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    Mom's Basement

    4.1 (58 reviews)
    InexpensiveBars, Arcades
    Open 4:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    Mom's Basement Photos

    MOM'S BASEMENT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Reviews With Photos

    Gabe P.

    I attended the Chicken parade here recently on 02/14/26. I was distraught bc they didn't start on time. I'm rarely early or on time so this sent me into a tizzy! Literally. The parade didn't have many participants this year but I can't speak for in the past.. The JO band was the highlight of the parade for me. I had a few Jell-O shots and accumulated a lot of Mardi Gras beards throughout the night. I guess you can say my first chicken parade was a success!

    Emily C.

    Super cool spot. Unfortunately it kinda smells like a foot inside but it's still a really neat place. Cheap prices.

    Angela B.

    I really enjoyed my trip to Mom's Basement. I met a friend here for some drinks after work. I don't know how I never visited this place before. It really does remind you of your Mom's Basement. The atmosphere is fun and friendly. It is also laid back and feels like you are hanging out with family and friends. We absolutely loved our visit. We were greeted by Ralph (one of the owner's dog). Ralph was very friendly and we enjoyed him. The bartender gave us some great suggestions and told us which drinks were on the stronger side. That was really helpful in trying to decide that to get. The drinks were a decent price and they also have a pool table and other games inside. So I definitely think that this place is nostalgic and a place you can go to wind down and relax.

    Mom's!
    Chloe S.

    Man oh man!! I had such a killer time here!! Friendly folks, a DJ spinning great tunes, delicious drinks, and ambiance to make ya feel right at home-- at your Mom's Basement!! The bartender, Ben, was just awesome! There's a pool table where you can play pool- for free! This place just kept getting mo' betta mo' betta for me if and when i live closer I'm going to be here all the time. I recommend you do the same!

    Inside
    Brensi M.

    This is a very chill dive bar ambiance, we went there on a Friday night and had a great time. There are tables around the bar and a pool table right on the side. The bartender was very nice and friendly. Everyone at the bar was hanging out and having a good time playing pool. The decor around the bar are pictures of mom's hence Mom's basement. I will definitely take my mom's picture next time I go.

    Jill G.

    Super cool dive bar with pictures of Mom's all over the walls. Feels like it's straight out of the mid to late 80s. If you like cold beer you should come here.

    Our social group had a great time!!
    Davida B.

    This place isn't like any other place in Birmingham. Our group loved it. The atmosphere and nostalgic vibe is something to appreciate. David was great!!

    William D.

    I absolutely loved this little gem of a bar. The customers as well as the bartenders that were there were kind and welcoming. The theme of the bar is that it's literally a basement. Think 70s vibe with wood paneling walls filled with glamour shots and risqué pictures of moms. Bringing a picture of your mom is recommended. They are always doing something there whether it be live music, trivia, karaoke...They are great at letting you know what's going on their Instagram page. I can't wait to go there again.

    Chill area
    Kristi B.

    A+ ambience, super comfy. Employees done seem thrilled to be here but not rude. Asked for ID. I joked about being old enough to be his grandma. Didn't actually look at the ID and put a bracelet on. Here is how one conversation went. Me: "Can I see a menu?" Employee: "We don't have one". (Points to drink cooler) Me: "What about for food?" (Which is what I meant lol) Employee: "No. We only have hot dogs." Me: (thinking they have a variety) "Do we just put the condiments on ourself?" Employee: "We have ketchup and mustard." Me- I order the hotdog, ketchup only Also me- somewhat surprised to see chips. Not what I was expecting but still a cool spot. Would be a chill place to hang out with friends.

    Janis T.

    Mom's is a hidden gem in Bham. When you need a nostalgia fix and want to feel like you've been transported to your friend's basement in the 70's, this is your jam. It's cozy, comfy, artsy and pet friendly. They have frozen drinks on tap and the friendly bartenders will whip up just about anything you can think of that they have the ingredients for. Absolutely the perfect place for a low key happy hour or a chill Saturday afternoon.

    Ashley H.

    Came here with my social group and literally felt like I was hanging out with my friends in somebody's family basement. The drinks were good and budget friend. The decor was perfect for the setting. The only thing I did not care for was pets are allowed inside.

    Ivancka S.

    If you're feeling in a nostalgic mood, this place will transport you to another time. A capsule of all things back in the day and if you got mad love for your mama, you will appreciate this place even more. If you are not looking for anything upscale and somewhere more laid back, mom's will hit the spot. Hit up the pool table or battle it out with some arcade games or get crazy with the photo booth. Such a cool place and glad we have a bar like this in the Ham!

