49.2 F
Oxford

A Rebel's Guide to Birmingham

Urban Standard
Urban Standard

Plan your Compass Bowl trip with these tips for hotels, dining, and drinks from a Rebel in B’ham.

By Erik
Ole Miss fans unfamiliar with Birmingham may have heard that Legion Field is in a not-so-nice part of town. That’s correct. But it’s a great city with plenty to enjoy before and after the game. Having lived here for 14 years, I feel I can safely guide guide you as you contemplate your trip for the January 5, 2013, Compass Bowl.

Places to Stay

The only parts of town worth staying in are:
Downtown: The Tutwiler on the North side of the tracks has a nice fancy-ish bar, restaurant, etc.—pretty self-contained and historic. Good thing it’s self-contained, because there is no nightlife nearby.
The Southside (of downtown, south of the tracks) is where all the worthy bars and most of the good restaurants are. Here, I would recommend the Residence Inn by Marriott which is brand-new and within easy walking distance to Five Points and, more importantly Cobb Lane, (more on that later). The Doubletree across the street is alright too, but it’s older. A little further away is SpringHill Suites, which is new and really nice, but it’s a short cab ride or boring walk through the medical district to Five Points. Hotel Highland is an older property that has been completely renovated and is getting impressive reviews on the travel sites. It is in the heart of Five Points, so if staying near night life and really good restaurants is important, this is the place.
Homewood: Think Midtown Memphis. Stay at the Aloft hotel. Nice bar/restaurant and in the middle of “Downtown Homewood” with enough good eats and cutesy “Square-like” shops to keep your wife/girlfriend happy during non-game daylight hours. It’s right “over the mountain” from downtown if you feel so inspired.
Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort: The crown jewel of the Robert Trent Jones golf trail. This is where the Senior PGA Regions classic is played. It is beautiful, huge and new. It is also about 30 minutes from anything not resembling suburbia. Luckily, if you’re into spas, pools, and country club-type stuff, it has all that and more, for a price (in the summer this place would be more attractive, for the golf and the great pool).
Where NOT to stay: Hoover (outside of Ross Bridge), anywhere on 280 (BORING) or anywhere remotely close to the stadium (“$49.99 a night or $20/hour” is no great deal)

Places to Eat

Breakfast: Best omelet and coffee in a cool atmosphere is at Urban Standard, north side of downtown. Best well known breakfast place in Five Points that I’ve somehow never been to: the Original Pancake House. Best family-friendly typical breakfast: Another Broken Egg, Mountain Brook Village.
Lunch/Dinner: Chez Fon Fon, Five Points. Just do it. Get the Steak Frites. Get dessert. Be thankful for Frank Stitt. El Barrio, north side of downtown. Awesome atypical Mexican food in a cool, intimate atmosphere. Trattoria Centrale, north side of downtown. Best local pizza around. Just a cool place. Bettola, Pepper Place area of downtown. Great little Italian lunch. Rojo, Highlands Area. Casual with a good vibe, nice porch. Saw’s Soul Kitchen, Avondale/downtown area. The best BBQ in Birmingham. Don’t be fooled by Dreamland’s touristy B.S. Saw’s is tiny, but amazingly well done, and I don’t even get the BBQ, because the other “soul” food is so tasty (fresh blackened fish sandwich or soft shell crab BLT).
Dinner when somebody else is paying: Highlands Bar & Grill, Five Points. Frank Stitt’s flagship. Gourmet magazine rated it Top 5 in the county. Hot and Hot Fish Club, Five Points/Highland Ave. Area. Chris Hastings > Bobby Flay, live on Iron Chef America. That’s all I have to say about that. Both of the above are reservation-required. If you don’t/can’t get reservations, Chez Fon Fon is maybe as good for dinner as the others but is first-come, first-served and not quite as pricey. In Homewood, it’s Jensi for high-end hipster sushi in downtown Homewood, or a short drive through Homewood to GianMarco’s for the best Italian in Birmingham, with a cool little intimate atmosphere.

