Where to eat in Birmingham

17 independent restaurants, bakeries and food spots in Birmingham. Chains are left out.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Eat
Amore Ristorante Italiano
From the outside, Amore is a storefront in an anonymous-looking, ambience-free strip mall on a busy suburban arterial. Inside, it's a different story: the atmosphere is brimming with mood-lit elegance, and the menu of upscale Italian fare is enormous and presents creative twists on all your old favorites.
Tue-Thu 4:30PM-9PM, Fri Sat 4:30PM-9:30PM
Eat
Bistro 218
Hidden in plain sight amidst the bustle of downtown Birmingham, the Bistro 218 experience is elegant yet laid-back, with an impeccable ambience and a very-good-if-not-quite-"impeccable" menu of bistro-style specialties loosely based on French cuisine (try the duck confit), but with plenty of upscale-ified nods to good old-fashioned Southern home cooking in the mix too (blackened Louisiana redfish is a favorite).
Lunch Tue-Fri 11AM-2PM; dinner Tue-Thu 5-9PM, Fri Sat 5-10PM
Eat
Bottega
Italian restaurant comprising a café and a dining room. Italian dishes (and some others) including pizza on the all-day menu of the café and an extensive wine list.
Tue-Sat 5:30-9:30PM
Eat
Chez Fonfon
French bistro, with dishes like croques, escargots, steak tartare and steak frites on the menu.
Tue-Thu 11AM-10PM, Fri 11AM-10:30PM, Sat 4:30-10:30PM
Eat
Dreamland BBQ
An Alabama "must eat". Unlike the original in Tuscaloosa, which serves only ribs and white bread, the Birmingham location also serves chicken, side orders, and salads.
Daily 10AM-10PM
Eat
El Barrio
At this popular dining destination for Birmingham's new crop of hipsterati, the food is not quite Tex-Mex, not quite authentic Mexican, and way more culinarily innovative then you usually see in either of those types of restaurant. Tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, and full-size mains come with creative offbeat ingredients, but in middling portions that don't really justify the prices. Also: when El Barrio is crowded (which is basically all the time), the place gets loud, so unless you don't mind shouting, save the conversation for after dinner.
Lunch Tue-Fri 11AM-3PM, brunch Sat 10:30AM-2PM, dinner Tue-Sat 5-10PM
Eat
Gordos
Real Mexican food, great taste! You will enjoy all that they offer if Mexican is what you are looking for. Huarache, fresh and good! Burrito really good as well. They have a bakery, try the peach tres leches, fresh and very distinct.
Daily 8AM-9PM
Eat
Green Acres
A take-out haven for all breaded soul foods. The fried chicken, catfish and okra are fresh and delicious and the location is a fun slice of local life.
Mon-Wed 9AM-9:45PM, Thu-Sat 9AM-10:45PM
Eat
Highlands Bar & Grill
Owned and operated by Frank Stitt, whose other Birmingham-area fine dining establishments include Chez Fonfon and Bottega, at Highlands the menu adds a soupçon of French flair to a substrate of upscale Contemporary Southern cuisine, the ambience is elegant if often loud, and the prices (especially on the topnotch wine list) fall firmly into "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" territory.
Tue-Fri 4-10PM, Sat 5-10PM
Eat
Hot and Hot Fish Club
Reservations recommended. Try to get a seat at the "chef's table" to watch your food as it's prepared.
Tue-Sat 5:30-10PM
Eat
Irondale Cafe
Remember the novel Fried Green Tomatoes, later turned into a movie starring Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy? Well, this is the original "Whistle Stop Cafe" whose rendition of the namesake Southern-fried specialty inspired local novelist Fannie Flagg. Anything you ask for on the menu of will be delicious, but of course you must order the tomatoes. To drink is Coca-Cola straight out of the vintage bottle, or have an ice-cold glass of Southern sweet tea.
Sun-Fri 11AM-2:30PM
Eat
Melt
Melt has been serving gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches to hungry Birminghamsters since 2011, first out of their food truck and now at their brick-and-mortar location in Avondale. The menu comprises about a half-dozen varieties that you can further customize with your choice of meats or veggie toppings, along with a few salads and appetizers. Quick and attentive service is all the more impressive given how busy the place constantly is. Good option for families.
Tue-Thu 11AM-9PM, Fri Sat 11AM-9:30PM$10–15
Eat
Ocean
Among the most hyped restaurants in the über-trendy Five Points South neighborhood, but despite what you may be picturing, prices are fairly reasonable and the quality of the food lives up to its reputation. As you could probably guess from the name, seafood is the name of the game at Ocean, impeccably fresh and creatively prepared: head to the raw bar for delectable oysters, shrimp, clams, and lobster, or choose from a constantly-changing selection of à la carte mains.
Tue Wed 5:30-10PM, Thu-Sat 5:30-10:30PM
Eat
Pop's Neighborhood Grill
The staff are super friendly, good proportion for what you pay. A real mom and pop type of restaurant.
Mon-Fri 6AM-3PM
Eat
Rojo
Rojo is a great neighborhood bar and grill where the food is good and reasonably priced, and the beer and wine selection is ample. Rojo also has a great outside sitting area that overlooks Caldwell Park and is especially popular during spring, summer, and fall. Rojo is good place to both eat and or grab a drink after work.
Tue-Sun 11AM-10PM
Eat
Saigon Noodle House
Locals are divided on what to think of the pho at Saigon Noodle House: some complain about imbalanced ingredients (heavy on noodles, light on meat) and an overall lack of authenticity; others rave about the generous portions at bargain prices. If you're hungry for something else, there's also a full slate of banh mi sandwiches, vermicelli noodle bowls, stir-fried mains with rice or noodles — even a kids' menu. The ambience is a cut above what you'd expect from a suburban strip-mall location, too.
Daily 11AM-9PM
Eat
Surin West
Surin offers Thai food and sushi that are as good as you'll find anywhere outside of Bangkok or Tokyo.
Lunch Mon-Fri 11AM-2:30PM, Sat Sun 11:30AM-2:30PM; dinner Sun-Thu 5:30PM-9:30PM, Fri Sat 5:30PM-10:30PM

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Birmingham (CC BY-SA 4.0).