Pane & Vino — Restaurant in Birmingham

I found out about this wonderful restaurant on a random Facebook post. I was extremely dubious at first that a restaurant of this calibre could be found in Erdington, but am delighted to be proved wrong ! My family and I visited for the first time last night and we were blown away. The interior is basic, but do not let that put you off. The welcome we received by the waitress (brain fog has caused me to forget her name, so huge apologies), was so warm and engaging. All the specials were expertly and warmly described to us . This young person obviously loved what she was doing and loved what was being provided. To start I had the ham and melon. I was completely overwhelmed by the taste of the melon. It immediately transported me to holidays spent in Europe. You very rarely get fruit tasting like this in England. My partner had the calamari with aioli. The batter was so delicate and the aioli was delicious. My daughter was equally delighted with her bruschetta. I then had the caserecci n’duja. The waitress told me she eats this everyday. If I worked there, so would I ! Absolutely delicious. My partner had a pepperoni pizza, and declared that it even had a crispy bottom and reminded him if the ones we had in Italy. Coming from someone that is not a foody , that was praise indeed. My daughter had the carbonara and was equally delighted. Of course we had to try the desserts. My daughter had tiramisu, which looked and tasted amazing. I had basil panne cotta. This was gorgeous. The taste of basil did not overwhelm this dish, which was something I was worried about. Instead it was a refreshing hint of basil, with lemon cutting through it. It was almost like a palette cleanser. Definitely the perfect way to end a meal. We were also presented with a small glass of sweet wine at the end . The waitress knew that unfortunately I couldn’t drink alcohol, but didn’t want me to be left, out so bought me a small glass of grape juice. This topped off a wonderful evening in this fantastic restaurant . We are already looking forward to...

Had higher expectations due to the reviews and feedback I had heard from family having been before. We also wanted to go as we liked the story and wanted to support smaller businesses. We booked last minute and managed to get a table which was ready for when we arrived. The place was small (a bit tight), felt just a bit put together, like there was weird bathroom looking sparkly panels on the walls, some fridge things on a wall and lots of wine on top, but we didn't let the decor put us off. The waitress was lovely and took the time to go through ALL of the specials explaining each in great detail which was helpful. We ordered the big arancini, it was ok, not delicious or particularly tasty and the balsamic vinegar on the salad underneath just took over. Mains were steak, garlic broccoli (which was recommended by the waitress) and a beef pasta dish from the specials. Hubby enjoyed the steak and said it was well seasoned. Broccoli was not garlicky but was instead covered in balsamic vinegar.. very strange! Not sure if sour broccoli is something anyone would enjoy? And my pasta had the potential to be nice but instead was overpowered with black pepper which anyone who likes pepper may have enjoyed, but unfortunately I do not. I think that Italian restaurants having the servers offer black pepper and parmesan have got it right there. Always yes to parmesan and no to pepper. We also had the garlic bun which was DRENCHED in garlic butter, it was ok, but a bit overdone for us. Overall it was okay, may return to maybe try a regular pasta dish like a carbonara, we will see.. We also overheard others being offered a free shot after their meal like how restaurants do it on abroad, I thought that was very nice but we weren’t...

After hearing such positive things about this place we finally visited last night. We were the only table in the restaurant (it was early as I had my 3 year old nephew with me) so I can’t comment on atmosphere.

The food was amazing, possibly one of the best pizzas I have ever had. However, the service was not so good. I had to remind them about a soft drink as they had forgotten it, We receive our food at different times, I got my meal last, despite ordering a starter that I had not yet received as so I had to ask where it was. I then ordered another drink that did not arrive as our waiter was stood outside talking. I got the attention of another waiter who eventually bought over my drink. We then ordered desserts, which again, were served at different times and to be honest, not all that great. My Crème Caramel was nowhere near set and almost just mush on a plate.

I discussed the issues, however they point blank refused to apply any form of discount because we had eaten the food. Fine, but I expect food to be served to 3 people at the same time, we were not a large party. I also don’t expect to have to ask about starters halfway through my main course. And I don’t expect to wait 20 minutes for a drink.

I’d love to say we will return but I’m afraid we won’t be. We thought maybe a delivery would be a good idea, however the prices at £4-£5 more per dish on Deliveroo, so that’s unlikely now.

Overall, fabulous food, but they need to sort the...