Automatic Seafood was such a great experience from start to finish! The ambiance was beautiful, the…read morefood was amazing, and the service was truly 10/10. We came in for a birthday dinner, and our server was absolutely amazing; so sweet, attentive, and genuinely made the experience feel special. He even surprised the birthday girl with a complimentary birthday margarita with a candle in it to blow out, which was such a thoughtful touch! I started with the grilled oysters, and WOW they were amazing! They come with five oysters, but you can add more for an additional charge. Definitely worth trying if you're an oyster lover. For my drink, I ordered the mango margarita, and it was SO delicious! Sweet, refreshing, and the perfect pairing with dinner. For my entrée, I ordered the ribeye steak, which comes with roasted potatoes and mushrooms. Let me just say... this meal was EVERYTHING! The steak was incredibly flavorful, and the cream sauce that came over the steak, potatoes, and vegetables was SO delicious. I would absolutely come back and recommend it to anyone looking for a great dinner spot!

We visited this restaurant for a belated Mother's Day brunch and our food was fantastic…read more I had the swordfish schnitzel and it was one of my favorite entrees of the year. The swordfish was fried perfectly and not greasy at all. The cheese grits and cabbage paired nicely with the swordfish and it was a perfect portion size. Everyone else's food was very good as well and we enjoyed our crab appetizer and beignets. I wish that I remembered our servers name because he was fantastic. He was attentive and friendly and everything came out at the perfect time. We are looking forward to visiting again soon and trying more menu items.

Had dinner here last night and WOW! I can't believe I've never been before. The stuffed grouper and…read morefried green tomatoes were absolutely incredible. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and delicious, and the food came out surprisingly fast! The staff was so kind and welcoming, which made the whole experience even better. You can really tell they care about the quality of their food. I will definitely be back! If you're looking for a solid seafood spot, this is absolutely one to add to your list!

My fifth trip to this restaurant so that tells you it's an authentic and delicious restaurant…read more Today is Labor Day and our amazing server " labored" beyond expectations!! Adam deserves a raise. As always the food was delicious, served the right temperature. My favorite is the shrimp and oyster platter. The fried green tomatoes are the best ever. Also the jambalaya and hush puppies!! Go... you won't be disappointed.

I came to town to review the Birmingham Museum of Art's new exhibition, so I was especially pleased…read moreto walk in and see the work of one of the featured artists on the restaurant's walls. We stopped in for lunch and were met with excellent customer service and an open, airy, and well-lit atmosphere. The menu isn't overcrowded, which I appreciated, and our waitress knew it well enough to confidently walk us through it. We started with the okra chaat, fish dip, and shrimp toast. The okra chaat was spicy, crunchy, and good, though I thought the okra was sliced too thin. The fish dip was flavorful perfection. The shrimp toast had great flavor, but deep-frying it felt unnecessary; it left the dish greasy and heavy, with far more bread than topping. For my entrée, the chef was kind enough to serve the red snapper over the field pea and rice salad. The snapper was very good, but that field pea and rice salad was something to text home about--literally. (I texted my husband after two bites.) Bright, nice acidity, great snap to the peas, and just perfect for the season. And the cocktails? Bartender's kiss. I took a sip and immediately told my friend to taste. I enjoyed this restaurant immensely. Thoughtful service, a beautiful space, memorable food, and enough standouts that already got me looking forward to coming back.

Have been here for lunch 3 times now and it is amazing!! The drinks and particularly the Gin and…read moreTonics are the best anywhere! The fish is so good. We had tuna tare tare appetizer with house made Caraway seed crackers. My wife had the tuna steak and I had the double tuna fish sandwich with swordfish bacon and the best fried anywhere! The wait staff is always incredible and make great suggestions l

The food was amazing when we finally got it. One dinner had to be remade when the steak came out…read morewell-done instead of medium rare. The replacement arrived well after our family had finished their meals.we asked three times where the gumbo was, and never got it until after we had finished. Our dinner took 2 1/2 hours and we were constantly wondering where are server was. Our bill was $384 for four people and the server forgot to remove the free dessert we were promised. Again, the food was fantastic. The service was so slow that l will probably not return. For the prices you charge, your manager should have personally apologized for the errors and tried to make it right

My husband picked this for his Father's Day and it was a great choice He made the reservation the…read moreday before and We were glad he did! The place got packed quickly ! For drinks We got a old fashioned for hubbie, me a lemon drop and a Watermelon dream for my son This was the first lemon drop that I liked!!! For apps we got gator bites , fried calamari, and squid . The gator bites were good and tender, and the calamari and squid were fried lightly. Entrées, I got the snapper lemon grass. My son got a catfish Po boy that I swear was half a French loaf, and my husband got the platter with fried oysters, butterfly shrimp crawfish fries It was a lot of food and we had to take some home We still got dessert, though, which was a cream Brûlée I have just a few tweaks 1. You need to have somewhere with the dessert stated on your menu. Second, the butternut squash that I got with my fish, should've been done a touch more. It was still good. It just needed to be done a touch more. 3. Please fix the handicapped bathroom. It didn't want to lock . Regardless, it was a wonderful meal!! Our server was pretty on point. She was friendly. She was fast no complaints and she got tipped very well. I think her name was Briana O!! She was an excellent waitress! All in all, I think everyone enjoyed their meal . It ticked off all of my boxes service friendly /professionally, service fast/ asked about drinks/reasked/bathroom was nice/clean Thank you and We intend to come again!!! Reservations are needed for those who don't know!! Trust me!

