Buonissimo!

I’ve been to Buonissimo! twice and will be going back again.
The whole dining experience is a mix of comfortable and classy– it manages to feel upscale without being pretentious. It’s a bit more pricey than some of the other restaurants in Harborne but not outrageous, and the service and food are absolutely incredible.
The staff are very welcoming and attentive but not overbearing. Both times walking in someone immediately offered to take my coat, and even though we had bookings (once with a group of 4 and once as a couple) we were given a choice of seating.
The menu is seasonal and changes, but the deep fried goat’s cheese as a starter was fantastic, as was the mozzarella filled gnocchi in a pomodoro sauce. My husband ordered an asparagus-​stuffed chicken breast that he said was cooked perfectly, served with a generous side of really delicious sautéed potatoes (which I deviously stole from his plate throughout the evening). It’s just really elegant, delicious, Italian food that seems much more ‘authentic’ than any other Italian place I’ve tried in Birmingham.
The only thing I’ve been disappointed with is the antipasto. It was basically a large plate of lettuce with an unexpectedly small amount of cured meats and an olive or two– I’ve had much better antipasto platters elsewhere. I’d go for one of the other starters, for sure (like the goat’s cheese! They also do a great bruschetta).

Truly amazing food, great atmosphere, and to top it off real authentic Italian place which is family run.
The food is beautifully made and the service is expectational, i always have great time when I’m there be it lunch or dinner. keep up the great work Buonissimo!

Ever time I walk past this place it seems to be full, so when we needed a place to eat for a celebratory meal I jumped at the opportunity to suggest Buonissimo!
Monday evening at 7pm and the ground floor was full, but our party of 7 was seated comfortably upstairs — in fact we almost had it to ourselves. I liked the intimate feel but this means that booking is a must!
The two members of staff that served us were really attentive and polite. They made a big fuss of the hero of the group who had just recieved his Doctorate which was a really nice personal touch. A service charge of 10% is added to groups of six or more which is a practice I normally dislike although in this instance it was deserved.
Food wise everyone left with full bellies and a satisfied appetite. For myself as a vegatarian there is always a limited choice, although they offer to exchange the meat in some of the pasta dishes for veggie options so I was more than content. Our mixed bruschetta starter was a safe option but tasty and introduced me to baked garlic, I ate the whole bulb! I had a delicous pasta dish for my main with peas, pistachio nuts and pecorino, there should of been cured pork too but I had asapargus. Best pasta I’ve eaten since Italy.
Can’t wait to go back and will be taking advantage of their early dining menu (18:00 — 19:30) where you can have three courses for £15.50.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get better, whooshhhhhhhhhhhh Buonissimo delivers its new winter menu. With delish fresh soups, and mouth watering pasta again we left too full for pudding. Silly me though didn’t read the menu properly and my seafood pasta (with an Italian title!!) came black as diesel oil. The squid ink was used so no ideal for a first date and whilst cutting a king prawn managed to splat my husband and me oops! Everytime I spoke to my hubby he just laughed at my black teeth and tongue. I didn’t care though because it was just so tasty. My hubby had the rabbit lasagne which sat in a delicious ragu sauce. This really is my favourite Italian in England. With drinks our bill came to less than £40 which for 2 courses (too full for puds!!) is even more of a bonus.

Buonissimo has been around for a good while, but has always held its own amidst openings and closures of other Italian independents in Birmingham.
Largely, I guess, due to the fact that it is, by and large, very good. I have always particularly enjoyed the starters — in fact, if I could, I’d probably just eat 3 starters and then go home. When I was last there they did a particularly good bruschetta. This is about the only place in the entire UK that I have ever tasted bruschetta that tastes anything like genuine Italian bruschetta. Who’d have thought that a bit of bread, tomatoes and olive oil could be so difficult to throw together? Anyway, I was thoroughly impressed with Buonissimo’s, despite my bruschetta snob tendencies.
My main wasn’t quite as tasty — it didn’t have that fresh, herby zing that my starter had — or that I associate with Italian food. I had, basically chicken in tomato sauce, with some greens on the side. These were beautifully cooked but pricey. I hate having to buy separate veg though, it’s a bugbear of mine. The chicken and sauce was cooked well, but just lacked the flavour hit that I was expecting. Perhaps my epxectations were too high following the bruschetta joy of the starter.
It’s pretty pricey — I guess I felt a little but let down by the main, so felt like the prices over-​rated the quality of the food a bit. Perhaps I just got unlucky, as everyone else I know who has been there has said that the food was top-​notch. Oh well, maybe I’ll just have to go again and see…

There was much excitement when this place appeared just off the Harborne High Street some 12 or 13 years ago (If I am remembering this correctly). Straight away it looked like a smart and modern Italian — something Birmingham sadly lacks, and, No, Jamie’s (branded, chain) Italian does not cut the Linguine, if you ask me. It did not disappoint and has maintained the standard it set itself ever since. A great and varied menu, with a particularly good fish selection, that is always perfectly cooked and made to be enjoyed in this really lovely little place.
Useless Gentlemen of Unilocal — this place is a Date Night place. Mark it in your diaries, or tuck it away at the back of your mind for a rainy day.

