Zizzi - Birmingham Brindley Place

You're sat right on Brindley Place with the water on your doorstep—this Zizzi knows its spot matters. It's the kind of place you take visiting mates who want something unpretentious but proper, where a margherita pizza arrives genuinely decent and your pasta's cooked to something approaching al dente. The room's got that chain-restaurant polish (exposed brick, mood lighting) without feeling corporate, and the cocktail list gives you enough to play with if you're not just after wine. Fair prices for the location, especially if you catch an early-bird deal.