I was excited to learn about a traditional bakery like the ones I grew up around in Jersey. I was…read morealso surprised to see pecan pie, which looked good at first sight. The flavor was definitely there, which I appreciated, but the crust was a little tough. I also grabbed a couple of brownies. They were good, but I was disappointed by the presentation, tightly wrapped and squeezed into plastic wrap. I came to Alabama expecting Southern bakery quality, Southern prices, and Southern hospitality. Instead, the brownies gave me a middle of the road presentation at Jersey prices. Would I go back? Now that's the question. I would give the pecan pie another chance, but hopefully with a crust that is a little more cooperative.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE BAKERIES!!! I AM VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS PLACE!!!!…read more If I lived closer it would be dangerous for me because I would eat croissants and cookies everyday.

I was eating at a nearby restaurant and saw that this place was still open so I decided to drive…read moreacross the street to get me half a dozen breakup cookies. If you haven't had one before you definitely need to get some. It's the chocolate chip cookies, but they're salted. It gives them a different flavor. You can go inside and get something to go or eat it there because they do have tables for people to sit at. We came here on Mother's Day around 5 PM on a Sunday and it wasn't really busy. I will definitely be back.

I don't know what more I could say other than that I've been coming here for 10+ years as I am…read morepassing in and out of town and have never once left disappointed. If you have not had a breakup cookie you have not truly lived which I was reminded of this morning when I went

Red Cat is personally one of my favorites! I was on the search for a great matcha, good ambience,…read moreand a convenient location--and Red Cat checked all three! The service was excellent: everyone was super friendly, attentive, and quick. And the matcha? **10/10! ** Definitely a spot I'll be coming back to.

I was looking for a quick brunch spot and found that The RedCat in Pepper Place was conveniently…read morelocated near me, so I decided to give it a try. I ordered the avocado toast, and I'm so happy I did! The toast itself was great, and the tomatoes and pickled red onions paired together so well. For my drink, I tried the Strawberry Matcha Lemonade from the summer menu, and it was good as well. I was happy that the matcha wasn't overpowering, and the strawberry flavor wasn't heavy either. Honestly, I didn't notice the strawberry flavor very much, but the drink was still refreshing. I decided to sit outside, and the weather was so nice. The staff was great and willing to answer any questions I had about the menu. The location was convenient and had decent parking around noon on a Friday--it wasn't overly crowded. There was a little bit of a wait, but it wasn't too long, and my drink came out before my food. Overall, I had a pleasant brunch experience and would definitely come back to try something else!

Like food, there are things you eat or drink that you remember, which stays with you because of how…read moregood it was, and those become the baseline for the bar future things should meet in order to be held to that same standard of quality. I've had good coffee, great coffee, exceptional coffee, mediocre coffee, and questionable things called "coffee". O'Henry's on Highlands is a standard small coffee shop inside, nice ambience, cute. Staff is friendly for the most part. Has usual stuff like food/pastries, etc. While all nice, the one thing I've never liked was their coffee. It's standard tasting, basic B level, and when i'm in the area and have to have a coffee right now, I end up ordering a flavored coffee there, because it masks the lack of flavor of their actual coffee, which is what I really wanted in the first place. If you are an average Joe and just want a cup of coffee and there happens to be coffee shop you're parked next to, O'Henry's will do the job. But if you're looking for a great cup of coffee or even a good cup of coffee, don't bother coming there, because you won't find it, sadly. Scale of one to ten- Shop itself: 8, Coffee: 3-4

Awesome coffee shop. The Highland Park neighborhood is one of my favorite spots to hang out in…read moreBirmingham. Beautiful tree-lined streets, lots of doggos. Minimal indoor seating, probably about 10 chairs here, and a few more tables out on the sidewalk. I tried the conecuh cheddar biscuit. They heated it for me. It was wonderfully moist and flavorful. If you're a fan of conecuh like me, it's delicious. Also tried the blueberry muffin and it was very moist, good flavor, but light on the blueberries. I want to try the morning glory muffin next time. The coffee here is great by my non-snob, bean-uneducated standards. I had a honey cinnamon latte, as recommended by the wonderful two baristas. They were great to talk to, told me their favs, cracked some jokes, and I left giggling. Hehehe. Something about this place makes me feel like I'm Zooey Deschanel in a twee coat on a rainy day in Portland.

