Birmingham guide
Birmingham's Michelin & James Beard restaurants
Birmingham has 15 standout award-winning restaurants worth your time — these are the ones locals actually send people to, ranked by how well-loved each spot is and checked by hand. Automatic Seafood & Oysters, Bottega and Helen lead the list. No chains, nobody pays to rank.
Automatic Seafood & Oysters
Gulf oysters & whole fish. Adam Evans's seafood place in an old industrial building in Lakeview. He won a James Beard award. Start with oysters.
Michelin Recommended
Bottega
Handmade pasta & Parmesan soufflé. Frank and Pardis Stitt's Italian restaurant in a big stone building on Highland Avenue. The cafe side is more casual.
Michelin RecommendedMichelin Outstanding Service Award · Pardis StittJames Beard finalist, Outstanding Hospitality
Helen
Hearth-fired steaks & seafood. Rob McDaniel's place on Second Avenue. Long, narrow brick room, most everything cooked over the hearth. It's on the Michelin list, so book ahead.
Michelin Recommended
Bayonet
Raw-bar oysters & the tuna burger. Rob and Emily McDaniel's seafood place, next door to Helen. About 20 kinds of oysters at the raw bar. The New York Times named it one of America's 50 best restaurants in 2025, so book ahead or try the bar early in the week.
Michelin Bib GourmandJames Beard semifinalist, Outstanding Chef · Rob McDanielNew York Times 50 best restaurants in America
Chez Fonfon
The burger, and the bocce court. French bistro in Five Points South from the Stitts. Steak frites, a zinc bar, and a bocce court out back.
Michelin RecommendedJames Beard Best Chef: Southeast · Frank Stitt
Ovenbird
Live-fire small plates. Chris Hastings's live-fire small plates at Pepper Place. Michelin gave it a Bib Gourmand in 2025. Order a bunch and share.
Michelin Bib GourmandJames Beard Best Chef: South · Chris Hastings
La Fête
Roast chicken & potato gratin. Kristen Hall's French bistro on Morris Avenue. Marble bar, tiled floors and a patio, with bread and pastry from its sister bakery, Bandit. Michelin gave it a Bib Gourmand in 2025.
Michelin Bib GourmandJames Beard semifinalist, Best Chef: South · Kristen Hall
The House of Found Objects
Cocktails among the found objects. Feizal Valli's cocktail bar next door to El Barrio, built out of repurposed finds, with costumes and a bubble machine. Esquire put it on its 2026 list of the best bars in America.
Esquire Best Bars in America
Hot and Hot Fish Club
The summer tomato salad. Chris and Idie Hastings have run it since 1995. It's at Pepper Place now. Sit at the counter if you can.
Michelin RecommendedJames Beard Best Chef: South · Chris Hastings
Adiós
Agave cocktails & margaritas. Tequila and mezcal bar in The Dagny building on First Avenue North. A James Beard semifinalist for beverage service in 2025, and a margarita worth the trip.
James Beard semifinalist, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service
Pizza Grace
Sourdough pies & the meatballs. Sourdough pizza with a lot going on (pesto, mortadella and pistachio, say) in the Mercantile on Morris building. Get the meatballs for the table. The Big Spoon Creamery owners bought it in 2025.
Michelin Bib GourmandJames Beard semifinalist, Best Chef: South · Geri-Martha & Ryan O'Hara
Current Charcoal Grill
Crab fried rice & fish off the charcoal. Adam Evans (of Automatic Seafood) and Luke Joseph cook Gulf seafood with Asian flavors over Japanese binchotan charcoal, next to Railroad Park. The Peking duck has to be ordered two weeks ahead.
Michelin Recommended
Salud Taqueria
Tacos, late on weekends. Taqueria in the old Webb Building on Second Avenue North, open since 2024. Garden & Gun put it on its 2025 list of new restaurants to try. Open until midnight Friday and Saturday.
Garden & Gun 30 new restaurants to try
Rêve
The French tasting menu. Jacob Stull's French tasting-menu restaurant inside the Pizitz, across from McWane Science Center. Dinner only, a few nights a week. Book on Resy.
Michelin Recommended
Tortugas Homestyle Pizza
Pizza by the slice. Slice shop near Regions Field. Food Network picked it for Alabama in its 50 states of pizza slices.
Food Network: Alabama's best pizza slice
Good to know
What is the best award-winning restaurants in Birmingham?
Automatic Seafood & Oysters — gulf oysters & whole fish. Bottega and Helen round out the top of the list. Every place is locally owned and checked by hand.
How many award-winning restaurants are on this list?
15, all locally owned and ranked by how well-loved they are. None of them paid to be included.
Which have a Michelin or James Beard honor?
Automatic Seafood & Oysters, Bottega, Helen and Bayonet and 11 more.