Gianmarco’s Restaurant

This place is amazing! Took some work clients here and had a truly wonderful meal! We will definitely be coming back!

I am so happy I finally went here. I am from a historically Italian town in upstate New York and this is the first real Italian food I have found in Alabama.
If you come here for dinner you will wait for a table, I highly suggest making a reservation first. Even so you will wait. It is that packed! You HAVE to order the fiocchi. They are homemade little pasta pouches filled with deciduous cheese and pears. Try your absolutely hardest not to eat them all in one bite and get too full for dinner. Same thing with their bread basket. They have one of the best wine lists in town so bring your drinking cap. I chose a nice Chianti reserve that was in the $ 40 range. They have both cheaper and more expensive, I chose middle of the road.
Let the server tell you their specials. It is worth it! They have multiple and their menu is extensive so it’s fun to share with your group or dining partner. I had a nice rabbit cannolini which was their special. Honestly I don’t think you could go wrong with anything they make. I utilized my second stomach for some dessert. I chose their gelato which was a large rolled ball with Vanilla and chocolate coated in cocoa powder. It was so amazing I actually considered ordering another.
I am going to be coming back here at LEAST once a month to get my Italian fix. I hear there is a cool wine bar behind the restaurant, so I will be trying that next!

We found this restaurant on Unilocal while visiting Birmingham. The food and service were fantastic. If we lived in Birmingham… we would be regulars.

Enjoyed… Swordfish so succulent, meaty, white, flaky and flavorful and a huge portion at that! I’ve tasted a prime, tender, and mouth-​wateringly sized sea scallops resting on a warm corn and bean succotash. Dinner here is nothing short of a conservatively, passionate love-​making session in your mouth!

Made a reservation 2 weeks out for 8:30. Arrived at 7:00 and checked in. We were expecting to sit in the wine bar for a bit but it was full. Killed some time and checked in again at 8:15. We were told we could wait at the wine bar so we ended up just standing outside and waiting for someone to come get us. «We’ll find you» they said. By 9:30 we actually had to get into an argument with a man in glasses and a bow tie (I assume a manager) in order to get a table. When we finally got to sit down more than an hour after our reservation time, the service was excellent and the food was good. Of course, after this experience, I would never go back.

First date restaurant and last meal as Birmingham residents. Lobster ravioli was excellent. The little lady had the pork and it was scrumptious. We will always be back. Love this place!
Off to Nashville!

We went here for a birthday dinner and were not disappointed. It was a little smoky in the dining room due to the small restaurant that is open to the kitchen, but I would still give it 5 stars. I got the classic spaghetti with a crab claw appetizer. My husband got the spicy seafood spaghetti dish. We both left wanting more, not because it wasn’t enough food, but because it was just that good. Go and go again!

Visited Birmingham for the first time and Gianmarco’s will now be my «must go to «spot whenever I visit. Everything was amazing. The service, the environment, drinks, and especially the food.
I ordered the Ribeye steak with mac and cheese and brussel sprouts. My god the steak was cooked perfectly and the mac and cheese was so good. I highly recommend this place.

My wife brought me here for my birthday, and every aspect of our experience was 10 out of 10.
Food was incredible, service and atmosphere was great, and pour choices were vast and all making us want to come back the next day…

How have I lived in Birmingham for 4 years and am just getting the memo about Gian’s?! Holy. Moly. The service, the food, the atmosphere… all outstanding. For starts, don’t miss the fiocchi or, if it is summertime-​ish, the pistachio crusted goat cheese and watermelon salad. For entrees, don’t even bother reading the menu: listen intently for the day’s specials and order from there. One visit, my mama and I split their swordfish main and were totally impressed. This past visit the beau and I split the quail special (two quails, perfect!) and it was food-​gasm good. To top it off, the service here is the best I have received in Birmingham: attentive, informative, abundantly kind but not intrusive. When my mama and I went, we sat at the high bar tables and were spoiled by our server who never let our water or wine glasses get below midline. Further, he had our shared entrée split onto two separate, beautifully constructed plates. When the beau and I visited, we sat at the bar and the service was just as stellar. Both nights, I left here in bliss with a full tummy, happy feels and amazed that it has taken me this long to find this place.