Places to Drink

Best beer garden and best beer selection in the South: the J. Clyde, Five Points Area/Cobb Lane. This is Mecca for beerophiles. I love this place. Atmosphere kicks ass, and the beer list is a damn novel. Bar food is above average as well. The perfect place to hang out with bros, before or after the game.
Best whiskey bar: Dram Whiskey Bar, Mountain Brook Village. Not really close to anything but girlish shopping, but they have BACON FLAVORED WHISKEY. Yeah, that’s right.
Best funky, low-key bar for live music:  Bottletree, Avondale area of downtown.
Best microbrewery with most excellent taproom: Avondale Brewery, “downtown” Avondale. Just an awesome, historic place to drink fresh local beer. A close second is Good People Brewing Company taproom, downtown. GP is more centrally located, and the beer is just as good, if not better, than Avondale’s, but the atmosphere is slightly less appealing.
Best place to hook up, late night: The Tin Roof, Southside/LakeVIEW District (not “lakeshore” or “lakeside”). I’ve never been to Tin Roof B’ham, as I’m 32 with two kids, but I hear it’s the New Hotness, much like the Tin Roof in Nashville, I suppose. Also Innisfree, Lakeview; The Barking Kudu, Lakeview; Oasis, Lakeview (more mature crowd, meaning not 23); the Blue Monkey Lounge, Five Points/Cobb Lane (could be sketchy now, not sure).
Super-late-night hippie hangout: Marty’s, Southside/Five Points Area
Super-late-night rock ‘n’ roll bar: The Nick Rocks, Southside/Highlands area
Erik, a former blogger at Deep South Sports, is an Ole Miss alum and has lived in Birmingham for 14 years.

