Undoubtedly the place to find some of Birmingham’s very finest pizzas, Otto is an unpretentious pizza kitchen serving wood-fired delights in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter.
Hosting just 40 covers, the restaurant is an offshoot of the Eight Foot Grocer (actual width) next door. The highly successful miniature grocery sells artisanal products to the discerning young professionals of the Jewellery Quarter, and recently made the move into restaurant dining.
A capsule menu of just six pizzas keeps the focus on quality and finesse. Mushroom, seared pepper, artichoke, tomato and ricotta (£8.50) is one popular choice, while another is hunter’s salami, seared pepper, mozzarella, olives and tomato (£9.50). The combination of an authentic wood-fired pizza oven and a team including a Sicilian chef help to bring real Italian flavours right into Birmingham.
All the dough is made in-house, and the ingredients are sourced carefully from suppliers in both the UK and Italy. There are flatbreads for starters, with garlic oil and rosemary, tomato and pesto or mozzarella. Ice cream is on offer for dessert, and they do a few Italian wines and cocktails including negronis and bellinis (£8).
As for the setting, the friendly wooden crate and chalkboard decor is relaxed and stylish without being annoyingly hipster.