San Carlo in Birmingham

Excellent meal and service for my girlfriends birthday meal, staff were very friendly and extremely attentive

Beautiful Italian, off corporation street! Excellent service, lively vibrant atmosphere and the food was delicious! Great portions sizes too! Will definitely be coming back

Not so nice food. Mediocre service.

Fantastic venue for a family get together of 10. Couldn’t praise the staff highly enough.

Excellent place in city centre.

Pretty restaurant, feels very luxe but prices are decently affordable, recommend for a date during a nice day out in the city. Food was tasty and hot when served.

The food, wine and service were 10/10. My wife felt there wasn’t enough cocktail varieties but it’s not enough to knock a star down, they had an extensive wine menu in keeping with the Italian culture

Very dissapointed with the food and service. Arrived on time for an 20:30 dinner reservation for 6 people and was told to wait downstairs by the bar for our table. We weren't seated until after 2100 having stood in the busy, grotty area between the bar and the restaurant for over half an hour. Service at the table was very slow, so we ordered all of our food at the same time as our drinks. Starters were underwhelming- my beef tartar was quite flavourless. The one dish we did enjoy we asked to keep on the table to enjoy alongside our main but we had to explain this no less than 6 times to the waiting staff not to take it away. My partner's main course of lasagna was very poor and appeared to have not been warmed up from the freezer properly as it was cold in parts and tasteless throughout. Most dissapointing was the attitude of the staff who seemed to think they were doing us a favour by being there. We had intended to spend more time there but as the service was so poor and the waiters clearly wanted us to leave, we did so without another round of drinks, desserts or coffee. We have had much better experiences at other San Carlos, but I would never reccomend the birmingham branch to anyone.

Vero ristorante italiano. I camerieri parlano tutti italiano e sono molto gentili e cordiali. Cibo fantastico per essere in Inghilterra e anche in Italia si posizionerebbe nella fascia di alta qualità.

Real Italian restaurant. The waiters all speak Italian and are very kind and friendly. Fantastic food for being in England and even in Italy it would be in the high quality range.

It is perfect selection and I would like to thank Mario for his advice in the selection of the food

Excellent lunch menu, great ambience.

We booked a table at 2:30pm and were left waiting with our menus to order for about 30 minutes. Our first drinks then arrived with our starters, as two waitresses competed for space on our table. We then waited an hour for our mains to arrive. At this point, we were then left for nearly 2 hours with no one even coming to ask if our food was ok or clearing our plates. We had to go and find someone twice to even come over and acknowledge we were there! Very disappointing. The food was ok, not great. But such terrible service really ruined the experience for us. We were given a small discount off the bill but no apology, and eventually left at 6pm… what a farce. We won’t be back!

Went to San Carlo for my birthday meal and what a meal it was. The level of service and attention to detail was first rate and the food was heavenly. For a birthday treat it’s a shame a birthday comes once a year.

We were there for 4 hours because the service was so slow. I ordered the crab and lobster ravioli for £35 and there were four pieces if ravioli, smothered in a sauce that tasted and looked like Heinz baked beans or spagetti hoops; no herbs, no salt or pepper, no garlic, no flavour. The tables are extremely close together, I think they want to fit as many people in as possible. You're practically touching elbows with the next table. I would not recommend this restaurant.

The food was dry and no flavour on it the worst mix grill ever even the avocado salad was bad the avocado was black not green and I gave them the note about it and they didn't do anything.

We came here after a disappointing meal elsewhere, and were so glad we moved! Being a chain I wasn’t expecting too much, but the food and wine were lovely, the service was friendly, atmosphere buzzy and the restaurant lovely and clean. The restaurant was quite busy and sometimes it was hardy to grab a server, but this was not really an issue. We were a large table of 7 but they still managed to fit us in without a booking on Saturday lunch. Everyone enjoyed their meals, and desserts were very nice too.

Went as part of a hospitality course. Though I wasn’t served any food, the staff were ultra polite and professional. The decor was one of a kind. Would most definitely go back for dinner.

Very enjoyable dinner at San Carlos. Food was great and the service excellent.

