North Italia — Restaurant in Birmingham

4.5

Knowing it was a chain restaurant, I had somewhat diminished expectations for North Italia, thinking it would be little more than 'variations' on a theme. I wasn't completely wrong, but I wasn't completely right either.

The atmosphere was a little hipper than the norm, and I wouldn't have known I was in an Italian restaurant if I hadn't, well, known. The clientele was mostly 25-35ish, somewhat well-heeled and there didn't seem to be a lot of families with young (read screaming) children...which you often find in places like Olive Garden, etc. That is an enormous bonus in my book.

John, our server, was pleasant and attentive. Our appetizers, the calamari and the white truffle garlic bread, were tasty enough. However, I probably wouldn't pay the $15 for the latter or $17 for the former if the meal where on my own dime. Again, they were tasty enough, but they added over $40 to the overall bill (once you include tax & tip on $32). That is a lot of money for, a third time, tasty enough....besides the dinner portions turned out to be enormous.

Although I didn't have one myself, the diner sitting next to me ordered a Caesar salad to start. It appeared to be drenched in dressing, but he said it was extremely good. If I were to ever order one, I will be sure to tell them to go light on the dressing.

As for the entrees, one of our party ordered the 'arugula & avocado salad' with salmon. He ate every last bite, and proclaimed it very good. Truthfully, it would have been hard to screw it up. Another had the 'spicy vodka rigatoni,' which he said "was fine," but he was also comparing it to his neighborhood places in the NY metro area.

I had the squid ink tonnarelli, which was very tasty. When John put it down in front of me, it looked to be a somewhat polite dinner portion. However, it must have been some kind of magic bowl, because I ate more than my fill and there was still plenty left (without any of the shrimp or calamari since I made sure to get those). I would certainly order it again....extremely satisfied with this dish.

Finally, the last of our party ordered the chicken parmesan. There is no other way to put it, this/it was a copious amount of food. I mean a real lumberjack portion. So much so, everywhere at the table made some sort of comment when John placed it on the table. It was a real Man vs. Food moment, and you half-expected Casey Webb or Adam Richman to show up at the table. Two strapping men could probably split this dish and be comfortably satisfied. It makes you wonder where they grow these massive chickens and just what they are feeding them. Anyhow, the person who ate it said it very good.

We didn't get dessert, but everything on the menu looked tasty. However, I did get a cup of coffee, which was extremely good...better than most coffee houses. Might go back there some night just for dessert and coffee. Hmm.

All told, I would have rated North Italia 4.5 stars if I had been able to have the option. It would have been: atmosphere...4.75, service 4.50 and food 4.25.

Definitely would recommend it, especially for that 25-35 year old crowd looking for a slightly upscale place (good enough for a date) which won't...

A friend and I shared a disappointing dining experience at North Italia Restaurant at 225 Summit Boulevard, Suite 1100, on 11/22.

On the mentioned date, my friend and I were enjoying what we believed to be a satisfactory dinner and conversation. We were reconnecting for the first time in over a year and had traveled a cumulative 2 hrs that day to the Summit to hang out. This was my second time in North Italia that week; I thought it was a great place to reconnect with friends while visiting town.

As we were conversing, just like the other patrons in our vicinity, our server, Isaac, approached us with an unexpected request. He informed us, “I don’t mean to rush you off, but this section is reserved for a party of 12. Can we move you to the bar if we could find you seats?” We found this request inappropriate, abrupt, and insulting.

While I understand the importance of accommodating large parties, the approach in this situation felt dismissive and poorly managed. Here are my concerns:

·      Selective Displacement: It was concerning that we were specifically chosen to move despite no prior indication upon our seating that the area was reserved. This selective displacement was inconvenient and made us question the criteria used for such decisions, adding a layer of discomfort regarding the impartiality of customer treatment.

·      Customer Inconvenience: Suggesting that we relocate to an already crowded bar without offering a suitable alternative highlighted a lack of foresight and sensitivity to customer comfort. Effective management should prevent guests from feeling the repercussions of internal oversights. I would also like to note that only one seat was available in the bar area at that time.

·      Impacted Decisions: Our evening was disrupted to the extent that we decided against making additional purchases, namely takeout for our families and coffee, which we had planned before being approached. It is worth noting that our check was brought to us without request, and Issac checked two additional times while we were eating dessert to see if we had taken care of the check. At this time, we never indicated that we had completed our dining experience. We also had a young lady come over to inquire if we wanted to take our dessert to-go while not offering any additional service besides taking empty plates.

After discussing our discontent with the Night Manager, Caitlin Jones, we were informed that the request to move was not a directive from management and received apologies for the misunderstanding. However, the incident had already soured our experience.

The approach to accommodating larger parties at the expense of current guests is troubling. We felt disregarded and selected for displacement. I believe it is unacceptable to prioritize potential larger checks at the expense of a current customer’s experience. This approach damaged the dining experience for us and reflected poorly on the...

Let me first say, THEY ONLY REPLY TO BAD REVIEWS ON HERE TO MAKE IT SEEM AS IF THEY ARE CONCERNED. THEY WILL ASK YOU TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THEM, AND NEVER REPLY WHEN YOU DO. SO, I TOOK AWAY A STAR...NOW, you only have one star, and that's only because of the staff, Emma,(which was very attentive and nice, and the white truffle garlic bread(best thing we ate there, smh). I do Not mind paying for food. The cost us NEVER an issue, but I expect the food to reflect the price. This place is very over rated and over priced. We ordered the white truffle garlic bread, the Caesar salad but changed to the simple salad, the bolognese(house specialty), braised short ribs, sweet tea to drink, and tiramisu for dessert. First off, be prepared, we waited an hour for the bread, another 30 for salads, and another hour for entrees(which had one cold) and added another 30 for the second one. Mind you, it was only 3 families total when we arrived. Now, the sweet tea is made with some type of peach something mixed in it that we were not told of until we asked because it was not tasty, so we changed time water. The Caesar salad had a strong strange taste to it, so when they came to ask how we liked it, I described the dislike and the taste, and was then informed that they put live anchovies in their Caesar salad, so we changed it first the simple salad which came with a house made vinaigrette that was soooo strong that we could smell the vinegar in it before they put the plate on the table, and it cut your breath off. The bolognese was very, very salty but plain tasting. I ate a couple of forks trying to get it, but I didn't really taste a flavor. We had to send the short ribs back the first time because they were cold when they came out, and the second time they were tough and unseasoned. The taste was like when you cook with wine and don't allow the wine to completely cook down with no seasoning, but the polenta was good. The tiramisu was alright, very pretty. But that truffle garlic bread, I told the manager, if I came back it would only be for that. That bread was magically delicious. Never paid $13 for bread before, but it was very, very good. The house made ricotta was a show stopper. IT'S A MUST TRY!! Their food seems to be fixed for PRESENTATION ONLY because it is not for taste, and definitely not worth the price they charge for it. I guess you are paying first the atmosphere and food presentation. We brought over half of each plate home because some food taste better the next day. NOT THIS FOOD!!! IT WAS WORSE. My family will not be going back to...