I popped in for lunch this friend to catch up with a friend (and I had 25%off!). Luckily I had…read morebooked, because the place was full! Sadly my friend cancelled last minute, but I decided to stay anyway. I ordered a mint and lemon spritz almost straightaway, but waited nearly 25 minutes for it to arrive and when it did, it wasn't the right drink! So had to wait another ten minutes for it to arrive, I was parched!;) In the meantime they had taken my food order-belly pork, but after seeing people who had arrived after me get served earlier I was starting to get anxious. A waiter came and said my food was on its way, which either means they forgot or messed up my order. When it did arrive is was really tasty and just what I wanted. I like them venue and the staff seem very nice but it seems they do have a few things to iron out, so I'll give them another chance.

Was lucky enough to be on the guest list for free tasting of their menu.. and it was brilliant! Our…read moreserver kitti was really knowledgeable about all the drinks and food as all of the staff have tasted every item on the menu! The decor is lovely and all of the staff are really friendly. This is definitely going to be the hardest place to get a table for a while. I had the prawn starter (I also tried the ribs) and they were delicious and for main I had fillet steak which was cooked brilliantly. My other favourite dish from my table was the pork wrapped in Parma ham (saltimbocca) it was a massive portion and really tasty! I need to go back to try the puddings as these look fab but I was too stuffed for a lunch. Speaking of which they have a great value lunch menu!

My colleague chose this restaurant for her maternity leaving do, there were eight of us in total…read moreand we were given a table in the corner. You get packets of breadsticks which are lovely and they make you wanting more!! Might have to look for some to buy!!! We shared garlic bread pizzas which were thin and crispy. Really nice! For main I had the crab ravioli which had clams in the sauce. It was nice but not a big dish,. As you only get a couple of big ravioli. I was still lil hungry after but decided not to have dessert. It is a nice restaurant with lovely staff but it was noisy, I found it hard to hear my colleagues talking. I think I would choose a different dish next time. It all looked great.

Came here last night as part of a dear friend's celebrations. As is often the case when someone…read moreelse organises it, an Italian is booked. This is where I usually mildly dread things, and politely keep my mouth shut about my aversion to Italian food. We were a large party so ordered ahead on the set menu which was actually a really good choice. Over fifty percent of the people on our table ordered the beef stroganoff, which was apparently amazing (and it did smell good). Nearly all of us had three courses, I had the whitebait to start, which smelt quite fishy, but didn't taste it. I think they were probably slightly overdone, but they still tasted good. Salmon for main, and it was a huge portion, with some of the best seasoned potatoes i've had on the little side of veggies that came with it. The chocolate cake was chocolate cake, and the semifreddo was gorgeous. The service was lovely, and attentive, with the little things like replacing a knife without having to ask. All for £25 with coffee or tea I'd say it's pretty good value. Expect to pay upwards of £18 for a bottle of wine. It wasn't perfect, but it was a lovely setting- and everyone left happy and full.

So, I needed a bite to eat after arriving in Birmingham mid-evening. When it comes to a reliable,…read moreinexpensive I've given up on Ask in London in favour of Pizza Express, but this one was close to my hotel. The interior is very bright and cheery in a 50s-70s way, with mint green vinyl banquettes and funky chairs. The designers have clearly worked hard. There are lots of tiles on the walls and floor, which tends to reflect the noise bit. But it was all very clean. I was seated pretty quickly but then, despite being pretty quiet, it took over ten minutes to get served. I think they'd forgotten me, to be honest, and I hate having to wave to attract attention. Still, once served the olives and their new "Messina" craft beer arrived soon after, were nice, and the Pizza came swiftly. This was less good - a bit doughy and chewy to be frank. A pity. Service had perked up with my coffee arriving quickly. So an ok experience, just not memorable.

