The Essential — Restaurant in Birmingham

Guys yesterday I got the chance to try The Essential. Not going to lie I only came here because they made the list of 25 best burgers in Alabama so of course I hade to try it. However we had to get some other items to try.

To start off the place was very nice and welcoming not a huge place either but not too small. A very nice bar, great place for friends and small family gatherings or even a nice date night. 8/10

I also really loved the open kitchen they had you could see the chefs working hard and getting the dishes out. Our waitress (forgot her name) was probably hands down one of the best waitresses I have ever had and even got some up sales out of me. Also got to meet who I think was either the manager or the owner not sure but he was very nice too. 10/10 on customer service.

APPETIZER: BAKED MOZZARELLA (Lioni cheese, calabrian sauce, fontina). This was so freaking good its hard to explain but I'm going to do my best. It's baked mozzarella but eating it you'd definitely think it was fried but it was not. The sauce was so good its not marinara sauce kind of is but with a slight spicy kick. I absolutely devoured this thing. Probably my favorite dish of the whole night. 10/10

We also recieved free focaccia bread which is one of my favorite breads and it was so good. I was not a big fan of the ricotta cheese blend though it's just me I'm not a fan of ricotta cheese lol. But the bread itself was top notch. So fluffy and yet properly toasted and buttery. 8.5/10

Now for what I and all of you are waiting for: CHEESEBURGER (Bear Creek beef, big mac style, fries) This burger was so fresh and delicious don't let the picture fool you it was not very big but still very delicious. The Big Mac style sauce was good. The ingredients you could easily tell were very fresh but I feel like seasoning wasn't executed well and lacked salt and pepper. Fries were cut fresh very good and well seasoned. Do I think it deserves to be on the top 25 list? Yes but what they are charging for it I think it's a bit much for what you actually recieve. 8.9/10

Second entrée was: HALF CHICKEN PIRI PIRI (guajillo marinade, peanut-lime gremolata, fries) This was some flavorful juicy chicken Piri Piri definitely done right however correct me if I'm wrong but half chicken means half a chicken right because we only recieved a butterflied chicken breast. Maybe I'm missing something here and someone can help me understand. 9/10

Last but not least dessert: CARROT CAKE (swiss meringue buttercream, whipped cheesecake) The dessert menu wasn't very extravagant and very limited but I found out they own their own bakery so the cakes were made in house so we got the carrot it. It was very good and very moist however it had coconut all over it and I flat out don't like coconut it's a texture thing not a flavor thing. For the price you pay for it I definitely expected a bigger slice then what we recieved. But with that being said 8.5/10

Would I come back here? Yes! Do I recommend this place? Yes! However I think for what you're paying for some for the items I think the portions should be adjusted accordingly. Staff was spectacular food was great and I really enjoyed...

We had a terrible Saturday brunch experience there yesterday. I was embarrassed because I had told my out of town friend how great this place was but then this happened: we ordered bloody Marys, which were small but tasty, then we ordered our food, a pretty big order for two people, but we were hungry. Our salad came out pretty quickly and it was delicious. Then we chatted while we waited for the rest of our meal... For over 40 minutes, with no word from our server or anyone who worked there that whole time. We watched as people who were seated about 10 minutes after us, received their food (they had a different server), ate their entire meal, and had their dishes cleared away. When my friend got up to ask that we just pay for what we ate so we could leave, his response was "let me talk to my manager." No, apology or acknowledgement that we had been waiting. We honestly should have just walked out right then. Clearly nobody was paying attention to us. But we waited a few more minutes and paid for our salad and drinks. When he brought the check he said a quick, uncomfortable, not at all believable "I'm sorry," without eye contact or even saying what he was sorry for. When we left, nobody said a word or acknowled us. It was busy, so I don't blame the hostess for not saying anything. I don't blame the kitchen, as they were clearly working very hard. Our server could, at any point, just come say something to us. When he told his manager we were leaving, the manager should have come over, in my opinion, but I don't know if our server even explained the situation to him. He may have just been like, "hey my table want to leave before their food has come out." That was humiliating and the worst service I've ever experienced—the only time I have ever left a $0 tip. The only reason I'm giving 2 stars over all is that the food really is great.

The place felt really cramped inside, while the people lucky enough to be seated outside had lots of space. The two-seaters up front where we were felt awkwardly close to one another. Being so close to strangers really wouldn't have bothered me at all tbh, had we not had to smell their food while we were being totally ignored.

By the way, I know it's a pricey place, but wow just two drinks and a salad resulted in a $50 check. We really should...

My wife and I had heard so much about this place we were keen to share this experience with our son and daughter in law, her parents and sister with her boyfriend (think party of 8). The restaurant is in a really hip location off 1st Ave N next to the breezeway (put a pin in this to address later) leading down to Morris. The drip coffee was excellent, the brunch punch and Bloody Mary was on point (so I’m told) but then the experience started. We ordered 2 orders of table pancakes with honey butter and apple compote—I don’t know what they mix into their pancake batter but they were fluffy, flavorful, and the syrup was divine. Our brunch was then upgraded as we hit the main course. The biscuits and sausage gravy with 2 eggs was so delicious and the gravy so full of meat one experienced the full palate in each bite. The huevos rancheros were MASSIVE and enjoyed by 2 of our party—full of flavor and texture—excellent! The surprise of the table was the spicy chicken sandwich!!! This was a HUGE filet of chicken rolled in batter that had a ‘kick’ to it that hit me like it was on a time delayed fuse and was such a pleasant surprise. A great meal all around. Our only complaint was there are NO tables that seat 8 inside so the breezeway/porch seating was pleasant (March 1) when there was no wind, but the wind was blowing thru the aptly named breezeway and our menus and napkins would fly off the table every few minutes and chill every one to the bone. 5 stars! No question on the service by Joe, the selection, the drinks, the food…we will be back with 6 adults or less! Thanks for a...