|
Whether you want to
indulge in the finest of dining or immerse yourself in the local ‘down home’
culture – we can certainly find a place you want to eat! A full listing of restaurants can be found at
the Visitors and Convention Bureau site here.
Birmingham's dining has even rated some great press! Check out these articles:
We would like to highlight
some of the local hot spots and favorites for you. Certainly, we have all the well-known chains,
but you didn’t come here to have something you have anywhere now did you?
Uptown District –
Adjoined to the hotel and BJCC is the Uptown Entertainment District. It includes several great places to eat with
two uniquely Southern and local options, The Southern Kitchen and Bar and Eugene’s Hot Chicken.
Around Downtown – Scattered all over the immediate
North Downtown area are plenty of dining options. Many do cater to the corporate lunch crowd
but with the revitalization of downtown with the loft districts, there are also
plenty of great places to check out. All
are within walking distance. A couple of
great spots include Brick and Tin, John’s
City Diner, and Rogue Tavern. Not sure
what you want or have a group in the mood for different things – visit the Pizitz
Food Hall. Visit thepizitz.com for a quick
history of this iconic building and its new role in the city.
There are plenty of spots
to grab a drink, watch a game or take in some live entertainment all over the
immediate downtown area. We recommend
checking out the Tourism Guide for a complete list of the closest places. We do mention a few others throughout this
section of the site.
Award Winners!
The Birmingham area is
home to 2 James Beard Award winning chefs and a James Beard Award winning
restaurant.
Frank Stitt is a fixture
in Birmingham restaurant culture was the 2001 Best Chef in the Southeast and
has been a perennial nominee most every year since in the national Outstanding
Restaurant & Chef category for his flagship Highlands Bar and Grill.
(Which, it so happens won the best restaurant award in 2018!) Right next door and known for its cheeseburger is Chez FonFon. Located nearby are Bottega and the more casual Bottega Café. All of these are located
in the Southside of Downtown Birmingham and are just a short taxi/Uber/Lyft
ride away. Reservations are recommended
for Highlands and the Bottega restaurant.
FonFon and the Café do not take reservations.
Chris Hastings brought the
next James Beard chef’s aware to the “Ham” in 2012 as Best Chef in the
South. His Birmingham standard, the Hot
and Hot Fish Club is also located
in the Southside area. He recently
opened Ovenbird, which is located
at Pepper Place in another section of the Southside of Downtown. Pepper Place is also an interesting place to visit for dining and entertainment
options.
In 2010, The Bright
Star became the first area restaurant to
win a James Beard accolade in the American Classics category. Founded in Bessemer, Alabama in 1907, Bill
and Pete Koikos bought the restaurant in 1923 and it has remained in the family
ever since. In fact, when you arrive at
the restaurant you will most likely be seated by one of Bill’s sons. You can order off the full, regular menu or
if you are dining at lunch – enjoy one of the lunch specials. These change daily and are in the tradition
of the Southern “meat & 3 plate.” See
the You Ain’t From Around Here?
section for a definition. Not only has
this restaurant been a favorite for a who's who of area politicians and sports
figures, many of our club members listed it as a must visit. If you can get to lunch try the snapper
throats (no, that's not a typo - snapper throats are that meaty part of the fish below the jaw) or lamb. And absolutely don’t
leave without a piece of pie. Peanut
Butter is one member’s favorite.
Looking for something else?
Here are a few suggestions and ideas from club members and others on
places to check out. Some are organized
by location, some by cuisine. And
course, feel free to check out the Tourism Guide or just google around.
Southside
(of Birmingham) – Downtown Birmingham is on a grid of numbered streets and
avenues divided by Morris Avenue (where the old train tracks once ran). One side is North, the other South. The Southside does start to sprawl a bit and
as the area that went up the mountain under Vulcan, was where homes were also
built. There are 3 primary
restaurant/entertainment areas that are in the area.
