The lavish new Carluccio's at the Mell Square shopping centre in Solihull has announced its opening date.

The Italian restaurant chain, which already has venues in Brindleyplace and Grand Central, will open on Friday, March 10.

The upscale 94-cover eatery will have a outdoor terrace seating 42 "pays homage to Italy’s love of taking coffee on the piazza."

We think this sounds like the perfect place for al fresco dining this summer in Solihull.

But what’s on the menu?

Expect all the Carluccio classics and some new ones.

The full menu will highlight dishes ‘from the deli’ and ‘from the kitchen’, including ‘Antonio Carluccio Signature Dishes’ - those that come from Antonio’s heart and celebrate the simple joys of real Italian dining.

Must tries include slow cooked duck pappardelle with pork, pancetta and mushrooms; crab macaroni in a creamy cheese sauce; the chicken Milanese and a rich mushroom risotto with a hint of chilli and truffle oil.

Carluccio's Breakfast Magnifica
Carluccio's Breakfast Magnifica

It will be one of the few Carluccio’s in the UK serving pizza.

Each is hand-stretched using slow-proven dough to create a thin and crispy base and is topped with the best Italian ingredients including the finest buffalo mozzarella, 18-month aged Parma ham and nduja – a spicy pork salumi.

Pasta alla puttanesca
Pasta alla puttanesca

Alison Stanton from Carluccio’s said: "This is a perfect gateway location between the High Street and Mell Square, with a great level of prominence."

Its asset manager Rob Hemus added: "The combination of this new restaurant space and the grade A offices above is a perfect statement of our intent for Mell Square.

"We want to create a vibrant, contemporary mixed-use location that will help to drive Solihull’s continued prosperity."