Don't walk, RUN! This place was absolutely amazing. My friend and I sat at the bar, and the…read morebartender was phenomenal, she was knowledgeable about the menu and made some incredibly refreshing cocktails. The staff and owner were also very welcoming and friendly. The food was fresh, flavorful, and authentic. The ambiance was dark, cozy, and perfect for a relaxing meal. And you HAVE to try the White Banana Bread ..it was unbelievable! I'm a picky eater, so that says a lot. I'm so glad we stopped here for lunch and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great dining experience.

Wonderful. Food was great, perfect wine recommendation. Friendly helpful staff…read more This is not an Olive Garden remake. Great Northen Italian

This was the perfect dinner to carb‑load the night before our big 23‑mile hike, and it did not…read moredisappoint! We started with the baked feta dip, and as always, you can't go wrong--it arrived still bubbling at the table and was absolutely delicious. We each followed up with salads and pasta dishes, all of which we thoroughly enjoyed. The portion sizes were generous enough that we even had leftovers to take to‑go, which is always a win. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, offering recommendations when we had questions about the drink menu. Our server checked in on us multiple times and made us feel genuinely valued as guests. Great food, great service, and exactly what we needed to fuel up for the next day.

The place was doing a ton of takeaway for holiday parties -- good for them. I went with the classic…read morelasagna. It is a very good pasta dish to be sure. Added a glass of wine which brought the whole meal to $20 plus tip. Alas, such is the cost of lunch these days. You order at the counter as you enter, which is fine as it keeps things moving. There is one large table. Today it was occupied by a group of men my age who were holding forth about the college football. So boring.

The ABSOLUTE best pasta!!! My friend and me came here during their pasta happy hour ( look it up)…read moreand we had the most amazing experience! The hospitality was top tier. The hostess girl who seated us was really friendly & accommodating. Our server, Becca took such great care of us from drinks to apps to entrees to dessert. She did such a great job throughout our time here. I had their bolognese dish /caesar salad/ red house wine with the HH special. The pasta and Caesar salad were prepared and plated with perfection! I ate every bite... literally!!' The ingredients were all so fresh & I really could go on & on. I won't! Haaha The dining space is classy and decorated nicely. The ambiance provided the perfect mood for a fun night with great food/ drinks /great company! I already know I'll be returning to Bocca real soon.

New happy hour alert!…read more We tried Bocca's new Pasta Happy Hour (Tuesday-Thursday, 4:30-6:30 PM), and it did not disappoint. For $29, you get wine, salad, focaccia, and pasta--a great deal for both the quality and portion sizes. We ordered the house wine, Caesar salad, spaghetti and meatballs, and the Garganelli with asparagus (plus added shrimp). Since it was such a beautiful day, we sat out on the patio, which I didn't even realize they had! The service was stellar, the food was delicious, and we left completely full. They also offer complimentary valet, which is always a nice bonus with downtown traffic and parking. We had a wonderful experience and will definitely be back!

If you ask any Bham native what their fave restaurant is, Gianmarco's will be somewhere on the…read morelist. As it should be! I was here for a birthday dinner. There were 14 of us total and they accommodated us perfectly. Our waitress was amazing and made sure we knew all the specials. She also had great suggestions for wines as we opted for bottles. This is a great place to celebrate occasions! Valet is available but if you'd prefer to self park, there's options along the street. I've never had a bad meal here

I have been here multiple times over the last many years. This week my family was driving through…read moreBirmingham and asked for me to take them to dinner somewhere. I told them we would go here and I was so glad to take my family(who's from out of state) to this local restaurant. The food is always delicious and the vibe in here is always so relaxing and nice. This place can be hard to come to because the reservations get tied up all the time by almost every single option. That is because it is loved by so so many people so I will always recommend for anyone to go to this place for sure.

All hail Frank Stitt. Bottega lives up to all the hype and is worth every penny. Truly one of the…read morebest meals I've had in a very long time and in a beautiful setting. Servers were lovely, unpretentious, and attentive. Every single thing we ate was to die for. The capellini is now my all time favorite pasta dish that I've ever eaten (and I was raised in the northeast). 10/10. Will return. No further notes.