We love this place - it is the best seafood place in Bham - the steamed crab claws are amazing !…read moreThe oysters are freshly flown in . I have not tried any other location in years - bc this place is always such a treat . I have tried some of the newer $$$$ seafood restaurants( bc my son wanted to go ) but I have always left disappointed. The fish market gets your food out hot & they do have great service , (this is why they're still in business.) I've been eating here at least 30 years - I like the casual ambiance & the oysters are to die for . In my humble opinion, this is the only place to get reliably great seafood ( & it has reasonable prices)

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.

A restaurant that never misses! I love Chuck's, so when my sweetie surprised me with a date night…read morehere, I was all smiles. It's cozy and a bit small, but the food is always delicious. We had great cocktails and amazing appetizers. I especially love the redfish and broccolini always fresh and perfectly seasoned. The service was excellent, and our waiter was very knowledgeable about the menu. I'll be back every chance I get!

Our waitress was wonderful, the dinner was delicious, it isnt a quiet or romantic restaurant, but…read morethe service and food is outstanding.

Food, service, ambiance was amazing. I will return. I had the tomahawk pork chop. Definitely …read more... A diamond

Phenomenal dining experience!!…read more Service was top notch from the hostess and host, our waiter and all of the runners. Attentive without being obnoxious, in depth explanations of items on the menu with great recommendations! We started with a half dozen raw oysters and the pork belly. Oysters were very fresh and the seasoned crackers were a nice touch. The pork belly was quite possibly the best we've ever had and we're slight snobs about it. The fennel and orange mixture was a unique blend that really complemented the smokiness of the pork belly, Our steaks were melt in your mouth good. Cooked perfectly! I wished I could've just taken a massive bowl of the macaroni and cheese home. The char on the broccolini balanced the richness of the macaroni. They were sadly out of the crème brûlée, so instead I had the vanilla and peach gelato, while my husband had the chocolate l'orange cake. The vanilla gelato had the perfect rich vanilla taste. The peach didn't taste much like peach, but the flavor was still good. The cake was light and fluffy with a great balance of chocolate and orange. The candied orange peel on top was a nice touch! The atmosphere is pretty busy so it was louder than I was expecting. However, the ability to see the wine cellar, fridge of aging meat, and a window to stop in to look at the kitchen was a lot of fun. Highly recommend!

The Essential was such an unexpected find during our trip through Alabama. We weren't expecting to…read morestumble across such an elegant restaurant serving truly elevated food, but it ended up being one of our favorite meals. I ordered the seafood pasta, and you could immediately tell the pasta was homemade. It was fresh, perfectly cooked, and the seafood was beautifully prepared. My daughter had the spaghetti, and my husband ordered the Waldorf salad, which was just as thoughtfully put together. Our waitress also recommended the hummus and house pickles, and I'm so glad we listened. Both were fresh, unique, and the perfect way to start the meal. From the food to the service, everything felt polished without being pretentious. It was one of those meals where every dish was executed with care and attention to detail. Overall, The Essential was such a pleasant surprise and proof that you can find five star dining experiences in the most unexpected places. If you're anywhere near Birmingham, this place is absolutely worth the stop.

Really cool place with a quaint atmosphere and great service. My wife and I split the chicken…read moresandwich, grits and a hash brown. All were really good. We got the sauce on the side for the sandwich just in case, but it was really good. Definitely a place I want to revisit. Saw the smash looking burger and pancakes at tables and they both looked amazing!!

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.

Yes! Everything is great. What a wonderful combination, good food, great service, and an…read moreunbelievable Sunday ambience. What more could I ask for? Of course, you are home to the food bags that's why we hear. I can't eat seafood, but I Ala carte me up a special. Thank you Wanna, you are Amazing. You look like you looked like you wanted to get me together, if she order one more of them can cokes, Imma bring her a water. lol. We are a party of 4. I got 8 piece Cajun, with a side of sausage, corn, potatoes in crab barrack sauce mild spice. You real spicy for mild. Ty got the catfish basket and Mommy got the shrimp plate with okra. Deedee here too, she got the crab special with crab and shrimp. We eating and it's good. Everybody full!!

Joined a friend for dinner. We were quickly seated. The location is large and perfect for groups…read more She frequents this location so I followed her lead with the order. We both got the buffalo wings with lemon pepper, extra crispy as an app. The wings were really good. The sauce was rich and flavorful and the wings were fried to perfection. My only complaint was they were really big. My personal preference is smaller yet meaty wings. We got the 1/2 lbs shrimp bag with excess sausage and mild house sauce. The bag before the extra was only about $10. It comes with the corn, sausage and potato. That price is crazy good! The shrimp were a great size and the ingredients seemed fresh. The sauce was a very bland to me (in comparison to similar restaurants). The servers were really sweet. Checking on us often but not overdoing it. All in all, I would return again! Next time I'd probably get medium sauce and extra garlic. Yum!