After living in Birmingham for many years and hearing about Frank Stitt's Bottega Cafe, it's hard to believe that this is my first visit, but it surely won't be the last. From the moment we entered until we left we felt catered to and our every whim was met. Simply stated, the food was delicious! I got the Friday special menu item, sea bass with capers on fingerling potatoes and served with a salad of spinach and arugula. From the first bite I was hooked due to the explosion of flavors in my mouth. Paired with an excellent Pinot Grigio and fresh focaccia with olive oil, this meal is one I will remember for a long time. Now to plan our next outing...wonder what other deliciousness I will choose then? Believe me, there are many options and they all looked so good! read more

Delicious. We went to Bottega Cafe before a concert downtown a few Fridays ago. We were expecting to spend a lot more money that we actually did. For about $50 before tax and tip, we both got exactly what we wanted as our main dish (no skimping for something smaller/cheaper to make the bill less), and appetizer, and I even got a Diet Coke. My husband got a hamburger, which was SO good and came with potato chips and I got the "white pie". I was able to take half of the pizza with me to eat for lunch the next day. I have been craving the "white pie" ever since - especially since I have to drive by Bottega on my way home from work each day. The staff was great, friendly, and my husband said that our waiter was "a ninja waiter" because he kept refilling our drinks and making sure we had everything we needed without being disruptive to our conversation. We'll be back! read more

I was excited to go here but the food did not live up to the hype. Pork belly and watermelon was horrible and I didn't eat it. Nice atmosphere but very overpriced. read more

Very nice staffs with nice interior. The food was on point. I would come here everyday if I had $$. And I like the location of it as well read more

Bottega Cafe - Nicoise salad with grilled tuna was the best salad I've ever had!! - Italian Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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not even sure where to begin...after receiving many recommendations for Bottega, we decided to give it a whirl. At best, the food was fair and I am being generous. A sardine appetizer that could have been plated directly from a can, an unimaginative romaine salad, overcooked farm raised salmon, and a skirt steak that was fatty (not the melt in your mouth fat that is typically characteristic of skirt steak), chewy and very unappetizing. Sometimes you can give a restaurant another "look" if the food is close, but there was a large gap here. I couldn't recommend Bottega nor would I return. And considering the price point was fairly high, there's no question about my decision. Or maybe it is a pizza and beer cafe? read more

I'm not sure I understand some of the reviews here...I've gone to Bottega countless times over the years and NEVER had a bad time. Yes, the wait CAN be longish (it isn't always), for this is a popular place. As for whether people are pretentious here, what has that to do with a food review? You can find pretentious people in parking lots, churches, snack bars, movie theatres, lines at the zoo...you get the idea. What counts here is we've always had good service, though we do get the occasional zoned-out waitron. There are a number of things I love here, but tops is the beef carpaccio. Also a fave are the variations on roasted pork loin, sometimes with wilted greens, sometimes (seasonal) with pumpkin. Wow. I seem to recall getting the "white" pizza with fennel sausage...NO onions...and enjoying it, but that was some time ago, as I'm from out of town. I've also asked to see the main restaurant's menu, for a few of the different offerings, and succeeded, though they have on occasion seemed taken aback. I've enjoyed everything there, although I can't recount each dish. But believe me, if I'd felt cheated or if I'd had anything I considered tasteless, I'd have remembered! I'll give them a try next time I'm in BHM and, if they're up or down, I'll update. But I'm rarin' to go back...! read more

When I moved to Birmingham 14 years ago this is on the first restaurants I went to because of the Food Network. The mac & cheese is one of my favorite comfort food dishes in Birmingham. The service is impeccable you can't go wrong here read more

I went their expecting much more. Don't get the main restaraunt confused with the cafe. That is what I did. The Cafe is to the right of the building and the main dining area is to the left. The menu was very minimal and seemed to have reasonable prices for their pizzas. Although, I must say, excellent wait staff. I would try it again, but next time I'll go for lunch. read more

I rarely let poor service get in the way of enjoying a fine meal. Well the pizza isn't THAT good, and boy was I made to feel like I wasn't welcome from the hostess on. read more