I've heard so many great things about Bottega--from the food to the top-tier customer service--so…read morewhen my friend was in town for a lawyers convention and suggested dinner, this was one of the first places I recommended. We were deciding between here and Lapeer, and she ultimately chose Bottega because of its reputation. We had reservations for 8:30 PM and weren't seated until around 8:40, which wasn't a huge issue. However, once seated, the service quickly became disappointing. Our waiter took our drink order, dropped off the drinks, and immediately walked away without asking if we wanted to order anything else. He eventually came back and asked us for our appetizers. While waiting, we noticed the table next to us receiving significantly more attentive service--frequent check-ins, questions about their food, and overall engagement--while our table was largely ignored. When our appetizer arrived, it was dropped off without any follow-up. It's like he had the zoomies. He never came back to ask how everything was, which is something I'm not used to. At 9:29 PM, I stopped the waiter to ask if they were about to close (closing time was 9:30). That's when I realized we were never even asked if we wanted to order entrees. His response was that he thought we were "enjoying our food and we could still order if we wanted to ," but from the energy, we chose to go someplace else. To be clear, the food was excellent--I'd give it a 9/10. Unfortunately, the service was a 3/10. I considered whether timing played a role, but since the table next to us received attentive service during the same time frame, it was hard to overlook the contrast. I'm not sure if it was because we were black and the only minority there, but the difference in treatment stood out. I live not too far and truly wanted this to be a go-to spot, but the experience didn't reflect the "one of the best restaurants with the best customer service in Birmingham" reputation I've heard so much about. I might consider returning to the café side to see if the experience is different, but as of now, I left feeling underwhelmed. I'm sharing this in hopes that it helps improve consistency in service, because the decor was beautiful and the food itself is worth it. We had the Parmesan soufflé which was delicious and very comforting, so were the oysters.

Sadie was great! Fantastic atmosphere and fun evening lighting. The focaccia bread was perfect…read more Food was amazing, will come back!

Salice (formerly known as Luca) is delicious! I've been here quite a few times and have always had…read morea great experience. I love sitting out on the patio on a nice day! The fries & dipping sauce are one of my favs along with the Hugo Spritz! I've also had the Campanelle pasta and 4 cheese pizza and both were delish! I have yet to try their happy hour, but planing to make a trip soon with 1/2 off wine, beer, and pizza!

This place is the best spot I been to downtown birmingham. Ive visited a few times now and the only…read moretime it wasnt great and smooth was sunday morning. I foun d out later that theyre very popular and busy for brunch so keep that in mind if you go for weekend brunch. I would suggest trying to get ahead of the 11 oclock rush or after the 1pm rush The pizza is amazing the owner cares a great deal and the menu is inspired

This place is my type of vibe!…read more Trattoria ZaZa has been on my list of places to stop at for several years. Parking often deters me but after attending the Italian Festival earlier that day, we had a craving for pizza. I ordered the combo that includes 2 slices of the day with salad. Since I wasn't overly hungry, I offered him one of my slices and he added another slice to the order. We paid and were given a number to place on our selected table. Jazzy music played in the background while we waited on our order to be brought to the table. The natural lighting, while beautiful, made it a little warm in the building. One of the waitresses propped the door open that leads to the restrooms (which are in the hallway near the elevators) in order for cooler air to make its way in. That wasn't a deal breaker, but do be aware of that on warmer days. Our food came out after a short wait. I kept my 3 cheese slice, and gave him the pepperoni one. The cheeses were very rich and the salad, while simple without the frills, was perfectly sized and drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette that was just the right amount. While I enjoyed my meal very much and the ambiance, he wasn't overly impressed with his. He didn't want the fresh herbs on his slices and knocked all of them off, lol. He's a simple guy with simple taste. This is definitely a place I will be revisiting with one of my girlfriends and not him next time as he didn't appreciate what ZaZA had to offer. Everyone we encountered was helpful and courteous. Our food, including drinks, was around $28, which was not bad for a cute, eclectic spot downtown. If you haven't been, make sure to try them out soon. Just don't wait as long as I did to visit!

The food was very good and so was the service. This is a small family owned and operated Italian…read morerestaurant. The atmosphere was nice and low key. I would certainly recommend this restaurant to anyone and we will definitely return there in the future!

A friend and I thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Bongiorno. The service was great and the food…read morephenomenal! My friend had pasta with Italian sausage, and I had a veal dish with seafood. We both substituted fettuccine since we prefer a wider noodle. This substitution was handled with no issue. The servings were so large that we were both able to enjoy leftovers the next day. I highly recommend this fabulous Italian restaurant.