The Essential - Birmingham

During our visit to Birmingham, we stumbled upon this charming restaurant, and we fell in love with it! They serve what might be the best chai tea I've ever tasted. The avocado toast with salmon (as shown in the photo) was fantastic. If you're not very hungry, it's easily shareable for two. Our waitress, Martha, was lovely and attentive. The restaurant is located in a delightful artsy area as well. I highly recommend checking it out!

Wow! The Essential was fantastic!!! We ordered drinks at the bar while waiting for a table, and the bartender was incredibly sweet to whip up a fun mocktail for my son. My latte was excellent. As for the food? It reached a whole new level of deliciousness. The ricotta on the French toast was heavenly. Every dish we tried was noteworthy, the atmosphere was lovely, and the service was top-notch. It was a wonderful highlight of our short vacation in Birmingham.

The atmosphere was fantastic, and the food was delicious, although the service wasn't quite up to a five-star standard. This was my first visit, and I really enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant. I arrived shortly after it opened, having read that it gets busy quickly, and that was definitely the case! Based on recommendations I read in reviews, I ordered the Peach Hand Pie and the house-made Pastrami, which is served as a sandwich, though I opted to skip the bread. The pastrami was incredible—tender and full of flavor. It was accompanied by a mix of shredded lettuce and sweet peppers, along with a pickle.

Nice restaurant with inside seating and a covered patio. Prompt and courteous service. Five grain salad with added protein (fish) was great! My coworker enjoyed the pork tenderloin scallopini. We also had the sourdough toasted bread with butter, which was sinfully good.

I?m torn about this review. The Essential was both a great experience and a puzzling one. The food, design, and style of the restaurant was everything I typically enjoy. It has a forward thinking, contemporary and creative feel. However, on a Sunday early afternoon with families all over, somehow the uncut versions of a Lil Wayne song, then a G-unit and 50 Cent were played. As we were trying to enjoy our meal all I could hear was N ga this, Shake that A , and B ch that. I