I was in Birmingham for work and went here with a coworker after work based on a recommendation from the hotel. When we arrived there weren't that many people but thirty minutes later it was packed with a nice professional crowd. Our waitress was very attentive and made great recommendations. I had bruschetta and margarita pizza and they were both delicious. I will return when I'm back in Birmingham. read more

Very enjoyable meal. Restaurant has been around a while and enjoys a strong following. Started with a pecan old fashioned which was delicious. Heirloom tomato salad and mussels to start. Both very good. Ribeyes, mushroom risotto and veal dish were the mains which did not disappoint. Coconut pie and Jack Daniels ice cream finished out meal. Was celebrating a special 85th birthday. Was very pleased with meal though would have been a nice touch to comp one of the desserts. read more

One of my favorites! I love going to Bottega during blueberry season. The. Blueberry tiramisu is one of the best desserts in Birmingham.

Stopped in here for a late night cocktail and was very impressed. This must have been an old government or bank building transformed into a warm contemporary space. We only ordered drinks from the bar so can't comment on the food. I can't remember the exact name of the cocktail I ordered but it was a strawberry infused drink served in a martini glass. Very refreshing and satisfying. The bartenders were friendly and on point. The great service, awesome atmosphere and a great cocktail list will bring me back. But on the next visit I plan to have lunch or dinner. read more

If you are looking for some delicious food from Chef Frank Stitt, but aren't up for spending as much as you would at Highlands or the main dining room of Bottega, then definitely check out Bottega Cafe! There is nothing really negative to say about this place. I want to say first off that their pizzas are about the best that I have had in Birmingham. The salmon pizza is incredible...craving one now that I am writing this! The cocktails are top notch as well. The only negative to me in that the inside, while a beautiful space, gets very loud when it is crowded (which is most of the time.) I know that a lot of people are fans of community tables and banquette seating, but I am not...and these make up the majority of the seating inside. I will wait for an outside table if I have to, because that is the place to be here. The courtyard patio, nestled behind neatly trimmed hedges, is awesome, and such a relaxing spot to enjoy a great meal or just cocktail with friends. read more

Absolutely beautiful atmosphere, stunning architecture and decor. Great wine list and fabulous drink menu. Lovely Italian inspired menu. read more

Bottega Cafe - Italian Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

There is such a thing as Southern hospitality, and Bottega embodies it. The Bottega Cafe (the fancier restaurant is housed in the same building) is a fantastic and decently priced restaurant. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and casual, and the food was creative, well-prepared and served in a timely fashion. We sat outside on a rather cool but pleasant night, and I enjoyed a salmon special that they served over polenta. I sampled a few other items from my friends and everything was outstanding, including a couple of the appetizers that they brought us. The music that they played was totally entertaining, as we heard things from standard contemporary FM fare to Ween's "Bananas and Blow." First time for that one in a restuarant. Not only that, our server came to the concert I was performing that night and GAVE us 5 slices of some killer tiramisu for dessert since we said we didn't have time earlier. When in Birmingham folks, go to Bottega!!! read more

Another Frank Stitt creation off of highland ave. I could rave all day about the ambiance, drinks, and service, but the food is the best thing about this place. I suggest the chicken scalopinie served over cheese polenta and covered with a lemon bur blanc sauce. Grab an orange thing martini and enjoy a wonderful dinner. If you ever find yourself in Birmingham, I highly recommend this place. read more

The food was excellent but the atmosphere was way too loud. We couldn't enjoy our meal because it was so loud.

We were very disappointed in our evening at Bottega Cafe. The bartender was not very friendly, the drinks were overpriced ($16 for a house Cabernet!), and the food was poor to average. I had a un-appetizing salad with sardines that were almost inedible and undercooked potatoes. My husbands burger was average, but overall too much smoky flavor. The pork belly starter was the highlight, but it went down from there. And I appreciate our server removing the salad from the bill. Overall I feel that we wasted our money. read more

Celebrated my birthday back in October here with my family last October. Our waiter was very accommodating and knowledgeable. Great experience read more

Bottega Cafe - Filet: yum! Cooked perfectly - Italian Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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Bad: - The wait staff don't listen and are slow with very simple (and reasonable) requests. - They didn't have a caesar salad when we went. This should be a menu staple. - Unless you order a pizza, the portions seem somewhat small. - Crowded and loud. - Parking situation is poor. Good: - The food tastes fantastic. - Food presentation. - Nice building and decor. read more

