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    The Garage

    4.3 (230 reviews)
    Open 12:00 pm - 10:00 PM

    The Garage Photos

    THE GARAGE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - The Garage

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    Scott M.

    Can't believe I've never reviewed this place. I think I first visited The Garage maybe more than 20 years ago and they're still going strong. Stopped in for the first time in a long time just the other day and am happy to report that they're still doing what they've been doing for years...decades really. A true local neighborhood bar, tucked away on a quiet street, loaded with charm with a unique and amazing outdoor seating area as well as plenty of space at the bar inside. The drinks are no frills, the beer selection is broad, and the vibes are as chill as your living room. Not loud, no flashing lights, and no forced-decorations or adopted theme. Just a cool, regular, broken-in sort of spot where you can go and enjoy a drink or two with friends in a relaxing setting and be able to hear each other as you converse. Great place to start or finish the night. Aside from the drinks they've got a short and sweet deli sandwich menu with a few options including one to build your own. So if you need a quick and easy bite they've got you covered on that. If you're in the area and looking for a relaxing spot to meet up and spend time over a few drinks and maybe grab a quick bite, you can't go wrong here and you'll be pleasantly surprised by the overall vibes. They've been around forever and there's a reason for that.

    Outside view
    Gabe P.

    The Garage has been around for 31 years!!! Yes, you read that correctly! The food is amazing!!! The service is amazing and those are some really nice folks behind the bar & in the kitchen. The kitchen does close from 4-5 for restock but they were so nice to accommodate me a little after 4.... I was so grateful because I was hungry... VERY! This is a dive bar with no frills. Great sandwiches!!! There's a 4% fee if you use a card and a 3% fee if you leave our tab open overnight. Street parking only! Don't miss going out back to see the courtyard area.. it has a lot of charm and it's quite relaxing (when it's not hot). I regret staying away for 5 years. I will definitely be back soon! Oh no kids after 6pm..... 21 and older ONLY!

    Ruben and BLT sandwich
    Sarah L.

    I was really glad I got to try this place out! I've lived in Birmingham for years and I couldn't believe I have never tried it! What sold me was the outdoor area with all the plants and vines! Inside, is a bar with seating where you can order drinks. You have to order food separately at the back of the bar. We waited 45 for our sandwich. Guess I got there at a busy time (Friday ~2pm). Overall, the sandwiches were good, but I don't think they are $12 worth. It's gourmet sandwich bread, your choice of cheese and meat with toppings. Your meal does include chips and a pickle. I was really hungry, but I did like the sandwich. Fresh lettuce and juicy tomatoes. If you don't want just a home gourmet sandwich, then the food isn't for you. It's a bar vibe, but I loved the courtyard area! I would love to go back at night for the live music!

    Beer
    Robert A.

    This is a must visit, great bar. Very nice outdoor seating area. Definitely different but worth a visit.

    Russell G.

    You can tell that this is a neighborhood cafe. It's really set in the neighborhood. The sign that you see walking up says classic. The entrance is welcoming. You order your drinks up front and food in the rear. We opted to sit outside. The lemonade was really good. I opted for the turkey and ham hoagie. Excellent choice from a fellow yelper. You can customize the Sandwich to your specifications. With inside and outside seating your dining experience can be at your fingertips as far as pleasure is concerned. I do recommend this place especially if you never have been here..

    Katrina G.

    I've been wanting to try this place for a while now. Came here with my dad. I ordered the sandwich on a hoagie with Turkey, provolone, mustard, lettuce, tomato, onions, cucumbers with salt & pepper. My sandwich did not have cucumbers which was a bummer. Sandwich came with chips and a pickle. You order drinks from the bar and walk towards the back to order your sandwich. Indoor and outdoor seating. We opted to sit outside which had plenty of seating options. The sandwich was good. This is definitely a neighborhood spot with limited street parking. I would definitely recommend.

    Evelyn b.

    I love the garage! My go to spot for a great sandwich and beer in Birmingham. The atmosphere is relaxed and casual and service is always prompt and friendly. A must visit spot in Birmingham!!

    Audrey C.

    I love the garage! A great atmosphere and the nicest staff. The Lily is my favorite sandwich there!

    Gina H.

    Searched for sandwiches in Birmingham because we didn't want a chain "sammy". So happy we found The Garage! From the outside it may appear unappealing to some. But to others it may be quite intriguing. It is rather small inside with about 8 tables and a bar with seating. The best seating option might be the cute outdoor patio area. There is plenty of seating out there. You order all drinks at the bar then step right up to the prep area to order food. Sandwich options are pretty much endless with numerous meat, veggie and condiment options. I had a Reuben with 1,000 island (Russian was offered as well). It was very tasty and satisfying with just enough corn beef to be able to eat it without making a mess. My husband had a club on white bread which looked just as good. Both sandwiches came with the option of ruffle chips or pretzels and a pickle spear. We both enjoyed our food and will definitely go back soon. We noted that after 6:00pm you just be 21 and over to enter. I have 4 stars because it took about 30 minutes to get our food. It was Sunday afternoon around 12:45pm so perhaps that is a busy time.

    JJ G.

    It's something to check out if you're visiting town or if you're local to cruise on by every so often. It's very dizzy. You have to pay for your beers at the counter and order your food at the sandwich making counter. If you order a sandwich, you take a table number and they find you. It took a very long time to get my sandwich. That tells you how busy they are like I was in a five star restaurant wait. Sill was a good time.

    Linda R.