Most Popular

Recent Comments

scamasdscamith on News Watch Ole Miss
Frances Phillips on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Grace Hudditon on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Millie Johnston on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Binary options + Bitcoin = $ 1643 per week: https://8000-usd-per-day.blogspot.com.tr?b=46 on Beta Upsilon Chi: A Christian Brotherhood
Jay Mitchell on Reflections: The Square
Terry Wilcox SFCV USA RET on Oxford's Five Guys Announces Opening Date
Stephanie on Throwback Summer
organized religion is mans downfall on VP of Palmer Home Devotes Life to Finding Homes for Children
Paige Williams on Boyer: Best 10 Books of 2018
Keith mansel on Cleveland On Medgar Evans
Debbie Nader McManus on Cofield on Oxford — Lest We Forget
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: The Last of His Kind
Richard Burns on A William Faulkner Sighting
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Ruby Begonia on Family Catching Rebel Fever
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
jeff the busy eater on Cooking With Kimme: Baked Brie
Travis Yarborough on Reflections: The Square
BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH on Oxford is About to Receive a Sweet Treat
baby travel systems australia on Heaton: 8 Southern Ways to Heckle in SEC Baseball
Rajka Radenkovich on Eating Oxford: Restaurant Watch
Richard Burns on Reflections: The Square
Guillermo Perez Arguello on Mississippi Quote Of The Day
A Friend with a Heavy Heart on Remembering Dr. Stacy Davidson
Harold M. "Hal" Frost, Ph.D. on UM Physical Acoustics Research Center Turns 30
Educated Citizen on Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving
Debbie Crenshaw on Trump’s Tough Road Ahead
Treadway Strickland on Wicker Looks Ahead to New Congress
Tony Ryals on parking
Heather Lee Hitchcock on ‘Pray for Oxford’ by Shane Brown
Heather Lee Hitchcock on ‘Pray for Oxford’ by Shane Brown
Dr Donald and Priscilla Powell on Deadly Plane Crash Leaves Eleven Children Behind
Dr Donald and Priscilla Powell on Deadly Plane Crash Leaves Eleven Children Behind
C. Scott Fischer on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Sylvia Williams on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Will Patterson on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Rick Henderson on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
George L Price on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
on
Morgan Shands on Cleveland: On Ed Reed
Richard McGraw on Cleveland: On Cissye Gallagher
Branan Southerland on Gameday RV Parking at HottyToddy.com
Tom and Randa Baddley on Vassallo: Ole Miss Alum Finds His Niche
26 years and continuously learning on Ole Miss Puts History In Context With Plaque
a Paterson on Beyond Barton v. Barnett
Phil Higginbotham on ‘Unpublished’ by Shane Brown
Bettina Willie@www.yahoo.com.102Martinez St.Batesville,Ms.38606 on Bomb Threat: South Panola High School Evacuated This Morning
Anita M Fellenz, (Emilly Hoffman's CA grandmother on Ole Miss Spirit Groups Rank High in National Finals
Marilyn Moore Hughes on Vassallo: Ole Miss Alum Finds His Niche
Jaqundacotten@gmail williams on HottyToddy Hometown: Hollandale, Mississippi
Finney moore on Can Ole Miss Grow Too Big?
diane faulkner cawlley on Oxford’s Olden Days: Miss Annie’s Yard
Phil Higginbotham on ‘November 24’ by Shane Brown
Maralyn Bullion on Neely-Dorsey: Hog Killing Time
Beth Carr on A Letter To Mom
Becky on A Letter To Mom
Marilyn Tinnnin on A Letter To Mom
Roger ulmer on UM Takes Down State Flag
Chris Pool on UM Takes Down State Flag
TampaRebel on UM Takes Down State Flag
david smith on UM Takes Down State Flag
Boyd Harris on UM Takes Down State Flag
Jim (Herc @ UM) on Cleveland: Fall Vacations
Robert Hollingsworth on Rebels on the Road: Memphis Eateries
David McCullough on Shepard Leaves Ole Miss Football
Gayle G. Henry on Meet Your 2015 Miss Ole Miss
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on Neely-Dorsey: Elvis Presley’s Big Homecoming
Jennifer Mooneyham on ESPN: Ole Miss No. 1 in Nation
Wes McIngvale on Ole Miss Defeats Alabama
BARRY MCCAMMON on Ole Miss Defeats Alabama
Laughing out Loud on ESPN: Ole Miss No. 1 in Nation
Dr.Bill Priester on Cleveland: On Bob Priester
A woman who has no WHITE PRIVILEGE on Oxford Removes Mississippi Flag from City Property
A woman who has no WHITE PRIVILEGE on Oxford Removes Mississippi Flag from City Property
paulette holmes langbecker on Cofield on Oxford – Rising Ole Miss Rookie
Ruth Shipp Yarbrough on Cofield on Oxford — Lest We Forget
Karllen Smith on ‘Rilee’ by Shane Brown
Jean Baker Pinion on ‘The Cool Pad’ by Shane Brown
Janet Hollingsworth (Cavanaugh) on John Cofield on Oxford: A Beacon
Proud Mississippi Voter on Gunn Calls for Change in Mississippi Flag
Deloris Brown-Thompson on Bebe’s Letters: A WWII Love Story
Sue Ellen Parker Stubbs on Bebe’s Letters: A WWII Love Story
Tim Heaton on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Tim Heaton on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Karen fowler on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Don't Go to Law School on Four Legal Rebels Rising in the Real World
bernadette on Feeding the Blues
bernadette on Feeding the Blues
Joanne and Mark Wilkinson on Ron Vernon: a Fellowship of Music
Mary Ellen (Dring) Gamble on Ron Vernon: a Fellowship of Music
Cyndy Carroll on Filming it Up in Mississippi
Dottie Dewberry on Top 10 Secret Southern Sayings
Brother Everett Childers on ‘The Shack’ by Shane Brown
Mark McElreath on ‘The Shack’ by Shane Brown
Bill Wilkes, UM '57, '58, '63 on A Letter from Chancellor Dan Jones
Sandra Caffey Neal on Mississippi Has Proud Irish Heritage
Teresa Enyeart, and Terry Enyeat on Death of Ole Miss Grad, U.S. Vet Stuns Rebel Nation
P. D. Fyke on Wells: Steelhead Run
Johnny Neumann on Freeze Staying with Rebels
Maralyn Bullion on On Cooking Southern: Chess Pie
Kaye Bryant on Henry: E. for Congress
charles Eichorn on Hotty Tamales, Gosh Almighty
Jack of All Trades on Roll Over Bear Bryant
w nadler on Roll Over Bear Bryant
Stacey Berryhill on Oxford Man Dies in Crash
John Appleton on Grovin' Gameday Memories
Charlotte Lamb on Grovin' Gameday Memories
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on Two True Mississippi Icons
Morgan Williamson on A College Education is a MUST
Morgan Williamson on A College Education is a MUST
Jeanette Berryhill Wells on HottyToddy Hometown: Senatobia, Mississippi
Tire of the same ole news on 3 "Must Eat" Breakfast Spots in Oxford
gonna be a rebelution on Walking Rebel Fans Back Off the Ledge
Nora Jaccaud on Rickshaws in Oxford
Martha Marshall on Educating the Delta — Or Not
Nita McVeigh on 'I'm So Oxford' Goes Viral
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on How a Visit to the Magnolia State Can Inspire You
Charlie Fowler Jr. on Prawns? In the Mississippi Delta?
Martha Marshall on A Salute to 37 Years of Sparky
Sylvia Hartness Williams on Oxford Approves Diversity Resolution
Jerry Greenfield on Wine Tip: Problem Corks
Cheryl Obrentz on I Won the Lottery! Now What?
Bnogas on Food for the Soul
Barbeque Memphis on History of Tennessee Barbecue
Josephine Bass on The Delta and the Civil War
Nicolas Morrison on The Walking Man
Pete Williams on Blog: MPACT’s Future
Laurie Triplette on On Cooking Southern: Fall Veggies
Harvey Faust on The Kream Kup of the Krop
StarReb on The Hoka
Scott Whodatty Keetereaux Keet on Hip Hop — Yo or No, What’s Your Call
Johnathan Doeman on Oxford Man Dies in Crash
Andy McWilliams on The Warden & The Chief
Kathryn McElroy on Think Like A Writer
Claire Duff Sullivan on Alert Dogs Give Diabetics Peace of Mind
Jesse Yancy on The Hoka
Jennifer Thompson Walker on Ole Miss, Gameday From The Eyes of a Freshman
HottyToddy.com