Awful service last night. Awful food.. im going to stick to Fumo, atleast they care about their customers over there and take time out of their day to come over and see if your still breathing and okay. Im so disappointed in how bad the service was here, your literally dumped on the table and left for the rest of the night which is disgusting to me. Our waiter spoke to us once, half way through the service NO one had came to ask if everything was okay.. it indeed was not but i refuse to ask those who are providing a service.. to come over and speak to me.

Lovely restaurant, great service and good choice of italian dishes on menu.

Absolutely wonderful atmosphere and Service in the restaurant. Thoroughly enjoyed my experience in San Carlo in Birmingham. I had an issue with a food item; the matter was dealt with swiftly by staff. Highly recommend if you are looking for a high-quality 5 star dining experience. Highly recommend the Merlot complementary desert wine, it was absolutely beautiful!

we had pre booked our table of six for the afternoon- we arrived to a wonderful air conditioned room... which we appreciated as it was quite muggy outside The staff were curtious and helpful. And we were quickly seated at our table - drinks service was quick. The Menu offered a good selection. Again Service was good and polite. Food arrived quickly, hot and well presented. By the time we left it was very busy. Would definitely recommend

Booked into to San Carlo to take a friend for a birthday lunch on Saturday 14 September. Our table was booked for 12pm as we were going to the theatre afterwards. Having had a nightmare journey with cancelled and late trains, we were actually 10 minutes early when I had been stressing that we would late. We entered the restaurant and it was completely devoid of people/staff. I could hear knives and forks clattering downstairs so started to go down to see if there was someone to speak to. A man appeared who told us to come back at 12 as they were having a staff meal. Quite honestly if this is the level of customer care I will not be revisiting! We left and I called and cancelled the table. I run a business and I have people turn up early for appointments; I will always try to accommodate them. In fact I will always assume that people could turn up early so I would always aim to be ready. This restaurant took a booking for 12pm so it was very likely that people would arrive early. If you are not open until 12pm on the dot then don’t unlock the door! I have worked in hospitality too and find that a pleasant, “we are not quite ready to open yet but can we get you something from the bar whilst you wait?” Would be a better way to deal with this. I had been to this restaurant once before and found they were not very friendly then so this dreadful experience just served to confirm my thoughts about it!

Arbër and Irma made the service /experience as great as the food. We had great starters, the freshness in this place is simple elevated Italian. Half a bottle of wine, one Prosecco, meat and and side pizza. Will be back in a while for more

Camellia, the events manager was absolutely amazing. Thank you so much !

Very rude staff and from my experience I think they racist

This is my absolutely FAVOURITE place to be for any occasion. Beautiful authentic Italian restaurant, beautiful decor and the food is amazing. The staff here are brilliant, they go above and beyond. I've been here for many occasions such as a quiet quick daytime lunch, work or family gathering, evening meal with drinks. No matter the occasion it’s the best place to go. Nothing comes close to San Carlo when it comes to the full package of excellence.

This used to be such a great restaurant but sad to see its decline. One steak we ordered was inedible and another we ordered medium well which came out pink and full of fat. The veal used to be wafer thin in San Carlos and was now just a big lump of meat which looked awful. Spaghetti carbonara was dry and just full of pepper. Nobody finished their meal. Didn’t even ask if there was an issue when no plates were finished Freezing in the restaurant, we ended up eating our dinner in our coats. Wouldn't recommend

I've always believed that having great food alone doesn't make a restaurant exceptional. What truly sets a place apart is the combination of perfect cuisine, outstanding customer service, and a kind soul at the helm. Gea, the manager at San Carlo, embodies all of these qualities. Her dedication to ensuring a flawless dining experience, coupled with her warm and welcoming nature, makes every visit to San Carlo a delight. It’s this rare blend of excellence that turns a good restaurant into an extraordinary one. Thank you, Gea, for making every meal memorable.

Good service, and food OK but chain restaurant style ordinary food priced well above the quality served. Frozen fries at these prices? Really?