My husband and I went here during our only night in Birmingham on a road trip– a Tuesday. After traveling through multiple cities and having different cuisines, I looked forward to Italian and search dutifully on Unilocal for something good. I found this place.
When we got there, the free valet area was full and there was nowhere near to wait with our car, so I pulled into a spot near the back. After we got out of the car to go inside, a valet yelled at me to move my car forward. I asked him what he said, and he repeated his order. Let me clarify that my car was not sticking out. I was mortified that someone had yelled at me who worked there.
However, we tried to forget it and head in. After waiting at the door for a host (is there none?), we went to a server and asked if we could get a table. There was an empty one by the bar, so he recommended we sit there by pointing to it. So we sat. And sat. And we saw the server point us out to the bartender. He then continued to work and never acknowledged us. After waiting for between five and ten minutes, we left.
I can’t tell you how much I looked forward to a great Italian meal, but the customer service was not there.

I arrived on a Thursday afternoon around 1PM to meet a friend. Parking in this neighborhood was difficult. When I entered, the room was fairly full, even at the later lunch time. It is not a particularly room large place. One passes through a bar area, but noone was seated there at the time I entered.
The ambiance is good and the room is not overly noisy. I don’t recall any musak playing in the background. So, I could carry a good conversation. The wait staff seemed pretty busy and not as attentive as I’d like, but were very professional and helpful. We were asked about drinks and given menus. Most tables seat two or four people. A larger group was accommodated by putting tables together.
A while later, we were finally asked about orders. We ordered and split the Eggplant Parmesan and the Wild Mushroom Ravioli. It took a while to prepare and assume it was cooked to order. The waitress kindly had the kitchen split the meals and serve each portion in a separate bowl.
The eggplant parmesan was excellent with a perfect amount of cooking and a tasty marinara sauce. The cheese was not heavy. The ravioli had the same sauce and was cooked al dente, which I prefer. Excellent. The cost for each plate was about $ 15. With tip, the bill came out to $ 43, because we had the tirimisu for dessert. Also very good and a large enough portion.
The main courses with meats were much more expensive, but I’m usually a vegetarian and didn’t try them. So, saved a bit there. The lunch menu is slightly less expensive than the dinner menu.
This is a good place for a luxurious lunch or dinner. Good for bringing colleagues or a date. Because of price, I will not be there too often.

Veal Chop Parm– With a grown man’s hand for size comparison. Thing is HUGE, but tasty. GET IT!

The best Italian restaurant in Birmingham! Make sure to get reservations in advance.

Love this place… Never disappoints.
This is the place you want to share with your friends because it just feels good when you walk in. But you quickly realize it’s the place you should keep to yourself because it’s already sooo popular.
Reservations required for dining area. You can eat at the bar, but the bar tenders control the seating. Dining at the bar is a great experience but you need to time it right or plan to wait 30 – 45 mins for an opening. Obviously bar seating works better for 2 than for more. (Insert reluctance here, I’m giving away my secret which will likely cause me to wait longer at our next visit.).
Jake (bartender) makes everybody that walks through the door feel like they are their best regular. Come often for this experience.
Excellent wine selection. A few tap beers. Bottles. And full liquor selections.
Two small tvs at the bar so you can keep up on the game even though you’re enjoying 5 star food and service experience.
Daily specials like homemade pasta, bone in pork chop with chilton county peach glaze to just name a few. These change often. Also, there isn’t a bad thing on the menu.
Personal faves.
Drink — your choice
Apps…
Fresh tuna served on a salt brick
Beef carpaccio
Fiocchi
Entrees…
Fa Diablo
Any special. Ask jake for his rec.

Great first visit! Food was excellent, great service, great crowd — a fun evening and I’ll definitely go back when I’m in Birmingham! Highly recommended!

Tips:
Always call way ahead for reservations. Even those with «connections» find it hard to fit in :)
Be ready for loud and close together tables
Double check the wine prices if you inquire about a glass. I asked for a dry red wine etc and was sent a $ 20 glass. Which, ok, I get it, my fault, which is why I say just double check!
The food isn’t «mind-​blowing» IMO, however it is always authentic and fresh. I enjoy the wine bar out back the best! More my vibe as a 30 something young professional.

