Automatic Seafood and Oysters

“I’m not even sure why I need to add my great reviews to this restaurant because everyone else is reviewed it as an awesome place to eat, that’s why I went there today and also found out today that they were open for lunch so it was on like donkey Kong. I got the mahi blackened fish sandwich and they brought out some hot sauce. I had to pour the hot sauce, homemade all over the sandwich as a transport mechanism to get the hot sauce in my mouth without drinking it from the bottle, lol and the fries also became a transport mechanism. They were trice fried pub fries and they were delicious too. I had to also get some of the oysters and wow I could’ve had a whole plate of them now I will have to go back many times to try everything on the menu one of the best meals I have had lately!”

“Visiting Birmingham for the first time and we’re hungry after a morning drive and was able to check this place out for Sunday brunch. First and foremost they offer complimentary valet making it easy access to the restaurant, there is also parking on the street around the restaurant (if needed). We arrived without reservation and got sat right away, thankfully. We started with drink (Bloody Marys!) and ordered the beet salad and oysters, fresh and from Alabama! We ordered the Nicoise Salad, Schnitzel and Burger for our entrees. I personally loved my salad and it was prepped in a way u have seen before. I do wish there was some more tuna but it was flavorful. The key lime pie was a nice way to close out the meal. I’d definitely come back here again!”

“🌟Top Rated Reviewer🌟 Superb. This is a proper oyster house with raw bar offerings and unique traditional American pairings. I had the scallops, which were paired with asparagus and a basil-based puree that was fresh and invigorating. The puree better complimented the asparagus though, so I would have loved to see an accompaniment that was exclusively for the protein. Service was prompt and attentive. There's outdoor seating as well as a spacious & open front of house. It's appointed with simple but modern decor - making it easy to enjoy the experience without the distraction of imposing furnishings or constricting boundaries. Minus one star - This review is assessed in comparison to restaurants of the same class. In which case, there should be no disappointments. The cocktail list was underwhelming. I tried a 5th&29th and a High and Rye - I wouldn't go back for either of them. Although both were well prepared, there was no draw; nothing memorable to desire. ❤️👍 if helpful, thanks! 🙏”

“We had a great dinner at Automatic Seafood, as usual. This is our first time dining with them on a spring menu. Overall, some great hits and misses. We started with the crispy pork belly with strawberry and mint sauce. The pork belly is beautifully cooked, as always, but the strawberry sauce was so sweet and like a dessert sauce. It needs something to bridge the pork belly and strawberry sauce - a balsamic glaze, for example, would be a perfect fit. The New England scallops plate is wonderfully cooked and accompanied with very flavourful short rib and mushroom accompaniment. I have to say for something advertised as ‘New England’ scallop, I’m quite disappointed to find very small sized scallop on the plate. In fact, it’s hard to call it a scallop dish - it eats more like a short rib dish with some scallops and mushroom garnish. Incredible flavor though. We had key lime pie to share for dessert and this was wonderfully tart and paired with a great toasted meringue topper Overall, great dinner but some constructive criticism for the restaurant to consider in refining their dishes!”

“The food was not up-to-par. We ordered oysters, fish dip, scallops w/ short rib, grouper and a side of asparagus. We got a key lime pie to-go. By far the oysters and white wine were the best thing we ordered. The scallops were not seared correctly and were somewhat undercooked. The short rib was decent. The grouper was also cooked in a way that was not especially tasty. Despite everything being covered in some sort of sauce, especially the asparagus, the flavor just didn’t impress. The service started well enough, but to no fault of our waiter, the entrees took a VERY long time to come to the table. My guess is that there was a slowdown of some kind in the kitchen. The atmosphere is enjoyable. However, we sat in a side room with some wood trim behind the booth and the wood ledge was covered in dust (see photo of dust bunny). Overall, we paid about $200. My date and I found it very disappointing paying so much for a meal that wasn’t flavorful, noticeably slow service and unclean dining area. We had heard great things about Automatic and will most likely only return for oysters and wine.”