5 Points South (intersection
of 20th Street South and 11th Avenue South) – This the
area where you will find many of the aforementioned award winning restaurants
but there is plenty else to choose from in this area. It is a short car ride and well worth it to
get up for breakfast at the Original House of Pancakes. While it is a chain, locations are few and far
between. Check out the menu on their
main site – originalpancakehouse.com.
For lunch or dinner, Surin West is a local
favorite. There are other versions of
the Surin franchise around town, but this is the original location when they
first came to the area. And again, lots
of other options within a few blocks of this area.
Lakeview District (7th Avenue South, from
about 25th to 29th Street South and including between 7th
and 8th (University) Avenue.
The area has its own Facebook page at
facebook.com/LakeviewBirmingham. Visit Hop
City Beer and Wine for one of the most
amazing selections of beer and wine around.
Yes you can make purchases to take back to your room. You can also partake of a local brewery at TrimTab
Brewing Company. Plenty of restaurants and
other nighlife in tavondalebrewingcompany.comhe area too.
Avondale (primarily on 41st Street
South between 5th and 1st Avenue South) – This is the
latest area to experience an amazing revival in the heart of Birmingham. It is home to Avondale Brewing and Cahaba Brewing Company and quite a few great places to eat, including Saw’s Soul Kitchen, Post Office
Pies and many others – BUT how you can pass
up the opportunity to grab a bite from an Airstream trailer?! Visit the HotBox for some great bites between brews!
Even better, step back in
time and enjoy a nightcap at Birmingham’s own speakeasy, The Marble Ring. Read
up on its beginnings and how to get in here.
They do also have a Facebook presence.
Avondale also features
several other establishments for live entertainment. Check out the schedule for bands at Saturn and maybe catch a show while hanging out.
A few more food ideas – cuz you ain’t full yet right?
Niki’s West – Just a
short car ride from the hotel, this local tradition is near the state farmers
market and takes advantage of access to local/fresh produce for its menu. You can be seated and order off the regular
menu, but to get the full Southern experience, you should travel down the
cafeteria line and pick out your meal.
Niki’s is a model ‘meat & 3’ establishment with a menu that changes
daily for the steam table. Highly
recommend visiting the website ahead of time so you have some idea of what you
may want.
A
couple of tips – decide
quickly or you will end up with a vegetable plate, or nothing but a salad, roll
and piece of pie. The sign says No Cell
Phones in the line. They mean it.
Charlie says get the fried
pork chop!
Irondale Cafe – AKA
The Whistle Stop Cafe. This restaurant IS the place featured in
the movie Fried Green Tomatoes and yes you can get those here. It
is also a cafeteria style meat & 3 with traditional Southern
Fare. They are open for lunch only, Sunday through Friday.
Niki's also has great fried green tomatoes as does Green Acres. Ask
Honey if you want to visit Green Acres, it is her favorite for FGTs.
Barbeque
As was already covered in
the You Ain’t From Around Here?
section, this is a noun not a verb here and is most traditionally pork.
There are plenty of places
to find it, but here are the ones we felt worth mentioning.
Bob Sykes – Located
south of town in Bessemer. The pulled
pork really can’t be beat, or the sauce (except for the next place). A must stop whenever for Honey’s family when
they get back in town.
Dreamland –
Originally founded off Jug Factory Road in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, franchising has
brought this tradition to many locations across the state. However, for many of us nothing will ever
beat the original off the beaten path in Tuscaloosa. While the new places offer menus with side
dishes and other meats, the original location keeps it simple with slabs, half
slabs, rib sandwiches and Sunbeam bread.
Yes, the bread is pulled out of the package in sight, put on a
paper plate and set on the table with a bowl of sauce for dipping. And a rib sandwich is 4 ribs and some bread. The best is that the servers at
this location walk up, look at the table and assess how many slabs you
need. Oh and this sauce is amazing!
Saw’s – 3 locations around
Birmingham, their pulled pork is excellent.
They also offer some other unique dishes, especially at their Crestline
location, Saw’s Juke Joint. The Juke Joint also often
has live entertainment later in the week.
And we already told you about the Soul Kitchen in the Avondale writeup.
