I know many people don't like chain restaurants. Yes Ask is a chain. A delicious, fresh,…read moreaffordable, fast service chain. I've seen quite a few of these places around Birmingham. My partner in crime had a few reward vouchers to redeem that were good for quite a few chains around Brum. But I nominated Ask. We visited a large and easily accessible location on Hagley Road. It had a nice (and free) car park. As we walked toward the entrance I noticed a few picnic benches out front that would be lovely to sit out on a warm summers eve. Too bad summer is already over. The dining area was a good size. We had no trouble getting seated. A server quickly greeted us and took our drink order. I always appreciate prompt service like that. The menu had a good variety of pizzas, pasta, and seafood. We decided to go for the antipasto board to share, a lobster prawn pasta dish for myself, and a fancy chicken pizza for my companion. The cocktail menu was on the smaller size, but that didn't stop me from trying it! I had the delicious Italian Twinkle which was a refreshing mix of Prosecco, elderflower, vodka and lemon. And since I'm a glutton for these fruity drinks I had another round. This time Moscato D'Asti with raspberries. Both were wonderful, sweet, and fruity. The antipasto starter was alright. It was a mixture of a few things. Not my ideal choice, but nice to try. The rosemary and sea salt bread that came with it was lovely. My main was excellent. There were large chunks of seafood in it. The pasta tasted very fresh. The croutons were a bit odd because they seemed a bit soggy. Overall a really great choice. I would definitely choose it again! I actually liked it so much I wanted seconds!! Since there's no unlimited pasta at Ask, I had to get a dessert to fill me ;) I chose the grande gelato. It wasn't that pretty to look at, but what it lacked in looks it made up for in taste. It was a couple scoops of creamy vanilla gelato mixed with fresh berries, cream, and pieces of meringue. It reminded me of an of Eaton Mess, a better version though. I had a great experience at Ask. Nothing but great food and friendly service. It wouldn't take much to persuade me to return again.

I was a bit dubious about visiting this restaurant, but as it was a hen do I didn't have a lot of…read morechoice in the matter so I smiled sweetly and got on with it. And - shockingly - I had a great time! I opted for their Risotto Verde - and they happily made it without cheese for me, and it was delicious. Perfect to go with a crisp white wine - though I have no idea what wine we had as someone else ordered it, and my memory for names is shocking. We had a really long table that easily accomodated all 20 of us, and even though it meant I could only speak to those who were right next to me, it was still absolutely fine as we then went out drinking afterwards. Well done Ask for offering an affordable and non-hideous option for a hen-do meal!

We stopped at the Wildwood restaurant, during a short stay in Stratford. We didn't know quite what…read moreto expect, but overall we were impressed. The interior at the front isn't the most enticing, but we were seated quickly, and staff were very efficient. We were provided with free tap water. To start, we had a mixed side salad (£4.95) and my partner had a salmon fish cake (£7.65). Both were very nice. (A well-dressed side salad is a good test of a restaurant in my opinion.) We then each had a pizza; my partner had a double pepperoni pizza, and I had the courgette and goats cheese pizza open (both £14.45). Both came with standard, thin bases, which were crispy without being tough. The courgette and goat cheese pizza was particularly nice, as it also came with mushrooms, peppers, olives, and pesto. It was one of the nicest pizzas I've had in some time. My partner said his pizza was good, but a different choice might have been more interesting. But both pizzas were very filling. (I'm not sure I could have managed the larger version, £2 extra.) Together with two low-alcohol lagers, and 10% service, the total bill came to just under £57. We thought this was very good value, and we would very happily return.

Went to this place on a school trip. May I say that restaurants in Stratford do not get any better…read morethan this. The food was served in the perfect portions and was bursting with flavor. Waiters were friendly, punctual, and attentive. The inside of the restaurant was very well-decorated, and it definitely reminded me of New Jersey's famous Wildwood Boardwalk.

Great food and the service is impeccable with a cool vibe in the restaurant. Would definitely come…read moreback

The pros - great location outside on a record breaking day for UK temperatures, the service, the…read morebeer, the pizzas (calzone and regular). The cons - their fryer was not working so none of the regular apps available (calamari etc). Will be back.

Strada is somewhere I always used to go about 8 years ago as the food was always so delicious and…read morefor some reason it feels slightly higher end than zizzi and ask, it might be due to the range of fish and meat dishes on offer. When visiting an Italian it's often hard to find a dish without carbs but strada can be relied on the deliver a range of healthy options. I booked online and was planning to use taste card for 241 mains. We arrived at 6 and realised there was a pre theatre menu of 3 courses for £12.95 so opted for that. I had buffalo mozzarella wrapped in Parma ham and my friend had bruschetta - both tasted fresh and the taste of the raw ingredients really shine through. Next being fussy as I am, I ordered the salmon with extra salad rather than potato, this was no issue. My friend had Parma ham risotto. The salmon was a decent portion so didn't miss the potatoes. The risotto was apparently very well flavoured. We were too full for desserts, but had enjoyed some well priced prosecco with the meal. The service was the right speed for two people catching up over dinner, we weren't rushed out. Looking forward to adding this back on to my must visit list

There are 2 Strada's in Birmingham, the mailbox location being my choice for post work food last…read morenight. Had calamari to start which was good and pumpkin ravioli which tasted great but came with a bit too much water in the sage butter but nothing I was unhappy with. They let me take the rest in a doggy bag too which I love! Wine also good

