This place is my type of vibe!…read more Trattoria ZaZa has been on my list of places to stop at for several years. Parking often deters me but after attending the Italian Festival earlier that day, we had a craving for pizza. I ordered the combo that includes 2 slices of the day with salad. Since I wasn't overly hungry, I offered him one of my slices and he added another slice to the order. We paid and were given a number to place on our selected table. Jazzy music played in the background while we waited on our order to be brought to the table. The natural lighting, while beautiful, made it a little warm in the building. One of the waitresses propped the door open that leads to the restrooms (which are in the hallway near the elevators) in order for cooler air to make its way in. That wasn't a deal breaker, but do be aware of that on warmer days. Our food came out after a short wait. I kept my 3 cheese slice, and gave him the pepperoni one. The cheeses were very rich and the salad, while simple without the frills, was perfectly sized and drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette that was just the right amount. While I enjoyed my meal very much and the ambiance, he wasn't overly impressed with his. He didn't want the fresh herbs on his slices and knocked all of them off, lol. He's a simple guy with simple taste. This is definitely a place I will be revisiting with one of my girlfriends and not him next time as he didn't appreciate what ZaZA had to offer. Everyone we encountered was helpful and courteous. Our food, including drinks, was around $28, which was not bad for a cute, eclectic spot downtown. If you haven't been, make sure to try them out soon. Just don't wait as long as I did to visit!

Where to start? Went on a weekend, place was packed. The…read moreBad: 1. SLOW. Waited in a line inside of 4 people in front of me. There was someone at the podium at the end who i thought was a server. Was not. After a 15 minute wait (why did it take that long?), we got to the podium person. And found out they were there to take our order, not seat us. Can only assume the 15 min delay was because people were trying to figure out what to order. No signage anywhere saying, please have what you want ready while you wait in line. 2. No menus, anywhere. Yes they can be printed and people in line could take one and figure out what they want. Yes, the menu could be put on the wall behind the server in large lettering. But no, they make you scan a QR code on the wall and view the menu on your phone, so that's inconvenient and a bit obtuse. 3. When we finally place an order for pizza, was told that, "they dont serve pizzas on the weekend, but we could order their "brunch pizzas", instead. Which on the counter, was small anemic cut slices of thick bready pizzas on the cutting board/table. Those each were $8.50 according to the menu. Figure the math of 2 small slices of pizza per person for 2 people vs just ordering a large pizza. But they don't serve pizza during brunch- Trattoria literally has the word "Pizza" in their last name- twice actually- yet you have to order a nearly $9 slice of pizza sitting out on a table for who knows how long, and of the flavor of their choice, not yours. It was flat out insulting to go to a pizza based establishment and be told they won't serve whole pizzas. We left and went to Uptown to a pizzaria there, and had a really good whole pizza, salad, dessert, and drinks, and all for half the price then if we had gone to Trattoria. Wanted to give this place a chance for years, but did not work out the way i had expected it to.

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.

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.

Frothy is tried and true. Such a good vibe, fantastic employees/service, and great food/drink…read more My parents live right around the corner and we always swing by for a coffee or a meal. I've never had a bad experience and this place is always lively. Big fan

This place was honestly a surprise. My husband and I were in the area looking to get dinner but the…read moreoriginal restaurant we wanted to go to was booked. We ended up here. I will say this is one of the best steaks I have had up to date so far. Cooked just the way I liked it.

Food was delicious and great gluten free options. The Manhattan was the perfect end to the work…read moreday. Service was excellent.

Got fried green tomato Benedict with salmon for brunch. Absolutely delicious. Beautiful place. Good…read moreservice. Got free champagne because our food took a little longer to come out even though it didn't feel that long to us. This place is on the fancier side - a place I might take out of town guests. I would highly suggest getting a reservation. Will definitely be back!

