Birmingham Favorites
Prepared by David Mackle’s wife, Holly, who appreciates a beautiful store, cheap groceries, and a good biscuit
Restaurants
Breakfast
Big Bad Breakfast in Homewood and Hwy 280 corridor—our favorite spot. Amazing spicy maple bacon and great grits.
The Alabama Biscuit Company in Cahaba Heights—totally unique. How often have you had a goat cheese, pecan and honey biscuit?
Lunch
Ashley Mac’s (multiple locations)—southern classics like chicken salad, poppyseed chicken, great soup, yummy little sour cream biscuits, and very likely the best strawberry cake you have ever tasted. A 2020 addition to their menu will knock your socks off—the Andy Mac, a double patty thick-burger with delicious “Comeback” sauce. It is currently on only available on Fridays.
Urban Cookhouse (multiple locations)—I would drink their strawberry lemonade every day, and I haven’t ordered anything there I wouldn’t eat again. Including the half-baked cookie…but I should probably try it again just to be sure…
Dinner
Chez LuLu in Mountain Brook—Great for girls night out.
El Barrio on 2nd Ave N. The Tacos Al Pastor may be the best use of $12 in the city. And everything else on the menu is equally amazing.
Pricier Dinner
Five in Lakeview District—one word: Jalapiña. (They don’t really call it that…that’s what David named it…it’s really called the pineapple jalapeño margarita.) A fun spot to take out-of-towners.
Hot and Hot Fish Club at Pepper Place—our favorite fancy.
Highlands Bar and Grill in Southside—anytime a drug rep offers to take you there say “YES. And do you mind if I bring my Realtor’s wife?”
Breweries
Cahaba Brewing in Crestwood—they recently opened a beautiful 51,000 square foot facility which includes a huge taproom for large get-togethers. And they have skee ball. Say no more.
Things to do
Iron City in Southside—a venue for concerts, lots of great bands.
McWane Center in downtown Birmingham—a fun science center. You can also go just for an IMAX movie.
Birmingham Broadway at Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center—top notch performances each season. We are impressed every time we go.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens in Mountain Brook—a great place to study or just get away
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in downtown Birmingham—don’t move from here without checking it out.
Birmingham Zoo in Mountain Brook—but let’s be real…probably only with kids.
Christmas movies at the Alabama Theatre in downtown Birmingham—Such a beautiful place, and they run movies like “White Christmas” or “It’s a Wonderful Life” during the holidays.
Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery—super high caliber Shakespeare (and other) plays, musicals, and shows. This is our regional Shakespeare festival.
Shopping
At Home—my favorite spot in Birmingham. Really beautiful furniture, accessories, etc, and sometimes the prices are surprisingly low.
Nadeau Furniture with a Soul—surprisingly low priced. But check the drawers on things before you buy…they don’t always work so well.
Urban Home Market—a brand new store, with a very specific Pinterest-worthy style. Lots of beautiful things.
Alabama Furniture Market—in Calera, about 30 minutes south of town (toward Clanton). If you are looking for something very specific it’s worth the drive.
Wrapsody—if you need a cute, unique present, this is the spot.
Alabama Goods—a neat shop that stocks items only produced in Alabama. You can find just about anything in there.
Renaissance Consignment—my favorite clothing and furniture consignor.
Birmingham Online
alabamawx.com—James Spann’s blog. He’s a weatherman on ABC 67, and a local hero. If you see the sleeves get cuffed up, you should probably shelter in place. We often reference this site from our phone if we are in the laundry room waiting out a tornado warning.
boomama.net—Sophie Hudson, local teacher and author of A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet, and Home is Where My People Are. Great for a laugh and a realistic view on life and snack crackers.
mattbredmond.com—Matt Redmond, pastor turned banker and author of The God of the Mundane. Good laughs on Thursday’s Random Thoughts and hope when you’ve got the empties.
al.com—local news site
Festivals
Pepper Place Farmer’s Market—Saturday mornings starting in April, during the warm months. Free entrance but it’s best to get there super early if you are grocery shopping, later if you just want to see the different vendors and enjoy a peaceful Saturday.
Market Noel, the Junior League Marketplace—my favorite spot to Christmas shop, and something I look forward to every year. The cost to get in is $12 and parking can be a haul, so don’t try to just “drop by.”
Kentuck Festival of the Arts—in Northport, a little less than an hour from here (toward Tuscaloosa). A local treat, especially if you like kettle corn and/or folk art. It’s a juried show, so not everybody gets in to display their work. Their small museum is open year round, but it’s the festival that’s worth the drive, and it’s typically the third weekend in October.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens Spring and Fall plant sale—unique finds benefiting the Botanical Gardens. Free Admission on specific days.
Places of interest
Fresh Market grocery store—Tuesdays are called $2.99 Tuesdays. Each week (for about a year now) they have $2.99/lb ground chuck and chicken, and then rotating items like frozen pizzas or gallons of milk.
Collier’s Nursery in Hoover—my favorite spot to buy plants—I pass several other nurseries on my way there. Their expertise and willingness to help is unmatched.
Birmingham Favorites, part 2: Things Holly Missed
Birmingham Legion FC. 2019 was the inaugural season for our city’s first professional soccer team and the team has made the playoffs in their first two seasons. They play at BBVA Field on UAB’s campus.
Birmingham Barons play at Regions Field in Southside. Home of the Birmingham Barons and a great place to catch a baseball game on a summer night with downtown Birmingham as the backdrop.
Vulcan Park and Museum in Homewood. The largest cast iron statue in the world and Birmingham’s mascot for 110+ years. It can’t be left off of the list.
Railroad Park in Southside. A beautiful park next to Regions Field that everyone calls “Birmingham’s living room.” It is the perfect place to lounge on a pretty day. Admission is free.
The Rotary Trail is Birmingham’s newest Downtown greenspace. Once known as the “First Avenue Cut” because of its placement along a railroad trench that is 14 feet below street level, the half-mile trail features pathways, greenery, benches, and tables.
The Color Tunnel on 14th St South. This artist-inspired lighting of an art deco overpass built in the 1930s not only makes a dark space safer but adds a huge splash of color. Makes the walk back to your car after a Barons night game not so boring.
Red Mountain Park off of Lakeshore Drive. 1300-acre park with over 11 miles of hiking and biking trails. They have a zip line too, which costs money, but admission to the park is absolutely free.
Avondale. So much going on here including the recently renovated Avondale Park, a brewery, and delicious restaurants popping up all over the place, like Post Office Pies, Melt, and Saw’s Soul Kitchen.
Melt. The aforementioned Avondale eatery was born in a food truck. This charming sandwich spot is the place to get dishes like Ma! The Meatloaf! sandwich, beer battered fries, and their trademark dish “Food Truck Nachos.”
Mr. Ps Deli and Butcher Shop in Bluff Park. A great place to buy meat if you’re going to grill at home. Pick up the meat during the lunch hour so you can eat one of their made to order sandwiches with homemade sauces.
Moe’s Original Bar B Que (multiple locations). There is no shortage of great barbecue in Birmingham, but Moe’s stands out. And believe it or not, it’s also the best place in town to get Buffalo wings. Their smoked wings are perfection on a plate.
The Southern at Uptown. Great restaurant with unique menu of dishes from a pork belly sandwich to rib eye mac & cheese.