Harborne has a lot of long established Italian restaurants and the fact they stayed in the High Street for so long is perhaps testament to the quality of their food. Bounissimo is no exception — specialising in organic foods as well as rare breed’s meat, the restaurant changes its menu frequently to reflect what is in season. Starters are particularly good with their roasted artichoke/​garlic a definite highlight. Meat and fish are cooked to perfection and the vegetable side dish generous (if a bit expensive). The wine list offers a good selection and is reasonably priced.

During a recent boozy lunch, I became embroiled in a discussion about the best ways to die. An odd one I know, and one I very much blame monsieur’s Leffe and Stella for, but still an interesting way to whittle down a Sunday afternoon, especially when the wonders of Google proved that we were not alone in this debate, and further proved that the human race is indeed a strange one. One websites top ten included Martyrdom (too deluded), being a hero (too overrated), and freak blimp accident (too 1920’s). Nether less, I was not impressed. There had to be better ways.
This boozy lunch did not take place in Bounissimo’s, though had it done, the ridiculous conversation recounted above may never have taken place. Bounissimo’s is an Italian restaurant in the affluent suburb of Harborne, serving the kind of hearty grub that Mamma back home in Rome would be proud of. Its a place big on flavours, and equally big on portions. One that lingers in the belly for days, and even longer in the memory.
Starters were better than mains, which were in turn better than desserts. A soup of pea, vermouth, and fennel had a great whack of aniseed knocked sideways by salty pancetta croutons. A deep fried goats cheese with chutney was pure cheese heaven, as was a generously sized main of baked linguine with ricotta, spinach, and parmesan cream. Here is the type of cooking that you would try to replicate at home, but never quite get right. The right side of unobtainable. Just how it should be.
It wasn’t all perfect. A great tasting main of chicken stuffed with spicy sausage was marred by the sausage meat being just warm, and an Italian take on lemon meringue lacked any real sharpness, but these are just quibbles. The fact is that Bounissomo’s is the sort of restaurant that every neighbourhood needs. One that will take you in from the cold, fill you up with goodness, and shake your hand on the way out before rolling you out the door when you are too stuffed to walk. This place could genuinely kill you with love. Now that has to be the best way to go.

Six of us sat down for an early meal at this attractive High Street restaurant on Friday evening. The evening didn’t start too well as the first two of us were ushered up a narrow staircase to the first floor dining area which was cold and empty. Were they afraid that if they sat us on the (empty) ground floor we might deter other potential customers?
We ordered a Peroni and a spritzer which were swiftly supplied but the spritzer was not very chilled and there was no life in the soda water. A call for a replacement yielded nothing better except there were now ice cubes in the glass.
From this point onwards, everything was positive. We all ordered starters and main courses and the starters arrived shortly afterwards. Cozze Alla Trapanese Con Ceci (fresh mussels sautéed in garlic, chilli and olive oil), Sfogliatina Di Scamorza E Prosciutto (deep fried filo pastry parcels filled with Parma ham and scamorza cheese on a bed of sautéed mushroom, rocket and truffle oil) and Insalata Ai Gusti Di Montagna (balsamic honey dressed mixed leaf salad with dates, walnuts and feta cheese) all went down well.
Similarly the main course, with Fettina Di Manzo Alla Griglia Con Funghi E Vino Rosso (char grilled ‘fettina’ of steak, finished with mushrooms, onion and red wine jus), Stufato Di Selvaggina Con Fagioli E Salsicce (mixed game stew with cannellini beans and ‘award winning’ beef and bacon sausages, slow cooked in rich red wine and aromatic tomato sauce), Salmone Con Gamberetti E Porri (fresh salmon fillet cooked with prawns and leeks in a cream and tarragon sauce) and my choice — Pollo Ripieno Di Funghi E Provolone Piccante (free range chicken breast stuffed with oyster mushrooms and provolone piccante cheese, cooked in a cream sauce with peas and topped with crispy bacon) — delicious. Including two bottles of wine, four Peronis, a rather poor spritzer and automatic «discretionary» service charge the bill was £151. We thought this was fairly good value and we’ll be back again.

Being an italian in the uk finding italian restaurants to eat without criticising too much is hard. People always ask to recommend and this one I would without hesitation. The menu is varied and reasonably priced. The service is polite and welcoming without being intrusive. The food is tasty, presented well and portions are plentiful. You must try the italian desert wine moscato with either an ice cream or cheese followed by an espresso and a liquor. From the outside it looks café like and small. seating is tight, but the whole experience more than makes up for this.
To be fair my wife and I were treated for a birthday present as guests and that’s what made the experience even more of a surprise.
buon appetito

Possibly the favorite Harborne High Street restaurant for my wife, Cynthia, a highly regarded spin-​off from MY favourite, Valentino’s. To me there are two problems — shortage of space (one ground floor room and one upstairs) and winebar décor (ie few soft furnishings and therefore high noise levels). (Visitors to Harborne have to park in the Waitrose across the road, whcih is risky at lunch time.) But foodwise this is an excellent restaurant with a great new menu every quarter and reasonable prices.