Shift Kitchen & Cocktails — Restaurant in Birmingham

This place is a certified joke. Walking in, we were immediately greeted by Biggie Smalls’ long-lost twin, who clearly got resurrected just to be on the world’s biggest power trip. I swear, the Power Rangers didn’t even have this much “power,” and they literally fought space aliens. Biggie at the front clearly didn’t make it past the 10th-grade football team and is now living out his NFL dreams as the self-appointed Shift Guard General. Bro’s blocking harder than your local buffet’s favorite plus-size regular.

Me and my esteemed companions — who poetically booked a reservation in advance — walked up to the entrance. It was dead inside. Like, “haunted house during daylight” dead. He ID’d us (we’re a strong 22–25 age bracket, prime demographic) and then hit us with the, “Sorry, it’s busy.” Sir, where? There were more tumbleweeds rolling through than customers.

Then — plot twist — he starts letting other people in. All dudes. Groups of strictly testosterone and broken dreams. Meanwhile, we had two girls with us (solid 8–10 Better Business Bureau verified ratings, might I add). Make it make sense, Biggie. MAKE. IT. MAKE. SENSE.

This, my friends, is where Biggie’s Corruption Saga Part I: “The Tupac Scandal” begins. Our man Biggie then has the audacity to ask for $100 each to get in. For clarity, that’s $400 for four people. My guy, this is not the Acropolis of Athens. We are not at the gates of Mount Olympus. This is a glorified strip mall club, and you’re acting like you’re the Pope granting access to the Vatican.

Mind you, the place was NOT full. We HAD a reservation. He let in random bro squads. We brought balance to the gender force. Two lovely ladies. NOT one big back among them. And still, we were shunned. I am utterly convinced this man didn’t get drafted to the NFL solely because of his attitude. No GM in their right mind would put up with this kind of delusion.

To add salt to the wound, Biggie then started encouraging people to use Groupon deals to sneak past his own corruption tax. You cannot make this up. The man is literally running a side hustle at the front door like it’s Wall Street for cover charges. Sir, please.

On top of that, Biggie’s fade looked like it was installed by a blindfolded toddler with kitchen scissors. How you gonna act like a Warlord with a haircut that screams “Regret and Poor Decisions”? This man needs to resign immediately — from his post and his barber.

As if the situation couldn’t get any more tragic, Biggie summoned backup: a man who looked like LaVar Ball if you ordered him off Wish. Together, they tried to intimidate us into coughing up the bribe. Spoiler alert: the only thing they dominate is the “All-You-Can-Eat Fried Chicken Thursdays” at Golden Corral.

Enough is enough. I am organizing a community meetup at the Birmingham Public Library, Room C, on May 1st, 2025. We must band together to fight this injustice. To stop this Power-Hungry Eater once and for...

this will not be a biased review,i have been coming to shift for quite some time, have never had a problem entering the place before, other than the time they charged me double for a tequila lemonade which i let slide, not a big deal for me. However on March 23rd 2025 on a saturday, me and my group of friends were denied entry meanwhile they were letting people who waited in line after us and got in before us, keep in kind although it was spring it was 28°. so while everyone around us was able to gain entry we were stuck outside, we ask the bouncer why aren’t we allowed entry, he said he would go ask for help to let us inside, he goes and comes back saying they wanted $100 PER PERSON. so we walked off. keep in mind entry fee to the place is nonexistent, and we had a few people we know already inside having a good time, i have been here a handful of times but i would never pay $100 for myself let alone $400 for my group to gain entry to this small kid infested bar. once again this is NOT a biased review, this is exactly what occurred word for word, the chinese lady upfront that “runs the place” needs to removed. this place is always over capacity anyways and police always show up. not saying i wont be back, however if i dont see change on how they treat their customer i will be contacting the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and submit a deep report exactly like...

Based on the reviews I'd read, and the happy hour specials, I was really excited to try this place. There are so many compelling items on the menu that I was already anticipating coming back to try more before I had even ordered. We sat at the bar, and ended up ordering the filet sliders, halibut tacos, and "truffle" fries.

The filet sliders were ok, but I didn't feel that the density of a stiff pretzel bun complimented the meat's tenderness in any way, and the sliders were severely lacking in moisture/sauce. I would recommend a toasted brioche bun instead, served with a side of zip sauce, au jus, or similar.

The halibut tacos (recommended by waiter) actually made me want to gag. Each was essentially a large chunk of the fishiest halibut meat I've ever tasted, loosely thrown into a cold flour tortilla with some bbq sauce and pineapple pieces - these need serious help.

The fries were good - essentially McDonald's fries with a tablespoon of shredded parm on top, served with "special sauce". I think the main disappointment here is that the menu description implies that these are truffle fries, when in reality, no truffle flavor was detected. Nonetheless, these were enjoyable enough.

To top it off, the service was unfortunately slow and unenthusiastic. One or the other would have been fine, but both?...