Fumo in Birmingham

Visited twice in the past month. Nice table layout, professional staff and fast service. Extensive menu offering multiple small plates all freshly cooked and delivered as they are ready, perfect for sharing. Particularly enjoyed the carbonara which was rich and creamy, good helping of bruschetta likewise big portion of pollo Milanese. Very good for pre theatre meals

Nice restaurant. Service good , food good. But ruined by a very rude woman sitting next to us. The tables are too close together and she said she was trying to eat her meal 🤷🏼‍♀️ so were we. We were laughing and talking ( it was my birthday ) but that was it. Might be an idea for her to stay in in future so she can be miserable at home. Face like she was chewing a wasp. Wouldn’t go again.

Food is great but we were sat in a confined alcove in the bar, horrendously noisy....which spoilt it for us..

First time bringing my wife to fumo, was amazed by quality of service and standard of food, the waiters looked after our every need, will definitely be returning and Riky was fantastic five star food with a five star waiter

Does Fumo not employ bar women? Never see one in all the 12 or so years that I’ve been frequenting this bar. Equal opps guys - get with the programme already! We didn’t eat at Fumo last night - food smelt great though👌🏾 it took ages to get served at the bar, load of barmen bouncing around but doing nothing. To be fare the guy who eventually served us was friendly and professional. When we ordered 2 pints of Peroni we were told no pints here just halve glasses! I thought he meant they’d run out of pint glasses, but after telling me twice I got the message - they don’t serve pints anymore and he couldn’t tell me why🤔 Then the bill arrives: £9.++ for 2 halves! It was about 9pm but that was daylight robbery !!! And a Flippin’ service charge! What’s going on? So let me summarise: wait ages to get served, then can't get a pint, then get ripped off for the said (sad) half pint and a slapped with a service charge on top of all that!😡 Really??

I mean what can I say, been a regular for the past 15 years, service has dropped big time and now they even don't serve pints. Whoever thought of that idea needs to be fired. Paying £4.50 for half a pint is a joke. Wake up guys you have been in the game long enough not to be playing stupid games like this.

Used to be my favourite place. Popped in for a drink. Peroni only by the half pint !!! What a joke. Enquired why. Was unformed didn't want to become a pub type environment. Stayed for1 deinkbanf left. 2 men at bar made similar comments. Fumo not a pub, does not attract pub type people. Why change it !!

Our experience of Fumo was very disappointing throughout. On arrival we were told to stand at the bar and wait for our table to be ready despite being on time for our booking. We were given a table right next to the bar and very quickly the bar area filled up with drinkers who were stood centimetres away from our table as the bar area was not large enough to accommodate the large crowd of drinkers who were loud and tipsy. This meant my friend and I could not hear each other speak and were becoming irritated by having drinkers on top of us. We assumed from the interior this was a fancy restaurant however it seems to be more like a rowdy bar which was not the vibe we wanted. Unfortunately the food did not redeem our experience. When our carbonara arrived the waiter asked us if we wanted Parmesan which we said yes to and the Parmesan was never given to us and was forgotten. We ordered garlic bread to eat with our pasta and the garlic bread took SO long to come out that we had eaten our pasta by the time it arrived meaning we could not eat them together and we had garlic bread and nothing to go with it. The garlic bread itself tasted just like the Weatherspoons garlic pizza bread and was dry and thin. The garlic used was not fresh and instead was the garlic puree from a tube as tasted slightly vinegary and not fresh, exactly as the tube garlic tastes. The waiters did the bare minimum and did not really speak to us. As expected they put a service charge on our bill which we took off as the experience was so disappointing and there was no service. We definitely won’t be going back and I would not recommend Fumo to anyone.

A little disappointed during my visit as I know the reputation of this place and have been before but a very long time ago. When we arrived we found half of the main menu wasn't available due to a shortage of chicken- issues with the supplier. I understand that can happen. The dishes I did go for were quite tasty, but I feel as though you have to order quite a lot of food for it to fill you up. This made it extremely expensive. Service was fantastic, very professional and friendly. Would return again but maybe not on a Sunday!

excellent service and exceptional quality of food, especially pleasant experience with waitress sharron so lovely and warming, would recommend and definitely will come again.

A lovely place to eat hidden at the top of Selfridge's. Food was exceptional, service was good in parts (some missed opportunities to sweep the room and missed items on the order) We had an evacuation mid way through the meal so the first things we ordered were gratas. The evacuation was a little slow and they didn't make any additional consideration of the wheelchair so we had to make our own way out and find an evacuation point. (Thankfully the selfidges security took over once we found our way to an evacuation point near a lift). When we got back after the evacuation we got fresh new orders. Again the food was excellent the carbonara was delicious 😋.

Came here for our anniversary dinner and all aspects of the visit were great. Food was fantastic and the service was so attentive, thank you Riky!

My husband bought me here for my birthday meal after shopping! Very good service and absolutely amazing food! Mentioned it was my birthday and they bought out a desert for me 😉

Best place for cocktails in Birmingham. Beautifully decorated and has a safe and relaxed atmosphere. Also a great little spot to end up at the end of a shopping trip for a light meal and a drink before the taxi home from a girls day.

