Dining Out Southeast: Giuseppe's Cafe, Birmingham, AL

After our disappointment with out quest for Italian food while we were at the Gulf Coast last week, a foodie friend came to the rescue.  He sent me a glowing report of Giuseppe's Cafe in Birmingham.

A quick review of their menu and I knew we were destined to dine here.  As we traveled through Birmingham on the way to judge a BBQ competition in Mississippi, we decided to stop and enjoy lunch on the way.

This restaurant is in a hidden, out of the way spot, with very limited parking.  Go anyway.  They have a very small cozy dining room.  Go anyway.  You may have to wait a bit for a table.  Go anyway.  

You can learn about the cafe's history, view the menu, and get all the details by checking out their website, Giuseppe's Cafe.

This restaurant checked all the boxes of the "supper club" vibe that we wanted.  The dining area is cozy, you order at the cash register as you go in the door, you seat yourself in that cozy dining area, and wait patiently for your delicious food.  

We started with Cheese Bread which is a loaf of their bread, covered in cheese, broiled until all soft and gooey, and served with marinara for dipping.

As amazing as these pictures are, they don't do justice to the richness and comfort food properties which are on this plate.

Sweet Harold finally got his lasagna!!  Yea!!!  

This is a lunch size portion.  I can't imagine how many meals he could have enjoyed with a dinner sized portion by bringing a go box home.  

These are his words:  "Rich, cheesy, meaty, well balanced flavors in the sauce.  I love that it's served hot enough to almost burn my mouth.  This is exactly what I want in a lasagna."  I asked if it was better than mine and he very diplomatically stated that it wouldn't be fair to say without having mine right there to taste alongside.  Fair enough.  lol

Y'all know I love spaghetti.  It's my favorite meal.  I opted for the lunch portion as well and chose meat sauce over marinara.

I agree with SH.  The sauce was rich and meaty.  I added a few sprinkles of red pepper flakes just because I love them on spaghetti.  Mine was also served HOT and was a very generous portion.  The freshly grated Parmesan on top was a nice touch.  The bread was soft and warm.  My craving was satisfied as well.

Yes, we should have stopped here.  Seriously, we should have. But SH said wistfully, "With that authentic lasagna, can you imagine what the cannoli would taste like?"  

So y'all know we ordered the cannoli.  Look at this gorgeous presentation.  It was almost too pretty to eat.  Almost.

And because it's so pretty, I took a close up photo as well.

Y'all.  The filling was rich and creamy, the shell was crispy and flaky, and the chocolate was sweet, but not cloying.  Perfect combination of flavors. 

So did I enjoy my cannoli?  Well....

I'm thankful for foodie friends who always let me know where I need to go next!  Thankful to realize that we have a perfect Italian supper club an hour away that we can visit anytime.  

Their menu has all the Italian favorites you could want along with salads and sandwiches.  I took a quick picture of the kitchen as we left.  Look at where all the magic happens!  Check out that bread just waiting to make diners happy.  We will definitely be back.  Giuseppe's Cafe has made our last attempt at Italian food a distant memory.

Service was excellent.  Our drinks were refilled promptly and tables were almost immediately cleared of dishes as diners finished their meals.  Everyone we encountered was warm, friendly, and helpful.