San Carlo, Birmingham

A little bit of Italy… in Birmingham

Offering a modern yet authentic approach to Italian cuisine, San Carlo Birmingham has become an iconic restaurant on the local dining scene. As the first location opened as part of the San Carlo group, this Italian restaurant has thrived over the past 25 years, winning both regional and national awards for its excellent food and standard of service.

The Distefano family from Sicily have created a fantastic recipe for success. From one restaurant in 1992 to a chain of quality brands and a £60 million turnover, this is a perfect example of how you own and operate a business within the hospitality sector, conquering one restaurant first before expanding into what they are today, now found in some of the most prestigious locations across the globe including Selfridges in Knightsbridge, the Hotel Marriott in Saudi Arabia, and many more.

I must have visited San Carlo a dozen times, and every time I’ve been more than satisfied. It’s hustly and bustly, with a sophisticated but relaxing atmosphere. Low lighting and the use of mirrors give the place an old school glamorous feel without being flashy.

If you’re lucky, you might go on a day when there’s some celebrity or other taking a seat to enjoy a quiet meal with their respective partner, mates, business adviser, football coach. Who knows, but the walls, lined with pictures of the rich and famous (think Sir Alex Ferguson, Russell Crowe, Hulk Hogan, Liam Gallagher, Michael Buble, Mario Balotelli) that have dined here over the years, are testament to its reputation as a fine dining Italian restaurant.

The menu can only be described as extensive. It has everything from a large range of pastas and pizzas, steak and other meat dishes, a section dedicated to bread, oysters, calamari – it’s almost endless. And there are tasty options for vegans and vegetarians, as well as gluten-free options. I probably wouldn’t expect anything less from a restaurant that oozes quality.

But please, I beg you. If you’re going with someone that is indecisive, get them to look at the menu beforehand. Otherwise you might be sitting there a while with a rumbling tummy…!

Eat your fill of Italy at San Carlo’s Birmingham

Our dishes were very good. Mrs HB started with the the Bruschetta del Duca – toasted bread with ‘Nduja sausage and buffalo mozzarella – and it was excellent. Spicy and rich, with the crunch from the bread, and just the right amount. I love a bit of bruschetta but decided on the Gamberoni alla Diavola – spicy prawns with garlic and white wine. Delicious and full of flavour – lip-smackingly good!

Being Italian, I can’t go to an Italian restaurant and not have pasta. That would be sacrilegious! And true to style, I ordered the Penne Arrabbiata. It might sound simple but getting it right is more difficult than you think, and San Carlo’s didn’t let me down. Perfectly cooked al dente tubes of pasta with a tomato sauce that was piquant, full of fresh plum tomato flavour (non-of that tinned tomato shenanigans going on here) that coated the pasta rather than drowning.

Mrs HB’s Taglioni Lobster was shiny and rich with a stunning depth of flavour. The best bit? They didn’t skimp on the lobster. It’s not really my sort of thing but I’m assured that it was up there with some of the best lobster dishes she’s tasted.

If we had been out for dinner, I may have been tempted to have one of the meat dishes, but being lunchtime, I really needed to be able to get out of my seat after the meal and not falling asleep as I write this review. So we settled on coffee and some homemade, light and crispy Italian cantucci to round off our meal.

I’ll be honest, you don’t go to San Carlo’s for a cheap meal. But for the quality of the food and the prompt and attentive service, the price tag is as I would have expected.

Mario Balotelli, an Italian football superstar, described San Carlo’s as the best Italian food he’d eaten outside of Italy, and I can see why.

A good friend of mine used to work in management here and told me stories of all sorts of celebrities dining here, leaving tips that ranged into the thousands of pounds, as they enjoyed the food service that much.

I don’t really need to go into my personal experiences here, but I will say that any (and all!) San Carlo restaurants I’ve visited have been consistent in quality, food and service. If you’ve yet to dine here, search for a San Carlo near you – and book a table. I guarantee you’ll never look at Italian food in the same way again.

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