My wife and I love Fumo! We have eaten here several times and the service, ambiance and food are all excellent. We usually sit at the nice long bar and enjoy their tapas'style small plate dishes. Some of our faves include the branzino, smoked chicken caesar salad, and the pecorino and truffle ravioli. We have never been disappointed here. Go!

We selected this venue to celebrate my wife’s birthday, as she is fond of the branch in Selfridges. Unfortunately, our experience was deeply disappointing from beginning to end, with subpar service and food that fell well below expectations. Regrettably, I cannot think of a single positive aspect to highlight. There are far better alternatives nearby, and I sincerely wish we had chosen one of them instead.

We regularly visit this group of restaurants so when we were heading into Birmingham for the Bank Holiday weekend, we tried to book. They were full but I submitted a request on the website and they rang and said they could accommodate us which was great! After booking, I came onto Trip Advisor to read the reviews and was disappointed by the relatively poor recent reviews, almost to the point that I debated cancelling the reservation but in the end we decided to stick with it, and I’m so glad we did as we had a fantastic time! Not everyone realises food comes at different times/once ready so we did a starters order first and ate those, then we did a mains order, which worked really well. The food was absolutely excellent, really delicious and perfectly sized portions for you to order a few between you (there were three of us, two adults and a 12 year old). We ordered four starter dishes and five main dishes between us. The restaurant was incredibly busy but service was excellent and food arrived quickly, the atmosphere was great too. I do agree with previous reviews that being told you’ve only got 90 minutes on your table when seated is unwelcoming but I guess they need a way to manage bookings and we were grateful they had squeezed us in. Overall, we had a great time and we will definitely be back!

Beautiful location and beautiful view .Unfortunately i can’t say the same about the service that we experience in our visit there.We didn’t get the service quality that we payed for we payed five star prices but we got one star service. Unfortunately we will not be returning. My recommendations would be to send the Staff to a Gordon Ramsey Training school

Carlos my Friend we have met many Times over the years in San Carlos across the Country But although Fumo Birmingham is busy than you possibly can ignore this Honest Review Please Nite this is a Bar / bistro not a restaurant The attention & service from staff is Dreadful staff Have no smiles and very unprofessional the previous reviews here should not be warranted. Would you like another Bottle of Wine Sir They just took my empty glass Away without asking . Food was Good however But Don’t expect parmesan on your pasta as the stuff just walk away and forget you . £10 Service fee on my Bill is a Laugh !! Mr Trevor Durber .

The place is lovely however, we should have ordered more. I assume all the dishes are starter size, going by price and portion size. Would rather pay more so I can have a fuller meal. The steak was mid, and the pasta was good. The prawns were also impressive. Service was fantastic. I'm a little confused at the concept. Is this a restaurant or a light bites place. I'm not an expert, but I can only rate what I have experienced. It made sense why the prices were so low when the starter portions came out. I think the lady should have explained this to us. Otherwise 5 stars.

Went here for brunch to celebrate my birthday. From ordering food, within 5 minutes the all full dishes came out. It was very dry and tasted like preheated stale food The manager changed all dishes , which all tasted average (not amazing as it usually is). At dessert stage they also bought out a stale profiterole with no happy birthday message. I’ve been to Fumo Selfridges many times and had the best experience but this wasn’t good. Really disappointing as this had been one of my favourites .

Lunch for 3 on a Monday (husband and I, and mother) as a pre-birthday treat. From the moment we arrived, we felt well looked after. Staff were friendly, with the appropriate level of professional formality with a smile. We were reminded that the restaurant serves food Ciccheti-style, so small plates - which suited as perfectly as we prefer this over large courses (if you're a starter + main course person, maybe think before coming - some of the other reviews seem to be the result of not checking before booking, perhaps?). Our first selection arrived quickly, although mine - the tuna tartare - took a few minutes longer. Again, no problems as we'd been alerted to this beforehand. And it was delicious. Our second round involved a fabulous monkfish dish, with which I ordered some spinach and sampled some of my husband's peas - again, every dish was lovely. We all had gelato for dessert. All the food was lovely. The service was wonderful. Pricing is as one would expect bearing in mind the quality of the food and the thought that has gone into each dish, the location and the general ambience. We fully recommend this restaurant - definitely for a leisurely but stylish weekday lunch.

Lunchtime tapas, bit pricey but worth it. Food was tremendous, probably over ordered with three dishes each between six. £488, including drink.

I struggle to think when I last had a meal out that I enjoyed this much. Absolutely beautiful. Everything was top quality and fairly priced. Even in Italy the food isn't always this good. Certainly beats a few of the big names in Warwickshire.

Popped in for a drink before eating out..glass of fizz (half a glass, not measured just couldn’t be bothered) & pint of lager £25!! Bar staff don’t interact or come across as pleasant then have the audacity to charge service on drinks..daylight robbery! ! I suggest going to anywhere else but here for drinks x

Visited Saturday night with friends. We were not told that they don’t do starters and main servings ie: starter 1st followed by main later 🤷🏼‍♂️ Consequently when 3 starters arrived, as so did one main course, cramming the table with plates as my friends were sharing a starter. When questioned, the waiter stated firmly “ We don’t do starter and main” weren’t you told ! Whole evening (1-1/2 hr slot” was rushed, as the starters didn’t arrive for half an hour. Totally spoiled the dining experience. Very poor !

