Tropea
Birmingham, West Midlands
Entry
In the Harborne district of Birmingham, Tropea is spiritually twinned with southern Italy's Calabrian coast. Opened in 2021, it's a love letter to Italian regional cooking, set within a clean-lined space that has the feel of a modern refettorio, now with tables outside too. Reporters praise the exceptional staff, and the sharing ethos of the menus, which encourages much happy mixing and matching. The bidding opens with inspired antipasti selections such as charred green friggitelli (finger chillies) dressed in garlic and Maldon sea salt, or wafer slices of raw scallop with pink grapefruit and pickled radish. Pasta is a sure-fire hit, perhaps for pappardelle with rich rabbit ragù simmered in white wine and finished with 24-month parmigiano, while the robust approach to principal dishes might embrace monkfish grilled on the bone and served with Jersey Royals and peperonata in fragrant salmoriglio dressing. Pink-cooked barbecued lamb in salsa verde comes with a crisply fresh salad of those Tropea onions and ricotta. Anybody leaving without having bitten into one of the bombolone filled doughnuts has missed a trick – they are a textural sensation. Not surprisingly, Italy is the reference point for an approachable wine list with plenty by the glass or carafe.
Dining Information:
Wheelchair access, Credit card required
27 Lordswood Road, Harborne, Birmingham, West Midlands B17 9RP
0121 4279777
