more

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I visited Bardolino for lunch and it was a really nice, casual meal out. There's no fuss or pretence as with the steakhouse at Bardolino, there is a much more laid back feel with airy, modern decor. The floor to ceiling Windows look on to the canal which gives an outdoorsy feel even though it's not! We were all pleased with our food at Bardolino - pizzas were nice and thin and crispy, with generous toppings, and some great sweet potato fries. The menu is made of mainly pizzas, pastas and salads, and range from about £8-£12.50. For drinks there is a average size wine-list and a selection of Bellini-kind cocktails. I went for the Bardolino cooler which was delicious - though randomly they were served in glasses rather than flutes. The service was fine, though there was a bit of confusion with the bill, and annoyingly there was a service charge which is a bit cheeky for a small group at lunch time. I'd still say it is a good shout for a casual lunch though, and they certainly didn't mind us stretching it out for a couple of hours. read more

Bardolino - Pizza Near Me - Birmingham, XWM

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I went here for dinner yesterday. It was really hard to find it in the cube and I couldn't find any detailed directions online. Eventually we found it and we were surprised by how quiet it was for a Friday evening. The staff were very friendly. A little bit over bearing at some points as they were trying to up sell at every occasion. I had a pistachio milkshake, which was amazing. For my meal I had the fungi mushroom pizza and sea salt chips. The pizza was really nice, good value for money. I couldn't eat all mine, so I took the rest home. On average its around 8-9 pounds for a pizza, which is not too bad. It's worth checking out if you like pizza. read more

Much can be said about Marco Pierre White's personality and sense of style. Known in the 80's and 90's for his behaviour in the kitchen and illustrious Michelin starred career, MPW has since retired and has graced his name upon various restaurants and franchises across the United Kingdom. Bardolino is his most recent foray into the Brum restaurant scene and is perhaps his most personal effort to date. Bardolino launched with a teaser as a still operating espresso and bellini bar on the second floor of the Mailbox. It's named in honour his mother's hometown in Italy. Bardolino the restaurant is in a trickier to find spot on the floor of the cube abutting the canal. The obvious sign you're there are the wall sized photos of Marco outside and a lobby with a vespa parked inside. It's decked out with a take on today's ubiquitous style of pallet wood, Edison bulbs, jam jar lights, and white tile. It works really well though in making the cube feel a bit more relaxed and homely. The menu is focused on doing a small number of things very well. Instead of an overly complicated number of entrees, you'll find a one page menu of antipasto, pizzas, pastas, salads, some sides, and dessert. Quality ingredients compete with a relatively low price point for some of the most affordable Italian cuisine in the entire city. Bellinis, wine/beer, and espresso drinks round out the rest of the menu. So far I've tried Bardolino's pizza and one of their pasta dishes. The Florentina pizza is a thin stone baked crust with spinach, mozzarella, and a fried egg on top for £8. The pizza was much better than what you'll find from the high street chains, and included an accompaniment of chilli oil. The spinach and ricotta cannelloni may look like a small portion, but the rich and savoury dish is quite decadent for £8.50. The tiramisu dessert is a perfect end to an already excellent meal, and is about as fresh as you can get. Daily offers range from student specials to free bellini Tuesday all the way to a buy two entrees get a free bottle of wine offer (sun-fri). These incredible deals have produced bills for me that total £22 for two entrees, a bottle of pinot grigio, and a slice of tiramisu. While the food itself earns five stars from me, the service over my past several visits has shown that there is much room for improvement. On my first visit the staff had not been trained on what special offers were available on that day, leading to confusion and the staff member needing to consult the manager. On another visit, our table took advantage of several offers that day (both the wine and bellini offers) only to be told when the bill arrived that the offers were only good for one per table. This was not the case on my first visit, and may signal a change in policy, or perhaps a further lack of offer consistency. Furthermore, it seems impossible for a bill to be split amongst a party, and heaven forbid you actually try to get out of paying the automatic service charge. All things said, if you can find your way over and down to The Cube, you'll be pleasantly surprised by some of the most tasty, authentic, and affordable Italian food in Birmingham! read more

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First things first, this place looks great. I love the beautiful wooden floor and quirky Italian prints. So nice to be right next to the water as well. The menu is lovely- pizzas and salads mainly. I chose a pizza with prosciutto and rocket. There was plenty of ham and the tomato was delicious. I would have liked the base a little thinner but that's personal preference. I had a couple of bellinis which were pleasant but I didn't like that they were not served in flutes. My meal and two drinks came to about £22 which is pretty good. I wish they wouldn't add the service charge on though- it's a bit excessive for a small group at lunch time. Service was generally fantastic apart from one gentleman who was confused when we wanted to pay different amounts using card. It's really unfair on staff and customers to not train staff properly! A tentative 3 and a half stars. I look forward to revisiting for brunch. read more

A beautiful morning at the Bardolino launch. Enjoyed the sophisticated sounds of Sean R Official whilst trying a variety of Breakfast and Brunch offerings. Bardolino will bring a relaxed and rustic choice to the Birmingham Dining Circuit to both the lifestyle and business markets respectively. The Menu suits varied dietary requirements which is refreshing to see and I could quite happily work my way through the Bellini list. Casual Dining using local produce, something for everyone. I can foresee many a relaxed afternoon spent here. We'll be back for the fantastic looking Pizza list very soon. Welcome to Birmingham Bardolino! #HootLive #Birmingham #BrumBloggers read more

Bardolino - Bardolino launch - Pizza Near Me - Birmingham, XWM

Birthday Disappointment I went with a party of 6 for Afternoon Tea which was booked 2 weeks previously. When we got there on time, we were asked to wait so they could join 2 tables and set them up so they clearly hadn't planned ahead and weren't expecting us. The food was average not as good as our expectations and the olives had pips in so were messy to eat. The food was not very filling and we had a takeaway on the way home. The tea pots were delivered to the table in drips and drabs, so we didn't all get our tea at the same time, we had to ask for milk and sugar and they only had brown sugar. Glad we went for the experience so we can say we have been but wont be going again. Shame because it was a double Birthday celebration and it could have been much better. Also we were told it was smart casual dress with no tatty jeans, yet there were people in white towelling robes who were from the Spa, so this didn't make sense either. read more