An old favourite with some old friends who had never been before, food as always delicious, eclectic mix of customers, just need to fix the air conditioning!!

Good margherita pizza / average spaghetti bolognese / delicious rosemary potato wedges / excellent and fast reception and service

Restaurant was really relaxing atmosphere staff were very polite and attentive food was amazing deffo will go there again

Modern and beautiful interiors - this restaurant is a personal fave! Love the tapas concept and although the portions seem small, they do fill you up so do order around 2-3 pp with a side or 2 to share! Food was delicious - highly recommend the lobster ravioli, prawns and lamp cutlets! Absolutely delicious! The truffle fries were a bonus! Would come again although prices are dear, it’s worth a treat here and then! Great service - very authentic! I do actually prefer this to San carlo next door haha!

As soon as we arrived we were immediately told we only had 1.5 hours until we had to leave, which was an odd way we welcome people. While the service was friendly it felt like the dishes were brought out very quickly and it wasn’t long until every dish was on the table, it would have been better if the staff had explained the dish which was being served - which happened on a previous occasion.. The experience would also have been better if there was time between some of the dishes to enable you to enjoy the food and also thought about the order they were brought out. Our side of broccoli was brought out at the end after all other dishes. It is an expensive restaurant and you don’t mind spending the money if you are made to feel it is a special experience, unfortunately the service was no better than a mid-range, standard Italian restaurant.

Camelia assisted me with the booking and she was absolutely brilliant. I had a big party of initially 23 people but then it reduced to 18 people by the time of the event. She was so helpful with menus and dietary requirements. When 5 ladies dropped out she also arranged for refunds. On the day of the event, Charlene and Gabriel were superb, service second to none. They made the event run seamlessly and the waiting team were outstanding. The variety and quality of food were exceptional. Being vegetarian, flavours and variety are important, I received all of that and more. Everyone loved the food and had nothing but glowing reviews at the quality and variety. I'm super impressed with Fumo, Camelia, Gabriel, Charlene and the team and I've even booked a father's day lunch at Fumo because I want my family to experience the exceptional food and service.

Good place for food and drinks. Decent atmosphere as usually always busy.

It looks lovely and the staff are lovely to couples or groups. But this is the 3rd time I’ve been on my own and felt like a smell on the head waiters shoe. What is wrong with coming for a drink and meal on my own. Why can’t people be kinder. You never know when you might be on your own, and you don’t know why someone is on their own.

The food here was excellent. Many chain restaurants do struggle to maintain quality but no such worries with our meal here. The restaurant is pretty cramped and noisy but that seems to be a common theme. The service could have been better: it was great when we arrived but by mid afternoon it was really difficult to get anyone's attention and when we did, they said they would send someone else but that never happened. The table next to us refused to pay the service charge. I can't blame them and considered it myself but that would just have resulted in us waiting around even longer. So, great food, patchy service and quite a cramped and noisy restaurant. I'd still happily go back but at least now, I know not to have too high expectations.

Visited yesterday and was unbelievably appalled by the shocking service. The waiters / waitresses were ALL disinterested, demotivated and completely USELESS. It took 20 minutes to get served despite the fact that including bar staff, there were almost as many staff as diners. And when the kitchen signalled a bell for service, this was usually ignored whilst hot food got cold. We ordered two starters and two mains. Though when our dishes arrived they all arrived together, though one starter was missing. An APPALLING experience though the food is actually good. We gave our tip to the chefs. As for the waiters and waitresses, they should all be SACKED and new, enthusiastic replacements recruited IMMEDIATELY !!

My experience wasn’t up to par with what I expected from Fumo. I started with the tuna tartare which specifically stated on the menu it was “prepared at the table” but it arrived looking like it had been dropped out of a mould, the waitress put it down and walked away. It was delicious but part of the reason I ordered it was because of how it was supposed to be presented. We ordered a selection of Italian bread which was meant to be served with an olive tapenade and a sundried tomato one. The only brought out the olive tepenade and when I asked where the other one was the waiter said “we’ve run out”, aren’t you supposed to tell me elements of a dish are missing BEFORE I order it? I had the halibut for main along with my partner. He asked for extra chilli and they added it to the sauce and cooked the fish with it and he really enjoyed it. A table of women next to us ordered the same dish but also with extra chilli. The woman had the fish placed down in front of her and a ramekin of cold chilli’s on the side. When we raised this to the “manager” he literally scoffed and when I pointed out the difference in dishes he didn’t know what to do and just walked away. We were the only people of colour in there along with the table next to us and it was super obvious the difference in treatment received. I ordered a side of peas which were probably one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen while eating out. The peas were a very dark khaki green and completely doused in flavourless cream. I handed them back to the waitress (working evening 29/05 with brown slick back high pony) and said “these are not fresh can I send them back please” and she just stared at me for 3 seconds… I said “HELLO these aren’t fresh can I send them back”. She snatched them out of my hand and didn’t even apologise. I was really looking forward to eating here as I drink at the bar a lot but so many small things were missed and staff need some lessons on decorum and people skills. One thing I will say, the young Greek lady who took the time to make sure we were happy and ok was absolutely lovely. She gets 5 stars for sure. Stick to the Fumo in selfridges, it’s much better.