Bottega is one of then best dining locations in Birmingham. The food is phenomenal. I have never had anything there that wasn't superb. If you want a fine dining experience you should hit Bottega. read more

Was visiting for work in Birmingham and did not have a reservation when I stopped by on a Tuesday night. I was able to sit at the bar in the cafe and order food. Staff was friendly and very knowledgeable of the menu. read more

Extremely meh. I must be missing something here. In town for business, I chose this place based on the great reviews. Instead of waiting an hour for a table, I chose to eat dinner at the bar. I ordered a glass of rose, which was served promptly and perfectly chilled, then I ordered the crab crostini appetizer. After it was delivered, I looked at it for at least 10 minutes while I waited for my silverware. I then placed my entree order. Craving a pasta dish and not seeing many options (at an Italian restaurant?!), I asked the bartender for her recommendation. She suggested the spaghetti dish and to add sausage to it, stating the sauce was "very delicious with a kick of red pepper." Sounded fabulous! It arrived 45 minutes later, warmish and bland with no sausage (or "kick"). I ate maybe 1/4 of it and waited another 30 minutes for the bartender to check back in. Underwhelming experience all around. read more

We took a long car ride on a Saturday afternoon expecting to have a lovely lunch in a new, somewhat upscale restaurant that had great reviews. Unfortunately we did not enjoy it and could not get out of there soon enough. I have no doubt that people would love the atmosphere as the reviews certainly indicated. For us, it was like walking into a very crowded cocktail party. We were all stuffed into a small place sitting so close to those near you that wait staff and diners had to pause to let others pass by. I watched one woman wait and wait until she could merge into a path only to give up and go a very long less popular route cutting between the tight tables. However the worse part was the noise of all those folks just rolled and rolled throughout the room aided by the very high ceiling and the nature of the older building. There were multiple noise buffering fabric pieces hanging from the ceiling but they did not help reduce the din at all. Drinking cocktails was an obvious draw for the majority of the tables there which certainly helped to fuel the level of noise. Crowds waiting for tables also added to the noise and atmosphere. My husband and I could not talk without leaning in and raising our voices and accepting that we still might not get heard. I would recommend sitting on the patio even if it is not something you typically do. The food was hard for us to enjoy however the bread was delicious. We had a cold tomato cucumber soup that was tasty and main dishes. At the end of my meal, I realized I had consumed a lot of olive oil. It is offered to dip your bread into and was put on the soup as a garnish with basil. My pasta had a pesto sauce which was basil leaves and pine nuts floating in a fair amount of olive oil. So our main dishes were not impressive. Our service was okay but nothing really rose above the noise for us. Since only one other reviewer mentioned the noise, I thought I might offer this review for those who might be looking to enjoy their dining companions with their food. read more

Bottega has great food and service in a low key, yet upscale environment. There will most likely be a wait, but that means you can enjoy a Hemingway, or any number of other delicious cocktails. The menu is seasonal. My most recent Summer visit included Spanish octopus with a romesco sauce for an appetizer, and a fish sandwich with spicy coleslaw. The octopus was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was so delicious we asked for extra bread to ensure none was left behind. The fish sandwich on this particular day consisted of dolphin fish, not to be confused with the porpoise, and was wonderful. If the coleslaw is anything to go by, then Frank Stitt could easily open a BBQ joint. On previous Fall visits I've enjoyed the Pappardelle with Duck Ragu. This is an amazing dish and should be ordered no questions asked. If you're looking for seasonal food with great drinks and ambience, and service that is clearly ingrained into the culture of the restaurant, then Bottega is a must. read more

My favorite of all the Stitt restaurants, even more than Highlands. The flavor and consistency is just unrivaled. We love checking out the seasonal pastas but also love our safe go-to chicken pesto pizza with 2 fried eggs on top. The staff is also stellar and extremely accommodating. It's our classic dinner spot. read more

