Smoke + Ash Pizza — Restaurant in Birmingham

[EDITED upon reflection] When a new independent opens in Birmingham, it is really exciting. You really want to like the restaurant and you are rooting for them.

Let's start with the positives: The venu is in a lovely location. I like that you can see the pizza oven. And, of course, the food was lovely. My partner's pizza and the garlic bread were great. The crust was perfect. My buratta was delicious. I also ordered a lovely glass of the Italian red wine. It was a great pairing. Dessert was the pistachio cannoli, again perfection. And, side note, the plateware and glasses were nice too. It's details like this that really tie up the visual experience.

I'll also mention that the owners really care. After my initial review, they called to have a chat. It's what prompted me to edit my post because I realised it was largely written out of frustration for the customer experience I had at this restaurant but also one that I've had similarly at other places. The restaurant industry is struggling and it means that hiring staff has become all the harder.

So what could improve: I had a reservation for 7:30pm on a Friday. Dinner rush, and, I was informed by the owner when he called to discuss my review, the busiest one since opening. This likely explains why some of the staff weren't as attentive to the tables, with taking down the correct order, or with collecting payment in a timely manner. We were greeted by a staff member with an iPad and told he would snag us menus. Our waiter forgot us, though, which meant my partner ended up having to get the menus for us.  When served our meals, mine was not what I ordered — the buratta with rocket, sundried tomatoes, and olives but was served the buratta with raspberry blasamic. But, again, I didn't inform the staff of the mix up. Mostly because I didn't want to make a fuss at the time and didn't want to sit and watch my partner munch his meal while I sat waiting for mine. Mistakes happen though.

My frustration came more from seeing another waiter, whom I found out later is the co-owner, doing a stand up job at waiting her table as well as picking up the slack of her fellow wait staff.

Lastly, in the original review, I called out the behaviour of some fellow patrons (a group of three women decided to watch several festival music videos on full sound). I can't blame the restaurant for the behaviour of customers. But, to my fellow patrons or future patrons, isn't this behaviour rather inconsiderate? We all deserve to have a good time when out on the town. Is it too much to ask for a bit of care and consideration when pulling out phones in a restaurant?

So, self reflection time. Should I have said something at the time rather than write a review a day later? Perhaps. It's hard to speak up at the time and make a fuss and it's often easier to do it online. The intention of my review wasn't meant to say 'don't try this place' it was meant to prompt the restaurant to review their customer service approach, and I guess that's exactly what it did because the owner took the time to speak with me. He cares about his business and really didn't want my original review to dissuade people from trying his scrumptious pizzas.

This is why I'm changing the review to give 4 stars because the owner has made every effort to rectify the frustrations I had. Give Smoke and Ash a shot and have a cannoli....

As pizza lovers we have been to lots of pizza places, but since discovering Smoke & Ash we don't go anywhere else. They have always been so warm and welcoming, especially with kids, and of course the pizza (gorgonzola and pear all time fave) and cocktails (chilli and yuzu margaritas please) are stunning.

The above led us to approach them to ask if they would host a small wedding reception for us and our nearest and dearest (around 30 people) which Clare and Paul accepted enthusiastically. They were so easy to work with especially in the run up to our big day, nothing was too much trouble and they absorbed much of the stress that comes with planning any event let alone your own wedding.

When it came to the day, the room was decorated beautifully (by Sophie I believe) and everything from the food to the service was flawless. The staff were so genuinely kind, relaxed and accomodating which created a lovely atmosphere for our celebration. We even arrived a little earlier than planned and this was no trouble at all. All of our guests (including vegans and other dietary requirements) were catered for perfectly and have all vowed to visit again.

Clare & Paul were also kind enough to also let us use an extra (also spacious) side room for the kids and even brought out toys etc for them to play with. This was something which meant we could really enjoy ourselves without having to occupy our very busy 2 year old!

We have never experienced such good hospitality and would highly recommend not only eating at Smoke & Ash once a week for the rest of your life, but also booking them for any similar gathering you might be planning. Thank you everyone for a perfect...

Our potentially casual visit to Smoke and Ash turned into one of the best (if not the best) pizza experiences we've ever had.

As a passionate and conscientious pizzaiolo myself I can honestly say I was mindblown by the service we received from the team on busy Saturday night.

We decided to try the Nduja Taleggio and white Gorgonzola Dolce pizza. Pizzas had perfectly balanced flavours where quality ingredients could really shine. Nothing seemed overpowering or out of place, both compositions created a truly authentic feel of a real Neapolitan pizza. Bonus points for offering Chimichurri on the menu, it's been a secret weapon for me to serve it with white pizzas, it's a must try and not a lot of places do it. A pleasant surprise. Delicious is an understatement!

I've travelled to many pizzerias around the globe and spent years cooking and developing Neapolitan pizzas myself. Creating a perfect dough is for a lot of people a form of art and some can never get it right.

From the flour used, precise water hydration to long fermentation and high heat this crust definitely delivered on all aspects. Fluffy pancake-like texture in the middle to soft and crunchy edges. Nothing seemed soggy or too wet and was a perfect base for just the right amount of toppings on top. Chefs confidence really shines here, bravo!

To sum it all up, warm and unobtrusive service with perfect timing and attention to every detail with Alvaro being a genuine star really made us feel like home.

I had pizzas in Naples that weren't as good and refined as what we've tried at Smoke and Ash in Edgbaston Village. Can't wait to go back as...