Very beautiful place and BEST ITALIAN FOOD IN BRUM

Nice restaurant! - Please note that it is a type of tapas restaurant. The posted prices seem tempting. The food was very tasty and the portions were still perfectly fine. There are deductions because several items on the menu were not available and my work colleague was only brought her drink long after the food was there. (It was simply forgotten.)

Love this place. Food is always amazing and service top notch.

Trendy wine bar come restaurant that serves tapas style ‘smaller’ plates as standard across the menu. Staff are all friendly and professional though it’s not a fine dining type place. 12.5% Service charge as ‘standard’ but that’s many places now. In the pricey side but that’s all relative to what you order and your wallet. Overall a good place to take a partner for a few drinks and a lunch / dinner. Has that higher end feel that won’t go wrong if you’re taking someone out, though seating is limited around the central bar area. Music later on. I tend to start here if I’m going out with my wife for a night out in Birmingham.

Fumo used to be my go to restaurant each weekend, have been away for about a year but the past few times have been really bad experiences ultimately let down by poor service and really poor management when issues are raised. Have given them a few tries thinking this was a one off but seems to be consistent. The Same goes for San Carlo next door which is such as shame as that was once an awesome place to go. There are now so many great competitors around this area, I think they are struggling to find their place in that mix in terms of cost and quality. My suggestion is focus on quality

Excellent food and service great choice from menu good contrast to sister restaurant San Carlo will look forward to returning

We went there for lunch and ordered a few plates to share. We absolutely loved our appetizers but a little less the lemon chicken. This is a beautiful restaurant, with a good ambiance and a nice service. A bit on the pricy side though.

Been here several times recently, food is good and staff also , good atmosphere but can get a little noisy at times. I can only speak for the gents washroom but a thanks must go to a great washroom attendant keeping things very clean. One thing that must be said on this visit we were sat at tables by the bar on the entrance, which was not a good experience, lads at the bar noisy and we were frequently bumped by people going in/out not good for the prices being charged, suggest that this side of the bar should be zero service and kept clear.

Although the service was a bit slow and We did have to wait a bit but definitely worth it. The atmosphere is really nice and food is delicious but bear in mind this is on the pricier side though

Absolutely love this restaurant. Had a pre Birthday meal recently and the service and food were absolutely amazing. The atmosphere is always high energy but not overwhelming- you can still have an intimate conversation/ meal. Decor 10/10 Food 10/10 Service 10/10. A must visit while in Birmingham!

Nice food, but awful service – not catering for a foodie crowd. My partner had been here previously on a quiet weeknight. He had enjoyed the food but not had the full sharing experience as he had come with work colleagues and everyone just ordered their own thing, so we decided to come back for his birthday meal. When we first arrived, we were shown to a table with a speaker blasting out music to our left, which made it hard to have any sort of conversation – imagine wanting to talk to your partner?! This is a restaurant that doesn’t particularly care about your actual restaurant experience and is more concerned with people sat at the bar drinking cocktails so there is more of a “nightclub” vibe. We were even told there would be a DJ from 9pm – literally the last thing I’d want at a restaurant. We arrived slightly before our 6.30pm booking, but were still told we’d only have an hour and a half at the table, so it felt like they just wanted to churn people out. Despite this, service was awful so we ended up staying later than our window. One plus is our waiter did turn down the music slightly after we asked, so it made what experience we did have slightly better than it could’ve been, but that’s not saying much. We ordered 3 starter plates, 3 main plates, and a side. We were told it would come out as it was ready. Even then we were very confused when our 3 mains and side came one-by-one, rather than all in one go; having a side of peas on its own is pretty poor planning on the kitchen’s part. The wait staff were clearly confused too as two came up at different points and asked if they could clear our plates and we said we were still waiting for our starters. The second waiter went to see what had happened and eventually all our 3 starters came at once after all our mains. It can’t be too difficult to get some bread, olives, and cold meats on a plate quickly to bring out first. Very confusing as the two tables near us seemed to have everything all at once. It was odd to have the “main” dishes first, what you are usually looking forward to the most, so it ended on a bit of an anticlimax. We did order dessert – a selection sharer, which was all just cold, so again would take no time at all to prepare. The limoncello that came with it arrived quickly but we were waiting ages for the dessert to arrive. We only got the dessert as the wait staff popped over and asked if it had come and then had to go chase the kitchen. Wait staff in general just seemed chaotic, lots of them but no no one had any idea what was going on In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t paid the service charge, but I thought we might as well pay it to not cause a fuss and just never come back, which we won’t. When we first arrived, even though the vibe wasn’t quite what we were hoping for, we thought we could at least try their sister restaurant, San Carlo, another time (we think they use the same kitchen). Seeing as the main issue seems to be with the kitchen, we won’t even bother doing that. There’s plenty of other places with just as decent food, but also a nice experience, in Birmingham.

