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Bettola, Birmingham, AL

Bettola

4.6
4.6
770 Reviews
$30 and under
Italian
Bettola is a casual upscale restaurant located in Birmingham's Lakeview district. Founded by award-winning chef James Lewis, Bettola offers a wonderful array of foods from the Campania region of Italy in a warm and modern setting.

Here, we honor the farm-to-table tradition by using locally sourced meats and produce to bring fresh flavors to each dish. Customer favorites include our gnocchi, pollo pomodoro, and our charcuterie selections. Our signature Neapolitan pizzas start with dough made from scratch using caputo flour flown in from Italy, which is hand-tossed and wood-fired in our authentic brick oven from Naples. We also feature a variety of house-made pastas, roasts, and sautés, and we offer craft cocktails and wines to pair beautifully with each dish.

We’re always pushing the envelope with our creative dishes and drinks at Bettola, and we hope to welcome you in our space soon.

We will try to accommodate reservations made outdoors as best as possible! Times may vary!

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable reservation network.

If you like, we'll notify you by email if this restaurant joins.


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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Contemporary Italian, Pizzeria
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Tue–Fri 12:00 pm–5:00 pm Sat 2:00 pm–5:00 pm Dinner Mon 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (205) 731-6499 ext. 2
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Chef James Lewis
  • Neighborhood
    Birmingham
  • Cross street
    29th St. S
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 770 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

4.6
4.6 based on all time ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

769 Reviews
  1. CullenW

    Mississippi

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on February 21, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The Burrata is a must order, and they have awesome wine specials

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  2. KarenC

    Greater Boston

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 21, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Everything was amazing! I got the scallops and buccatini and it was droolworthy!!

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  3. GiuseppeT

    Charleston

    11 reviews

    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on February 20, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Really good food and nice restaurant Really good pizza

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  4. AnneH

    Alabama

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 15, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious food, great prices, and great atmosphere!!

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  5. CheI

    New York Area

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 14, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Love the fresh, homemade pasta at Bettola. Such a gem in Birmingham!

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  6. Madison

    Alabama

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 14, 2021

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    We had a great time at Bettola for our Valentine's dinner. The food was incredible. I highly recommend the burrata for a starter. The only reason I decided against five stars was because we had originally booked for outside due to Covid. It was explained that this might be cancelled if weather ended up being an issue. It was a cold night, but I didn't receive any cancellation notifications, so we ended up going. I assumed they might have heat lamps. When we got there, we saw that they were not offering outdoor seating. We were told inside was fully booked, but we were welcome to sit at the bar. We did end up going with this option. It was more crowded than I would have liked. I totally understand that this is a pandemic and it's hard to predict weather circumstances of course, but I think I would have appreciated some sort of a heads up before we actually arrived at the restaurant. It would have given us more of a chance to order takeout, go somewhere else, etc. However, the food was excellent, service otherwise was great, so we will definitely be back.

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  7. Bhamfoodie

    E. Tennessee

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 13, 2021

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was over priced with very little flavor. Steak had citrus like flavor and a few potatoes underneath. Which did NOT taste like the type of seasoning that should be on a steak (maybe for fish). The rigatoni bolognese tasted more like Hamburger helper beef stroganoff, and was the color of dumplings with beef on top. No real sauce or seasoning. Did not try the pizza but after our dishes arrived I looked around and that seemed to be everyone else's go to. I ordered ravioli in place of the inedible rigatoni and it was odd and ok. Small raviolis (maybe 5) in a soup like consistency rather than sauce. Would not go back to eat the food. Wine was excellent George's pinot noir was worth every penny. Would go back to drink wine and visit with friends. The staff was great, you could tell they wanted to make your experience good. Fast service, cool atmosphere. They just need to get a new menu.

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  8. OpenTable Diner

    Alabama

    1 review

    vip
    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 13, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Second time at Betolla! We took some friends who were visiting and they loved it! The food was awesome and the service was so prompt and friendly!

