Splendid premises, in a glorious setting, plus a team of catering professionals all combine to make…read moreDa Gino a dining out experience not to be missed. Da Gino is a small, chef owned and run Italian Restaurant with an excellent reputation. The owner, Gino, is very proud of the standards he sets which demand that they cook everything fresh using finest ingredients they can find at the market each morning he told me during my visit. We sat upstairs which was very busy on a Tuesday evening. my other half is half Italian so my food was order for me by her, she likes the opportunity to show off, she impressed the waiting staff. The food was superb, the wine was chilled to perfection and the atmosphere was excellent, I'll definitely be going again very soon.

My wife and I have been customers of the DaGino's Restaurant in Streetly ever since it opened some…read more3 years ago. We genuinly believe that it is one of the best Restaurants in this part of Birmingham. The food is always superb: the wine of the highest quality and the service quite outstanding. We have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Da Gino's to anyone looking for a venue for lunch, an evening meal, or a very special celebration in your own private room. We can honestly say that we have never had a bad meal or been disappointed at this lovely Restaurant. SR/PGR

This is truly the epitome of a hidden gem. Nestled away in a community centre in Walsall Gio's is…read moreeasy to miss if you don't know it's there. But you should know it's there as Gio makes some of the finest Italian food I've had outside of Italy (where they just call it food). We were very warmly greeted on arrival and walked in from a freezing cold night to a cosy restaurant reminiscent of someone's kitchen and dining room. After perusing the menu we decided to go for the three course menu at the extremely wallet-friendly price of £13.50 per person. For this we were treated to an antipasto starter of deli meats, salad and a beautifully warm from the oven foccatia crammed full of roasted peppers and succulent olives. Our mains were a feast of 4 different pasta dishes, vegetable strigotoni, gnocchi with ragu, and a traditional and vegetable lasagne. The lasagne were a revelation - made with crepes rather than lasagne sheets this created a much lighter dish, a far cry from previous lasagne I've had that have had a density comparable to dark matter. But the strigotoni really shone through; beautiful hand made pasta with perfectly roasted vegetables and the same succulent olives that graced the foccatia. By the end of the mains we were stuffed and so had a break before dessert, during this Gio came out from the kitchen and told us about the healthy eating workshops he puts on the community as well as pasta making classes and all sorts of things. He really seems like a man who cares not only about food but his community and their well-being. Finally our dessert and coffee was brought out, delicious rich Italian espresso was just what we needed to stop us slipping into a food coma and the dessert of creme caramel topped off what was a truly fantastic meal. Our host Gio could not have been more welcoming. A true jewel in Walsall's crown. I can wholeheartedly recommend Gio's for an Italian feast you won't forget!

I first heard about Gio's when the gent himself contacted me about his new restaurant venture in…read moreWalsall. As well as running a restaurant in a little community centre, he also runs a number of classes in the Community on healthy eating to help educate children and parents about sourcing ingredients and the benefits of eating good food. When he invited me down to have a look at the place and have a chat about it, I couldn't help but say yes! First thing to note is that (depending on which way you get down there), it can be a little difficult to find. Hidden on a housing estate, Gio's deli is situated on the corner of a cul-de-sac within a community centre. It took us a little while to get there by car, but that's mainly due to the traffic on the motorway. On a good day (traffic wise) I reckon you could get there by car within around 25 minutes. You can catch public transport to Walsall, but a cab from the centre would be recommended if you plan on visiting. Gio's ethos is about providing good, Italian food without the snobbiness or high price tag. His prices are extremely fair! Last night me and Dan went down for dinner and a three course meal (including a coffee) was the less-than-princely sum of £13.50. Main dishes start from £3.50 and there are a number of options for smaller plates (if you don't have a huge appetite). It's also BYOB - so feel free to take down a bottle of wine or some good beers to accompany your Italian feast! It really is a lovely little restaurant. It feels like you're stepping into Gio's living room as the space is warm, welcoming and you are surrounded by knickknacks and trinkets (I particularly liked the collection of teapots). We were welcomed as soon as we stepped in the door and were served by Gio's daughter, Gabriella, who is the front of house while the man himself cooks all of the food. As I am one for a big dinner (I know, shock right?), we opted for the 3 course and cracked open our wine. The first course was a selection of Antipasto including cured meats, the most amazing focaccia I have ever eaten and a piece of frittata. We were also bought over olive oil, balsamic vinegar and an infused chilli oil to drizzle over our food. It was all 100% spot on. No complaints whatsoever! It's also worth nothing that there are quite a few vegetarian options on the menu - so have at it veggies! Between courses, Gio came over and we had a lovely chat about the area, his time in Italy (he has Italian roots and is keen to create genuinely authentic food) and the aims of the restaurant and the classes. He bakes and makes everything fresh, so no store bought boring pasta here - it's all freshly made. Our main course was a selection of 4 pastas. We had a veggie lasagne, a meat lasagne, a dish with thick "noodle" style pasta and veg and gnocchi. I'm not normally a fan of gnocchi, but this was lighter than I was expecting (as was the lasagne which is made with crepes rather than pasta sheets). Again, this was all amazing - but I was STUFFED afterwards! We had to have a break after this as we had dessert coming! The dessert ended up being fantastic too - like a creme caramel made with egg custard. I just about managed to finish everything, but I was struggling to keep my eyes open after the meal with the delicious mix of the warm surroundings, good food and homely atmosphere. I loved our visit to Gio's. Racking up a bill of just £27.50, there is really NOTHING to complain about. We were even given a bag of focaccia to take away, so we could warm it up and enjoy it at home! I can't think of a more pleasant way to spend a Monday evening than enjoying some great food with great company and a great place. Gio.... My only issue is that you are too far away to pop in often, but believe you me - we'll be back!