Bar staff are you most annoying creatures in Fumo. A glass a Rose Prosecco is £10.75 on drinks menu. Card swiped £12.10. Without permission an automatic add in for pouring a drink at the bar. That happened to each of us. Next round a bottle of Prosecco Rose £45. Tell staff to not automatically add your service charge. We are sat up the bar area. The staff are annoying filling your glass after a few sips. Keep topping you up. Can’t relax and sit and chat without the annoying vultures bothering you. Sets you off nothing relaxing about that bar. They need less staff as they obviously have nothing to do than overcharge and annoy customers.

Bang average, much better places in Birmingham to spend your money! On arrival we stood outside waiting to be checked in for 5/10 minutes, eventually the cleaner spotted us & tried to help just as a member of staff also walked in the door. Sat with menus for 30 minutes before being asked for drinks order. Had to go to the bar myself to replenish water bottle. No service at the table. When waiter eventually asked for our order 45 minutes after sitting down we were told of the unconventional order process of no courses just plates. ???? Walked away Came back 10 minutes later & took our order. Food arrives randomly ie pizza then 10 minutes later fries Food was average at best, bland flavour & tough meat & chewy calamari Used bathroom 2 toilets blocked… cleaner facilities at the shopping centre! There must have been a change of waiters as 2nd service (Alex) was much much better- attentive & helpful! We got our bill, I spoke with a manager who changed bill not sure what was done as didn’t see the first copy. Manager apologised for everything & arranged for birthday desert for son, nice touch but too late for change of mind. I don’t recommend this place for food or service & am unlikely to return

Having italian heritage, one does have high expectation levels of Italian cuisine. Thankfully Fumo lived up to those expectations! Properly cooked pasta, authentic carne dishes and grappa. Bellissimo.

Been coming here for over 15 years now. Service is hit and miss when it’s busy but overall the food is spot on. Lasagne is a must!

The atmosphere was really good for an afternoon lunch. I really enjoyed the meal with a friend and it was amazing. I got the ribeye adding truffle sauce with it was mind blowing amazing I wish they add it for the menu. Although the waitress did make it happen for me easily. It was really a good combination.

Sunday afternoon is a more peaceful time

Delicious food and attentive service.

Ordered about 8 dishes for two of us, the first 4 arrived pretty quickly which we ate then 15 minutes staring at empty plates and numerous empty glasses piling up then finally taken away, another 15 mins later we asked where the rest of the food was and the rather grumpy manager blamed the waitress for not capturing it properly. In the mean time I’d gone to the bar myself to get drinks in as we were being ignored largely. I wouldn’t mind but the place was pretty much empty at 5pm Sunday. In the end I asked for the bill for what we’d had and was charged full price which was disappointing given I had to then go home and cook. 2yrs back We used toggle between Fumo and Sancarlo every weekend, but have been away and only recently returned. I think the service and food quality has become really poor in both of them, there are now so many better alternatives in the immediate area, I wouldn’t give Fumo another try which is a shame.

2 yrs ago I always used to toggle between San Carlo and Fumo each weekend as they always guarenteed a great service along with quality of food. I've been away since then and am amazed at the deterioration of both of brands. This evening (Sunday) we went to Fumo around 4pm and the place was mainly empty. After sitting at the table it took 10 mins before someone asked us for drinks (annoying#1), We ordered food and received half the courses and then it stopped. We finishes eating the first dishes and then sat there for 15 minutes with empty plates - see picture. The next table to us was used for staff who came and went to eat their dinner and then used to fold napkins for the evening service. The Manager came and went to supervise that table completely oblivious we we sat there with dirty plates and empty glasses for 15 mins. I ended up going to the bar to get drinks and upon returning which was ultimately 30 mins waiting for the final 3 courses I asked for the bill excluding them....I had to ask twice! The manager (10 mins later) came out and blamed the waitress for not capturing the order correctly which I do not believe, the manager was quite rude to me earier. When the bill came it was full price for the food we had, no service charge, fair enough but I challenged the manager that I'd expect a discount for ruining our day, he ultimacy blamed me. I had a similar experience in SanCarlo a month back, I think both these restaurants had a monopoly in this area back in the day, I think they'll struggle to survive with the new competition on their door steps - I certainly won't be going to either of them again...such a shame. If owned either of these restaurants I would sack the managers as they do not reflect customer centric values.

Nice place, good food though a little pricey. Good atmosphere and the cocktails are to die for!

While Fumo boasts an impressive menu and a vibrant atmosphere, it sometimes falls short in terms of service. During my visits over the years to both restaurant’s in birmingham , I've encountered inconsistencies in attentiveness and efficiency from the staff. While some servers are attentive and accommodating, others seem disengaged or rushed, detracting from the overall dining experience. However, Despite this drawback, the restaurant compensates with its luxurious and high quality furniture, adding a touch of elegance to the dining environment., Fumo's culinary offerings remain a highlight. The Italian pizzas, in particular, are crafted with quality ingredients and bursting with authentic flavour. The ambiance adds to the dining experience, with a lively atmosphere that reflects Birmingham's vibrant culinary scene. Overall, while Fumo has the potential to be a top notch dining destination, improvements in service could elevate it to even greater heights.

