The Essential - Birmingham

We were visiting Birmingham and came across this adorable restaurant. We absolutely loved it! Probably one of the best chai teas I?ve ever had. And the avocado toast with salmon (pictured) was delicious. If you?re not super hungry, easily splittable for two. Our waitress, Martha, was very sweet and attentive. In a cute artsy area too. Highly recommend!

Wow! The Essential was amazing!!! We ordered drinks at the bar since there was a short wait. The bartender was extremely kind to make my son a fun mocktail. My latte was great. The food?a whole new level of deliciousness. The ricotta on the french toast was divine. All of the meals we ordered were noteworthy, the atmosphere great, and the service superior. A great treat to our short vacation in Birmingham.

Great atmosphere, delicious food, service not quite 5 star. First visit. I loved the atmosphere of the place. I got here soon after opening as I read it fills up quickly. That?s definitely true! From review recommendations, I ordered the Peach Hand Pie and the made in house Pastrami. The latter comes as a sandwich, but I skipped the bread. The pastrami itself was incredible. Tender and flavorful. It comes with a shredded lettuce, sweet pepper mixture with a pickle type of

Nice restaurant with inside seating and a covered patio. Prompt and courteous service. Five grain salad with added protein (fish) was great! My coworker enjoyed the pork tenderloin scallopini. We also had the sourdough toasted bread with butter, which was sinfully good.

I?m torn about this review. The Essential was both a great experience and a puzzling one. The food, design, and style of the restaurant was everything I typically enjoy. It has a forward thinking, contemporary and creative feel. However, on a Sunday early afternoon with families all over, somehow the uncut versions of a Lil Wayne song, then a G-unit and 50 Cent were played. As we were trying to enjoy our meal all I could hear was N ga this, Shake that A , and B ch that. I