A traditional Italian restaurant is opening along the canals in Birmingham - 'Just like Venice!'

Chatter and cheer greet you as soon as you enter the door of this remarkable Italian deli which has opened along some of Birmingham’s most popular canals.

The beautiful Gas Street Basin setting has been complemented by the delicious focaccia, arancini, fresh coffee and prosecco at Ciaro.

The deli only opened five months ago - and it’s been a phenomenal success for couple Alex and Andrea that they are now set to expand with a restaurant next door in the coming weeks.

With 35 covers they are planning to offer real Italian cooking with a choice of cheeses and meats and pasta dishes - all with produce from Italy. There's set to be a focus on sustainability with the freshest of ingredients for around ten menu options which will change each month - or two months.

All this as Alex and Andrea discovered they are expecting a baby last weekend! Andrea is delighted with the location for the venue expansion, which he has jokingly compared to Venice.

The husband and wife team are actually from Palma and have been living in the UK for several years, with Alex working in a host of Birmingham’s best known hospitality venues including Medicine Bakery, Lulu Wild, Tattu and The Edgbaston (before it closed and became The Baloci).

‘Just like Venice!’

The venue attracts a host of diners and drinkers day and night, so the new restaurant is set to be a huge hit. Andrea said: “It’s such a lovely spot here, next to the canals - just like Venice! We’re so happy to offer our customers authentic Italian food and are very excited to be able to serve hot dishes when we open the restaurant.

“It will be all pasta dishes made with traditional Italian methods, there will be cheese and meats for starters and tiramisu for dessert, but the menu will be simple - there won’t be lots of choices. And it will change so that we can offer the most seasonal ingredients and be sustainable.”

Alex said: “We just found out we are expecting a baby at the weekend - it’s all happening at once! The deli has just been so popular that we decided to expand further and serve hot food, so we’re opening the restaurant. 

“It will be open from Wednesday to Sunday and offer fresh pasta dishes with seasonal ingredients. We are so passionate about what we do, it’s been so wonderful that so many people appreciate our food.”

Ciaro Italian Deli is due to open its restaurant before the end of May, you can check out the latest information on the Ciaro instagram page, or pop in for some amazing focaccia and other delights in the meantime. Here’s a look at the deli now: