re: Best Restaurants in Birmingham AL

If it were me and I had one dinner in BHM, I’d go to Highlands. There is a reason it recently won the James Beard as the most outstanding restaurant in America and that it was nominated ten years in a row. Great food but not stuffy.

Others will say Hot n Hot, Gianmarcos (one of my favorites), or maybe Bottega, or one of the new spots that have opened up.

For lunch, higher end you could do Ovenbird, Chez Fon Fon, Cafe Bottega or more. None are outrageously expensive. For less pricey lunch options, I’d consider El Barrio, the Garage (cool bar with solid sandwiches), Johnny’s, Carrigans (good drinks with good pub fare), Rodney Scott’s (whole hog bbq from a South Carolina guy that knows what he is doing), Post Office Pies, Saw’s, or the food hall at the Pizitz. A quick spot that I like downtown is the Miami Cafe. Good sandwiches and mofungo. Lots of options.