Me and my friend poped in for some food after our shopping trip thinking San was a nice establishment due to the exterior design, however this was not the reality. We ordered the “sharing” antipasto to start (expecting a nice meat platter) to then receive a few pieces of meat on top of a whole bucket of rocket salad, we did not eat it at all, it was a disappointment paying 30£ for a bucket of rocket. We did not mention anything to the staff as we were never asked how everything was and wanted to give the restaurant a chance to reddemm itself with the main course. our main course arrived the pesto linguine wiyj red praen was flavourless with onky three king prawns on tip. No finger bowl or wet wipe was provide for the shelled prawns. The lamp cutlets my friends order, were drench in sauce (like BBQ ribs from TGI fridays) the cutlets were very fatty and extremely sauce she was gasping for water. After this disappointment we immediately asked for the bill to which we only paid part of the service as were never asked if we were okay and we did not receive any service at all, and when the waitress came to take the payment we told her how much we would like to pay individually to which she repeated the amount several times in astonishment and ironically (after i repeated myself x3 times on how much i wanted to pay) after paying, we then discovered we had been overcharged ( +5£ for the x3 prawns pasta) but we were so disatisfied we just wished to leave.

Wow is all I can say, had a night away in Birmingham with friends who had a meal the day before,so they booked a table again for all four of us, I have never tasted anything like it, it was amazing and we are definitely going back next time we have a night away.

Wow what an experience with a lovely touch for me and wife on anniversary Once in a life time meal steak unreal Lobster fab sides were cold but not a problem Love to go again Son and daughter in law payed so even better Phil and bren

We told the, Italian waiter from Calabria region, it was a big birthday for me, 60, and he arranged a little cake for us and two complimentary shots to follow our fizz and light meal. This is our second time here and we'll return.

Beautiful restaurant with delicious food. The garlic bread was honestly the best garlic bread I've ever had, and it was the perfect accompanying side dish to the tortellini. Service was great too. No complaints!

We absolutely loved our lunch here. Excellent food and not as pretentious as the Manchester restaurant which we no longer frequent. Lovely service - just right (and no long waits like we’ve had in Manchester). We’d definitely go again

Fantastic food and drink. Well worth the money and must book prior to going as over subscribed. 👌

Shown to our table promptly but seating was very low and uncomfortable (back to mirror on the wall). Immediately got the vibe that we were in the wrong place when so many came out the toilet and decided to pose in front of the large mirror while we and others were eating (not restaurants fault). Food was promptly delivered and my starter stated mixed mushrooms in filo pastry. Basically the same mushrooms put on top of filo pastry which ended up very soggy as the mushrooms cooked in too much oil and water and a few bits of rocket I found hidden under the pastry at the end! Ravioli main was very dry and obviously put under a heat lamp for too long. The biggest disappointment was the scallops and king sized prawn. Basically presented on shells with some melted cheese and a bit of sauce which again was very dry. £37 for this dish I expected so much better. Overall, the food was very bland using basic ingredients so don’t be fooled by the wordings on the menu. Unfortunately we won’t be visiting again as there are far more superior restaurants in the area with food that tastes much nicer. I found some of the staff very pretentious Very expensive visit for overpriced and bland food

So I'm giving San Carlo a 3 out of 5 rating, which I feel is very reasonable. Let's start with the positive! The food was actually DELICIOUS!!!! The steak and oysters were to die for! The reason I'm only giving 3 stars is for the service. Now, let me say that the staff were very apologetic but it still ruined the experience slightly. Our reservation was for 7.30pm, we arrived on time as we were already in the area. The table wasn't ready so we were asked to wait at the bar. At 8.05pm we were still waiting for our table. At around 8.15pm we were seated and our order was taken. At 8.45pm we still hadn't even had any drinks. I know this seems a little harsh, but 3 out of my 4 plates were cold/raw and didn't even require cooking. There was no option to remove the service which I didn't feel was deserved. Was the food worth it, ABSOLUTELY! Would I eat there again?.....Probably not 😢

My family of four went for lunch last Sunday, and it was not good in any way. The restaurant only had 4 tables occupied and 7 staff milling around, yet we had to call staff over to take our order and the drinks never came. We had our main meals delivered and we had to ask again for our drinks order, and the vibe off the staff was that we were an inconvenience . My son's carbonara was over salted and inedible so we sent it back and my husbands steak that was ordered to be medium well was over cooked and tough, so that went in my handbag for our dog! I asked to speak to the manager, he was not the slightest bit bothered. We declined sweets, and left. Now I have been dining at San Carlo for over 20 years, and the service is normally quick and courteous, not on this particular day. The food was awful, well below average, and the prices are high. I have called and spoke to a female manager, however she failed to return my call, and I have also emailed the restaurant twice, but no response. Customer service very poor indeed and really not acceptable. There are many restaurants around the Temple Street area of town all vying for custom, I suggest you try them and steer clear of San Carlo and its obnoxious staff !!