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    Fun bar to get a beer and hang out. Always clean on the inside. Bartenders are nice. Overall fun, reliable bar,

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    4 years ago

    The best! Loved it! Fun vibe video games ... pool table so cute! Bathroom reminds you your in a basement.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Mom's Basement

    Review Highlights - Mom's Basement

    It's in a very walkable part of Avondale so you can make a night of bar hopping, although I doubt you'll want to leave Mom's anytime soon.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Paramount - Downtown Birmingham

    Paramount - Downtown Birmingham

    4.3
    (478 reviews)
    2.4 mi
    $$

    I'm back three years later to tell y'all ain't nothing changed! The service is still great! The…read moredrinks are always made with a smile. My new go to order is the honey chipotle, wings all flats! The fries are still great they haven't changed them.. love that! The did a refresh on the games in the back lobe that!

    I wanted to love this place SO BAD!! There's an attached arcade!!…read moreAnd the staff was SO NICE and friendly and helpful and I loved the industrial, creative decor. But we'd spent the day at McWane Center and we were starving so we were there to EAT! The food looked gorgeous but it tasted very meh. The onion rings had too much breading on them, which I didn't think was possible, but here we are. The part of the breading next to the onion was mushy so that threw off the texture of the whole thing too. The burger was very much like a Whataburger. Even the lettuce smelled the same. I got The Standard and the bun of the burger was a little mushy (similar to Whataburger) and there was not much meat. For an $11 burger, I'm expecting more than a Whataburger. My middle kid likes everything on her burger and isn't picky at all and the loaded kid burger looked impressive but it was about the same as mine. Not awful, but not very good either. Very close to the same amount of meat. She's the queen of the Clean Plate Club and she only ate half. The fries were good but a somewhat too salty, the dip that came with the onion rings was excellent and we ended up using it for the fries. We had 2 adults and 3 kids and our meal was $63 before tip for 5 waters, 2 adult burgers, 2 kid burgers, a kid grilled cheese, and a basket of fries and onion rings (I thought I was ordering a "side" of fries, not realizing I actually ordered a basket and it was a lot of fries and onion rings). We don't mind spending money on good food, but the prices here don't align with what you get. No one was more disappointed than me, I've been wanting to eat here for FOREVER!!!

    Photos
    Beer is pictured
    Beer is pictured
    I rarely eat the impossible burger but it was so darn good!
    I rarely eat the impossible burger but it was so darn good!
    Paramount - Downtown Birmingham

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    Up-Down Arcade Bar

    Up-Down Arcade Bar

    4.3
    (41 reviews)
    3.0 mi
    $$

    My husband, sister, brother-in-law, and I recently visited Up-Down Pizza Arcade in Birmingham, and…read morewe had a great experience. We ordered a large buffalo chicken pizza, and it was absolutely delicious, fresh, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. The atmosphere was lively and fun, even though we felt a little out of place since it was packed with college students. Still, it added to the energy of the place. It was very busy, but the service was fast and efficient. The staff was friendly, welcoming, and took the time to explain how everything worked, which we really appreciated. I loved seeing all the classic arcade games from back in the day, it brought back so many memories. We would have enjoyed sitting outside, but it was too cold during our visit. Overall, this is a fun spot with great food, great service, and a great vibe. I'll definitely be back when the weather warms up!

    Decent set up. Some cool old arcade games, I don't think they were all originals but still fun to…read moreplay. 5 bucks for 20 tokens so not bad, but I would say about10-20% of your tokens will be lost to games just eating them and not working. A decent beer selection, the place is fun for about a hour or two before the novelty wears off. Bartender was a little rude, I had a gift card and wanted to use it when I closed out my tab, she closed it before I could use it and just said "sorry it's closed out nothing I can do now" in a why are you bothering me tone so kinda ended the night on a sour note.

    Photos
    Skee balls....my favorite
    Skee balls....my favorite
    Pizza....meats and pepperoni
    Pizza....meats and pepperoni
    Up-Down Arcade Bar

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    Activate Games

    Activate Games

    4.9
    (15 reviews)
    7.5 mi

    Our work group did a team building event at Activate. We had a ball!…read more This venue is located in Park South Plaza on Highway 31 in Vestavia Hills, next to Taziki's. Our manager paid for us to play 60 minutes. Before we went, we had to complete a waiver online and choose our game name. There were restrooms inside where you could change clothes (cause I heard if you are competitive, you would sweat a lot). They also have lockers - activated by a wrist key fob - so you could put your purse and keys somewhere safe. It's a dark area full of arcade rooms (maybe about 10 or 12 rooms in total). Each room has several games from which you can choose to play. Our group of 12 people were split into 3 teams of 4. The front desk attendant gave us all a wrist fob that we had to activate with our game account. The attendant explained how to play. Choose the game, all players scan their fob, then wait until the current team playing in the room exits before you go in. Scores are based on how well you do. If there is no one waiting outside the room after the game completes, you can move to the next level and continue playing. My team's first couple of games went so wrong and we questioned ourselves and our lives many times while playing. However, we got the hang of it and enjoyed ourselves so much! My favorite game was in the "Grid" room, where they called a color and the team had 5 seconds to get to a space with that color. So fun! If you are looking for a fun place to "be a kid again", this is the place to go!