Love it here! It's a great place to come and get work done, meet with friends, grab a coffee (or a…read moreharder choice), listen to jazz, or even dance a bit. As in the name, House Eleven has several rooms with ample (and comfortable) seating. Indoor and outdoor. Are you a porch person? Gotcha. Prefer more of a cozy fireplace? Check? Or would you rather take in some fresh air on the back patio? You're covered either way. The coffee is great and the people are even more wonderful. Show up and support local!

I've been coming to House Eleven recently for DJ events that are being hosted there and I enjoy the…read morevibe. The bartenders have great personalities and are very chill. I didn't have the best alcoholic drink when I was there but I'd like to try a coffee one day. It's an old house repurposed into a coffee shop/bar at night so the layout is exactly that. You can feel blocked out from the event if you're not in the main "living room" area in front of the bar. The outside area is huge and very nice. I don't frequent this part of town much but House Eleven makes me wander over there every now and then!

Excellent pastries, etc. and they wake up a lot earlier than I do! Also easy to park there in the…read moremornings.

This unassuming little bakery, located in Crestline Village next to the popular Saw's BBQ in the…read moreMountain Brook community, is one of the Birmingham area's best kept secrets. It has quickly become one my favorites for fresh baked pastries! My choices are any of the cream cheese tarts, the blueberry tart is likely the best I've ever had, the sticky buns, croissants and the cinnamon rolls. These are more along the lines of French-style pastries, so don't expect to be overwhelmed with sweetness, just buttery flaky goodness. They are both visually appealing and simply delicious! They seem to bake in smaller batches so everything is super fresh! The owner/baker is nice and you can often see him working in the back and he might even pop up to say HELLO! There isn't any seating so it's basically an order, pay and go type of place. They also have coffee. Nothing to complain about here. They do have a limited social media presence on Instagram. Check them out!

If I could eat an actual establishment, it would be this one…read more Just look at this place. I literally walked in and audibly gasped. It is like a magical French bakery/general store, tucked away like a secret garden. Am I in south France or Birmingham? HARD TO TELL I don't know if I enjoyed the treats more or all the visual delights. The treats were just amazing. I brought my husband and all of my kids so we got a nice sampling of goodies from the cases. It was all perfection. Cookies were crispy on the edges, appropriately soft in the middle. The almond cake was buttery and sweet, but not too sweet. Muffins were excellent. The food is so well done. The ambiance here? Extraordinary. Every corner, every ceiling tile, every display has been so thoughtfully curated. This place was such a treat for my eyes and my imagination. I could sit for hours and just enjoy all the clever ways furniture is used. My kids played in the little play area- even that was done so beautifully! The store had such a wide selection of cute tea towels and little gifts. If you want to surprise someone with a beautiful little happy, or birthday gift, or Mother's Day gift, there's plenty to choose from here! I rarely buy things from little stores like this, but I purchased several gifts for girlfriends and my mom and an apron for myself. It's easy to get caught up!

I was looking for a place to grab some lunch but didn't want a drive thru/fast food experience…read more This location was very close to my location and the reviews looked great! It's such a unique place with it being both a restaurant as well as a shop. It's got a very nostalgic feel to it with the decor and items for sale. I saw a couple students but when I visited I mostly saw upper class looking Caucasian ladies. Being very laid back, down to earth and often times socially awkward, I admit that it felt a little hoity toity, while also being a very welcoming spot. It's hard to explain, so you'll have to check it out for yourself. Also worth noting for the plus size community: the chairs are not plus size friendly. (See zoomed in photo) The employees there were on top of their jobs and super helpful. They cleaned up the tables that emptied quickly, as the lunch crowd trickled in. The food was good. I loved the creative presentation of the sampler plate! The pimento cheese was very cold and hard to spread but I still it. The toast triangles were delicious! While they offer a lot of excellent coffee choices. I only got a 1/2 & 1/2 tea. Even the restroom was really neat with the retro decor. I'd definitely go back.

