Birmingham guide
The best bars in Birmingham
Birmingham has 40 standout bars worth your time — these are the ones locals actually send people to, ranked by how well-loved each spot is and checked by hand. The House of Found Objects, Adiós and El Barrio lead the list. No chains, nobody pays to rank.
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
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
El Barrio
Modern Mexican & weekend brunch. The downtown original on Second Avenue North; the second one is in West Homewood. Weekend brunch is the big draw.
Juniper
Gin cocktails. Restaurant and cocktail bar in Forest Park inspired by Victorian gin palaces, so gin runs the menu. Weekend brunch, and one of the best patios in town.
The Garage
Courtyard beer garden. Beer garden off Highland Avenue in a row of 1930s garages, with a courtyard full of antiques and statues. Sandwiches, cold beer, cash only.
Mayawell
Tequila, mezcal & a rooftop. Neill Crook's agave bar in Lakeview, with Mexican-inspired food and a rooftop that looks back at the skyline. Order downstairs and carry it up.
Saturn
Concerts in a 500-person room. Music venue and bar in the old Cory & Faulkner Hardware building, across from Avondale Brewing. Ten years old in 2025.
Avondale Brewing Co.
Backyard stage & Miss Fancy's Tripel. Brewery in an old brick building with a huge backyard where they hold concerts.
Good People Brewing
Alabama's oldest brewery. Alabama's oldest brewery, across the street from Regions Field. Get a beer before a Barons game.
Tucana Tiki Bar
Rum cocktails, tiki style. Nicky Vann Tisdale's tiki bar in the Denham Building near Railroad Park, open since 2023. Every December the holiday drinks go tropical.
The Nick
Live music, very late. Southside's dive bar and live music room, open late. Every Birmingham dive-bar list has it.
Pilcrow Cocktail Cellar
Mezcal and tequila cocktails. Joe and Meg Phelps's basement bar under the old Caldwell Printing Works. Find the alley between Founders Station and The Essential and look for the neon sign.
TrimTab Brewing
Fruited sours & hazy IPAs. Lakeview brewery known for sours and IPAs. Big patio, dogs welcome.
The Collins Bar
Bartender's-choice cocktails. Cocktail bar downtown with a big back bar. Tell them what you like and they'll make you something.
Dave's Pub
Five Points neighborhood bar. Five Points bar on the ground floor of the Terrace Court apartments since 1995. New local owners fixed it up in 2024 and started serving food.
Paramount
Burgers & vintage arcade. Old arcade cabinets, a good burger, and a crowd that ends up on the sidewalk on 20th Street.
Freddy's Wine Bar
Tuesday bottle specials. Wine bar on the ground floor of the Highland Towers, with a patio for sunsets. Bottles are $20, $30 or $40 on Tuesdays.
Lou's Pub & Package Store
A bar and a liquor store in one. Lakeview neighborhood bar since 1987 that's also a package store, which is rare in Alabama. Small room, regulars, cold beer.
Paramount (West Homewood)
Burgers, wings & Skee-Ball. The second Paramount, at West Row, with Skee-Ball, claw machines and a long draft list. A hallway connects it to El Barrio.
Bistro V
French-Southern dinner and a wine list. Vestavia Hills' dinner spot for a birthday or an anniversary, in the City Center. Open more than sixteen years.
El Barrio (West Homewood)
Mexican-Southern plates and margaritas. The downtown Birmingham favorite, now in Homewood's West Row development. Mexican and Southern cooking mixed together.
Bamboo on 2nd
Sushi & late-night cocktails. Pan-Asian plates, sushi and a strong cocktail list in a dark downtown room. Open late.
Black Market Bar & Grill
Bar food till 2 a.m.. Moved from Five Points to the corner of Third Avenue and 41st Street in 2024, in the old Common House space. Open late most nights.
The Ridge Eat & Drink
Burgers & bomb tots. Mudtown's sister restaurant on Rocky Ridge, open since 2011. Hot dogs and burgers to pasta, and a bar.
Vino
Wine-list dinners on the patio. Mediterranean plates built around the wine list. The patio has string lights.
Paper Doll
Cocktails in a dim, velvet room. Dim, velvet-heavy cocktail bar on First Avenue North. Good for a date. Happy hour is a deal.
The Fennec
Cocktails, bites and live music. Bar and music room in Parkside, a block from Railroad Park, with cocktails and small bites.
Key Circle Commons
Cocktails & small plates. English Village cocktail bar with small plates, four years in as of 2026.
SeaBar
Raw bar and crudo. Seafood bar next door to Little Betty, from the same group. Sit at the bar and order oysters.
The Local Bourbon House & Eatery
Bourbon list & Wagyu smash burgers. Bourbon bar on Highway 31 in the old Hillside Music & Que space, under new owner Kiran Sunkavalli. Smash burgers, tacos and Southern comfort food.
Carrigan's Public House
Patio pints & pub food. Pub food and a long bar on Morris Avenue. The patio fills up when it's nice out.
El Zunzún
Latin plates & a heated patio. Latin American food, a busy bar, and a patio they heat in the winter.
SoHo Social
Patio drinks on SoHo Square. Where Homewood goes after work. Busy patio, plates to share.
Mudtown Eat & Drink
A beer and a burger after the game. Cahaba Heights bar and grill where the neighborhood shows up on a Friday.
Back Forty Beer Co.
Taproom pizza & Naked Pig ale. Gadsden brewery with a big taproom near Sloss Furnaces. Pizza from the kitchen.
Cahaba Brewing Co.
Taproom in the old Continental Gin. Taproom in the old Continental Gin building at the east end of Avondale. Trivia nights and food trucks.
Pale Eddie's Pour House
Live music & cold beer. Brick-walled bar with live music in the back room. Cheap beer, no fuss.
Otey's
Neighborhood tavern & game-day crowd. Crestline's neighborhood bar. Bar food, cold beer, football on Saturdays.
Woody's Food + Bar
Burgers and trivia night. New in 2026 in the space that used to be Carrigan's Mountain Brook. Comfort food and a neighborhood bar.
Golden Age Wine
A bottle shop you can drink in. Wine shop with a bar. Pick something off the shelf and have a glass.
Good to know
What is the best bars in Birmingham?
The House of Found Objects — cocktails among the found objects. Adiós and El Barrio round out the top of the list. Every place is locally owned and checked by hand.
How many bars are on this list?
40, 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?
The House of Found Objects and Adiós.