Nice Italian restaurant in the center of the town! The food was great and the service was good and quick! (A very kind lady served us). We definitely recommend it 👌

The food, personally, is overpriced for what it is We spent £250 between 3 of us, and I was still hungry. Food quality was okay Sharing sea food starter was worth it

Awful encounter. Visited with friends and family. My main arrived followed by sides and my starter came after I'd finished my main. We complained to be told it all comes together total rubbish. The customer service especially the manager was appalling I won't be returning

Beautiful place with an upbeat atmosphere. Me and my friend enjoyed a meal out here together comfortably, with staff being attentive and service fairly fast. The pricing was also very reasonable and the bill not hefty at all, however it is worth noting that neither of us had any alcohol. Would happily come back!

We visited on a Saturday afternoon at 3 pm, the restaurant was very full & very loud. The food was average & the servings were small. The staff were friendly but rushed off their feet. It all seemed a bit manic.

The food was lovely, but its very noisy and somewhat sensory overload

Conveyor belt feel. Yes we were told we had a 90 minutes table time limit but this is because when you order a starter such as brushetta or mozzarella balls and a main such as truffle steak with truffle sauce you are expected to eat both the bruschetta/ mozzarella balls at the same time as the steak....absolutely ridiculous considering on arrival we were told that each person should order 2-3 dishes tapas style( totally unnecessary as each dish is far greater than tapas size) and actually virtually impossible as the extremely cramped table for 4 people can only hold 4-6 dishes in total when you include wine glasses, water glasses etc. I'm so glad we didn't listen to the staff member or we may have had to place plates of fresh food on the floor due to lack ofnspace in the cramped environmemt. We decided to separate our food courses order to force the restaurant to serve all 4 starters together and to stop starters from arriving at the same time as mains, when the mains came there was a mix up with the order delaying us eating our food meaning my steak was tepid at best when my side arrived. The food itself was delicious despite the rude serve. The manager / suited bearded Italian man was quick to throw us from our table despite us not ordering dessert yet. He came across as arrogant and actually used the word 'allow' as he said we couldn't have dessert ( despite the delay with our mains mix up). He then popped off and returned telling us they'd had a cancellation for a 90 min booking so he would allow us 25 minutes for dessert. The manner in which he said it made my birthday guests push their menus into the centre of the table and say almost in uniso "no thanks let's go" then the bill was thrown at us with the audacity to ask for an automatic service charge. We quickly removed the charge, paid up then left. On a lighter note despite the cramped room environment, over crowded table, conveyor belt feeling, strange tapas concept, tepid temperature, order confusion and staff arrogance......the food was delicious.

Table is given for a hour and a half slot. About ten minutes before the table was due our food was swiftly removed without the waiter checking we had finished. Which by the way we had not. When I realised what was happening I managed to keep hold of my lobster ravioli. During the course of that hour and a half 6 different wait staff asked us if everything was ok, I now know we were being rushed to finish. We were very much made to feel rushed and unwelcome. When I asked to speak to the Manager he brushed it off as not being his section? We were then ignored entirely for about one hour, which made no sense as the table was now well and truly overdue. A 15% service charge was automatically added, which my partner (annoyingly) paid, despite the service being entirely infuriating. Will definitely not return here, which was such a shame as the food was quite nice. Can't comment on desserts as we were not offered a dessert menu once we had finished. If you want to be made to feel like your patronage is an inconvenience this is the place.

Lovely place, lovely atmosphere, lovely staff, they definitely need to increase the food portions one main with just 3 large ravioli and my pasta meal was just a handful of pasta other restaurants you get twice the amount, I know the waiter said the portions are small didn't think that small x

The environment in the restaurant was very nice, it felt clean and I liked the interior decor. We visited for Valentine’s Day so the restaurant was quite busy, despite this, the service was very good. The food was average. I wasn’t particularly pleased that the chicken in the calzone pizza was dark thigh meat. I would have thought that it would have been chicken breast. The dessert was a Valentine’s Day special red velvet mousse, which was really good. This made up for it!

A very late review Ravioli Tartufo was really good . Spaghetti .. too much black pepper .

We visited a few weeks ago and were blown away by the service we had when just having a cocktail so we decided to try eating here, Sorry to say but we were very disappointed, service was poor, we had to remind our waitress to bring out one of our mains, the mixed grill for £19 was 1 sausage, 1 lamb chop and a tiny piece of steak which were all cold, both portions of chips were also cold when served. We were not asked if we would like our coats to be hung up in the available cloak room by the disabled toilet, staff were using the disabled toilet to change into their work outfits meaning my partner had to wait until the toilet was vacated, there are staff only rooms downstairs so I do question why, we were not asked how our food was and when we mentioned to our waitress we were not happy she didn't ask why. Sorry but will not be coming back,  service poor, food cold, very expensive for what was served especially as you then had to order sides on top.

We had a lovely meal here. The service was excellent and the food was lovely. We will definitely be returning here.

This is a go to spot if in Birmingham It has a nice ambience, it's not cheap and since my last visit the year before some of the prices seem to have crept up especially on some of the wines which is a shame (The Gavi seems to have increased by about 20-25% in a year) That said the service was good & the food delicious. I think the Burrata is amongst the best I have had. The lobster and shrimp ravioli was also impeccable as was each of the dishes we tried. I'd recommend it if in the area. I enjoyed it so much I booked a meal for my Wife and I at the one in the West End of London and the Birmingham one put the London one to shame.