Great venue, great good and great atmosphere

Service was flawless great attentive staff but food was pants. Not what it used to be unfortunately

Food was on the whole good. I can recommend the filet mignon, tuna tartar and the parmesan and truffle fries. Definitely do not recommend the seafood ravioli, it tasted like tinned spaghetti. Service was okay. Atmosphere was unfortunately poor, very loud due to tables being packed together and did not feel very luxurious.

A spoons on a Saturday night has better food service. Food was good. Wouldn’t recommend if you are young as I assume this was why the service was awful.

I had an absolutely horrible experience for my girlfriend's graduation celebration on Monday. We arrived early as we did not want to wait for our other friends outside, as it was pouring rain and wanted to sit after a long day. The host did not approach us in a very respectful manner, and merely asked if we were ok, perhaps as they might have had others going inside just to take shelter from the rain and not to dine in. We assured him that we were fully paying guests and had a booking, then were shown to our table. Once our friends arrived 20 minutes later, we were asked if we were ready to order although our friends had not even fully settled in. We asked if they could return in 10 minutes, but our order was not even taken until 25 minutes later. We ordered our drinks, starters and mains, all which came in good time. This would be the only good part of our experience. Nobody checked back with us unless it was to take plates away; Not to ask if our food was ok, not to repour us some wine, not to repour us some water, and the only semblance of a smile was when I asked to get the bill. Before the bill came, we noticed that the table next to us, who came much later than us and were also celebrating a graduation, had received a celebration plate, with a big cheerful smile from the waiter, and a clap from his colleagues around him. 30 seconds later, my girlfriend received hers with a fraction of the enthusiasm of the first table's. This interaction is what confirmed to me that it was the most underwhelming dining experience any of us have ever had. I have heard good things from family friends who had lived in Birmingham in the past, but things must have changed drastically since then. If anyone is looking to book at this restaurant for an important celebration sees this, I urge you to look elsewhere.

Terrible experience, table of 5 sat on a cramped small table, waiters are very rushed, want you to be in and out of the restaurant. Food quality is not good, very expensive for basic quality food, portion sizes are misleading on menu definitely shareable end of spending a lot of money for lack of quality - left feeling unwell. Raised a complaint to the guest relations team who apologised but no good will gesture at all as this was a birthday meal left feeling really disappointed, will not go back.

The food and service were excellent .

Some of the best food I've had in a long time. The perfect blending of ingredients, textures and flavours, wonderful.

Awesome food , incredible wine . Best restaurant I've ever been to

This is Birmingham’s classic “nice Italian restaurant.” I first came here in 2008 when my supervisor brought me here as a welcome. The food and service was exquisite then and has been over the many years I’ve come here. It’s always busy and the food is always delicious. I highly recommend this restaurant as one of the best in the city and certainly a nice place to come for a special occasion or get together. Tiramisu is to die for.

Magnificent! Last year my wife & I were given a £100 gift voucher for this restaurant. This year we celebrated 33yrs of marriage so we decided to cash in on our gift. Oh my days, I cannot recommend this restaurant enough. The decor is crazy. Because of the foliage, fruit and mirrors, when you take photes it appears as though you are outdoors!!😳 it's an absolute must do, thank you guys so much for making our anniversary meal such a special experience!!

Would highly recommend we had a great night fantastic food / drinks thanks

Great night out with the family, atmosphere was fantastic really good food and service is amazing, great place

One of the best restaurants in Birmingham. The food isn't cheap, but the quality is very high. The restaurant is spacious, unlike some nearby establishments, and the staff are attentive and knowledgeable. The lamb is a triumph 👍

The food is very delicious and staff is very friendly. Special thanks to Anto,she is very friendly and very helpful.Will come back soon

Great place to eat great food and service

Brilliant hotel amazing food service excellent staff were lovely very helpful highly recommended.

