Primitivo

You'll find Primitivo tucked away on Barwick Street in Jewellery Quarter, where it's become the sort of place locals actually return to rather than somewhere you tick off a list. It's got that comfortable, slightly worn-in feel—exposed brick, simple wooden tables, nothing trying too hard—which somehow makes the food taste better. The menu swings with the seasons, but you're here for the pasta: handmade when it matters, cooked with restraint and proper Italian technique. There's wine by the glass that doesn't cost the earth, and the staff clearly know what they're doing without being stuffy about it.