The food was OK. The lobster was slightly chewy. The service in opinion was not good at all. When we arrived we were sat right next to the front door and next to the clock room. When I say next to the clock room I mean right next to it. It was very uncomfortable sitting there. Everytime the door opens a blast of cold air come through. At one point the smell of cigarettes was coming through. I had to get up and close the front door. I had a baby with me as well and the reason they sat us right next to the front door was that there was no other available seating that was suitable for us to sit. It's ridiculous as I booked in advance and they could have organised a more suitable seating. Looking around the restaurant i know there was other seats we could have sat on that was suitable. When after telling multiple times i do not feel comfortable sitting here they gave the excuse of due to health and safety we cannot sit you anywhere else due to the highchair. Also we felt rushed as if though having us was a burden and not good for the aesthetic of the restaurant.

Friendly staff Vibrant atmosphere Nice and approachable manager(if my memory serves me right his name was Biser)

Supremely overrated. Had the lobster tagliatelle which was very bland. Lobster overcooked and rubbery. Staff are impolite and management even ruder. We were stood waiting like lemons despite having a booking already.

Omg we were the original Fumo girls would sit at the bar all day long drinking the beautiful cocktails eating and buying Champagne with the best Majorcan bar staff. Went today what an absolute piss take. Bar staff too busy laughing with each other and rude. Wanted paying before we had our drinks and was not professional at all and sneered when i said i would like my drink first. the size of the cocktail glasses with Ice was laughable. We are no means rich but we are definitely not stupid. Overpriced over iced small glasses. Should be ashamed of themselves but unfortunately some people have more money than sense to keep going back. Bye bye fumos.

Food was amazing and the service equally so. Pricy but well worth the money. Will be back

The food was good, if your looking to have a meal and have conversations throughout the meal dont go really noisy , meals brought out all over the place so you dont eat together we had meals not brought out and 2 waiters and waitresses didnt know what table peoples meals were at. Plus they forgot a meal that took ages to bring out but we did get that on the house. The atmosphere is good but you cannot hear yourself speak (Saturday). Plus you only get 2 hours to eat so with slow and poor service the time goes quick and tou get the eyes off the staff to sort of imply get out

Every time I'm convinced to go here, it confirms how poor this place is. I have no idea why people rave over it. The management staff are hostile, rude, uninterested (the waiting staff are lovely). They act like they're doing you a favour by letting you eat there. They kept rushing us despite booking a table for 2 hours, they tried to kick my friend out of the toilet while she was using it because another cubicle was blocked (surely it could wait 2 minutes). The £47.50 lobster had one mouthful to it and was overcooked, instead of replacing it the chef responded with a message via the management "it's not overcooked". Yes, it was. And they have the audacity to charge around 12.5% service charge! Absolute disgrace. I've never been treated like this at a Michelin restaurant and I'll stick to those in future not this poor attempt at being a swanky restaurant and bar. I did speak to the manager, apart from remove the service charge he didn't do anything and I wasn't paying for any service anyway, on the bill or not. Don't waste your time with this place.

My partner and I go several times a year when we are in Birmingham for a drink or cocktail as it is a very romantic location and service has always been fantastic, however we went today for a belated Valentine's drink and for the first time ever we were asked for our bank card to be held as we were having more than one drink at the bar. The barman who served us came across very condensing and it has put us off going again in the future when we return back to Birmingham.

as always food and service were excellent

Full of people who wouldn't dream of going into a spoons. Nice bar though

Tried Fumo on 3 differ occasions now and have been disappointed each time. I have tried different things on the menu, different times, different days, but still it is disappointing. It is overpriced for what it is.

An excellent restaurant, which is consistently very good. The food is lovely and the service is excellent too

Love this restaurant but the wait tonight was unacceptable. One hour and 15 minutes for 2 of the pizzas. When the wine was corked, Gabriel the waiter disputed with us at the table after being passed through 4 different people to validate this. Not good customer service and very rude from this particular waiter who seemed stressed and very disengaged with his role and customer service. Unfortunately. he left a negative impression on the evening when others on the team were trying hard.

Pretty good place. Great selection of drinks although the Peroni beer was disappointing

