Bella Piatti

Bella Piatti is the cozy, been-here-a-while Italian that downtown Birmingham locals name first when asked for a favorite — a warm Townsend Street room where Venetian chef Francesco Apollonia runs a menu that roams the whole Italian boot. Expect house-made pasta and sauces, daily specials, and the kind of house-made desserts worth saving room for, plus a solid wine list and proper cocktails. There’s a patio for warm evenings.

It’s elegant but unfussy, equally right for a date night or a celebratory group. We have it on our list as one of Birmingham’s most reliably beloved Italian rooms — not the flashiest, just consistently, genuinely good, which is its own kind of flex. Ask about the specials, and don’t skip the bread.