Hazel's — Restaurant in Birmingham

We attended a private event in their back room - quite a lovely space for entertaining about 50 people standing; maybe less if were were all seated? It's a perfect space for a networking event and very conveniently located close to the Peabody St parking garage. Quick in and out, especially for happy hour in Birmingham. There was a buffet table of appetizers, all of which were delicious, so I look forward to coming back and trying more items from the menu. The lemon aioli on the crab cakes was phenomenal, and everything tasted really fresh and yummy. Servers were attentive and friendly, the wine was excellent and the cocktails were crafted with homemade mixers and were nice and balanced. A great experience.

1/8/2025: Had dinner for the first time last night celebrating hubby's birthday, and it was excellent. Such an enjoyable dining experience from the vibe to the food and drinks to the service. If I lived closer, we'd be here more often for sure.

I started with a cocktail - the salty dog - a vodka grapefruit drink that was delightful and not too sweet - perfect. If I wasn't driving, I'd have had 2. Hubby had a perfect Maker's old fashioned, and they have a nice beer menu.

We ordered oysters, wings, the grouper and the fish and chips. Everything was hot (or cold), fresh and delicious. The oysters were top notch - they had 4 or 5 varieties to choose from, and our server had great recommendations. He was outstanding the whole night; I'd go back just to have him serve us again. We had an east coast and a west coast variety and enjoyed both so much that we rodered 6 more after our first dozen. Sauces were simple and homemade and just right. I love their homemade hot sauce and the grated horseradish was nice. There was also a cocktail sauce and a red wine vinegar mignonette. Next, the wings came out hot and fast and were served with homemade buffalo and blue cheese - fall off the bone tender and so flavorful. We eat wings everywhere, and these stood out because of how nice and tender they were. I'd for sure try their fried chicken based on those. For entrees, hubby had the grouper which was perfectly cooked and served with a lemon butter wine sauce, potatoes and green beans, and I had the fish and chips, which was a large piece of cod and fries - I was able to give half to hubby to share. Perfectly fried, crispy and fresh; just needed a touch of salt. Decent coleslaw.

Finally, our server surprised hubby with a chocolate ice cream dessert for his birthday - exactly what he likes! Very yummy. Again, I have to reiterate how excellent our server was - he was knowledgeable, clearly knew the menu, and had great recommendations. Based on what he likes, I'd order the whole fried fish next time, which was red snapper last night, but can also be branzino, which I love.

Looking forward to...

Excellent seafood and overall restaurant. Beautiful space with high ceilings, great location on Woodward and Maple, friendly service, great drink selection, and delicious food. Love the lobster rolls they have. As someone who summered in Maine growing up, I can say that the lobster rolls here are as good as any outside Portland, Maine. I have only positive things to say about the food, beverages, and atmosphere here.

The one issue I have concerns their payment experience. When I last ate there, they gave me a mobile Point of Sale (PoS) card reader for me to pay with my card, which we are all accustomed to. After paying for the meal, however, I was honestly surprised to discover that their three default tip options were exceptionally high—well above those of any other restaurant or bar that I have personally encountered. If I recall correctly, the three default tipping options were 25%, 30%, and 35%.

Typically, these mobile point of sale payment systems provide default tipping options that range from 15-18% on the low end all the way up to 22-30% on the highest end. These are the generally accepted tipping options in America today.

So, I was frankly pretty surprised to be presented with these three default tipping options after paying for our meal here recently. I understand that this is a great restaurant in a nice location, and that these factors perhaps influenced management’s decision to some extent to implement these specific tipping options. That is totally fine and is their prerogative. On the other hand, as a customer who enjoys both seafood and going out to eat, I felt a bit put off by that whole thing.

Nonetheless, this is an excellent restaurant that I would definitely recommend to anyone nearby looking for great,...

Dining at Hazel, Ravines and Downtown during Lobster Pound is a summer tradition for us. We don't live nearby, but it is well-worth the 45 minute drive for this incredible meal!

Flown in fresh daily, the seafood is as good as it gets. The atmosphere is casual, but upscale and very fun. Although we are still trying to eat outdoors as much as possible (due to Covid variants), we loosened up to experience this special meal. We felt comfortable and safe, as the tables are well-spaced and our server was very respectful of personal space.

We wanted to order everything on the menu, but decided to stick mostly with our favorites. The whitefish pate was new to us and I have to say, it was the BEST I've ever had. I was tempted to order another to go, but restrained myself. We also share a bowl of the creamiest clam chowder. I didn't even think I liked clam chowder until I tried H,R,&D's version several years ago. For dinner my husband went with the Maine Lobster Roll (cold with mayo), while I love the Connecticut style (warm with butter). They are filled with lobster and absolutely decadent. We've been to Maine and these are every bit as good, if not better than the lobster rolls we ate there. We especially love that they are served on Texas Toast instead of a bun. We rounded out this feast with a side of crispy potatoes and corn-on-the-cob. Of course, it was more food than we could eat and we ended up taking the potatoes home for the next day.

Everyone at the restaurant was friendly, prompt and helpful, from the hostess to our server (I'm sorry I can't remember her name as she was fantastic) to the chef and co-owner, Emmele. This top-notch restaurant is not to be missed! We can't wait to go again during one of their other seasonal,...