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  9. Josh

    Alabama

    13 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on February 13, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing as always. Love the food. Over the top great service. Great cocktails.

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  10. OpenTable Diner

    Alabama

    9 reviews

    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on February 13, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    This was our first time visiting Bettina. Food was fantastic! I can’t wait to go back and try something new. We were reluctant because we read the noise levels were high and the music was strange. We did not experience that at all. Great atmosphere!

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  11. OpenTable Diner

    Alabama

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 13, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Went for a friend’s birthday! Great service and yummy food

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  12. MarieClaire

    San Francisco

    12 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on February 13, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    We made a reservation the weekend of Valentines Day! When we got there our table was waiting! Our server came right out with a big friendly smile! He suggested a nice bubbly for us that we loved! We had the marinated olives and bread for an appetizer! Very tasty! I ordered Lobster Pasta and it was so delicious and creamy! My husband had snapper topped with herbs and pistachios! Our friend had steak and ravioli that looked amazing!! Our server was top notch and name was Elvis!! Beautiful place and very calm but at same time exciting vibe😍

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  13. Collin

    Alabama

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 12, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Bettola is an amazing dining experience. Everyone from the hostess to the servers were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. My fiancé and I both had pasta dishes and they were phenomenal. Would highly recommend dining here.

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  14. Jlgonzo

    Atlanta Metro

    16 reviews

    5.0

    16 reviews

    Dined on February 11, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was fantastic as it always is. I love everything about this place.

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  15. Susan

    Alabama

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on February 11, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I have eaten out very few times in the past year, due to the pandemic. But an out-of-town friend was here this evening and we wanted a good meal with outdoor service. Bettola was perfect - the food has always been terrific, and we felt very safe eating outdoors with our masked server. Great job, Bettola!

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  16. OpenTable Diner

    Alabama

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 10, 2021

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was outstanding! Like, crazy delicious. Our server wasn’t overly friendly, but she brought us our food in a timely manner. Maybe she was having a bad night.

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  17. bhamfoodlove

    Alabama

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on February 6, 2021

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Very good meal and our server, Elvis, was fantastic!

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  18. MattR

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on January 31, 2021

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great place, we enjoyed it and would go back. Funky menu, salads had a bit too much dressing on them but all in all the food was good and service was exceptional.

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  19. Zeke

    Coastal Georgia

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on January 31, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious food, great service, love the ambiance.

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  20. MelissaC

    Memphis/West TN

    43 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    43 reviews

    Dined on January 31, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Dinner was amazing! The service was great, too. We had two kids under the age of 10 in our party and offered kid friendly options.

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  21. NormaM

    Alabama

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 30, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This was our first time here. And we will def come again. Great atmosphere. The food was great. And the staff is very friendly

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  22. AmyM

    Atlanta Metro

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 28, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great meal. Great service. Great atmosphere.

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  23. WesleyM

    Alabama

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 24, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We really enjoyed our time at Bettola this past Saturday. Great food and the service was excellent.

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  24. johnh

    Alabama

    11 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on January 23, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Consistently one of the best restaurants in Birmingham

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  25. LandJ

    Alabama

    26 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    26 reviews

    Dined on January 17, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    not our first time to eat here. have always enjoyed Bettola. our food was fresh and prepared well - if you want a great pasta dish, try the quattro formagi. our server Danielle took great care of us; all staff we met were friendly and helpful. we'll be back.

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  26. JamesH

    Naples

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 16, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Daughter leaving foe school.

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  27. GiuseppeT

    Charleston

    11 reviews

    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on January 15, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Best pizza in Birmingham!!

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  28. CaseyN

    Alabama

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 6, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fantastic service and food. I will definitely be back

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  29. MarshaG

    Mobile

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 3, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was delicious here and the ambience/vibe of the restaurant was perfect for us. So glad we found this little gem

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  30. Rusty

    Atlanta Metro

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on January 2, 2021

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great service and food!