I have no doubt that the neighbors hate this place because it’s tucked right in the middle of a residential neighborhood. It looks like it might once have been a local grocery store and was converted into a restaurant and wine bar. But despite that, the place is amazingly popular. As in, we arrived just before 6 without a reservation and they wouldn’t seat us in the restaurant. Fortunately, there was a high top table in the bar area that had full service.
We were offered menus and our drink order was taken. When the waiter returned with our beers (local Cahaba Blonde), we placed our orders from the menu. While we waited for our starter, we got to listen to the bartender explain the specials to the crowd. Oops, some of those sounded WAY better than what we had ordered. Dang it!
We split the order of Fiocchi. These are pasta purses that were stuffed with pears and gorgonzola, topped with walnuts and prosciutto. Very rich, very tasty. Delicious.
For main, I had the veal marsala with spaghetti. The veal was thinly sliced and perfectly cooked with a few mushrooms on top. Plenty of spaghetti with a lot of rich marsala sauce. Some freshly grated cheese would have been nice, but we weren’t offered it.
Skipped dessert.
Overall, the food was fantastic and the service was just okay. Totally perfect for a date night and you’ll absolutely want to make a reservation.
Tip! Watch the prices of the wine by the glass. My friend didn’t realize that the red he had was $ 20!

Gianmarco’s brings great Italian to Birmingham. We just don’t have many «true» Italian places here in the Ham, unfortunately. But everything about Gianmarco’s is spot on for «true» Italian.
The service is spectacular. We can always count on being taken care of in the highest fashion — We DO have a favorite … ask for Rachel! She will be at our table no sooner than the bread and water have hit it for our starter cocktail order! She’s super attentive and also intuitive: she knows when we’re in a conversation and doesn’t interrupt us, yet makes sure we’re always in perfect order!
Gianmarco’s menu is traditional — apps, salads, pastas, mains (save room for dessert!). But the specials … the specials in each of those categories will knock your socks off. The chef’s specials are usually a cool twist on a traditional Italian dish. Something you can’t get anywhere else. And they’re cook and presented PERFECTLY! If you aren’t trying one of the specials, I highly recc these from the menu:
APPS ($ 8-​$ 10)
Prosciutto wrapped fried mozz
Muscles in white wine sauce (if they’re PEIs)
Beef Carpaccio
Oysters Two Ways
PASTA ($ 14-​$ 16)
Veal and Cheese Tort with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
Wild Mushroom Ravioli
Bolognese
Rigatoni with 4 cheese and sage cream sauce (my fave!)
MAINS ($ 20-​$ 30)
Chicken with Eggplant — This one is a traditional dish and it’s superb
Risotto with shellfish
Grouper with tomatoes and caper berries
WINE LIST
The great thing about Gianmarco’s wine list is that you have choices. MANY CHOICES. You can go Italian — Piedmont, Tuscany, Veneto, etc. You can go French, you can go West Coast, and lots of bubbles to choose from too — prosecco AND champagne. For a little wine list entertainment, check the Whites section: «Chardonnay /​NOT Chardonnay» :)
Atmosphere is bustling with lots of the young, hip newly marrieds in Homewood, cool folks from the Burbs, and even the «more mature» (who obviously know a good meal) from Mtn Brook. Clientele is all over the board — that tells you it’s got great food!
Parking is easy — either in the front (it follows the rule of «if you have great food you don’t have to have a big parking to attract people») or you can valet!
Dress comfortably — you’re gonna wanna loosen your belt at the table, come round 2 of that bread basket!

Excellent Italian fare. Probably one of the best spots in Birmingham. Restaurant has an extensive wine list. Lasagna does not have ricotta, so, yeah, this is a real plus but the red sauce is very garlicky which is not Italian. I also had the «gelato» for dessert which is not quite a gelato, not even a gelato trying hard to be honest but it was a good ice cream (let’s put this way).
The restaurant has a log cabin in the back which is also a wine shop and you can actually eat there. Pretty nice setting for a date!
You will require reservations for this restaurant and the valet parking is free but allow around 15 minutes for them to get your car.