Bottega Cafe ★ 4.5
Bottega Cafe in Highland Park is the walk-in patio counterpart to Bottega Restaurant, with wood-oven pizzas and the Stitt-style casual Italian menu.
Signature: Wood-oven pizza, Beef carpaccio, Chicken scaloppini
Bistros, trattorias, taverns and neighbourhood rooms: the mid-tier places where Birmingham actually eats.
Where to eat well, no fuss
Saw's Soul Kitchen ★ 4.5
Saw's Soul Kitchen on 41st Street South in Avondale Birmingham is the 2012 sibling to Saw's BBQ, mixing Alabama white sauce barbecue with soul-food sides.
Signature: Pork and greens, Pulled pork sandwich, Banana pudding
Saw's BBQ ★ 4.5
Saw's BBQ in Homewood near Birmingham is the 2009 Mike Wilson original, the Birmingham room that introduced Alabama white sauce on smoked chicken.
Signature: Smoked chicken with white sauce, Pork ribs, Pulled pork sandwich
Niki's West ★ 4.6
Niki's West on Finley Avenue West Birmingham has run the canonical meat-and-three since 1957, with a cafeteria steam table by the Alabama Farmers Market.
Signature: Fried catfish, Turnip greens, Cornbread
Eagle's Restaurant ★ 4.6
Eagle's Restaurant on 16th Street North in Smithfield is the Black-owned soul-food anchor since 1951, with Friday catfish and weekday meat-and-three plates.
Signature: Smothered pork chop, Fried catfish, Greens and cornbread
Brick and Tin ★ 4.4
Brick and Tin on Cahaba Road in Mountain Brook Birmingham is the casual Southern sandwich counter, with pimento cheese and tomato-pie plates.
Signature: Pimento cheese sandwich, Avocado tartine, Tomato pie
El Barrio ★ 4.5
El Barrio on 2nd Avenue North in Birmingham runs a modern Mexican menu downtown, called best Mexican restaurant in Alabama by the convention bureau in 2024.
Signature: Spicy chicken tostada, Mole de pollo, Chunky guacamole
Surin West ★ 4.3
Surin West on 11th Avenue South in Birmingham has served Thai cuisine since the 1990s, with broad vegetarian options and a sushi counter alongside the curries.
Signature: Tofu coconut soup, Pad Thai, Yellow curry
The Essential ★ 4.4
The Essential on Morris Avenue downtown is Kristen Hall and Victor King's 2018 neighborhood cafe and bar in the Mercantile on Morris near Founders Station.
Signature: Seasonal vegetable plate, House sourdough, Brunch egg sandwich
Yo' Mama's ★ 4.4
Yo' Mama's on 4th Avenue North in the Fourth Avenue Historic District runs a downtown soul-food kitchen with a deep gluten-free menu and Saturday brunch.
Signature: Chicken and waffles, Smothered pork chop, Banana pudding
Demetri's BBQ ★ 4.3
Demetri's BBQ on 28th Avenue South in Homewood has run a Greek-American meat-and-three since 1973, the continuation of the 1961 El Rancho BBQ.
Signature: Pulled pork plate, Greek salad, Banana pudding
Hattie B's Hot Chicken ★ 4.3
Hattie B's Hot Chicken on 7th Avenue South in Lakeview is the Birmingham branch of the Nashville hot-chicken chain, serving a five-tier heat ladder.
Signature: Hot chicken sandwich, Pimento mac and cheese, Banana pudding
Rojo ★ 4.2
Rojo on Highland Avenue in Highland Park has run a casual Tex-Mex menu since 2002 with the canonical Highland Park patio and a strong frozen margarita pour.
Signature: Fish taco, Carne asada, Frozen margarita
Carrigan's Public House ★ 4.3
Carrigan's Public House on 3rd Avenue North downtown is an intimate Irish-American pub with craft cocktails and a New American kitchen open six days a week.
Signature: Burger, Shepherd's pie, Irish whiskey flight
Eli's Jerusalem Grill ★ 4.4
Eli's Jerusalem Grill on Highway 280 east of the city runs an authentic Israeli kitchen with a vegetarian-vegan plate of falafel, hummus and baba ghanoush.
Signature: Falafel plate, Vegetarian plate, Lentil soup
The Grill at Iron City ★ 4.2
The Grill at Iron City on 22nd Street South is the 22,000-square-foot entertainment-venue dining room downtown, with a pre-show prix-fixe and Gulf seafood.
Signature: Pre-show prix-fixe, Alabama Gulf snapper, House burger
Chez Lulu ★ 4.4
Chez Lulu on Cahaba Road in English Village is a French-Riviera bistro next door to Continental Bakery, both opened by Carole Griffin in the 1980s and 1990s.
Signature: Mediterranean pizza, Bistro salad, Continental sourdough
The Pizitz Food Hall ★ 4.3
The Pizitz Food Hall on 2nd Avenue North runs more than a dozen counters in the 2nd Avenue North District, from ramen and poke to Ethiopian and Cajun.
Signature: B'ham Chicken counter, Broad Street Peaux Boys, Ono Poke
Big Bad Breakfast ★ 4.4
Big Bad Breakfast on Highway 280 is John Currence's Birmingham branch of the Oxford-Mississippi original, with Conecuh-sausage gravy and weekend brunch lines.
Signature: Pork chop and eggs, Conecuh sausage gravy, Pancake stack