Jim N’ Nicks – another
local favorite that has sprung up franchises in many places, you can even get a
fix on the way out of town at the airport.
Actually, the cheese muffins may be the stars, but their pulled pork is
solid – especially on the Kitchen Sink Nachos or the Pig in the Garden Salad
with the house Greek dressing.
Blue Moon – Like
your sauce a bit sweeter and stickier, this is the place for you.
Johnny Ray’s – Good
BBQ, probably even better known for their pies.
Golden Rule –
Another local standard.
Seafood
Yes, seafood. I know some people say if you can’t see the
water you shouldn’t eat it, but the water isn’t so far it can’t be brought in
fresh.
Shrimp Basket – the
original location is found in Gulf Shores, AL, just 2 blocks from the Gulf of
Mexico. But we sure are glad they decided
to grow across the South and bring some locations to the Birmingham area. All the locations keep the casual, beachy
atmosphere and the food is simple, but awesome.
The 3 in Birmingham are equally close to the hotel and only a short car
ride away – Irondale, Homewood and Gardendale
Wintzell’s Oyster House – Founded in Mobile, yet another great place to enjoy good food in a
comfortable atmosphere. The walls are
covered with sayings that are often as wise as they are humorous. Each location has a board over the bar of the
current record holders for eating oysters on the half shell – male and
female. If you break the record, yours
are free. Not in the mood for raw
oysters, try the baked ones – topped with yummy things like bacon bits, cheese
and jalapenos. Or try a refreshing West
Indies Salad for something cool in the summer.
Find them in Fultondale, just north of downtown Birmingham.
The Fish Market – founded
by the Sarris' family and still operated by George Sarris, this local standard
brings together fresh seafood and the tradition of Greek restauranteurs in
Birmingham for a wonderful meal. Other
members of the family also operate similar establishments south of town and you
can check them out at fishmarketrestaurant.com.
For a fascinating read
about the history of restaurants and Greek families in Birmingham, check out
the following article. You will see many restaurants we’ve already mentioned
listed here.
http://www.al.com/bhammag/index.ssf/2017/01/a_dive_into_birminghams_greek.html
Live Music/Entertainment
We have already mentioned
a few places as we have taken you around the hot spots of the city, but a
couple that lie maybe in between this place or that or may be a bit off the
beaten paths listed here. We enjoy our
live music here, just ask Ruben Studdard, Bo Bice and Taylor Hicks.
Iron City – Check
out their website to see what fun may be on the calendar while you are in
town. Perhaps we all get lucky and they
have their popular Neon Electric 80s Night and we can relive our youth! They do also have a grill where you can dine
for lunch or dinner. Located in the
Southside area.
The Nick – Yes, when you see
the building you will wonder how it still stands. Locals theorize it is held up by all the
staples bands have used to put their posters up outside. One big magnet could be its demise. An absolute legend in its own right, many a
band has played here on the way up – and back down. Relive your college days and check out the
calendar to see if you might can catch a hot new local act or someone bigger
passing through. In the Southside area
The Blue Monkey – Birmingham’s
oldest martini bar located in the 5 Points South area.
The Garage – Truly
unique atmosphere that typically has live music on weekends, drink, dine and
talk to friends amongst an eclectic collection of ‘stuff.’ In the Southside area.
Workplay – Of course this is a great place to catch a live act, it was
founded by Alan Hunter, one of the original MTV VJs, and his brother Hugh. Yup, another great music history connection
in the ‘Ham. Can’t promise Alan still
hangs around but check out the calendar to see if anything interesting is going
on. Also in the Southside area.
Zydeco –
One more great live music venue close by, Zydeco books both local and national
acts and although name may imply a certain style of music – there are no limits
to what you can see here. 5 Points South
area.
Gip’s Place – Located in Bessemer
and billed as Alabama’s last juke joint, hang out with Mr. Henry Gipson as he
hosts he own backyard blues party on a regular basis. Check out their Facebook page for more info – or
just ask around. Everyone has at least
heard of Gip’s even if we haven’t all been there.
|
>
