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    Giovannis Restaurant

    5.0 (3 reviews)
    ModerateItalian

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    Recommended Reviews - Giovannis Restaurant

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    10 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    La Nonna

    La Nonna

    (4 reviews)

    This wonderful Italian is a small family run business that has gone from strength to strength in…read morethe few years it has been open. Inside it seats around 30 and is decorated in a modern style that still manages to be warm and welcoming. We visited recently for a meal for 4 on a Friday evening. The restaurant was nearly full. All our starters and mains were served in a timely manner and were delicious. I ordered the scallops and duck and both were brilliant. This is not a mega cheap place but it is worth the money charged. We spent around £35 per head with drinks. The staff are extremely friendly and welcoming.

    What a gem hidden away - After hearing really good reviews & feedback from friends that have…read morevisited this restaurant, we decided to pay a visit a couple of weeks ago and were certainly not disappointed. It doesn't look much from the outside but from the moment you go in, you are made to feel at home. A clean modern restaurant. All our food was served promptly, and was devoured just as promptly - all excellent. I have visited many "Italian" Restaurants both in Italy & here in the UK and I have to say this is certainly in my top ten! Good food made from quality ingredients, with excellent service is never cheap (if cheap is what you want, there are many pub restaurants to choose from) La Nonna is reasonably priced for the standard of food & service you receive, you can pay a lot more elsewhere for a lot less! Well worth a visit

    Trattoria Giancarlo

    Trattoria Giancarlo

    (1 review)

    £££

    Gian Carlo's is an amazing little traditional Italian trattoria, now based in Hall Green. Don't be…read morefooled by the unassuming looks and the slightly rustic feel to the place - Gian Carlo's can serve up some seriously great Italian food at very reasonable prices. My wife and I have been going to Gian Carlo's (no where near as often as we would like) since they were in their old location in Selly Oak. Why do we keep going back whenever we can? Well the food is a big part of it, of course - I can personally vouch for the Fillet Steak Rossini, which is excellent - but it is the people that make this place what it is. There is a warmth here that comes from having a small restaurant with a lot of regulars rather than a large establishment in the middle of town - The owner and his wife remember you once you have visited a couple of times and greet you with a friendly conversation. We have spent more than one evening ending with the owner sat with us drinking wine and talking about times passed, or recipes, or whatever. Please don't overlook this fine little Italian - I know it is a little out of the way when compared to the larger places in town or in the larger villages such as Harborne, but it really is worth the trip. The food is excellent, the wine is generally up-to-par, too (personally selected by the owner), the deserts are incredible, and the people are wonderful. Try something different and visit them as soon as you can.

    Ponte Di Legno

    Ponte Di Legno

    (16 reviews)

    ££

    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.

    La Banca - Pork loin with parsnip mash. Divine. Melt in the mouth.

    La Banca

    (7 reviews)

    La Banca takes a smart place in old bank on a high street in South Birmingham not used to smart…read moreplaces, making good use of a mirrored wall that makes the space look twice as large. Its popular, mostly you feel because of the restaurant manager for glides between tables, flirting with the regulars who make up the crowd on a blustery winters evening. The large phallic shaped pepper grinder were made for this man. They try hard to keep it as authentic as possible and for the most part it works. A nibble of bean salad with crisp breads is a merciless assault of garlic, as are the garlic bread and bruschetta that follow. I like them all, mostly because I don't like close social encounters, but also because they bold in taste and heavily seasoned. The bruschetta has pronounced flavours of onion and vinegar and lots and lots of garlic, even if the rather bland tomatoes are three months out of season. There is a lasagne with thick tussles of braised shoulder meat and sheets of overcooked pasta, which I forgive for it being so bloody comforting. Its all a bit mushy, though the flavour is good with whacks of tomato and cheese and yes, you've guessed it, garlic. I also admire another linguine dish with a rich vegetable ragu and topped with chicken and prawns. Nothing gets in the way of each other here, which it could have easily have done. Everything is distinct and accurately cooked, the pasta still with the bite that was missing from the lasagne. The desserts here are portioned ideally for sharing, so we order one each, because Simon doesn't share food. Tiramisu is the lasagne reinvented for the sweeter tooth; again a textural disaster of softness, packed full of heady flavours of coffee and chocolate. The star is a lemon cake, with a sharp zabaglione cream filling encased in a lemon meringue. The acidity and sweetness carefully balanced out They have a decent wine list which starts to get interesting when you stick to Italy, where good bottles can be found for under twenty quid. This matches the price of the food, which, fillet steak aside, is strictly mid-teens for mains and under a tenner for everything else. Its all good value, it feels homely, and service is warm. Its easy to see why it is so busy. Its not perfect, but I would gladly return for a good feed at a modest price.

    I pass La Banca all the time and,other than it looking interesting as it used to be a bank plus its…read moreproximity to Cotteridge's ever growing number of fast food outlets, i hadnt given it much thought. You cant see inside the restaurant because the windows are quite high so you cant see how busy it is - i had therefore assumed that it wasnt very popular. How wrong i was. After checking out some Yelp reviews and needing to go out somewhere local to celebrate some good news i decided to give it a go. I booked a table via the phone - very pleasant and easy - even when i phoned an hour before our visit to increase the numbers for the booking. We were greeted on arrival by friendly staff and taken to a table in the quiet restaurant - we had booked for 7pm so it was still early. Whilst waiting for the rest of our party of six to arrive we were given menus and asked if we wanted to order drinks. There were cocktails, wine, beers and soft drinks on the menu. Im not really a wine expert but there seemed to be a good range with bottles costing from £15 to £50. Once everyone had arrived we were served by extremely attentive staff who were diligent in ensuring that any food allergies and requirements were met. The maitre d' (who was a member of the italian family who run the business) was really good and made our visit very personable and fun. For starters i had spinach cannelloni, followed by pork loin with a parsnip mash (accompanied by a red onion and tomato salad in a balsamic dressing which was, frankly, the best salad ive ever tasted in my life) and for dessert i had the italian cheeseboard. My friends had a range of dishes including vegetarian and fish dishes - all of which were superb. One friend needed an item changing slightly fromt he menu so that the sauce was on the side rather than as part of the dish and they happily accommodated this. The vegetarians amongst us were informed that the Parmesan they had wasnt vegetarian - apparently they normally have the vegetarian option but had run out - to be fair they could have just not informed us about this but i got the impression that they are a reputable restaurant who really want to do the very best for their customers - ive knocked them down a star for not having the vegetarian alternative on offer but if it wasnt for this then they would be getting a five star review. We were int he restaurant for a couple of hours or so and by the time we were leaving the restaurant had filled up considerably - clearly the residents of Cotteridge know a good restaurant when they see one - who would have known?!? or maybe they are starved of good food due to the ridiculously large number of takeaways in the area. There is no car park at the restaurant and this could be a problem as there is a severe lack of parking available in the area however (and here is a fact i didnt know until a friend pointed it out!) you can park on the Pershor Rd int he evenings - woop! A meal for six of us including wine came to £220 although not everyone had alcohol or three courses so that doesnt give n accurate picture. My three courses (all of which were DELICIOUS) and my share of two bottles of wine (between three of us) came to just under £50. not cheap but definitely worth it for the superb food and superior service. The restaurant itself is really lovely inside too. Go and visit!!

    Giovannis Restaurant - italian - Updated May 2026

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