When I first moved back to Birmingham from Los Angeles, nothing represented the remarkable transformation in the local culinary scene like Frank Stitt's, Bottega Cafe. From the Gulf Shrimp Risotto to the Beef Tenderloin, everything is spot on. You quickly find out why Frank Stitt has won numerous James Beard awards. Im a huge fan of Tiramisu and Bottega's is excellent. The service is always very prompt and they are extremely knowledgeable about the menu. The care and passion they have for the restaurant is very evident. This is one of my favorite aspects of the restaurant. When my server cares, i care that much more. Bottega offers a great outdoor patio as well. Perfect for the Birmingham's fall weather. If you are visiting Birmingham and want to get the true Birmingham culinary experience, I highly recommend Bottega. read more

Wow the Cafe side has gone downhill. Use to be a staple. Service and food so mediocre. Won't be back.

Food is great. But the service isn't good. If you have a big party it is a mess. We sat at the table for 15 minutes before anyone took our drink order. We also waiting a hour and thirty minutes when they told us the wait would be forty minutes. read more

We travel to Birmingham for work annually, and were really happy to randomly find this place in 2010. Great building, cozy atmosphere, friendly staff, great food and drinks, etc., so naturally we headed straight back a year later, and were even looking forward to it. Enter 2011, and suddenly the place is swarming with the most obnoxious clientele imaginable--seriously, you could not have crammed one more shrieking woman in a high-waisted satin minidress and 4-inch heels through the door. (I happen to own a couple pairs of 4-inch heels, but I can't condone them when they allow a mass of shriekers to shriek from higher in the atmosphere.) Even if that was somehow just a bad night to be there, the lousy staff (not so much rude as glassy-eyed/not-so-smart or just inattentive, aside from our very earnest waiter) and totally mediocre food made it clear Bottega has slid. We ordered four different items and two signature drinks (both genuinely icky; BF couldn't even finish his, though I soldiered through in a misguided attempt to get my money's worth and dull the aforementioned shrieking), and the best thing we ate was the side of potato chips served with spinach/artichoke dip, which were clearly straight out of a bag. In short, really obnoxious atmosphere, and anyone who thinks the food is amazing honestly just hasn't traveled enough. read more

Bottega Café is the more casual sister side of the Bottega Dining Room. We dined al fresco where it was quieter and more romantic. The inside seemed quite noisy when we walked in. We had no reservation for two but were seated right away on a Saturday night at 8:00. Brandi was our server and she guided us expertly through some vague menu descriptors. I had a nice Greek salad - not too large, just right with a dressing that was tasty but not overwhelming. This was our first visit here and Yelpers raved about the chicken scaloppini, so I selected it. It was a festival for my palate, served on risotto with yet another small salad, all in an excellent presentation. The chicken was moist and lightly breaded. My wife had the spaghetti and meatballs, also presented nicely. Pasta is rarely presented with such enthusiasm, because after all - it's just pasta. But this looked picture perfect. She said the meatballs were not as good as her meatballs, but she makes phenomenal meatballs. At least she liked them. Then we topped it off by sharing a huge, rich, decadent slice of chocolate cake. We felt that Bottega lived up to its reputation and we will certainly return. Another nice surprise was the check - apparently after 8:00 PM the pasta dishes are half price. Very nice. read more

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Goddamn this food is good. It's hard to find good Italian food in AL but they do it right. They changed the menu since the last time we came but the taste is consistent. read more

Absolutely delicious food! There are a great amount of simple dining options and a nice full service bar. I last visited for lunch and had the chicken scallopine which was divine. It is chill no frills cafe food with extreme flavor. The best part is dessert! At this time of year they no doubt have some sort of pumpkin inspired sweets. Go before you get hungry as there is usually a wait............or you could make reservations. read more

While I have been here for dinner before and enjoyed it, I stopped by this weekend for a mid-afternoon drink and snack on the patio, and I could not have picked a better place. The service was fast and friendly, the patio was inviting, the cocktails were refreshing and the "antipasto platter" was the perfect snack. Light but flavorful. I suggest you spend a spring afternoon on their patio. You won't regret it. read more