We arrived 1:45pm on a Thursday and it was empty except for another party. We easily found street…read moreparking outside the restaurant. I ordered the Banana Puddin' cold brew that was really good. They also serve pour over! Vanilla-Cinnamon French Toast came with 2 small bread slices - I liked that the portion was small and manageable. We also ordered the Quinoa & Black Bean Burger and the BE Hive Quinoa Bowl. They are great options for vegan / plant-based / vegetarian members in your party. The Biscuit Board comes with 4 mini biscuits and 4 different spreads, which was nice to share with the group. We all liked that the restaurant was quiet and bright and airy.

Came in for brunch on a Sunday. Got there just before 11 and there was a bit of a wait, but it…read moremoved pretty fast. Service was friendly and quick, even though it was busy. Portions were generous and prices were decent. They were also great about accommodating gluten-free. I ordered the Farm Breakfast with bacon and gluten-free bread, it was filling and really tasty.

This is my spot when I want a no frills ice cream experience. OMG this is some of the BEST ice…read morecream! On my recent visit, I got one scoop of cherry vanilla & it was so delicious and refreshing. It was the perfect treat on a hot, hot, day. Definitely checkout this piece of nostalgia if you are in the area. You won't regret it!

Strenuous work today. At the end I wanted some good good. So the question what is my good good? My…read moregood good for today had to be the lemon custard ice cream. Yes I doubled up. I deserved it. That is a cone to eat and a cup to go. Perfect fix for a three class workout day on a super hot Birmingham day.

I stopped by Trattoria ZaZa for brunch on Sunday after church, and overall, I had a really…read moreenjoyable experience. There was a bit of a wait before my order was taken, but honestly, it worked out in my favor because it gave me plenty of time to look over the menu. There were so many tempting options that it was honestly hard to decide! I ultimately chose three items and enjoyed a few bites of each. Ham & Fontina Scone: This was my first time trying a scone, and I was pleasantly surprised. The texture reminded me of a dry biscuit, but the ham added a delicious savory flavor that I really enjoyed. Frittata Plate: The frittata was SO good! It wasn't too dry, and all of the flavors worked really well together. It was served with polenta, which reminded me of really fine grits, along with fruit. After trying it, I realized that one entrée would definitely be enough for me to enjoy on its own. Breakfast 'ZA: This was essentially a breakfast pizza topped with a fried egg, and the egg was such a nice touch. The 'ZA itself was really good, although I think adding something similar to a gravy or sauce would make it a little less dry. Even without it, though, the fried egg really took it to another level. Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso: I decided to try the Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso, which was the barista's pick. This was my first time having a shaken espresso, and I'm so glad I gave it a try! It was refreshing and perfect for a hot day. The inside of Trattoria ZaZa is nice, although it is somewhat small, so I opted to sit outside. It was a very warm day, but the awning provided plenty of shade and made the outdoor seating comfortable. I also appreciated that, even though the restaurant doesn't have traditional table service, someone periodically checked on me to make sure I didn't need anything else. Overall, I had a great brunch experience at Trattoria ZaZa. There were plenty of menu options, the food was flavorful, and I really enjoyed trying a few things that were new to me. I'd definitely be open to coming back and trying more of the menu!

We came for dinner before a show down the street at the Lyric. First time here. She had the baked…read moremacaroni and cheese with vegetables added and absolutely loved it. I had the daily special, which was a broken lasagna. Also very, very good. Mixed greens on the side rounded out our table. The pizza looked very good and reminded us of pizza in a shop we love in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. It's walk up service, no ordering from your table, which was fine. The menu has a nice variety. The store is a downtown casual vibe. We probably should've opted for outdoor seating, because the evening was so nice.