Oh man this was sadly very disappointing. I had gone for my anniversary and the restaurant is beautifully decorated and the ambience was lovely. Some of the staff were friendly others less so but most disappointing of all was the food. The mushroom starter became very sickly after a while and the arancini had a strange after taste. My partner had a steak which he wanted medium well done but was clearly rare when it come to the table. I had the pan fried chicken which tasted of nothing more than totally unseasoned chicken and some cheese type sauce. It was not the elegant Italian cuisine I was so much looking forward too. Despite taking off the payment for the arancini due to a mix up with our order, we still paid £130 just go eat a maccies after anyway. Such a shame as we were very much looking forward to this evening. The food was so disappointing it made me retch and after 2 bites stopped eating.

Had a pre theatre dinner and it was a great choice of restaurant . Each course was superb and the four of us enjoyed everything. Highly recommend the cocktails too. Next time I'm in Bham will definitely go back

Beautiful place, amazing food and lovely atmosphere, would definitely be back

Really bad food! A pre theatre Saturday night dinner that was a birthday gift from my daughter.First the service was quite slow. Then my starter, a crabmeat ravioli, was just splashed onto the plate and the taste with the sauce was awful. Because I did not want to upset my daughter or spoil the occasion I said nothing. My main course of chicken Principessa with asparagus was even worse! The plate was again totally lacking even the slightest presentational skills and the chicken was masked by the heavy, unpleasant sauce, which I couldn't finish. Such a disappointment for a £100 meal. Clearly a kitchen resting on former excellence and chefs with no enthusiasm for their menus!

I will like the visit this hotels again excellent

Looking forward to visit this restaurant. Atmosphere looks amazing and has been recommended

I would love ❤️ to visit this hotel

Specials lunch menu outside...inside given full menu had to ask for lunch card. Service was all about drinks drinks. We wanted two courses out of the three, main and dessert. That was a no, starter and main. Main and dessert pay full price. Nowhere on the lunch card did it specify what the lunch offer was. Ordered pollo milanese. Menu said fries none appeared.

Food - Food was amazing. Especially starter Gamberoni Lucian. Prawn with tomato and cream sauce, one of the most delicious dish I had in years. Would try it again for sure. I had Lobster Ravioli. Which was good, but it had large cut size Ravioli and I personally prefer one or two bite ravioli. Service- San carlo bring one of the famous fine dining Italian restaurants, service is expected to be best. However, my experience was otherwise. I waited 20 mins just to place order (after I was ready) and waited 30 mins for the cheque that too I had to ask twice. Did not asked how was the food. It felt bad and odd. I had such an amazing experience at San carlo Liverpool. Bit disappointed here 😔. Atmosphere- As always, crowded and warm. They have two floor seating arrangements. Great selection of wine and food. No wheelchair accessible entrance and parking.

Stunning food and great service. 2nd San Carlo I visited never disappoints.

What a place delicious food great service definitely will be returning

What a wonderful place to eat. Everyone loved the food & the service was impeccable Highly recommended.

Haven’t been here for a few years as always seem to go Fumo but fancied giving it another try. It didn’t disappoint!! Fabulous food and service.. mussels and gamberoni spaghetti. Lots of families here which was nice as I went with my son and his grandparents. Garlic bread was also delicious. Last time I came here they rushed the service but didn’t rush us this time. Will definitely return x

Beautifully decorated. Lots of attentive staff. The food was delicious. And all this in the nicest part of the city! The only development point is that the cocktails are relatively expensive and very small!