    Activate was so much fun and completely exceeded my expectations. Every room felt like stepping…read moreinto a real-life video game, and the challenges were the perfect mix of physical and mental. The staff was friendly, the place was super clean, and the whole experience was smooth from start to finish. If you're looking for a unique date night or group activity in Birmingham, this is absolutely worth it. I'm already planning my next visit!

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    Activate Games
    Activate Games
    Activate Games

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    Dave & Buster's Birmingham

    Dave & Buster's Birmingham

    2.7
    (233 reviews)
    10.5 mi
    $$

    Came here for quick bites, fun drinks, and the game floor of course! Alicia our server (maybe even…read morethe manager?) was incredible. She was quick to bring everything we needed and went over the top to make sure we got everything we needed and were taken care of start to finish while dining in the dining room. Macy was our bartender and she was friendly and made excellent drinks. And the playlist made the vibes perfect too :) Hospitality 10/10 !! Would come back of course.

    This is by far the WORST dining experience I've ever had. And I mean that wholeheartedly. I've…read morenever experienced anything like it. Management is non existent when it comes to helping servers. We waited 30 minutes for a table, which was clearly because they were short staffed. Okay fine, no problem. If we have to wait so she can get caught up and we can get good service, that was fine. But it wasn't. The server was so overwhelmed because she was in charge of every single table in the establishment. At one time, she had 14 different tables going on. At no point did the manager think to hop in and start taking drink orders, food orders, anything. Which is SHOCKING to me. You're there to help your team when there are issues. Get your hands dirty or find another line of work. Half of our group ordered, and then our server went to check on other tables (clearly our mistake telling her to check on her other tables - because we could see she was overwhelmed and we were a group of 15). It was a true 30 minutes before food came out and the other half of our group was then able to begin ordering their meals. The food came out for the second round of orders (which should have all been done together), but we were still missing 2 meals from the first group. We waited 90 minutes from the time of ordering to get the final 2 meals. I truly wish I was joking. The manager came over the THIRD TIME after telling us the food was coming to say "when I put those orders in, there was like 20 tickets ahead of it, that's why it's taking so long." As someone that's worked in restaurant my entire life, ON THE FLY MEANS ON THE FLY. Not after you finish the other tickets. She took zero responsibility for the situation, lied and gave our group the compete run around for 30 minutes. To be clear, the missing orders were a QUESADILLA and a PHILLY CHEESESTEAK. Not some outrageous order. The server somehow didn't ring them in to begin with (which is so weird because they literally have tablets on them for placing orders). But the manager assured us on TWO different occasions that they were coming. It was only on the third visit, we were met with this excuse. Our server began crying at the POS system after another (I think?) manager came over to her telling her we'd been waiting for our checks for 20 minutes. A dad from our group just went over and paid for the entire check on his own because we had been seated since 7:00pm and it was now 10:00pm. We were sat for 3 hours and felt held hostage to try and just leave. I still can't wrap my head around it. This is so clearly an absolute failure in management. If you're short staffed, you pick up and help. There was zero apology, just a few "power up" cards passed to us and a comp on the two 90 minute wait food dishes (uh, yeah, duh). As if we'd have any interest in spending another second there. I kept joking that if there ever was a time for someone to come in and do an undercover boss episode, this is the location. To do it so you can see how hard your business is failing. Your management is the worst I've ever seen. I oversee 15 restaurants throughout the state of Florida and I can absolutely assure you, if this was happening in one of my stores, it would be an immediate termination from my management. She never once showed sorrow for what was happening. She was defensive and argumentative when met with any type of frustration from us. This is hands down the worst experience I've ever had. If you go to Dave & Busters, whatever you do, DO NOT SIT DOWN AND ORDER FOOD. Just grab a drink at the bar and play some games. No need to to reply to this publicly and try to save face, I'll be sharing my experience on every other review site and reaching out to corporate about this. Take your L on this one, learn from it, and do better. Because this was horrid, and as a business you should be so embarrassed at the entire guest experience.

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    Dave & Buster's Birmingham
    Dave & Buster's Birmingham
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    Mom's Basement - bars - Updated August 2026

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