Strada Restaurants

With a variety of eateries, and a similar voucher offer, we plumped for Strada before our Madonna concert at the nearby Arena.
There was a small queue, and we were warned by the greeter there was a 35 minute wait for tables, then a manager came to tell us it would be 40 minutes and that they couldn’t guarantee we would be free by the advertised 8pm showtime. We appreciated being warned, but as we knew there was a horrendous DJ on from 8−9pm we assured her this wasn’t a problem for us! As it turned out we were actually seated at our table barely five minutes later, so there really was no need for the warning but it was nice to be informed.
Our drinks order was taken and we gave the server our voucher code, leading to an amusing misunderstanding when they arrived. My female friend ordered a Peroni, whilst I opted for cider. The server assumed the beer was for me and got a little flustered when we corrected her.
We both ordered pizzas, with my friend asking if she could have caramelised onions and although not an optional topping, artichokes, on her margarita. The waitress said they could do that, she’d just put them through as another topping but make sure the kitchen got the correct topping request. I ordered the Caprino.
My pizza was delicious and so fresh looking with the goat’s cheese evenly distributed and just melting, so it wasn’t overpowering or chalky as it can sometimes be. My friend enjoyed her pizza but the onions were more ‘lightly fried’ rather than ‘caramelised’.
We were finished by about 8.10pm, and the bill did take a little while to come/​be processed, but as I said we weren’t in a rush to see the DJ support act!
There was a huge Christmas party seated behind us and there was an unfortunate screechy laugher in their party, but ’tis the season, so we didn’t get too annoyed. The décor and atmosphere was suitably seasonal, but I noticed there were a lot of standalone heaters dotted about the place, so I wonder if it gets rather cold during a winter that’s not quite as mild as the current one?

A bargain is something that can brighten up the greyest of Tuesday afternoons. I am happy to say that myself and a friend managed to get exactly that from Strada this week.
As I got emailed a voucher for 40% off mains we decided that we would take the plunge and give this high street chain a go. I decided to go for the winter salad and added chicken to it, it was a decent salad but it slightly lacked dressing and I was not offered oil, balsamic vinegar or chilli oil as I have come to expect at Italian restaurants. Maybe I have been spoilt in the past! I have to say my friends pasta looked good and she said she enjoyed it. The food was decent overall… but I cant say more than that really!
The good thing here was we had the 40% off the bill which was taken off without question from our waitress. Overall this was an OK experience but not one I will be rushing back to pay full price for.

I really like Strada and have been to a few in Birmingham and London. This one has to be my favourite. The location, just next to the canal at the ICC, a stone’s throw from Brindley Place, is pretty special. I last went on Sunday with Adam S. We got a table in the spacious outside seating area and sat out in the sun, with live music drifting over from one of the nearby bars — it was lovely!
The food is great too. To start we had the antipasto to share. I recommend this generous platter, complete with a selection of warm breads, olive paste, a variety of salads and a few different meats. For my main course I had slow cooked lamb shank, which was served in a tomato sauce over mash. Very meaty, very tasty. Adam S had the strozzapreti luganega, a pasta dish with spicy pork and pancetta, which I’ve had before and really enjoyed. The menu overall is good, with a nice variety of pasta dishes, pizzas and more. There’s a good selection of wines too.
Would recommend this Strada to anyone looking for food in the ICC/​Brindley Place area, especially on a sunny day!

Try the walnut pesto pizza, amay-​sing!
This Strada has really picked up in the last couple of years and has become one of my reliable restaurants in the town centre. The quality of the dishes generally matches up prices and the staff have generally been very cool. It’s a often a quiet place due to be tucked into the ICC over the bridge and only really busy when people going there are dinning.

My partner and I both had the Vesuvio pizza. The base was a little thicker and tougher than I tend to like but the toppings were very flavoursome as usual. We also ordered the Sicilian olives, which are the tastiest olives around.

Nice interior, fairly good selection of food on the menu staff seemed friendly for a mid week lunch time.
I was looking for a good steak this lunch time after my cousin posted a pic of an awesome T-​Bone on Facebook the previous evening. I was in an unfamiliar town with a bit of time to kill while waiting for an equipment upgrade to complete so I went for a little walk.
After quite a long walk about I discovered Strada tucked away inside the ICC complex, after a brief scroll through their menu spotted the 35 day aged rib eye steak.
Perfect! well dining alone is never perfect but I’m used to it, I settled down with a plate of yummy green olives and awaited my blue rib eye just how I like it.
The steak was a beautiful cut even thickness not too much fat or stringy connective tissue which can be a chore with a blue steak. The only issue I had was that it had been prepared a little too quickly, probably straight from the fridge without being allowed to reach room temperature the centre though delightfully raw was unfortunately also chilled.
But such is life, Hence the A-​Ok I would try them again, seemed very nice and they did hit the spot for my steak craving.

I booked this restaurant as a special treat for my elderly parents before taking them to a Christmas concert. It was important that everything went well for them so just to make sure, I actually visited the restaurant well beforehand to make this booking and talk about a suitable table, as my parents are not in the best of health.
On the day when I arrived with them in tow I was told that we could not have the table I had booked, no reason given, and that they were busy so we would have to leave within the hour and what did we want to do? I was frankly disgusted. This restaurant turned what should have been an enjoyable and well planned event in to a total misery. Thanks Strada!

Good location, ideal when visiting Symphony Hall, Brindleyplace or the REP. Nice atmosphere, relaxed ‘lounge’ styling. Tasty food and reasonably priced. Nothing too different from other italian chains but still highly recommended on a night out.

Yet another chain Italian restaurant, but Strada do do some really good food! This particular restaurant is on the canalside at Brindley Place, a popular haunt in the city centre — a great place to be on a summer’s day!
The restaurant itself is spacious with a modern décor and dim lighting. The food is excellent and not too harsh on the pocket. Strada do delicious desserts. My favourite being the panettone bread & butter pudding, served hot with vanilla ice-​cream mmmm
Try it, if only for the desserts!

Smart Italian restaurant by the back entrance of the Convention Centre. It’s a pretty setting by the canal with seating inside and out. Having tried both I prefer in because the seating there seems easier to arrange for small children, although on a very hot day I’d make an exception. Very family friendly with some bench seating in light modern spacious surroundings. It feels very private too. The menu is flexible and it’s easy to buy things to share between a group. Sumptuous olives. Helpful service. Lovely plain food ie. authentic pizza etc to fill a gap before/​after a show. I wouldn’t call it too expensive but I’m careful to order to share and it all gets eaten-I’m not sure how quickly it would add up if you ordered a main meal for everyone. Our children would leave loads and we’d be too full to eat the leftovers!