First, i see the standard restaurant reply to bad reviews on here is “supply the date/time” blah blah… I already replied to their post dining email as i wanted to avoid posting a Public Review. The reply i got back was they accepted we had a really poor experience and would discuss the issues with the team. None of which helps us! No 10% off your next visit or a free bottle wine, zero, nothing. Hence this public review I’ve dined previously with corporate clients. But it’s now gone severely downhill. Arrived 8:55 for 9pm table. Told table not ready and go downstairs to wait. No seats free downstairs! Because others are also waiting for their tables! Queued at bar to buy a bottle of wine. Then we had to “perch” in a corner at the bottom of the stairs whilst we waited. We were in the way of servers and customers constantly going up/down the stairs and also inches away from a couple eating behind us (as there is an opening cut into the wall). It felt awful and uncomfortable, but there was no where else to stand. Should we have just stood in the middle of the restaurant?!! My partner said we should leave, but i said to wait a bit as i wanted her to try the restaurant i had said was great 🙄 Plus we were now committed with a bottle of wine. We finally got seated about 9:25pm. Then more delay as our order wasn’t taken until 9:45pm, at which point we had been there nearly an hour! Food came out about 10:15 - a full 1 hour 20mins after we arrived! Food itself was ok, but the table size for 2 people is ridiculously small and they struggled to fit the food on the table. We assisted by moving the drinks menu, table lamp, bottle of olive oil etc onto the floor to make space on the table 😂. Their logic seems to be use smaller tables and they can pack more in 😒. The same “pack them in” logic they apply to the dining times they allocate to bookings, which creates the backlog of diners!! Partner wanted a dessert, i asked for the menu and after we spent 10 mins deciding i called a server over to order. The server then began by telling us which desserts weren’t available! 🤦🏻‍♂️ Which were obviously the ones my partner had chosen!! I asked the server why they didn’t tell us what wasn’t available when giving us the dessert menus? To top it off they put the automatic service charge on our bill. We won’t be going back.

So disappointed! This used to be one of the top restaurants in Birmingham but whilst the food was good, the service was poor. Waited too long to order drinks, food, more drinks and almost felt like they were irritated you were eating in their restaurant. Yes, they have lots of pictures of celebrities who have eaten there, but to have terrible service and then be charged a service charge on top is not good. I may not be a celebrity, but my money is as good so I expect to be treated the same!

Visited this week as we have been to the Manchester and Liverpool restaurants which were great but this time I was taking a customer. We had the ribs & diavola prawn to start, wish we hadn’t bothered as there was no meat on the ribs and the prawn dish was underwhelming with no taste. For mains we had lobster pasta and a chicken dish, I could not find the lobster just the shell!!! We tried to speak to the waitress who all of a sudden did not understand English. Left very very disappointed

28/03/2024 Celebrated my birthday with a lovely meal at the San Carlo Birmingham, beautiful restaurant, overall we enjoyed a lovely experience, good meal and served by a charming waiter Rino, all the staff were helpful. We will return, thank you

We have visited San Carlos for the last 15 years + unfortunately this time we visited the food seemed a lot more expensive and less for our money. The waiting staff weren’t as attentive as they used to be and it really missed the sense of occasion that it used to have :-( Back in the day, the staff couldn’t do enough for you, you would blink and your drinks were refilled and they were there for you. The seafood sharing platter is now half the size it used to be, although the quality of the food was great it really was noticeable. There is a lot more competition now with other restaurants in Birmingham and the service used to be stand out, hopeful this is sorted out for next time, never seen reduced ratings for here, but seems to be a pattern growing with the reviews.

We were very disappointed with our experience and meal at San Carlo Restaurant in Birmingham yesterday evening. We booked a table for a birthday meal before attending a concert at Birmingham Symphony Hall which we had identified on the booking form. There were no happy birthday wishes or acknowledgement from any of the staff about our evening. Due to a traffic incident in Birmingham, we phoned to say we would be delayed and as it happened we were 10 minutes late for our reservation, but still had plenty of time for our meal before the show. On arrival, the restaurant upstairs was almost empty, one table of 2 at the front of the room and a large table of around 12 along one side of the room. We were given probably the worst table in the room, shoe horned in at the back between the kitchen entrance and near to the large group table. It was noisy and with a constant stream of traffic going past our table all evening to service the large table. The waitress actually kept bumping into the back of my seat whilst I was eating, without any apologies or acknowledgement, as she went back and forth to the kitchen We had to wait over 30 minutes before anybody took our order. The single waitress on duty, standing with her back to us and chatting to the girl on the door, was oblivious to my attempts to attract her attention before this. By the time our orders were taken, we decided to skip starters we had chosen as felt we wouldn't have time for them. On taking our order, the waiter, who had only just come on duty and who I saw come in and then could see changing in the entrance to the kitchens, ignored my comments about how long we had been kept waiting with no apologies or recognition for the delay. During our meal nobody came over to ask if the meals were ok. On collecting our plates another different waiter simply shrugged his shoulders when I told him my pasta main course meal was bland and lacking in seasoning. During the meal the waitress come over and casually plonked a table lamp on the table, which I had to re-position as it was in the way, right next to my arm. The same waitress also tried to take my drink before I had finished and when I stopped her said 'sorry love'. I then had to ask her, not to address me as 'love'. We were both disappointed with the deserts, the worst affogato we have had and served in inappropriately tall stemmed glasses difficult to eat from. A tiny portion of ice cream swimming in a pool of melted ice cream mixed with weak expresso. It felt like they had been left standing before being served. At other restaurants we have been to, this has been served with a shot of hot expresso on the side to pour over the ice cream at the table. Finally when we asked for the service charge to be removed, nobody asked why or showed any concern about the reason for our request. The service and food we received was poor, it felt as though the staff couldn't be bothered with us or their food and fell way below the level expected in any restaurant. It was not an enjoyable experience.