    It was a cold January night, and my husband and I were looking for a new place to go because we had been stuck in the house all day. The Garage isn't a new place. We used to go in in the 80s, but we forgot about it once we had kids. Anyway, we were looking on Yelp, and when we saw it again after, we decided we had to go. It is the same divey, casual, fun, neighborhood hangout that it used to be. We loved the 80s music that they were playing, and luckily, we're able to get a table. My husband kept smelling the soup, so we had to try it, and we were so glad we did. It was a southwestern soup with Conecuh sausage. My favorite was dipping the crackers and scooping up the beans and sausage, and there was a lot of sausage. It was delicious. They have some inside seating and a fire pit outside. I want to visit in the spring and see the Wisteria in bloom. There were a lot of vines.

    Green tea shots!
    Erica P.

    My sandwich was great! And my drinks? (I ordered green tea shots then a green tea cocktail) were on point. Music was good, nice vibes, relaxed atmosphere. Will definitely go again. A little confusing for your first time when you enter, not really knowing if you just sit and wait for someone to come to you to order or if you go straight to the bar to order, which you do the latter lol. We also got there a little earlier than when the kitchen opened, so we just had a drink or to before hand. Will visit again soon.

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    2 months ago

    The vibe is cool. Great history. The funny thing is nothing is extraordinary... but is one of our favorite places!

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    10 months ago

    Fun atmosphere. Great price for the quality of sandwiches you get! Also great drink options.

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    The outdoor patio is perfect for a casual hangout spot. Good sandwiches and lots of beverage options!

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    The Garage Reviews in Other Languages

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    The Nick - Hill St.

    The Nick

    3.8(53 reviews)
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    It is an institution…read more If local then great for live music. But not some place that will be welcoming.

    The Nick is definitely not for everyone -- but it's absolutely an experience you'll never forget…read more After my friend (who was hosting us) passed out, my other friend and I decided to see more of Birmingham's nightlife. A friendly bartender at Up-Down Arcade Bar (another must-visit!) told us about this place, mentioning it's one of the few bars open 24 hours on the weekend. Naturally, curiosity won. From the jump, this place had character. There's a bouncer at the door, a makeshift elevated DJ booth to the right where you have to pay cash for a "membership." Don't worry -- there's an ATM conveniently behind the booth, ready to charge you a nice little convenience fee if you didn't bring cash. The membership lasts a year, but still, that was a first for me. Inside? Small. Crowded. Lively. And at 1 AM, there was a guy passed out in a chair right by the entrance -- with his dog roaming freely around the bar. I honestly couldn't make this up if I tried. The bartenders were solid -- fast, cool, and trying their best to keep up with the rush. There's a selection of local beers (pretty good ones too) and two pool tables... well, technically one, since they only had one cue ball. The pool sticks? Ancient relics. The bathroom? I'll spare you the visuals. Outside was much more breathable. There was a local guy named Walter -- from Georgia, of all places -- selling BBQ. Cool dude. The turkey wing was a little tough, but his attitude made up for it. Now, the real highlights? The people and the atmosphere. You've got folks eavesdropping on your conversations, tossing around racially backed jokes at me (that I politely corrected), a row of chain-smokers out front, and a woman openly asking for cigarettes or change that may have been homeless, but was definitely a crackhead and she so eloquently vocalized. It's a gritty and downright raw type of place, but somehow, it works. There wasn't any live music when we came, but I'm sure that's what makes this place shine more than it already does in its own unique way. I'll definitely be back for a performance night. Bottom line: Five stars because The Nick is exactly what it's supposed to be -- an unfiltered slice of Birmingham nightlife that refuses to apologize for being itself.

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    Lou's Pub & Package Store

    Lou's Pub & Package Store

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    The Yelp! Category questions really can't fit this place. It's like trying to fit the proverbial…read more'quadrahelic block of unknown dimensions' into a surface without any obvious holes. They don't normally serve food, so you can bring your dog. Except tonight they're having a crawfish boil. Is it romantic? Not by my estimation, but there is always a couple kanoodling in the corner which is making the people holding a wake slightly uncomfortable. So why should you come? Three reasons: 1) the service. Bartenders that can meet a wide variety of expectations are hard to find. 2) the quality of the cocktails is hard to beat. It's so nice to have the Buffalo Trace Manhattan hit the bar without a word being said. 3) The price. Ten bucks for a top shelf Manhattan (I pray they don't read this) is such a bargain. I may be here in happy hour, but hey. One of B'ham's must sees. Please don't though, because as the song says, 'Everyone hates a tourist'.

    Had some Monday night brewskis with the boys. Lou's is one of those places that is so casual and…read more"locals only" that even as a local, I feel like a poser. This place is storied, I'm sure my parents drank here before I was even thought of. Birmingham legend spot. No beers on draft, I understand, means they have less dishes to do. But they have all the classic domestics and local beers you could want. Plus, they make great cocktails. The spicy marg here is unlike any other. Service is insane. On this Monday, we were treated like regulars. The man in charged asked us what kind of music we wanted on, "pourers choice," we said. He proceeded to play exactly what we wanted to hear, which included Forget You by CeeLo 3 times. The woman serving our table was awesome. "What can I get for you baby?" Suddenly, my Monday woes fell by the wayside. The couple of outdoor tables are a great spot to enjoy an evening in Birmingham. I haven't bought anything from here yet, but they seem to have any liquor you could want.

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    Makers & ginger

    Paramount - Downtown Birmingham

    Paramount - Downtown Birmingham

    4.3(477 reviews)
    1.2 mi
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    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!!!

    We sat at the bar. Nice selection of beers. We had the three hander and my wife had a gourmet hot…read moredog called West Virginia. The food was perfectly prepared and surprised us how good. The bar was very busy but the bartender was very attentive. Great service. The ambiance was perfect for a corner bar downtown.

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

    I rarely eat the impossible burger but it was so darn good!

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    The Garage - sandwiches - Updated May 2026

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