Ask Italian is located towards the end of New Street in the centre of Birmingham, it is a pretty…read moregood location and is central. The staff here were probably the worst I experienced not just during my time in Birmingham, a city where I spent two nights in July 2019, but also at any Ask branches and I've visited over 5% of their stores to date. I tried to ring the store and press the bell on numerous occasions for help getting into the store and they offered nothing - they mentioned they ignored it when another guest went in, which proves the store does not care about disabled people to the point where they ignore a speciality disabled service bell, I'd accept the fact they ignored phone calls too down to them being busy but they weren't. To make the service levels worse, the staff member refused to move when I asked for a few minutes to look through the menu with my friend which made me want to get the hell out of there - the store wasn't too busy so she felt it was appropriate to just stand there and stare, despite asking her for a few more minutes before ordering on three occasions. I was also upset to find out regarding the unavailability of many menu items and drinks - I mean come on, are the suppliers and the staff having a competition for being so damn shitty? I've visited six different branches of Ask Italian (around 5% of their branches) until now my average has been 3.1 with experiences resulting in a three-star rating from Sheffield to Manchester, to a four-star rating in London, up until now I've never experienced a really bad branch which warranted less than a three-star rating which is what makes this all the more shocking, to have an experience so bad I had to leave. I felt unwelcomed so this place surely has to warrant a one-star rating to match that.

After seeing all of the voices recommending this place on here, I simply HAD to give this a try…read more.. This Italian popped up some time ago in the Jewellery Quarter. I have walked past it possibly hundreds of times and seen many a happy diner munching on some delicious pasta or sipping on a nice glass of chilled white wine, but hadn't ever really given it much thought. When Elite Adam L. suggested a "January catch up", I figured it was high time to pop in and give it a look... Cucina Rustica is a smart looking Italian with decking outside and a clean, well maintained exterior. As I have said in many a review, I am not a huge fan of Italian food; but that opinion is starting to change after a number of great experiences at local Italian delights in the Midlands. After reading Dave C. and Lizzi H's reviews, I felt it would be a good bet as somewhere new to try. We were greeted straight away on entry and asked where we would like to sit (this was a lunch sitting, at around 1:30pm). There were a few diners, but it wasn't so busy that it felt bustling. We chose a table by the window and were presented with menus. There is a LOT of choice! You get the usual (pasta, pizza and salad etc), but many of the dishes came with an unexpected twist or slightly different ingredients which I found to be really interesting. I decided to go for a seafood salad and my partner in dining opted for the pasta. The dish was Much bigger than I expected and came loaded with crab meat, salmon and pretty huge prawns served on a bed of leaves, tomatoes and some kind of crispy dish. For £11.95, I definitely felt this was worth the money. Everything was fresh and tasty and it seemed to be a great choice for a hearty (but healthy-ish) lunch. We both had a soft drink to go with our meal and ended up being in the venue for around maybe... an hour and a half? We weren't rushed (but were checked on) and felt like we were looked after over our visit. I can't comment on the final bill (Adam very kindly paid) but I would imagine it would have been around the £30 mark. I would certainly recommend a visit to this venue. I can only speak for my lunch experience, but we had great food, attentive service all in a lovely location.

Stress in this area as there are a few Italian restaurants that are right next to each other, i…read moredon't want no gang war. So which flag do i wave? This one by far, almost by default as the others are just plain bad. All the staff seem nice, even though i have Italian blood i cant speak the lingo but its nice to see them trying to speak english rather than me trying to speak italian. The prices for the evening can be quite pricey, upwards of £15.00+ so i tend to drop in for the lunch time deal, a set menu is £12.00 a head with lots of options. I can never remember what i eat, but its always good. The quality of food is good enough here to take risks and try new things, if all else fails there are quite a few bottles of wine at the lower end of the price scale.

Last time I visited, I was unimpressed. However, the menu has since been slimmed down and improved…read more After a Yelp event at Bella Italia with some lovely fresh food, I was ready to give the Solihull branch another try. My Mum and I went along on a Tuesday evening. It wasn't full but there were a few people there. Service was efficient and friendly throughout. She was able to advise my Mum on an alternative pasta. I love that the pasta can be replaced with spiralised veg. I find pasta boring and stodgy so the freshness from the veg was really different. I had chilli prawns with spiralised veg. My Mum had a goats cheese and tomato pasta. We also shared some delicious pizza bread topped with caramalised onion. A lovely meal- really impressed!

