Fumo Restaurant on 4 in Birmingham

Very disappointing. Booked for my 40th birthday. Late lunch after work before some shopping ect. Food was mediocre but if that was all then I would just not come back and that's that. But it was the service that really leave bad taste in my mouth. If I went to a "neighbourhood pub" sort of place, I would probably not be so annoyed and ket it go.However, with it being my birthday and choosing a nice restaurant that the expectations for professionalism and attention to detail are higher, I was fuming and felt so annoyed at myself for choosing a bad place on that day. To start with made a mistake in reserving a table at the other Fumo. My bad, hands up. But the host could not stop going on about it. I mean, I would expect them ( with an almost empty restaurant, different if they had no space) to say oh, don't jave your booking on my system but no worries, please follow me to a table. After that they could come up saying they found out its the other place, cancelled it for me ect. I would then thought oh my I'm so sorry, thank you very much, what a great service. As it was they made me embarrassed and felt unwelcome. Then the host explained the concept which I understand but still, great that they did. Then a waitress asked if we understand the concept, I said that we do and them she carried on explaining it again. I chose this place over another because of your tuna tartar, I really fancied it and thought it will be a nice experience having it prepared at the table like the menu states. It didn't happen. It came from the kitchen. When I asked the waitress why she actually went on saying and I quote , that they decided not to waste time on that any more that's why they prepare it in the kitchen. I said that it's on the menu. She said yes, but they wanted it to be fast for me. (???) I said we're not in a hurry and that the restaurant is empty so I don't understand . So they should be doing it at the table, they just decided not to bother with me ? She actually used the words , we don't waste our time any more on that . On me specifically she meant? Because I understand that other guests are getting the good service, just not I? OK, well, we got a slice of melba toast with it ask I asked if we can have some bread for the tartar and if they jave focaccia. She said yes. We almost finished all other food and no bread. When asked , she said it takes time. Then another 10mins, all other food eaten, we got presented with focaccia ham plate from the menu. We refused it as that's not what we wanted, just some bread to accompany our meals. When explained we got presented with another couple of slices of melba toast instead of side foccacia or any other bread. We didn't finish the tartare . Side note, as mentioned before tartar was underseasoned , mixed grill I asked for medium was very well done, ravioli were like warm . Lobster sauce looked from a packet and shrimp were hard, over done. All hot food was like warm actually . Like I said , mediocre food. We paid our bill where we had to ask to take the tartar off the bill and were met with eye rolls ect . We left quickly to go to Brown's downstairs to finish our dinner with some nice food, desserts , coffees and great service. They even served is a nice birthday plate which was a nice touch . Missing from Fume , definitely . I think they are used to not caring because their clientelle are shoppers . I made a mistake booking an outing there but in my defence I chose the location as we wanted to shop at Self ridges as well and it made sense. Basically, if it's a quick mediocre bite you're after whole shopping, it is a place for you. For good quality service and food, walk a bit further.

Warm welcome and seated by the lady on the front desk. Service was good however upon taking my order I was advised that the Chicken Milanese I wanted was unavailable, I had to choose something else. My husband chose the mixed grill supposedly consisting of lamb cutlets, Ribeye Steak and italian Sausage, he was advised the lamb was unavailable so was told it would be a piece of chicken instead. Food we had was tasty however I think they should advise you of things not available from the menu when they seat you and hand you the menu when you arrive. The bill was not reduced for the lamb cutlets substitution for a very small piece of grilled chicken. Overall nice tasty meal and atmosphere, not sure if I would be in a hurry to return, wasn’t very filling.

Decent food, depends what you order the pizza can be hit or miss everything else is pretty good though. Decent prices and short wait times on a weekday, weekend might be a lot busier but either way nice little spot to eat x Great place to eat after long day shopping in the bullring.

Fumo is one of my favorite restaurants in Birmingham. Good food with decent prices.

Sloppy service by the kitchen. Ordered a number of the same prawn dish because we know the dish and like it. One of them came with half the quota of prawns. Broccoli came cold and chicken milanese was so thick was like a hunters chicken. Flavours good, service pleasant, but no pride or finesse in preparation or execution from the kitchen. I've had far better from this Fumo before but sense something major has changed in the kitchen or with the team. Perhaps they have become complacent but it's no where near upto the standard they used to turn out. Even the chips were cold and we were one of only 4 tables dining. Now we know why!

Avoid avoid avoid. You have been warned. I visited with my family. There were 6 of us and we had been shopping at Selfridges so we thought we would also eat there. Bad move. First off The staff think they are doing you a favour allowing you to have food here! The main waiter sucked his teeth when we asked for a table for 6. To be honest I should have walked out at this point. After a long wait for a menu we then had total lack of courtesy and client service from the waiter and the food was genuinely awful . We ordered lots of items and most were bland tasteless and portion sizes were horrible. £600 pounds lighter for a light lunch I then took the family home feeling very much like I had been ripped off. You have been warned.

