Jewellery Quarter gem serves up authentic Italian cuisine

Pasta Di Piazza, Birmingham
3 courses for 2 – £55

Set in the heart of Birmingham’s vibrant Jewellery Quarter and serving up some of the city’s best dishes, it’s no wonder this Italian restaurant is so popular with the locals.

Whether you’re on a date, a friendly meal, a family celebration or just want to eat delicious hearty food for the night, Pasta Di Piazza will have you physically craving more. And with two floors of light, dark and dimly lit spaces, if it’s not too busy you can choose the perfect setting to suit your mood and purpose.

Everything in the restaurant, from the chipped plastering with the twisted hand painted flowers to the old-fashioned lighting, has been designed to match the authenticity of the old brick exterior, making the dining experience pleasing on the eye as well as the taste buds. 

Whilst the wine list was extensive, the choice of soft drinks and other alcohols was disappointingly limited, but perhaps this is to encourage diners to embrace real Italian culture.

Deciding what to order was made very difficult by the wide variety of meat, seafood and vegetarian dishes. Grilled goats’ cheese, antipasti, avocado and prawns, smooth duck and port pate, grilled courgette and fried squid are just a few of the options on the restaurant’s starter menu.

Once we’d reluctantly decided on a single dish, we were served by a very polite Italian waitress, who referred to me as Madam (a courtesy I could certainly get used to).

To start I opted for the Gamberetti Marinara. When it first arrived the presentation left much to be desired, but the pungent garlic and tomato flavour of the prawns more than compensated. I’d recommend keeping the bread appetiser to soak up this dish’s sauce.

I realised that this was simple, hearty Italian food at its best and that unlike many city-centre restaurants, there was not a single pretentious thing about the place.

After the starter, I sampled a delightful crab ravioli consisting of large pieces of al dente pasta neatly packed with fresh, soft crab meat. Each delicious package was covered by creamy tomato lobster bisque and surrounded by clams still perched in their shells. What’s more, it was the kind of portion that left you satisfied but not bloated or stretched.

It was only after this main meal that – through the laughter, conversations and celebrations – I heard the subtle Italian music playing in the background.

I was equally impressed by the authenticity of the dessert menu, offering everything from tiramasu and zabaglione to dolcelatte & biscotti. But after craving a panna cotta for weeks, it had to be that. And the sweet and creamy dessert accompanied with the slightly bitter berries was the perfect way to end the meal – and on its own would have me rushing back for a second visit.