Fumo by San Carlo - Birmingham Waterloo St — Restaurant in Birmingham

Meal: Lunch Party: 4 Cost: £227 Drinks: x1 bottle of wine, x2 glasses of sparkling, x3 mocktails

The food we had was very delicious... when it came. But basic problems let this place down, especially considering the price.

Fumo seems to be one of those places that spent a lot of money on the aesthetic, but then thought they could stop there. It's an easy to find location, very central, and nicely decorated. It's "tapas style" dishes, with a suggested 5-6 dishes for two people, and food served as and when it's ready.

We ordered eight dishes between four of us and this was more than sufficient. The food that came promptly was delightful. Very tasting tempura prawns, calamari and mozzarella balls. Things then started to slow down, not just the food, but the service.

When serving lots of small plates, wait staff really have to be on it with clearing empty dishes. We had to stack plates a few times on our table to make space and also hand plates and glasses over to waiters who seemed not to see them. Empty drinks weren't cleared without our prompting and we has to ask multiple times for replacements.

A few dishes arrived very late, well after we had finished everything else. Not the end of the world as what we'd had was filling and tasty, but we were told that dishes would come out when ready. A rocket and parmesan salad came out a full hour after ordering and at least 15 mins after we'd finished eating. Surely the quickest to make of them all?

Nobody checked in how our meals were going until a more senior member of staff cleared our table at the 3bd. When we mentioned delays he promised to remove the salad and an expensive prawn dish that arrived long after everything else from the bill. Only the salad was removed when we got the bill.

Often staff seemed to be guessing at which tables hard ordered what. Half way through our meal a waitress also delivered us a spare chair! Not the end of the world and we all laughed when asking if she were joining us, but this just added to the general idea of staff not quite being in control.

Toilets could have been better. A couple were blocked and the flush on my (unblocked) cubicle didn't work.

It's a real shame because this has all the makings of a great meal out. Our food was good but service was poor and slow, even though the staff themselves were very lovely. The table next to us also complained of an incorrect order. For the price, just not good enough. £227 for one bottle of wine, two glasses of prosecco, and around ten dishes.

If you're are v easy going then great. But if I came here for fancy night out (where I imagine it must be much busier) I'd...

It was fantastic! We went on a Sunday night and the restaurant was pretty busy- a good sign imv- plus it's one of the few places who don't insist on reservations). The menu is large and takes a bit of time to understand- the best way to describe it is "Italian tapas". There are no starters or mains as such, instead the food is categorised (carne, pesce, pizza etc) and each person will want about three portions (four if you're hungry) if you want to save room for dessert which you will! There are no pics of the mains as they looked and smelled so delicious that we had to dive straight in! I had truffle gnocchi which were light and fluffy and very rich (I'd suggest sharing), salt-fish fritters which were glorious and spaghetti with a veg sauce (not on the menu, but they prepared it without question- asking, despite the other dishes I ordered, whether I wanted it to be vegan). It was the best pasta I've ever eaten! My partner had duck salad (sweet, sharp and succulent), gorgeous roasted asparagus (perfectly al dente) , and sea bass which was deliciously soft, and flavoured & seasoned perfectly to let the fish really shine. We were given a limoncello each while we sat back (almost) completely satisfied and we decided, unusually, to look at the dessert menu. We chose to share a pistachio torte and some ice-cream (3 scoops of lemon sorbet, hazelnut and- again, not on the menu- pistachio). We sat and ate like delighted children - swapping dishes every second bite so as to enjoy these two (well, kind of four) equally delicious desserts. We finished the meal with a laphraoig whisky and an iced coffee with kalhua and two more complementary limoncellos. We weren't celebrating any special occasion - my partner simply decidedon a whim to treat us on a rainy Sunday- but it felt like a very special occasion. The service from Paulo and Roberto was attentive and friendly without being over-zealous or intrusive - Thank you gentlemen! All in (3 courses with a bottle of good wine and digestifs/coffee and including service) it was around £55 each - great value for money! We have paid significantly more for significantly worse food! Fumo is up there in food-memories with the Michelin-starred Carter's of Moseley and Pont de la Tour in London. For those reviewers who have criticised the lack of vegetarian choices I agree that it initially seems limited but suggest simply requesting them! I found them considerate and flexible in providing off-menu options. You made a rainy...

I had been eyeing Fumo for quite some time, expecting a refined experience, especially given its high-end appearance and glowing reputation. Tonight, my friend and I finally decided to give it a try for dinner — we were starving and genuinely excited.

To be fair, our initial impression was lovely. The hosts at the reception were warm, and the young lady who took our order was polite and professional. The ambiance itself seemed elegant and sophisticated — which only raised our expectations. Unfortunately, everything after that went downhill — fast.

We were advised to order four dishes due to their supposedly small portions. I chose the seafood pasta — something simple with prawns and mussels, which are the only seafood I usually eat. The moment it arrived, I was hit with an overwhelming smell — one that reminded me more of canned dog food than freshly cooked seafood. I tried to convince myself it might just be the aroma of the shellfish and attempted to push through a few bites, but the taste was just as off-putting. My friend, unprompted, mentioned the exact same concern, and that's when I knew it wasn’t just me.

To make matters worse, as I tried to tolerate the meal, a large fly began hovering directly over my plate. Disgusting doesn’t even begin to describe it. I tried to give the benefit of the doubt — it happens, sure — but this just added to the already sour experience.

And still, I remained polite throughout. Even when I clearly couldn’t eat the food, I didn’t want to offend anyone, especially the kind server who had nothing to do with the poor quality of the dish. But what really pushed me to write this — my first ever negative review — was the behaviour at the end of the night.

When we asked to remove the optional service charge from the bill (a perfectly reasonable request given our experience), the staff member returned with the most unwelcoming, passive-aggressive expression — as if we were trying to get away with something dishonest. It was rude, unnecessary, and a terrible way to end what was already a disappointing night.

Fumo — you fooled me with the look, but failed me with the food, the hygiene, and most sadly, with your attitude. This visit was not just underwhelming — it was...