I have mixed views about this branch of Ask. It's one of my mum's favourite places to grab lunch,…read moreso I come here fairly often when I make the trek to Sutton to see her, but I mostly go because on Tuesdays I get 40% off with my NUS card. The interior is nice, light and spacious with a small bar area with comfy sofas. My gripe is a huge window on the left side of the building which when sunny turns the room into a greenhouse. I normally avoid sitting there otherwise I'd have to eat lunch with my sunglasses on. It can also get uncomfortably hot. There is a wide range of food, all with an Italian flavour; expect pasta and pizza. The food is good and there is an open kitchen so you can watch the chefs prepare everything. The portobello mushroom and spinach pizza is my current favourite. I did have an issue with my coffee last time I visited, well the way it was served. It came in a glass with no handle, which meant burning my fingers when I wanted to drink it. Service is normally very good, but more than once we've had to wait a fairly long time after our meal for the bill. The staff are friendly and helpful though. It's very busy at weekends but quite at lunch time. There isn't any parking though. Overall, a good spot for lunch if you're in Sutton.

Great resturant, the food is always good, service if always pretty quick and the staff are…read moreattentive and friendly. I have had some lovely evenings in here. When you enter the restaurant there is a small seating area to your right, it is a small but comfortable area to have a couple of glasses of wine before your meal. This can get quite busy at weekends but the host is usually quick to get your table ready if it is busy. Tables in the restaurant are well spaced and not crowded, there is also parking at the back of the restaurant.

I have to say this is the best pizza I have had in a very long time! The staff were lovely, very…read morefriendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend it.

lovely place, friendly staff, always plenty of deals going on the menus…read more Nice family resturant for a laid back atmosphere/meal

visually stunning- great building. Staff were extremely and…read moreappropriately attentive, and the music was just right- chilled but jazzy. the food was what you would expect, and not at all disappointing. I had the mussels in chilli and tomatoe followed by a crab spagetti. just delicious. only problem was the taps were so high tech i couldnt get them to work! lookingforward to enjoying one of their 10 quid lunches which come with a glasss of wine. How civilized!