Food was nice and decently portioned for the small plate concept, service was okay to begin with but as the meal progressed we seemed to be forgotten. Staff were friendly but not as attentive after mains were delivered. We had to get the attention of the server. We ordered a dessert that was supposed to come with limoncello but the staff didn’t seem to be aware that this was the case.

Kitchen closed at 8pm ridiculous

Cosy and welcoming vibe, Delicious pizza and drinks, Food is bought out freshly made when ready, Famous is on the top floor, Friendly and helpful staff 👌

Always love eating in san Carlo when I visit Birmingham.. Food really wasn’t good today Very bland and really small portions.. The waitress was lovely and great atmosphere Just left feeling a bit disappointed..

Thankyou to Giovanni and all his staff Had a wonderful time see you all soon

A fully deserved 5 star review at any level with a special mention about kindness, friendliness and welcoming warmth both of staff and management. Not to mention the supreme quality of the OLIVE OIL deliciously seasoning the top ranking dishes of the house. Thank you, Paolo. 5 star review fully deserved from every point of view, with particular attention to the courtesy, friendliness and warm welcome of both the staff and the management. Not to mention the excellent quality of the OLIVE OIL which serves as an exquisite condiment for the extraordinary dishes of the house. Thanks, Paul.

Well where to start … the food was bland and outstandingly bad the lemonaise chicken looked like something they give you in the war ….. if ya want good food ya better off at spoons or if ya want really top Italian food and try Aldresco Fushion in hall green it’s banging and reasonable price

Regular visitors and never disappointed… Giovanni is such a fantastic host and ambassador for the brand. Just can’t thank him enough … Steve & Cal

Visited with my wife on Wed last week (13 Mar). The restaurant is nicely set out with a good ambiance. We only had drinks as it was mid-afternoon, a bottle of Prosecco. Service was a bit slow, staff were not attentive and we had to ask for everything rather than it being intuitive. It was not busy and at one point there were more staff than customers. I would return for the location but there are better places in Birmingham.

The service wasn’t great , I felt so bad with a shame treatment , I thought the waiter thought we didn’ had the money to pay . Lol Zero hospitality.

I am in shock 😳 The service wasn’t great , I felt so bad with a shame treatment , I thought the waiter thought we didn’ had the money to pay . Lol Zero hospitality.

Not the cheapest italian restaurant, but extremely delicious food, excellent service and quality.

What an amazing dining experience, we ate here to celebrate my wife's birthday. Food, service and location was brilliant.

If you want Elegance, Poshness, Good food, Great service, Good Price.....they've gat you! Will definitely be going back especially for the mixed Grill. Yum!! ❤️🖤💝😊😋

Incorrect bill!!! Beware of this place , or more so the staff culture! I recommended this place to my son to take and impress his new girlfriend, all was good until he was presented with the bill. My son was going to pay the bill, £85, he thought it was extremely expensive for what they had! But was still going to pay to treat his girlfriend. Thankfully his girlfriend managed to prize the bill off my son to check it, this is where she could see they were charged for food and drinks they never ordered!! The correct bill was £32, however if not for his girlfriend he would have been completely ripped off. Despicable practice from whom you would expect the utmost respect and attention to detail! Disgraceful - They tried to take complete advantage of my 18 year old son No apology and no reduction in their original bill Disgustingly poor ethic's. Never again!! Always double check your bill…

The manager was absolutely rude to us for no reason and kept telling us to go to the coffee shop downstairs the food was good but the service was terrible wouldn’t recommend going to this branch.

The food was awesome and the atmosphere fantastic- perfect for meeting up with friends before Christmas. Couldn’t fault it and look forward to coming back in the new year.

I cant comment on food as we stopped off for Christmas shopping cocktails .lol Wonderful barman named Roman looked after us . Very polite, beautiful smile. Even made us a cocktail that wasn't on the list .

A hair was on top of the wife's meal then they sent the wrong dish out for me then tried charging for a bottle water we never had. But it's there attitude in general

After gran cafe closed I come here for coffee. Service from Michele is excellent and coffee is really good. They have the best wine also

Cocktails were perfect 🥰 but fried Kingprawns... the portion was too small 😂 (three prawns for dish?!) But the mood, the drink was👍... I might visit this place again !

The service and food were great when dining. We then had some champagne at the bar and was unimpressed with the service and interaction there. Also we did not get a satisfactory answer to their charity donation, as this was added to the bill, which I did not mind. Then service charge added too, so for the pound donation 12.5 pence was also added and don’t know where that went.

Came here for an engagement celebration only to be greeted my mice running along the restaurant floor! Could not believe it. This needs to be investigated and I will not be returning to a place that allows hygiene standards of mice running along the floor. Avoid.

