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Birmingham has a lot of GREAT
restaurants but unfortunately it lacks anything like a
distinct culinary style that visitors would want to try when
visiting (i.e. New
Orleans: Cajun-Creole or
San
Antonio: Tex-Mex). The
recommendations I make below are based on experiences my
friends or I have had. I have tried to organize them by area
and have limited the choices to either local
restaurants/chains or small regional or national chains
since you surely know what you will get if you eat at
Chili's, Applebees, or Wendy's!
I
HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you make
reservations since eating
out is very popular in Birmingham and the waits can be long
if you just show up. Also, I think the service in
Birmingham's restaurants can be pretty bad sometimes, so if
you get good service please tip generously and compliment
the waitress to the restaurant manager. At the bottom of
this page are restaurants where my friends or I have had
bad
service twice and will not
return-- this ain't baseball and they don't deserve 3
strikes!
City-wide you will find the
following local
restaurant chains that
have a good reputation: the Purple
Onion, On
Tap Sports Cafe (with 200
beers), and Sykes
Bar-B-Que.
Outstanding
local restaurants include:
Downtown
More
Info Coming Soon
Hoover/ Riverchase
Area
Sumo's
- Great Japanese
restaurant! Patterned after the famous Benihana chain.
Expect to spend about $25 per entree.
Iguana
Grill- Interesting
Mexican place on Lorna Road. It is in a shopping center
that caters to Birmingham's Hispanic community. To look
at it from the outside you would think it is just a
regular Mexican restaurant but when inside you realize
that you are in for a treat. About $8 to $12 per adult
entree.
Bonefish
Grill- Great seafood
restaurant! A small Florida based chain that started in
2000, this is one of my favorite restaurants in
Birmingham. Expect to spend about $20 per
entree.
Johnny
Carino's Italian- a
small national chain that is local favorite... it is like
Olive Garden in selection and price but with a lot more
food for the money. $12 to $20 per adult entree and with
a children's menu.
Costa's
Mediterranean Cafe- One
of my favorite restaurant's in this area. Greek cuisine.
Expect to spend about $10 to $15 per entree.
Hwy 280 Collonade/
Summit Area
Superior
Grill - One of the best
Tex-Mex places in Birmingham. Their daily Happy Hour
includes a complimentary Mexican buffet.
P.F.
Chang's - Upscale Asian
restaurant located on the Summit. Outstanding food but a
little pricy.
Bessemer/ Alabama
Adventure Area
Muffaletta's
Italian Cafe- a real
dive that LOCALS LOVE! About five tables in the
whole place and a tiny kitchen, but what a great little
buffet! Under $10 per plate. It is hard to find without
GPS or a printed map: 1810 9th Avenue North, Bessemer, AL
35020. Also slowly
pull into their parking lot at an angle
or you will scrape the
bottom of your car on the dip.
Blue Star
Restaurant- A
true
landmark in
Downtown Bessemer. Southern cuisine with a
VERY LARGE menu. Total ticket equals about $15 to
$20 per adult
China
Wok- Best Chinese
buffet in the Bessemer area and my friends have tried
them all! This place is very popular with the
Church-crowd so get there early or late on Sunday lunch.
Total ticket equals about $8 to $10 per adult. Exit 6 off
of I-459
San Antonio
Grill- Great Tex-Mex at
a good price. Best in Bessemer without question. My
family and I eat at the one off Exit 1 on I-459 all of
the time. There is also one at Exit 6 but I haven't eaten
at that one. Entrees are about $8 to $10 per
adult.
Santa Fe
Cattle Company-
Temporarily
Closed! Only 14
locations in 6 states so far. The food is great and the
service is about the best in Birmingham
(the
waitresses actually cried when this place lost its
lease) but WHAT
IS UP with throwing the peanut shells on the floor?!
Total ticket equals about $15 to $20 per adult.
I will
leave it on my site in the hope that it
reopens.
Homewood/ Mountain Brook
Area
Cocina
Superior Grill - Modern
Tex-Mex at its finest. A real treat! I love eating here!
Located in the Colonial Brookwood Village shopping
district.
Fultondale / Gardendale
(NW) Area
More
Info Coming Soon
Airport / EWTN (NE) Area
Shopping - Zilch...
Take my word for it! No restuarants in this area that really
stand out.
Birmingham's
Restaurant Bad
Service Standouts:
Up the Creek
Fish Camp and Grill (no I
am not kidding- that is it's name) near the Galleria in
Hoover. I always wanted to like it but every time I have
gone there something has not been right.
Buffalo Wild
Wings near the Galleria in
Hoover. I shouldn't really expect much from a place like
this but they always under-deliver anyway!
-Kim
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