Chile please keep your money. This place (in my opinion) has little bang for a big buck. The…read moreservice was great so if it was solely based on that I'd give them a 5 star. But I'm sorry the food? (In my case shrimp and grits) was NOT GOOD. And don't get me wrong, it wasn't a horrible flavor, but the flavors it did have were terrible. First the grits are not smooth at all. Like they aren't super course but they definitely could have been cooked down more. And they had little seasoning. And that's being generous. Then the "creole" sauce on top? Can we ask the audience what they consider creole? Because that was just pure tomato sauce. Like straight out a can, had to be. No way someone cooked that sauce from scratch or even with creole seasonings or typical additives I'm sorry I just refuse to believe it. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST... 5 shrimp??? You can't be serious. I could understand 5 shrimp if they're the huge jumbo ones but these are smedium at best. Like I feel BAMBOOZLED because no way I paid 24$ for 5 shrimp and maybe 1.5 cups of grits. But imma be honest I'm not surprised the food wasn't that good. Any place that puts on the bottom "we can't refund for food you don't like" that should tell you everything you need to know. But I digress My friends said the tequila sunrise was good so that's another star. Service and tequila sunrise. The only highlights. The venue is pretty but I don't recommend

I've been here a few times now and have always had a great experience. I loved the Autumn latte…read morespecials they had and have enjoyed sitting outside in the cool autumn weather. Service is good!

Nice place, great coffee. The service is friendly & the food is great. The menu has a little of…read moreeverything. The pastry selection is excellent.

Everything was amazing best bday brunch. Service was amazing, I the ambiance was to die for good…read more Will be returning very soon.

The service was not good. While they seemed busy when we got there, shortly after, it was emptied…read moreout. We waited a very long time for our food though. We finally asked if the waitress could check on it and she shrugged and said, eh sometimes it can take an hour for food. I said uh no and my husband wanted to leave. I asked if she would mind checking on the order. At this point, we wait for 45 minutes since we ordered it. She said would check but then just kept bussing nearby empty tables. For several minutes. And right after she went in to get our food, someone else brought it out. Very frustrating because I have been to a ruby sunshine when super busy and this was NOT one of those times. The food though, was great. I won't go back to that location though.

First of all the chicken was superb! Crispy and flavorful, yet not dry. I adored The Squawking…read moreGoat, all flavors worked well together. We loved the bacon. Hubby wasn't a fan of the asiago/bacon waffles, which come with the Chix and Waffles; I tried them and it is an acquired after taste. Neither of us were big fans of the smashed potatoes, although the sauce was refreshing. We wondered why they are "smashed," but round? Overall, food was satisfactory! Service was quick and helpful, and it wasn't as busy after 9. It is more of a community based set up. We appreciated the inclusive environment and staff, but we did have to move after being next to the dirty dish station and having multiple angry outbursts from the young lady working/cleaning and overly loud placement of dishes. We gave her the benefit of the doubt.

First time visiting when traveling through Birmingham…read more I had the chicken and waffles that we very tasty. The butter and maple syrup were delicious We also had a breakfast bowl Go there and you will be happy

Really good strawberry donut! Got to try it at my apartment and the lady that brought them was…read morereally nice! I'd go again for the strawberry, it's not too sweet, just perfect.

The burger was cold, and the fries were slightly warm at best. It could have been that they had a…read morelarge catering order. There were not many customers for lunchtime on a Friday.

So we got the Low Country Skillet and Huevos Rancheros and oh man... they were SO GOOD…read more The low country skillet comes with a side bread of your choice and we chose the biscuit which I'm so glad we did. The biscuit was so soft and you get to choose from an assortment of jam, which tasted so good with the biscuit. I just felt like it was bursting with flavor and so savory. The huevos rancheros were really good and satisfying. Our waitress suggested that for the egg we choose Sunny side up so that you can pop the yolk and it will bleed into the rest of the dish. It did not disappoint! The inside of the restaurant was super cool. I loved the vibe. It's actually a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be. There are two floors. I actually felt like upstairs felt very open with the big windows. The people working there are super nice. There are so many dishes that looked so exciting to me, and I will be back to try some more. So many cool options!

Overall, I love breakfast, and while the portions are very generous, they were a bit heavy for me…read more My favorite dish was the biscuit crumble. It had so many layers, and the tomato added the perfect balance, preventing it from being too salty or overpowered by the bacon. I've actually developed a newfound love for tomato gravy. In comparison, the Jack Benny was too salty for my taste. I really enjoyed the fried hash cake, but with the ham, the saltiness was all I could taste. I loved the décor, and this experience definitely doesn't deter me from coming back to try more dishes.