Having previously attended another Bella Italia I am a convert and so thought I should really make…read morethe trip and visit my local one. We decided to head over for breakfast and I have to say I was extremely impressed. We were sat quickly and served very quickly. We opted for the breakfast pizza and coffee. The coffee is great quality strong coffee and my Americano was as good as any coffee shop. Most importantly if you order a breakfast it's free unlimited refills which I think is great value. The breakfast pizza which I think is one of the nicest ideas for breakfast. Served on a thing Base with a mixture of sausage bacon mushroom and tomato and served with an egg is a tasty and filling breakfast. (I wasn't able to finish mine) the ingredients all tastes incredibly fresh and it was fantastic value. Definitely will be going back and get again this recently rebranded chain continues to impress.

By far the best Italian restaurant I've ever been to. The pesto dish oh my goodness, it's heavenly!…read moreThe calzones are phenomenal! The pizza oh MammaMia! We went there our first two nights in town because it was So delicious. Chefs Taz Vania / Ilayde superb Italian food!

This was a Really positive experience for a family member's birthday. Great service, incredibly…read moreauthentic Italian food, and wonderful ambience. This is really a inconspicuous gem in a bustling city center with a heightened night life. The 'blu gnocchi' preparation was some the best I've ever had. I'd highly recommend the trio of desserts too.

A bargain is something that can brighten up the greyest of Tuesday afternoons. I am happy to say…read morethat myself and a friend managed to get exactly that from Strada this week. As I got emailed a voucher for 40% off mains we decided that we would take the plunge and give this high street chain a go. I decided to go for the winter salad and added chicken to it, it was a decent salad but it slightly lacked dressing and I was not offered oil, balsamic vinegar or chilli oil as I have come to expect at Italian restaurants. Maybe I have been spoilt in the past! I have to say my friends pasta looked good and she said she enjoyed it. The food was decent overall....but I cant say more than that really! The good thing here was we had the 40% off the bill which was taken off without question from our waitress. Overall this was an OK experience but not one I will be rushing back to pay full price for.

I really like Strada and have been to a few in Birmingham and London. This one has to be my…read morefavourite. The location, just next to the canal at the ICC, a stone's throw from Brindley Place, is pretty special. I last went on Sunday with Adam S. We got a table in the spacious outside seating area and sat out in the sun, with live music drifting over from one of the nearby bars - it was lovely! The food is great too. To start we had the antipasto to share. I recommend this generous platter, complete with a selection of warm breads, olive paste, a variety of salads and a few different meats. For my main course I had slow cooked lamb shank, which was served in a tomato sauce over mash. Very meaty, very tasty. Adam S had the strozzapreti luganega, a pasta dish with spicy pork and pancetta, which I've had before and really enjoyed. The menu overall is good, with a nice variety of pasta dishes, pizzas and more. There's a good selection of wines too. Would recommend this Strada to anyone looking for food in the ICC/Brindley Place area, especially on a sunny day!

A lovely place to share the company of friends. The food and service were excellent, staff…read more attentive without being intrusive. As our group was eight-strong, the Tuesday night quietness was not inhibiting. The only concern was that the staff 'forgot' to include the £80 deposit in the bill calculation. Be aware! Jack D.

Romantica in Mere Green, Sutton Coldfield has pleasant decor, good food and the service was also…read morevery good, the atmosphere was lacking 'something' however it was a Thursday night so probably not as busy as it would be at the weekend. Starter, main course and couple of drinks each was less than £60 for two. There's an outside dining area for those hot sticky nights we get so many of in this country. Head chef Enrico Maglifiore does and excellent job of bringing the tastes of Italy to Sutton. For those of you still wondering where this gem is, it's the old Barley pub right on the Mere Green island.