bottega restaurant and cafe

absolutely amazing. frank stitt's restaurants are all just fabulous. i've eaten some of the best meals that i've ever tasted here and the prices are so reasonable compared to the same quality fine dining restaurants that you'd go to in other cities with almost twice the cost. so pleased with thisbirminghamgem.

my bff and i had a late lunch this week in what we call "ole faithful"... bottega's cafe has been a delicious staple in the city ofbirminghamfor years. chef stitt created something unique with this cozy place. i had to get one of my favorites... pork loin with the spinach and polenta. i am always pleased and happy when i'm there... service is superb. this is a cool place for a fun girls night out (great wine selection)! but it is also small and chic for a date night with your spouse.

took my daughter to bottega for her 21st birthday lunch. it's one of our favorite restaurants inbirminghamand it didn't disappoint yesterday! such good food and amazing service. i had the bottega burger and it was cooked perfectly. desserts were really good as well.

abirminghamclassic. i enjoy going to the cafe side in the spring and sit outside. it is a nice place to bring out of town guests and enjoy a salad or something light for a lunch. kind of pricey and you dont want to go in the heat of the summer.

great resturaunt, and isn't too pricey. they have great waiters and really good food. compares to emerils, commanders palace, and charlie trotters. best inbirminghami give it 4.9 out of five

our go-to.birminghamhas several excellent fine-dining restaurants, but this one is our personal favorite. the wait staff are knowledgeable pros and the timing is perfect- i hate being rushed from course to course and i've never experienced that here. the parmesan souffle is my favorite appetizer; the fritto misto is very generous in portion if not particularly exciting. i've never had an entree i didn't love- puttanesca, pappardelle with braised chicken, lamb, and multiple fish dishes. my husband, who is not particularly adventurous with food in general will try anything here because he trusts the chef so much, and he also has no complaints. for dessert, i prefer traditional creme brûlée or tiramisu.

another great stitt restaurant. i recently dined at bottega with my wife to celebrate our anniversary and it was another reminder that frank stitt truly is the bestbirminghamhas to offer. the wait staff was very knowledgeable and attentive and very willing to suggest their favorites, (this is important to me, i want to know that the waiter knows the menu and knows what is good and what is great) and in this our waiter did a great job. he suggested that we have the baked feta to start and then the braised duck pasta. the baked feta was such a great start to the meal, it was rich and flavorful and plenty to share between my wife and i. the duck entree was equally wonderful. i am a huge fan of duck to begin with and will usually order it if available. the duck was so tender and flavorful and the fresh pasta was just how pasta should be. my wife had the rustica pizza and loved it. even though we were stuffed, we had to split a slice of the pumpkin cheesecake based on the rave review from our waiter, and it was a great encore to a wonderful meal. all in all it was a great anniversary outing and it just made choosing a favorite restaurant inbirminghameven more difficult.

good, but. very nice, but in the pantheon of topbirminghamrestaurants, this one is 4 or 5 down from the top. good place nontheless. i think that the staff is very impersonal. the selection is lacking somewhat.

abirminghamstaple! piadine #1, a vegetarian dish that is sure to satisfy anyone with bursting fresh flavors. outdoor patio was perfect in the evening. affordable, great food, first class service.


-----25 sep, 2010-----

abirminghamat#1 on the patio with a

abirminghamclassic.. i've been coming to bottega for years for one reason: great food. sure, the atmosphere is great and service is impeccable... but it's the food that is the perennial draw. my experience last weekend was nothing short of what i've come to expect.

i started with the beef carpaccio. it's prepared the same way here as it is at highlands, and for good reason. the beef was perfect, and accompanied by just the right amount of a fresh, creamy horseradish sauce and thin shavings of cheese. awesome.

for an entree i had the grouper, which was prepared with an assortment of the finest olives, pistachios, pine nuts, and a healthy dose of lemon zest. definitely one of the best pieces of fish i've had in town in a while, and the preparation was the epitome of what mediterranean should taste like.

i finished everything off with the white chocolate bread pudding. delicious, and certainly enough to put me over the top and into a food coma for the evening.

and, on a final note, the bar keep makes a mean old-fashioned.

as nice a citybirminghamis, i rarely stop there. usually, i’m on my way to atlanta and after fueling up in tuscaloosa, it’s no stopping till buckhead. however, my friend catherine was in alabama for work, and we decided to meet in birmingham.