Ristorante Caffe' Gustami — Restaurant in Birmingham

A tucked away top traditional Italian.

As I ran hurriedly past burnt out vehicles, dodged Molotov cocktails and leapt over makeshift barriers fortified with razor wire, I successfully made it to the entrance of Ristorante Caffe' Gustami. 😜 It's easy to dismiss this restaurant from its housing estate location and humble outward appearance. Enter and you'll soon relax in traditional Italian café comfort. I was immediately welcomed by a cool, well groomed elderly Italian gentleman. The chef and father. He explained the each of the dishes on the special chalk board. The younger, elegant looking Italian woman (the daughter) took my order. I took in my surroundings. Pictures of all things famous and Italian (I found a few portraits of the great Pavarotti) decorated the walls. There are hundreds of wine bottles impressively stacked in racks. At the back of the restaurant is a small open kitchen where the chef works his culinary magic. Comfortable wooden tables are decorated with vibrantly coloured fresh flowers. The space felt bright and most importantly it felt traditional. Food was served quickly. Each dish was sensational, some of the best Italian food I've tried, prepared from scratch. Flavours were zesty, portions were perfect. Dishes were delicate, to be enjoyed slowly, in a social setting. The tables are set out so. Price is excellent, given the quality of the food. One of the best Italian restaurants in Birmingham. A little out of the way (at the back of the ICC) but well worth the effort...

Went in after days of craving pasta, and was delighted on every count. Clean, bright, fresh designed interior; very pleasant to look at with Italian music playing gently. It was a 30 degree day out, but inside felt cooler and refreshing. It was incredibly cosy and we are definitely returning! I especially look forward to returning in the cooler seasons, as the food was hot and hearty, great for satiating cravings and hunger.

They had quite a few specials and they were all incredibly appealing. The man who served us was very kind and described every dish for us and did not give off condescending or judgemental vibes at all. He also checked on us throughout and was super responsive and helpful.

The creamy salmon pasta was very delicate in flavour with incredible tasting smoked salmon. The spaghetti with meatballs was everything I ever wanted in a plate of pasta – hot, fresh tomato, garlic herby sauce with spaghetti that was perfectly cooked and meatballs that were just solid and meaty. We also ordered the Panna cotta with chocolate topping and the chocolate sauce was so rich, the Panna cotta being smooth and full of flavour, a fantastic consistency.

Great experience, and as other reviews said, don't judge a book by its cover. This was perfect and ticked all the boxes, for reasonable prices! Definitely returning and recommending to anyone who wants Italian food!!! No faults! Can't thank the person here enough for the...

Having pondered all day on whether I should post a negative review, I decided yes. Having been sat a table with no hygienic covering, water glasses sat upside down collecting any germs off the table and surrounded by boxes of wine so much so that I could not move my chair back away from the table. My food selection on presentation to the table was quite plain and tasteless. The pasta which is apparently homemade may as well have come out of a packet. It was nothing to write home about. It was also served on a cold plate. The calamari was mostly batter although the mayonnaise dip was quite pleasant. Once again it came on a cold plate. The tiramisu (which is supposed to be homemade also) was reasonable but you can get better from Asda. The general appearance of the cafe was very stark. It was very cold and uninviting. Thinking back on my visit it has just struck me that there was no smell of cooking although the kitchen was directly behind me with no wall to separate. Makes me think how much of the food is actually prepared and cooked freshly on the premises. The vast majority of posts about this cafe are 5 stars. It makes me wonder whether I just happened to go at a bad time or everyone else wears rose coloured specs (or they write their own reviews). Not a place to be...