The manager showed really bad attitudes with our group. He was very rude when offering orders and responsing to our querries. He could not even manage when we asked to pay separately. The order was also wrong, my friend asked for tea and he gave coffee. Disrespectful and unprofessional behaviours were shown whenever he approached our table. The manager truly needs a professionalism and emotion management trainings.

AVOID this place !!! Food was excellent :) Service on arrival was awful. The waitress who seated was rude and miserable and in the wrong job. A birthday meal ruined by a waitress with a bad arrogant attitude ! Will never use this restaurant again !!!!

Great selection of drinks available, service was not as friendly as I thought it was going to be.

Service and atmosphere are good. As for food, I was very disappointed with the Millefogli Salmone, a dish on the specials menu that is literally tasteless. Tiramisu was really nice though 👌

Not as nice as the "real" fumo ...

Fantastic meal and great service. Made it a lovely evening for my daughter, who was 21.

Great atmosphere, excellent service and delicious food

It's a restaurant in a shop. No intimacy or atmosphere.

The atmosphere is nice Food proportion are small, the pizza is really small ( it’s just dough and tomato sauce why are you serving it this small) and it doesn’t really taste that special, I asked the waiter for parmesan cheese twice but he didn’t bring me anything, very over-priced for the quantity and taste, I went for the first time for a special occasion but I was disappointed, not going back again

El restaurante recomienda 5-6 platos para 2 personas ya que sus raciones son pequeñas, pero 3 raviolis a 13£ me parece un abuso ya que tampoco estaban tan buenos.

Food and service good. But 12.5% distrectinary service charge? Personally will not be back.

Nice ambiance, caring service, food was great! I was surprised with a birthday treat even though it was not mentioned to staff, thank you!

Very nice food, but small portions for the price.

Coming from a working class background it was suprising to see portion sizes here smaller and the prices higher than I'm usually accustomed to. For example we ordered a Mixed grill for around £18 and it was one cut for each meat. The quality of food was obviously very good indeed. It was a new experience to have the food orders come as and when they are prepared, not as starters then mains etc. The staff were very friendly and helpful but there were a few moments where they had forgotten to carry out your request. Also they never seemed to be in a rush. The dessert was out of this world... Millefoglie is the one 😍!!!

Visited this afternoon as we fancied a cocktail after shopping in Selfridge's. When we arrived we were greeted with a smile, which was welcoming. We said we would like a drink and were asked to take a seat at the bar. This is when our experience dramatically went down hill. The bar tender offered menu's and after a few minutes approached as. He didn't speak so I requested two cocktails, again he did not speak which I thought was discussing. The cocktails came and again the barman had no words to utter. I paid cash for the drinks which was above the pricing, not by much, around 90 pence, which is nothing. However the barman did not come back with the change? This is not right, surely. I was amazed he did not return to me with the change or never uttered a word to me. I didn't raise this with any other staff but instead I have spoke with business colleagues and they agree that they will no longer use this venue for staff nights out. I have never not been given change. Very disappointed in the establishment and because of my experience I will never visit again and do not recommend to anyone There are plenty of other cocktail bars in Birmingham with fantastic staff which I believe you should spend your money with.

A real treat fantastic atmosphere and good food, the sharing plates were innovative and tasty. Service was excellent.

One of the best to put on my book for future visit

The food was excellent. Quite expensive for lunch but well worth it.

Always have a great experience when visiting Fumo. It’s tucked away at the top of Selfridges Birmingham & the wait is never long. If you haven’t been before, it’s worth noting that portion sizes are more tapas style, but 3/4 dishes to share between two is enough. Food arrives at random as and when it’s ready and the service is fantastic!

Beautiful restaurant with Italian staff. Not the best service, but always friendly (if forgetful). Food was great.

Thank you so much for the most wonderful meal. All of the staff were attentive, polite and well mannered. It was obvious that they knew the ethos of the company and represented the San Carlos brand 100%. The food was exquistie. I will definitely be coming back for sure.

Been here a few times, Gorgeous restaurant with amazing decor always popped in for a quick brunch after retail therapy. Food was ok pretty small portion, pistachio was amazing! Abit noisy inside the restaurant as it’s located in the middle of the store and music can be loud.

Excellent, tasty food, amazing drinks and desserts.. I'll surely come back for their signature homemade Tiramissu 🤤

Unreal experience giovanni has gave us great service. Food was 10/10 overall very happy with my experience.

Spag bol was to die for, the beer was cold.

A very chill and cozy place to go for dates 😉

Great customer service, outstanding food in beautiful surroundings!!

Came here in the summer and left due to no service. This time around we sat at the bar, there was a great vibe and the drinks were exceptional. Had bruschetta and avo salad to keep us going until dinner and it was delicious (bruschetta not very crisp though and loads of tomatoes!) bar staff were very friendly. A great pit stop from shopping. Highly recommend!