Birmingham guide
The best special-occasion restaurants in Birmingham
Birmingham has 7 standout special-occasion restaurants worth your time — these are the ones locals actually send people to, ranked by how well-loved each spot is and checked by hand. Automatic Seafood & Oysters, Bottega and Helen lead the list. No chains, nobody pays to rank.
Automatic Seafood & Oysters
Gulf oysters & whole fish. Adam Evans's seafood place in an old industrial building in Lakeview. He won a James Beard award. Start with oysters.
Michelin Recommended
Bottega
Handmade pasta & Parmesan soufflé. Frank and Pardis Stitt's Italian restaurant in a big stone building on Highland Avenue. The cafe side is more casual.
Michelin RecommendedMichelin Outstanding Service Award · Pardis StittJames Beard finalist, Outstanding Hospitality
Helen
Hearth-fired steaks & seafood. Rob McDaniel's place on Second Avenue. Long, narrow brick room, most everything cooked over the hearth. It's on the Michelin list, so book ahead.
Michelin Recommended
Hot and Hot Fish Club
The summer tomato salad. Chris and Idie Hastings have run it since 1995. It's at Pepper Place now. Sit at the counter if you can.
Michelin RecommendedJames Beard Best Chef: South · Chris Hastings
DG
A menu that changes daily. Daniel Briggs's restaurant in Mountain Brook Village, open since 2000 as Daniel George and renamed DG for its 25th year. Lunch on weekdays, dinner Monday through Saturday.
Little Betty Steak Bar
Steaks with Italian and Japanese touches. Steakhouse and bar in Lane Parke. Dressed up but not stiff.
Rêve
The French tasting menu. Jacob Stull's French tasting-menu restaurant inside the Pizitz, across from McWane Science Center. Dinner only, a few nights a week. Book on Resy.
Michelin Recommended
Good to know
What is the best special-occasion restaurants in Birmingham?
Automatic Seafood & Oysters — gulf oysters & whole fish. Bottega and Helen round out the top of the list. Every place is locally owned and checked by hand.
How many special-occasion restaurants are on this list?
7, all locally owned and ranked by how well-loved they are. None of them paid to be included.
Which have a Michelin or James Beard honor?
Automatic Seafood & Oysters, Bottega, Helen and Hot and Hot Fish Club and 1 more.