There’s a reason Birmingham is known as a “foodie city”—there are hundreds of incredible, unique restaurants peppered throughout the city. And good news! There’s never been a better time or way to taste the local award-winning food and drink than the 15th Annual Birmingham Restaurant Week (BRW), presented by Spire, happening Thursday, July 17 through Saturday, July 26.
What is Birmingham Restaurant Week?
BRW is hosting all kinds of opportunities for patrons to savor all the flavors, from good old-fashioned home cooking to elevated fine dining, in two, three, and four-course meals at a prix-fixe price. Whether your budget is as low as $5 or you can invest in your dining experience at $60 per person, there’s an option for you at one of the dozens of participating restaurants, bars, and food trucks.
“Birmingham Restaurant Week’s goal is to promote locally owned restaurants and provide assistance to them whenever we’re able to,” explains Bill Stoeffhaas, co-founder of BRW and co-owner of Style Advertising, the organizer of BRW. “Without our restaurants, the vibrancy of our culinary community will diminish. So we’re making sure that folks in our community know about all of the great new places to eat and even offer them some deals at restaurants they already frequent.” Whether you’re revisiting a classic or experiencing a new restaurant for the first time, your participation will not only benefit you but also help support local restaurants stay in business and eliminate food insecurity across Birmingham through Magic City Harvest.
BRW Preview Party
First up in the line of events is the BRW Preview Party on Tuesday, July 15, which will be hosted at Haven from 5 to 8 p.m. Get a “taste”—literally!—of what participating BRW restaurants will be offering, with signature bites from each menu and one drink ticket included in your $35 ticket. (If you forget to purchase in advance, there are a limited number of $40 tickets sold at the door.) Complimentary valet parking will be provided.
Think of any type of cuisine—we can almost guarantee it’ll be part of BRW, from Asian sushi, Italian pizza, Thai noodles, and traditional Mexican tacos to American steak, Southern BBQ, charcuterie boards, Cajun crawfish, and vegan sandwiches. Not to mention scrumptious desserts ranging from snow cones at food trucks to specialty cakes at bakeries. You can view the full list of participating restaurants on BRW’s website.
Sipology
You can also sip and snack at BRW’s newest event called Sipology on Sunday, July 20 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.—their take on “Sunday brunch,” held at City Walk Social (in the yellow block of City Walk Bham: 2200 9th Ave. N., Birmingham, between 22nd and 23rd St. N.). A reimagined version of Wineology, it will include a flight of drink options, photo ops, art, dancing, and small-bite tasting. Tickets are available on Eventbrite for $35, and walk-up tickets are $40.
“At Spire, we know just how important restaurants and other businesses in the food and beverage industry are in this community,” says Joe Hampton, president of Spire Alabama. “We couldn’t be happier to continue our partnership with Birmingham Restaurant Week, supporting our local restaurants and providing the community with a way to connect through enjoying great food and drink. Building an even stronger connection during this edition of Birmingham Restaurant Week is our goal, and we look forward to seeing what this edition brings to businesses and the people who call this place home.”
Food Truck Pop-Up Park & Market
Their annual Food Truck Pop-Up Park & Market is being held Saturday, July 26, from 2 to 7 p.m. at City Walk Bham’s Green Block (2200 9th Ave. N., Birmingham). Patrons can pick up food from one of the participating BRW food trucks while enjoying the DJ, dancing, and shopping. Bring your kids for the free The Fat Charles Experience from 3 to 5 p.m., where Chris Pilot, the brother of former owner of Fat Charles BBQ Charles, will lead a cooking class for children in loving memory of Charles. Make sure to secure your RSVP for the cooking experience through Eventbrite.
More Than Food
Food is art; food is what brings people together—and Birmingham Restaurant Week is incorporating art in a whole new way, with an art exhibit called “Legacy of the Southern Table,” featuring local artist Arden Upton’s collection of paintings and photographs called Frank’s Table. Upton plans to donate proceeds from purchased art to Magic City Harvest.
Additionally, this year BRW is offering two curated scavenger hunts. One will be a progressive dinner that foodies can participate in throughout Birmingham Restaurant Week, and the other will be a group scavenger hunt on Saturday, July 19. You can sign up on Eventbrite for $12.50 to compete for the team prize and will receive further instructions upon signing up.
For more information about BRW, visit bhamrestaurantweek.com or follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and Instagram at @bhamrestweek.