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  31. AndyS

    Alabama

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on December 26, 2020

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Bettola has the best Italian food in the city. We have lived in several large cities and travel frequently, and it's one of the best restaurants anywhere. It is Italian food as it should be. The recipes are well-imagined and well-executed: drinks, appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts. We dine there frequently, and never tire of it--possibly because almost everything is put in the wood-fired oven, including some of the pasta dishes like the sugo pomodoro. Recently, our servers--Elvis and Danielle--have been excellent, but if we ever had a complaint in our many visits, it's about new servers. If that happens, just mention it to someone in charge, and they'll make it right. Stuff happens, everywhere. By the way, if you've only been there at lunch, the experience at dinner is very different, with a much fuller drink and food menu. Bettola is not terribly expensive--about 50% - 60% of the price of more expensive and better-known restaurants in town, depending upon what you order and how much you drink. The food is as good, if not better, than almost of those restaurants, and no place in its price range even comes close--that includes many chains, where you could spend more and get only inedible mediocrity. All five members of our family are happy that Bettola has survived the pandemic, and we look forward to many more visits.

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  32. ErikaV

    Atlanta Metro

    11 reviews

    3.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on December 23, 2020

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    I was very happy till I saw one of chefs behind bar talking to a customer with kids with his mark pulled down. He deliberately pulled it down while working on food in the pizza area and was engaging with a family. I was quite surprised.

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  33. SusanM

    Alabama

    35 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    35 reviews

    Dined on December 23, 2020

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    We waited almost thirty minutes for someone to serve our table. Then another 20 for a cocktail to arrive. Made our reservation over a month out and we sat by the hall door to the bathroom even though an identical table was open next to ours. Frustrating to say the least!

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  34. OpenTable Diner

    Alabama

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 22, 2020

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    menu was “out” of a a lot of items for an early 5:45 reservation. cauliflower app was “out” which is one of my favorites. grouper was substituted for red snapper but portion was much smaller with grouper . Not their best tonight for food . Service was good.

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  35. MorganB

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 19, 2020

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent. Have never had a bad meal or experience at Bettola.

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  36. PatrickP

    Alabama

    10 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on December 19, 2020

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food and drink in relaxed atmosphere. My group enjoyed the carbonara, pomodoro pasta, gnocchi and rigatoni

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  37. Aloyisios

    Alabama

    15 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    15 reviews

    Dined on December 17, 2020

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Excellent food, especially snapper. Very friendly and knowledgeable server.

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  38. CalW

    Alabama

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on December 10, 2020

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    One of the best Italian restaurants in Birmingham

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  39. Krisarm3

    Alabama

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on December 6, 2020

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I had the Lasagna and antipasta for an app, wine and dessert. It was delish

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  40. AnneH

    Alabama

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on December 5, 2020

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food, easy atmosphere, very personal staff!

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Safety precautions

  • Cleaning & sanitizing

    • Surfaces sanitized between seatings
    • Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
    • Common areas deep-cleaned daily
    • Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
    • Contactless payment available
  • Physical distancing

    • Limited number of seated diners
    • Distancing maintained in common areas
    • Extra space between tables
  • Protective equipment

    • Waitstaff wear masks
  • Screening

    • Sick staff prohibited in the workplace

FAQs

Bettola offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (205) 731-6499 ext. 2.

Bettola is rated 4.6 stars by 770 OpenTable diners.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable reservation network.

If you like, we'll notify you by email if this restaurant joins.


Is this your restaurant?
Claim this listing

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Bettola

2930 3rd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35233

Additional information

  • Cross street
    29th St. S
  • Neighborhood
    Birmingham
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Tue–Fri 12:00 pm–5:00 pm Sat 2:00 pm–5:00 pm Dinner Mon 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Contemporary Italian, Pizzeria
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Chef James Lewis
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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