Outstanding seafood and a delightful dining experience are sure to be found at Automatic Seafood!…read moreThis is a more upscale outing, and it made for a cozy and elegant birthday dinner/date night. What we ordered: -Smoked Fish Dip: This appetizer could have easily been shared with multiple people. The dip was so flavorful! -Fish and Chips: You definitely can't go wrong with this one. The fish was perfectly crunchy and battered, and the fries were perfect! -Spice Crusted Yellowfin Tuna: my boyfriend loved this! It wasn't my favorite, but the potato stack that it is served with was phenomenal... they know how to do potatoes here. Without a doubt, I'll be back here. Their menu changes regularly, so there's always something new I can look forward to trying.

Pros: food was good and cool atmosphere/vibe. The bread/rolls app and oysters were the highlight…read more Cons: #1 Prices were utterly absurd. Look, I understand inflation has taken a hit on everybody but charging up to $50 an entrée and everything else à la carte??.....my meal better be amazing but it wasn't. #2 Service was just ok. Ours wasn't the most jovial individual but not a dealbreaker. Issue came with the check....we had three groups in our party and he charged everyone's credit card on other's check and had to re-process everybody. Really annoying as this is not a hard thing to deal with handling separate checks (inconvenient for him?...yes, but not difficult). All in all....I will not be back as the food/service definitely not worth the $$

Great food, great atmosphere! Had a nice Aviation cocktail. Fish tacos were fantastic! Collard…read moregreens too! Please help support this local business.

Lunch after Church today. Very nicely decorated, big windows, lots of light. Lots of charm, can…read moretell building has been there a long time. According to Goggle search building originally built in 1930. Waiter was nice and friendly, could have been a little more attentive. Seems to be common thread in reviews that multiple staff pass tables frequently without acknowledgment of your presence. Twice individual whom by dress I believe to have been the chef waked through dinning room without acknowledgment to any table. I had finished glass of tea, and water and had to wait for refill. Was waiting for server to pass by, but never saw him, he finally walked by and ask if I wanted refill. Nice that they do leave bottle of water on table. Seemed to be adequate staffing, place was only maybe 10% full. Felt wait staff could have been a little more connected with dinners due to smaller number of table occupied. Food was a little slow coming out, but worth the wait. Feel like everything must be cooked to order. I had the catfish tacos, wife had the shrimp poboy. Both were fresh, hot and delicious. Finished with piece of key lime pie. We really liked this place even with the slower customer service. We'll be going back. Brunch menu served till 3:00 on Sunday, not sure about other days. A very nice casual dinning experience. Would recommend it to my friends and family. Hopefully they will get the message of the concern with customer connection and address it with wait staff.

This morning, Sunday, February 15, 2026; My wife and I went to "The Essentials" for Sunday, Brunch…read more I have not eaten at "The Essentials" for a few years now. We don't like going out on holidays like Valentines Day so we usually do something the day after. Food: I got the Steak & Eggs. They were great. I did think the "Potato Cake" on the plate was a bit dry but I did eat it all. I was surprised that no Toast was provided for this item. Just an after thought. My wife go the Banana Bread French Toast. She also loved it. Service: This is where "The Essentials" understands what their clients want. Our server was outstanding. I looked around and felt the entire staff really knew how to work with their guests. Refreshing. Ambiance: At first, I thought the restaurant was a bit noisy. Yet my wife and my conversation was not strained. The Ambiance was upscale casual. Value: I thought the prices were a bit high yet the real story was, once I was finished, my mind was asking when the next time I would return. Cost a meal is in direct portion to how much you enjoyed it. I enjoyed my meal very much. Eat well, Drink well and stay healthy.

This is a great spot in Birmingham. The menu was not clear, but the staff worked with us to figure…read moreout what they could make without seed oils and gluten-free options. I ended up with a bunless burger. The Caesar salad with chicken was my first choice, but both the dressing and the chicken had seed oils - not good. Still, the vibe was great, and we made the best of what was available. Thanks to the chef for working with us.

We are at the one in Mountain Brook village a few weeks ago - not a huge lover of Cajun food , so I…read moreordered a salad - honestly I like a wedge salad, but I rarely eat salad because I don't like it that much. I wish I did - but I eat like a child . The salad was the best salad. I believe I've had in 10 years honestly I don't know what they did to make it so good , but it had croutons and it had homemade buttermilk dressing on it. It was just it was the cheese on it. I don't know what kind of cheese they use in this place, but it is heavenly! . I love the atmosphere of this place - it's in the old sneaky Pete location & is like a little "hole in the wall "got a lot of really cool things on the wall , decor is rustic .the services were amazing & im pretty sure one was an owner (?) bc he cared that we were happy ! (i'm not sure if any of you noticed the decline in service industry lately but it's pretty bad - most people act like they're doing you a favor to serve you) I know he had some red beans and rice on the side ( I tried I just wanted to add that their salad is to die for. My bf had muffuletta & said it was great !

It looked like it would have been a very cool place with a great Cajun menu as well as an…read moreattractive lunch special. However, I'll never know how good it was because nobody acknowledged me when I arrived. I stood there for a few minutes and members of the staff were chatting with each other and paying no mind to my existence. I then figured I would just sit myself down and waited for a little while at the table and no one came over to me, so I just up and left. I'm giving them two stars instead of one because this place looks like it could be wonderful, if only they paid attention to their customers.

Great cocktails and a very broad menu with great seafood choices…read moreStaff very attentive and prompt despite crowd

The catfish was delicious! Blueprint is an awesome spot to come to for upscale southern fare. Great…read morefor a date night or grabbing good food with friends.