Meal: Lunch Party: 4 Cost: £227 Drinks: x1 bottle of wine, x2 glasses of sparkling, x3 mocktails The food we had was very delicious... when it came. But basic problems let this place down, especially considering the price. Fumo seems to be one of those places that spent a lot of money on the aesthetic, but then thought they could stop there. It's an easy to find location, very central, and nicely decorated. It's "tapas style" dishes, with a suggested 5-6 dishes for two people, and food served as and when it's ready. We ordered eight dishes between four of us and this was *more* than sufficient. The food that came promptly was delightful. Very tasting tempura prawns, calamari and mozzarella balls. Things then started to slow down, not just the food, but the service. When serving lots of small plates, wait staff really have to be on it with clearing empty dishes. We had to stack plates a few times on our table to make space and also hand plates and glasses over to waiters who seemed not to see them. Empty drinks weren't cleared without our prompting and we has to ask multiple times for replacements. A few dishes arrived very late, well after we had finished everything else. Not the end of the world as what we'd had was filling and tasty, but we were told that dishes would come out when ready. A rocket and parmesan salad came out a full hour after ordering and at least 15 mins after we'd finished eating. Surely the quickest to make of them all? Nobody checked in how our meals were going until a more senior member of staff cleared our table at the 3bd. When we mentioned delays he promised to remove the salad and an expensive prawn dish that arrived long after everything else from the bill. Only the salad was removed when we got the bill. Often staff seemed to be guessing at which tables hard ordered what. Half way through our meal a waitress also delivered us a spare chair! Not the end of the world and we all laughed when asking if she were joining us, but this just added to the general idea of staff not quite being in control. Toilets could have been better. A couple were blocked and the flush on my (unblocked) cubicle didn't work. It's a real shame because this has all the makings of a great meal out. Our food was good but service was poor and slow, even though the staff themselves were very lovely. The table next to us also complained of an incorrect order. For the price, just not good enough. £227 for one bottle of wine, two glasses of prosecco, and around ten dishes. If you're are v easy going then great. But if I came here for fancy night out (where I imagine it must be much busier) I'd be frustrated.

First time visiting Fumo and sadly our last. Our experience aligns with so many reviews on here. A good welcome, coats taken at the entrance but no ticket but no problem, busy bar area and a jam packed restaurant.!Our table for two was positioned down the middle of the restaurant with what was effectively a corridor either side of our table. We endured constant traffic of waiters streaming past both sides of the table with laden drink trays, and food plates. I ordered the filet steak which was good quality but was rather like it had been steam cooked rather than grilled. It arrived a pale brown colour on the outside rather like veal, I would have preferred my steak to have been seared. In all it was a hectic noisy environment and the business model is clear to see. Churn of tables is the mantra, dishes arrive at the table according to kitchen functionality. To be fair this service style and the fact that dish sizes are smaller than in a conventional restaurant is clearly explained on the menu but as a diner it translates to dishes arriving at will and quite a hefty bill at the end. Atmosphere was good, staff very slick, but this restaurant was not for me.

Food and service is always great would highly recommend

I questioned the 12.5% service charge for drinks which included lager at £7 a pint. I was told to “go somewhere else if I don’t like it. Rude, Arrogant and a totally obnoxious response.

More of sociological experience than a restaurant. Outrageous pricing for what it is, overwhelmingly loud environment, very average food, snooty service - people seem to come here to see and be seen here.

Decent overall, nothing great but decent

I went to Fumo, Birmingham (Waterloo St) yesterday and had one of the worst experiences at an Italian Fine Dine. The service was okay, the ambience was sound, but the food, it was below average. The Pizza was burnt and they were serving only medium size portions for most of the items on the menu, that too at full portion prices. Wish I could get a refund for the same. Never going again.

An after theatre meal with wife and grown up daughter. Their choice of venue. For the number of staff, the service was pretty poor. Food tasty but obviously from a factory supplier not freshly made in the restaurant. Music was WAY TOO LOUD the staff couldn't communicate and had to shout our order. From the comings and goings at the bar, i suspect it is a working girls evening hang out. Suppose it could be a nice lunchtime venue if the music is at a sensible level. As a plus always lots of Ubers outside.

We were in today for lunch. Very nice spot. Clean, very nice decor and food was great. Staff were very nice as well. Would definitely recommend.

We arrived at our 9pm booking and left the restaurant before 10pm. While the food was quick once we ordered, the service was wanting. Felt ignored by staff, did not check on us until we asked for the check. The dishes were nice, but still not worth the price and portion size. Wouldn’t recommend to anyone looking for a good atmosphere on their travels, seem to prefer locals.

We came here to celebrate a Christmas meal. We had booked and was seated next to the bar and the speaker so could not hear each other. We asked to move and waited at the bar for about 5 minutes and was seated away from the bar. The food is Italian tapas style and you order a selection for everyone to try. The food came quickly and was lovely. A down side was although we were still away from the bar. As there was no screen separating the dining area the noise travelled through to the whole restaurant.

An elegant pub … the food was exceptional… but service could be refined… 3 of us at a table everyone received their food separate with a wait. We were told the food is tapas and would come out as prepared but did not expect to be waiting 20 mins for tuna tartare while all other dishes were received- the waitress had to alert the manager… The atmosphere for me could not be enjoyed as it was clustered and quite small. There was a delay in seating so we had to wait 15 mins to be seated and the bar was quite full with everyone else waiting to be seated as well as those who were just coming in for drinks… people and staff trying to serve bumping into each other. I would revisit as the food was good but I believe I would prefer a visit to San Carlo for a quieter dining experience

The service was terrible, as a black woman you can sense discrimination and I sure felt it here. The reception received and the attitude and manner of some of the staff was uncomfortable. We were initially given a table in the middle of the restaurant and, when asked if we could be moved I was advised there was no availability, I then asked another member of staff who kindly moved us. The service was poor, we were left unattended had to wait ages to order and call for assistance when we wanted drinks etc. I’ve eaten here a few times and this time the food was bland and tasteless and not worth the price.