Bottega Restaurant
Bottega Restaurant is a noted fine restaurant featuring regional Italian cuisines. It is the second restaurant opened by nationally-renowned chef Frank Stitt, who opened his flagship Highlands Bar and Grill in 1982. Bottega's menu, which is updated daily, features Italian-inspired dishes made with fresh, regionally-sourced and imported Italian ingredients.
Bottega Restaurant opened in the Bottega Favorita building at 2240 Highland Avenue in Birmingham's Highland Park neighborhood on October 24, 1988. It houses 20 to 25 tables in the main dining room and balcony, and also has a bar.
In 1990 the formal restaurant was joined by a more casual Bottega Café in the same building.
Bottega's dining room was closed in March 2020 at the onset of the COVID pandemic, and gradually reopened at a reduced capacity, supplemented with outdoor tables sheltered by tents, and by greater reliance on take-out meals.
In March 2022 the restaurant closed again for an interior renovation. A large banquette divider was removed to open up the space, a glass railing was replaced with wrought iron, and the finishes brightened. Overall seating capacity was reduced slightly. A new menu was introduced when the dining room reopened in December.
In March 2023 Bottega was announced as one of 5 finalists for the James Beard Foundation award for "Best Hospitality".
References
- Diggs, Mitchell & Suzanne Kennemer Dent (November 18, 1988) "Dinner at Bottega is an elegant experience." Birmingham Post-Herald/Kudzu, p. 11, 19
- Cartton, Bob (December 13, 2022) "Birmingham’s Bottega restaurant reopening; what about Highlands Bar and Grill?" AL.com
- Carlton, Bob (March 29, 2023) "Alabama chef, restaurant named finalists for 2023 James Beard Awards." AL.com
External links
- Bottega Restaurant website