The Essential

“We had a nice diner in this restaurant. You can sit nice outside. Very friendly and attentive Service. Great food quality. We highly recommend the Tatar, the fresh sourdough bread and the goat cheese squash blossoms. It a bit pricey but worth the price. All in all very good”

“Super nice staff, great ambiance inside and some sidewalk seats outside, and solid food. On the pricier side for brunch/lunch in Birmingham with a $22 burger, but at least it tasted good. Double patty smash with a zesty sauce. Fried chicken biscuit had a hearty cut with a panko style breading. $69 for those two entrees and two sodas, with tip. Would go again.”

“Just ate here for the first time this week and loved it so much I took my husband back three days later! The pastas are incredible! The sourdough OMG! The 5 grain salad wow! Simple yet delish! Wonderful service! Parking can be tough so go early if you can.”

“Had a wonderful breakfast at The Essential. We did not have a reservation Sunday morning so we had to wait a few minutes but they were kind and quickly able to find accommodation for my girlfriend and I. EXCEPTIONAL cappuccino. Made very very well. Delicious fresh orange juice. The eggs Benedict and hash were also very tasty. The table service was good. The atmosphere was nice as well with a dining room and bar. Whenever I am in a place like this that does everything so well, my only additional question is how could they improve? Having been through a lot of cafés in Europe, The Essential would be an excellent test bed for a more “European” dining experience. Bring more tables in, seat people closer together, explore a more communal style of dining - especially if the food is bringing so many people in. But alas - this is Birmingham, AL🤣”

“The bartender was amazing; friendly, personable, knowledgeable, and actually invested in your experience as a diner. He made great drinks, did so quickly and with a smile. A definite recommendation for a bar hop through this part of town. However, don’t eat here. I got the hash, which was a papas bowl or potato bowl, nothing crispy or crunchy about it. The plating was sloppy and haphazard, nothing about the dish said chef driven at all. Mine was edible enough but I had to douse it in hot sauce then by the end just picked out the sausage. My wife got the bolognese to start, but whereas my hash wasn’t crunchy her noodles were so under they were. Credit where it’s due they replaced her dish free of charge. But alas, the chicken biscuit had multiple issues as well with under seasoning and over cooking. Hopefully this restaurant can course correct but right now it’s a skip on the food. I did enjoy Spider Man playing behind the bar though, forgot how cheesy those movies were.”