Casa Pernoi

Casa Pernoi is the kind of contemporary Italian that Birmingham does so well — house-baked bread, pasta made daily, and modern plates (that bone-in veal parm, the spicy rigatoni) served family-style in a lively room with live jazz. The real trump card is outside: the covered “Piazza” patio, complete with a firepit, is regularly called one of the best in downtown Birmingham, and it’s dog-friendly to boot. Consistently one of the highest-rated tables in town.

It’s upscale but warm, equally suited to a date night or a big celebratory group (they’ll seat a crowd). We have it on our list as a reliably excellent modern-Italian all-rounder — the place you suggest when someone wants “somewhere nice” and you want to be sure it delivers. Angle for the Piazza in warm months, and don’t skip the bread basket.