Finally Italian has come to Birmingham! I have eaten here…read moreabout half a dozen times and although its not perfect (its no Locatelli (London)) it is far and away the most authentic Italian restaurant in Brum. The restaurant is very stylish and works well being light and spacious with tables well spaced (as opposed to many Italian restaurants which will put you so close to the tables next to you , you may as well become a table of four rather than two twos!). Service is always spot on - staff training is very evidents as waiting staff have an excellent knowledge of the menu and the wine list as well as being friendly and attentive. The food is as discussed as authentic as you will find in Brum. Antipasti is not just a case of a few slices of meat with some olives as is the case in lesser establishments - but a fine selection of meats, cheeses, fine green beans dressed with balsamic, peppers stuffed with home made pesto and all of this is described to you by your waiter. Bread selection is better than avaerage (and free!) when I last went there was foccaccia, anchovy bread and bread sticks. Of the starters I have sampled the crab spagetti with white wine foam and chilli which was excellent as well as a carpaccio of tuna. Usually I have had red meat with beef and lamb always cooked perfectly and very tender. Parmesan polenta is to die for if its on when you go! Once tried pud which I must say was a huge letdown. Tiramisu could have been slurped through a straw without the need for a spoon! Finally the espresso arrived and was excellent - crema over the coffee, not overly bitter - so simple and yet so evidently unobtainable to over 80% of the places I eat out. Its all about cleaning the machine regularly and grinding your beans correctly but so few places can do these very simple tasks. In summary Filini is a very very good place to eat Italian in Brum - it would not stand up in London but is head and shoulders above San Carlo and (slight shudder at the thought of how busy (£!!!) this place always is when I pass) Pasta de Piazza (st pauls square) both of which are poor. You do however pay the price here with main up to an eye watering £28 for fillet steak that I could hide in my palm if I curled up ny fingers (6oz at best)! Good but you pay for it! I am addding a second review as I dined there two nights ago and it was not as good as times previous. Change of personel? Head chef night off??? Who knows! The dishes we ordered were average at best - mussels for myself - far to spicy and so small that they were inadequate. Canneloni for my gf again poor at best. The worst thing about it all was that the staff were loudly setting up the tables for breakfast around us - par for the course in a hotel but surle the tables directly ajacent could have been left alone! My review drops down now to FOUR STARS and that is only on previous merit!

The food here is very good and is served up in a very timely fashion. You have to watch out however…read morefor the sneaky extras they make you buy. They gave us olives and we thought they were free until we were charged for them, had we have known we would not have allowed them to give us them. The staff are friendly and very helpful and there is a good wine list. There could do with being more draught beer on the menu

Great food and friendly staff! I had a delicious carbonara and my friends both had pizzas served on…read morewood boards. Nice touch! It was the perfect winter dinner for a snowy night in Solihull.

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.

I found this place by chance last week when I dived into the doorway to escape the torrential…read moreAugust rain (?!). Six of us were slightly surprised and disappointed to find that a restaurant that describes itself as real taste of Italy in a friendly and relaxed environment. had no other customers when we arrived. I can't help but feel that, if we'd gone as a couple, we'd have found the atmosphere fairly flat. As it was, the six of us probably helped improve the ambience although you'd have to ask the couple and the single chap who came in later whether they agreed. The service was good and attentive without being in any way intrusive. Peroni and Pinot Grigio got us in the mood to order. Many of us ordered the pigeon breast on bruschetta and pronounced it as being excellent. There was universal acclaim for all the food but the squid on skewers for mains is picked out for special mention; on a bed of vegetables and a large dollop of aioli it was succulent and tasty. Puddings included ice cream, crema brulee and a delicious cheeseboard finished off a very pleasant evening The bill for six for three courses, including five Peronis, two bottles each of Pinot Grigio and Corvo Rosso was £270. Expensive, but we'll be back.

A friend and I were on our way to Llangollen from London, considering stopping in the motorway…read moreservices for a bite to eat. I suggested that we find somewhere off the main road to stop for a meal instead. Shrewsbury lay on route so seemed like a logical place and we jumped off the A5 to look for a restaurant. We parked in the car park and stumbled across La Dolce Vita which lay opposite. It didn't look like much from the outside, and although it was a Wednesday evening, there was one solitary diner inside. Mmmmmm. A quick look on Qype however, suggested it was worth a visit. Considering the quality food they served up, I don't really understand why the place wasn't packed. The owner was delightful and the service was excellent. The food was delicious; modern Italian with a varied menu of starters pastas and meat dishes. Prawn cocktail was remarkably good; packaging together some delightful flavours. The rack of lamb was flavoursome and perfectly cooked, and the pane cotta smoother than a baby's bottom. It was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. And to think we could have wasted a meal on a trip to the services! If you're passing Shrewsbury, or if you're lucky enough to live there and you appreciate quality food, I cannot recommend it enough. De-licious!