On Thursday night I headed over to Ponte Di Legno with two friends. We had all been before and the…read morequality food and bring your own bottle policy have always been a big draw. This time we were seated in the front half of the restaurant which is a little bright for my liking, but the restaurant was not overly full and had a pleasant atmosphere. Upon arrival we ordered a portion of bruchetta to nibble on while browsing the menu. Considering there were three of us, I was pleasantly surprised that one portion was large enough to keep us all going. This is definitely a starter to share as it would be too large for one. When eating at Italian restaurants I tend to avoid pasta dishes, simply because I usually find that they are quite small (and I have a big apetite). However, this time I was drawn to the Rigatoni Salmone e Granchio (pasta with salmon and crab meat in a slightly creamy tomato sauce). When the food came I was amazed to see that the portion was huge. The food was also piping hot, another novelty for most restaurants. We topped off the meal with a cheesy garlic pizza bread. Overall, the food was lovely and great value for money. By the end of the meal we were all full to capacity, and pleasantly tipsy, all for less than £20 a head

Went there one Tuesday night after hearing recommendations from a few locals. It is bring your own…read moredrink which was a big plus. We had recently come back from Italy when we went so had experienced authentic Italian food. We both agreed we would defiantly go back, my boyfriend had a pizza and I had a steak. They were both really good, I had the biscuit/ice cream desert which is one of the best deserts I've ever had. I would solely go back just to have it again. We had 3 courses each and paid about £60, it would have been about £50 if I hadn't had the steak but it was worth it and would highly recommend this restaurant.

Make sure you check for coupons! Pizza Express typically has coupons (buy1, get 1 free) once a week…read moreor so! Since I got the deal, I totally enjoyed it as the cost of my food was quite cheap for what we got. I ended up ordering the "Il Padrino (Romana style) - chicken, roasted tomatoes, chargrilled vegetables, tomato & pesto base." (Refer to the picture I posted!) I also ordered this on THIN CRUST. This made it extra delicious because it wasn't heavy. The vegetables were nice and roasted ... the one thing I would say about this pizza ... I couldn't taste the pesto. Soo, where was the pesto? Other than the fact that I couldn't taste the pesto, it was great. Service was a little slow, but it was fine. This place is very open, so the acoustics aren't so great. If you are looking for quiet and intimate, this is not your place. Although it's not a place where you are screaming, it can get loud.

Good pizza in a nice atmosphere by the canal…read more The place is big but the service was still good and efficient. Pizza Express always has some deals going so remember to check their website for discount codes, "2-for-1" is almost always available...

Visited here last Christmas. The Food isn't awful, but for the cost could be improved upon. Service…read morewas top notch and catered to any requests. The atmosphere was a bit loud but not overwhelming.

The food is very nice however the service is slow even the waiters are very kind but the food is…read moremade from scratch so it makes up for it

Pizza Express at the Bullring is located on the mall's upper level, next to the Starbucks kiosk and…read moreoverlooking Five Guys. I was surprised to learn this is the only Pizza Express location remaining in the city centre of Birmingham without venturing to locations that are further out such as at Resorts World. I visited here on a busy Saturday just after Christmas, after being turned away and unable to find a table at multiple restaurants nearby, I decided to come here, after noticing many tables were available. It is a rather large restaurant with lots of seating, although the seating isn't too comfortable and was a slight letdown, considering this appears to be one of the refurbished branches following the newer Pizza Express branding. PRO TIP: Be sure to take advantage of their Pizza Express Club loyalty scheme on their app, after just a couple of visits you can get a bunch of freebies to make your trip more affordable. Without these offers, it can be a little pricey however once you unlock the gold tier you're able to get bonuses such as a free soft drink, bottled water, dough balls, coffee and Dolcetti and the list continues. Back to this Bullring location - I was let down by both the speed and the friendliness of the service here. Granted, they were busy but the staff just appeared unfriendly and rude. I had to wait almost ten minutes for the drinks that I had ordered, only to be brought out sparkling water instead of still, when I queried it they told me they didn't have any bottled still water at all and didn't even mention it to me until I mentioned it myself - I get running out of something can't be helped but why not advise guests when ordering, let alone making them wait some time for a drink that doesn't exist and then changing the order without informing the customer? I also had further issues with the service. For example, they changed my table number on the Pizza Express app without letting me know, which reset my rewards, if I hadn't noticed what I thought was a technical glitch with the app, then I could have ended up paying a lot more. I had previously informed my server of the rewards I was using, which she acknowledged seeing, so why change it? I ordered my usual order, a gluten-free pollo pancetta, with gluten-free dough balls, the food was served at the same time as requested. The quality was average, I did like the long and crispy slices of pancetta, although the mixed peppers were cut far too thick and were unpleasant. The garlic butter for the dough balls was almost completely melted making it a difficult and messy task to spread on the dough balls. For drinks, I went for the passionfruit lemonade, and tap water (after being denied bottled), both were served with ice without asking, but the passionfruit lemonade tasted so watery and watered down. 2* - It has potential sure, but issues with my drinks and service and the overall comfort let this place down, it doesn't meet the Pizza Express standards right now.

Went here with friends for dinner after work. In fact, I am writing this whilst still in the…read morerestaurant. Why? Well, because it just about sums up my feeling over this place. Pizza Express? More like Pizza Excrutiating Slow and Painful. Every part of my experience here tonight has involved a painful wait, from queuing for a table to almost begging to be served. They are clearly under staffed here but for a restaurant of this size and prominence on a Friday night there are no excuses for such appalling service. Got here at 6:30pm it is 8:15 and considering we didn't even have starters we are just waiting for Desert and coffee. The staff seem overworked and stressed but no one is even remotely apologetic and trying to attract the attention of a waiter is near impossible, despite sitting virtually in the middle of the restaurant. The only saving grace is that the food is delicious. My pizza was thin crispy and full of lovely ingredients. Equally, the mini puddings served with coffee are very tasty and different to the norm. In summary, if you are in a hurry this is clearly not the place to go. However if you want a long drawn out and certainly unhurried evening dining with friends with good food and poor service this is worth a consideration.