Food and service is not too bad, but asking almost 5£ for a 1L bottle of still water is unacceptable.

I'm sorry that I ended up doing this thing that I'm not happy about, namely to tell you that the last experience there was terrible comparing price and quality, I can't believe that those who once managed the San Carlo chain of restaurants let me down some fools to spoil the name for decades it was the place we recommend with confidence now, unfortunately, it is no longer possible. I have been visiting the place for more than 10 years, it was different before I am sorry

Very disappointing. Overpriced, bland food, rude waiter. We had been looking forward to coming here for a while. We ordered prawns and bruschetta for starters (very average) and both had fish for our mains. Our sides came ~15 minutes after our fish (despite one side being rocket salad!), so it was all very out of sync. For the amount we paid, it truly was highly disappointing.

Loud music so had to raise voices to be heard. Made room loud. Food was ok. Bit basic.

Entered the entrance, the doorman was rude and did not reply when asked if there was any seating as there was no other staff to help at the door. So we walked out.

Fabulous . Staff excellent. Ambiance excellent. Food excellent. Portion size excellent. Tastefully decorated, very clean very efficient. Can't wait to return.

Always great food and the staff are the best. I wish I could remember our servers name (older gent grey hair) had such a great sense of humour and made us laugh all night

Over priced and over rated the food used to be amazing …. but now it just average don’t have the mussels you get a few with thick cream covered over them Luke warm ! the fish pasta was just ok nothing special for the price . We paid top price not the lunch. Not the special meal deal which looked ok but limited and still the portions were terrible for the price ! Lots of new restaurants now in town doing pasta Fish & steaks so we will be trying these out you’ve had your day. Such a shame we used to love eating here will not return .

I really hate to complain and maybe yes I should’ve at the restaurant but I didn’t want to cause a scene or spoil the evening for anyone else. We had booked for Mother’s Day. My son (30) was taking me for an evening out. It was booked for 6pm and we arrived on the dot. To be told although we had booked there was nothing available upstairs but we could be seated downstairs. The host saying you’ll like it just as much downstairs I promise. As soon as we got downstairs it was like a crèche. I know it was Mother’s Day. We ordered ravioli, mushrooms and and extra dish of Arancini. The mushrooms were just that. Mushrooms. Nothing special, no lovely sauce. The ravioli was nice and the best was the Arancini. Now that was amazing with a beautiful sauce to compliment it. We sat for what seemed ages for our plates to be cleared and all the time I just wanted to be upstairs. My son ordered the risotto with pepper and I ordered linguine with lobster. We also ordered a garlic bread with tomato and cheese. My linguine was greasy, so much so I had to leave half. We always order differently so we can taste each others food and I love risotto. However my son’s risotto was very gritty. I thought maybe it was the pepper but when I looked the rice was not cooked through properly and it wasn’t even hot. He ended up leaving a third of his too. He wanted to be polite and finish as much as he could. The garlic bread looked lovely but where was the garlic??? It was very bland greasy tomato and cheese. Not once did anyone ask how we were or how was the food. Did we need more water or extra drinks. Even the peach Bellini drink I ordered just tasted of purée. Very sickly. The bill was £109 including service charge. We refused desserts. We didn’t order extra drinks because quite frankly we just wanted out of the crèche that was downstairs. So much for booking and so much for a lovely evening. We’ve never had a bad meal out anywhere and never had the need to complain before but this Mothers Day evening was definitely not the evening we had envisioned.

