Burning Tree BBQ — Restaurant in Birmingham

SO picked me up from work for lunch. Sonce Burning Tree is close to where I work, we decided to give it a try. Parking is easy, so a definite plus. The visit had an interesting twist though, more on that later.

The restaurant is cute with both inside and outside seatings. It's ordering at the register, get your own drinks, food delivered by number signs, and clean up after yourself. The tables are cool as the table surfaces are made of different wood and they label the wood used. Looked to be mostly hardwood and some slightly more exotic. I appreciated them as my parents used to be in the hard wood industry.

We ordered a chicken plate and the brisket fries. Got our drinks and then sat down to wait for our food. When the employee delivered our food, she accidentally knocked over my SO's drink. It spilled all over the table ONTO HIS LAP and his chair. So he jumped up and his shorts were all wet, along with wet table, wet chair, and wet floor. The employee said: "Oh, sorry" in the most uncaring way and just WALKED AWAY like nothing happened! No checking on the customer that she spilled the drink on, no offer to help clean up the table, nothing. Honestly, it wasn't a big deal as luckily he doesn't have to go back to work like I do, but we were both flabbergasted by the complete lack of concern the employee showed after spilling a drink all over somebody! In addition, the food delivered wasn't quite right.

Constructive feedback to Burning Tree - train your employees on how to handle accidents! Accidents happen, no problem, but how you handle it is everything in the service industry! Also, train the employees to check at the time of delivery to at least ask if the order delivered is correct. Anyway, I am just glad it wasn't my drink as it would have been rough to go back to work with a soaked through crotch area, ha!

Aside from the unpleasant incident, the food was actually good overall. The brisket was yum, the fries were hot, and the chicken not bad. We would definitely get the brisket fries again and would...

Extremely Disappointing Birthday Experience‼️‼️

I came to Burning Tree Smokehouse in Birmingham, AL to celebrate my 20th birthday on Saturday, June 28th, 2025, and had a very disappointing experience. My family called the restaurant 2–3 times ahead of time to inform them that we would be coming, and we called again on the day of. We spoke to a staff member named Dee, who told us our table would be ready and everything was good to go.

We arrived around 4:00 PM with my family, birthday balloons, and a beautiful cake that needed refrigeration. It was extremely hot outside. Despite all our calls, we waited in line like regular guests. When we finally spoke to Dee, he told us we could either sit outside or wait for an inside table—contradicting what he had previously said about our reservation. At that point, we were confused and disappointed but decided to sit outside. However, due to the heat and flies, we tried again to ask about indoor seating.

We attempted to speak with a server who completely ignored us. No one offered to help us store the cake, provide menus, or even start drinks. It felt like we weren’t even there. Meanwhile, my birthday cake melted from the heat. We eventually walked back inside and stood around, waiting for some help or direction, but still no one acknowledged us.

Frustrated, we left and called the restaurant afterward. We ended up speaking with the owner’s wife, who admitted she saw us but said nothing. When we explained how we felt lied to and mistreated, she simply repeated what we had already done (call ahead), and said her husband would follow up. A week has passed and no one has contacted us.

This was supposed to be a special day, and instead it was completely ruined. I was really looking forward to trying the food, but the poor communication, lack of professionalism, and complete disregard for customers made this one of the worst restaurant experiences I’ve had. I do not recommend spending your money here until major improvements are made in...

I visited Burning Tree Smokehouse after seeing a 10/10 review from a popular influencer. I was in the area after a funeral and decided to stop by to see what the hype was about. Unfortunately, my experience was nothing like what was advertised.

When I arrived, the restaurant was extremely busy, which I expected. I placed my order, received my number (#5), and took a seat. As I waited, I watched food being served to others, but my order never arrived.

After 30 minutes, a server finally approached, checked my receipt, and went to the kitchen. A few minutes later, he returned with two plates and informed me they were out of ribs and pork—after I had already paid for them. He asked what I wanted instead, so I requested a menu. He brought it, but never returned to take my replacement order.

By that time, I had already eaten the cold brisket taco he brought, just so I wouldn’t be sitting there with nothing. The mac and cheese was just cheese sauce and noodles with a gritty texture.

After waiting another 20 minutes, the server finally came back—but only to take our plates. Frustrated, I asked to speak with the manager, who seemed clueless and confused about what was going on. I asked for a refund for the sandwich I never received, and instead of offering an apology or any explanation, he simply refunded my entire check without a word.

This place is unorganized, unprofessional, and lacks basic customer service. If they ran out of ribs, they should have immediately prioritized customers who had already paid. Instead, they handled the situation poorly, with no communication and no accountability.

I won’t be back, and I wouldn’t recommend this...