Food was good, had the Surf Hound burger with regular fries, although sweet potato fries originally…read morecame out with the burger. Service was great, you can sit where you want, both servers were great, came by to check on us, set up another table, after we decided to sit outside on the patio. Vibes are chill, you kind of get a beach bar vibe, with the decor, and covered patio. They also have plenty of seating of the patio. They have TV's everywhere, so you can't miss the March Madness action.

Went on a Thursday and it was good, but not great!…read more I got the frozen surf house drink for $7 which was a special on Thursday's. The drink was pretty strong. Very nice rum punch to it! I got the tuna poke salad for dinner and it was okay... I felt like there was too much Leticia for the amount/ratios of tuna, toppings and dressing. For $22, it initially looks like you're getting a lot but really it's 90% lettuce. I feel like there could have been more lemon/acid to the dressing and more dressing overall the tuna was unseasoned and felt like the salad was lacking. It needed some type of crunch, like a nori salty crunch. The restaurant was packed for a Thursday. Would like to go back na try some other things.

We came here for a date night before a concert. Parking was a little hectic, so we parked nearby…read moreand walked over. The place was crowded, but we were seated quickly. The waitress checked on us frequently. Their menu is huge and has something for everyone. They didn't have my first request, but I got the pesto pasta with shrimp as my second choice and it was very good. I liked the oysters, but the ones we tried were very spinach forward, and if you aren't a fan of that, you may not like these. Next time we'll try the other oyster types they have. I'm surprised I had never made it out here before. I will definitely come back - but not with the kids. They have some great lunch specials as well.

We must eaten there on a bad night all around because our review doesn't reflect what everyone else…read moreseemed to experience! We were seated promptly handed menus and about 30 seconds later approached by the waitress for drink orders. We asked for a drink menu as there was nothing to advertise what drinks they were serving. She returned with 1 drink menu for all 3 of us and stood there waiting until we decided. We asked for some time so she left and returned about 2 mins later. We ordered drinks and she returned 2 mins later to take our food order. We ordered appetizers, salad and main courses. The drinks came quickly, the salads came right after and then about 3 mins later, the appetizers came out. 3 mins after that, the main courses arrived so we had plates stacked everywhere on the table and quickly tried to finish our salads and appetizers before the main dish got cold. The waitress never returned to the table until she brought the bill. The plates were all cleared by someone else. We saw her leave a bill at the table next to us and wait until they checked it over and figured out a payment method, so when she arrived at our table we just handed her a credit card. The food was average but the overall experience was terrible. I realize she was probably new and this may have been her first night but some training would go a long way! For $180 dinner, we expected a lot more.

I recently tried Southern food from Saw's Soul Kitchen and I get why people love this place. I…read moreordered takeout and the food was still really good by the time I got home. I got the pulled pork sandwich, mac and cheese, and collard greens. The pork was tender and had a good smoky flavor without being too much. The mac and cheese was creamy and tasted like something homemade. The collard greens had a lot of flavor and were honestly one of my favorite parts. When I went to pick up my order, the place felt casual and welcoming. It had that classic Southern feel where it is more about the food than anything else. The staff was friendly and my order was ready on time which made everything easy. I also liked that the takeout process was organized and clean. Overall I would definitely go back and try more from here.

Great food, good service, old Great chicken, service fast and efficient, location is good sort of…read moredated but is rustic.

Cool little spot in downtown. Great food and service! Waitress very attentive and very helpful with…read moremenu!

Had a lovely experience. 4.7 for sure…read more The place is small but cute enough. Food delivered as expected. We got a wave of oysters, they were all quite good. The bluefin crudo - excellent. A couple of the "burgers" and "reuben" and I had a fish (can't remember which) in a beurre blanc sauce. We tried the coconut creme pie and a lemon meringue for dessert. It was all quite good. Is the best restaurant hands down in Bham? Eh. Probably not. With the Michelin recognition, the expectations unfortunately also rise. I am however looking forward to a return visit.

Birmingham, Alabama: What a great first night spent in…read moreBirmingham, Al. First off, this town is a foodie haven.. James Beard award winning chefs, Michelin guide listed restaurants and areas around downtown that are solid and gaining notice! Hot and Hot Fish Club is no exception. We were able to get reservations at the chefs table and what a fun experience. While watching these pros work we got to speak to the masters and get recommendations on what to try and all if it was .. well great! This place has been serving great food since 1994 and we're located in the artsy Pepper Place district. We started with bread service and grilled pork belly appetizer. For our meals we had the Southern Bouillabaisse and the Wood-fired New York Strip. Both dishes we full of tasty pairings and everything delicious. Finished the evening with a French pressed coffee and a strawberry Cobbler. Truly a must go!

We started with bread service and enjoyed but we have definitely had softer, more decadent bread…read morewith better or more unique butter. ($10) I got cauliflower soup as my app and thought that it was perfectly creamy but I would've loved a crouton or some kind of topping that added crunch or bread. Crispy French onions would've also been a nice touch. I could immediately smell the truffle oil so loved that. ($15) Julia got the pork belly and absolutely raved about it so I had to have a bite. I tried it and immediately started nodding my head up and down. It was absolutely divine. We both agreed that $18 for this dish was a great value. I got the ricotta gnudi for my entree and enjoyed but would've loved a protein and acid component. They were well seasoned and I appreciated the layers of flavors, just needed something else to it. ($38) Julia got the southern bouillabaisse and thoroughly enjoyed. This was like a seafood stew. The fish jowl threw me off but she said she loved every bite. ($40) We sat at the bar, even though we had a reservation - which isn't the end of the world but I feel obligated to talk to my neighbor so I would've preferred a table to ourselves. It was casual yet upscale still. Definitely not the white table cloths I'd envisioned. They have seasonal menus and we'd love to visit again in the summer to try some of their items then. But honestly, we aren't dying to return in the near future.