One of the best italian restos in the city. I've always liked the ambiance and service here in San Carlo.

Im a regular customer in San carlos. I like tbs food and the atmosphere ther. And yesterday i was dining by myself and i was served by Aldo who i found very sweet and attentive. He was very friendly and smiley and always seems happy. I enjoyed his service and will definately be returning to see him again!

My Sister booked this place as we’ve been here before few years ago and thought it was a good place to visit again for my birthday. This is San Carlo Temple street Birmingham. 4 of us sat at the table ordered our starters and Mains. Our starters took 1 hour to arrive.. my starter was garlic prawns and found hair in the bowl!! after that thought not to make a fuss as wanted to enjoy my birthday. We waited another hour for hour mains and spoke to the waitress few times to chase our order. Finally the mains arrived. I had ordered a pasta dish with chicken garnished with prawns in a creamy based dish (well that’s what it stated on the menu)! After few mins noticed there was no chicken in the dish and was pasta with few tiny pieces of prawns. We called the manager over as I was not impressed with the quality of food and service and said she will bring some chicken on separate plate, which was a joke as it was chopped up pieces of chicken breast that was not in my meal. The manager tried to apologise but when you expect to pay for the experience and high quality food this was not the case. Very bad service don’t waste you’re money here!!!!!

Haven't been for a while. Seems to be back to its former high standards.

This was the first time we have visited this restaurant for around 10 years. We used to use San Carlo a lot for corporate events. Absolutely no change. Four tables occupied at 5.30, waiters and waitresses strutting around doing nothing. Waited 10 minutes before we were able to ask a waiter for a drink and were told Denon would come over. Still nothing. My husband rang their number and explained we were sitting in their restaurant waiting for someone to take a drinks order. The girl who answered the phone - who we could see, asked my husband to repeat himself and then told him she couldn’t understand what he was saying before putting the phone down. So, after 25 minutes we finally got a drink and a menu. Food was very mediocre - the aubergine parmigiana which I had was like eating cardboard. To be fair I think our friends enjoyed their food - it was their choice. Personally I would have walked out. Overpriced, waiters who pretend to be Italian, staff too busy talking to each other rather than serve customers, food not great and very expensive wine. With all the competition in Birmingham they really need to up their game. I certainly won’t be going there again.

Food very good, and the service was amazing. Very cosy place.

Excellent lunch. Prices very competitive. Good service. Varied menu. Caters for dietary requirements. Great atmosphere.

Great restaurant, great food and service. Tables very difficult to sit comfortably at due to large single pillar and 4 large feet.

Had a good evening enjoying some quality food.

Good greeting , too many serving our table which was in a row with very little space between. Food was good but basic No specials or recommendations.

This is the first time we had been to this San Carlos and we will definitely be back. The service was excellent and the food was delicious, the Bruschetta Funghi e Tartufo and theRavioli all'Astice are highly recommended.

Start with the good points - best Margarita I have ever had(amazing barman), staff were polite. Negatives- Waited 40 mins for a table we had booked Waited a long time to order food Asked if the pasta was like rigatoni, Was advised,yes, it’s like rigatoni. Received the worst pasta I have ever come across, soft and watery and stodgy, nothing like rigatoni. The meat was meh at best, slimy at worst. Ordered focaccia , got a flat pizza like bread… Also has the worst stomach on the way home… Was cold for 70% of the stay. Not worth the money at all.

We had a reservation was for 7:30pm but we were not seated until 8:15, with no explanation, apology or any notice I’d have to wait 45 minutes. The food was extremely poor! What they claimed was focaccia was just a sourdough pizza base with rosemary and sea salt. The duck ragu was not enjoyable and the pasta was way too soft and gave the other meal an unenjoyable texture. I would not recommend For dessert the Milliefeuille wasn’t enjoyable me either, the puff pastry was soggy. The positives were the cocktails, atmosphere and the staff were friendly