What a beautiful building! That impressed me first off. My party and i were a little put off by the fact that Bottega is actually two different restaurants... It seems like there should be two different clearly displayed signs to indicate the two sides of the restaurant, but oh well, i guess if you've been there b4, then you know that... and i'll know that next time, so i'll let that go. Other than that initial weirdness, we really liked the Bottega Café! We got two appetizer items. The first, the funghi (mushroom) pizza was really tasty. I loved all the different types of mushrooms with their flavors blended together. Yum. The other item, the baked feta, to me, was a disappointment. It was basically marinara sauce, with the flavor of the feta indecipherable from the marinara, so i wondered why it was called baked feta. A misnomer if i ever tasted one... I didn't enjoy it, but the toast points that came along with the baked marinara were pretty good. As for my entrée, it was delicious! The chicken scaloppine was perfectly cooked with the bread coating perfectly done. The polenta underneath it was creamy and delicious. My co-diners got two fish entrées and they were oh so right too! They've got some good chefs in that kitchen i would say. There was only one slight issue i had with the food... there was a little salt shift: the pizza was too salty, while the chicken and one of the fish entrées weren't quite salty enuf, but i forgive them for that. We informed them that it was our friend's birthday and they graciously and complimentarily brought him a tiramisu dessert. It was small, (but then again it was free...). However, it was fantastic!... one of the best tiramisus i've ever had. And it was a nice touch that the words Happy Birthday were drizzled in chocolate on the plate. Overall, good job Bottega! read more

After reading the reviews below, I was stunned, perhaps we arrived on a bad night. Firstly the noise level is unbelievably loud, do not go here if you are intending to have any kind of conversation other than "pick up". I think maybe the chef was off and someone had to deputize, this is the only acceptable reason for the recipes being prepared so badly. Four of us had less than acceptable food. The lamb kebab appetizer was actually lamb kofte, highly seasoned but not blended. It was overcooked. The house Leaf salads were OK. The Bruschetta which was not Bruschetta but toast with a bowl of topping which tasted like tomato soup and cheese blended was amateur. Carbonara - now guys if you are going to try this, look up how to cook it, a carbonara is not an alfredo, there should be no sauce in the dish - it coats the pasta, and its not creamy. The pizza was tasty but presentation was abysmal, I thought pizzas were flat....not bowl shaped. Maybe its a Birmingham Thang. The salmon was over cooked and finally I cant even remember what the fourth entree was, it was so unmemorable. On a more boring note yes I have travelled extensively including Italy so perhaps my expectation is high, when the waitress asked me and my husband how wonderful our food was and we said less than adequate she was confused....no reduction in billing was offered. Cocktails super weak and unimaginative. read more

I went there for my birthday a few weeks ago with a group of my friends. We waited for about an hour and half and sat outside with some drinks. The hostess brought us some bread and olive oil which was nice. I love the atmosphere. My friends were not too impressed with the pizza. Mine was okay. I thought it would be better. I got a free delicious dessert because it was my birthday. I will still go back over and over. read more

Long wait. Pretentious environment. Over-hyped food and overpriced drinks. Very loud inside, hard to have conversation. Good company and the peach cobbler is the only reason this place is even getting 3 stars. read more

As I continue to eat my way through Birmingham, Bottega Cafe has been one of the restaurants that gets recommended repeatedly, so needless to say I had high expectations for this restaurant. I was warned a number of times they don't take reservations and it gets crowded so it was no surprise when the wait was an hour around 7:45 pm on Saturday night. Lucky for us, there is a very cute wine bar right across the street (which I highly recommend checking out) we could hang out at while waiting. When we were finally called an hour later, we were drunk, hungry and ready to eat. We had already scouted out the menu, which is a terrible habit of ours, so we already knew what we wanted, pending any delicious specials they may have. I don't remember there being any noteworthy specials, so we ordered the grilled octopus, the white pie, and the mussels. The grilled octopus came out first- I'm usually hesitant about ordering octopus because 75% of the time it is extremely chewy and tough. Fortunately, the octopus was cooked really well but unfortunately, it had no flavor at all. The mussels and pizza came out at the same time and had a similar story. The mussels were cooked well but the sauce wasn't that "give me all the bread to soak up every last drop" that we all dream about. The pizza was just ok. There weren't that many toppings so it tasted more like baked crust than anything else. Like I said- we had high hopes for this place. The restaurant itself is very cute and has a nice atmosphere, but I think I'd go to Bettola next time. read more