What are the opening hours?

Monday 11am - 9pm Tuesday 11am - 9pm Wednesday 11am - 9pm Thursday 11am - 9pm Friday 11am - 9pm Saturday 9am - 2pm 5pm - 9pm Sunday 9am - 2pm 5pm - 9pm

The Essential

Name: The Essential
Address: 2215 First Avenue N, Birmingham, AL, 35203, US
Telephone: +12057187612
Price range: $$
Rating: 4.7

An American Bistro
Lunch - Dinner - Weekend Brunch
Craft Cocktails - Natural Wine - Good Food
(515)

American bistro open all day with fresh pasta, craft cocktails, natural wines, a really good chicken, and weekend brunch.

09/03/2026

What better way to cool off from this never-ending summer than a shrimp + crab roll? Gulf shrimp + crab tossed in remoulade, tucked into a house-made roll with iceberg + dill, served with fries.

And because one new dish is never enough: gemelli with local shiitake mushroom XO, sunflower seed pesto + burrata.

08/24/2026

Sitting at Paul & Tina’s bar at The Essential comes with loads of perks: great bartenders, comfy stools, something good on TV and, of course, a giant cat painting.

But now there’s more.

Introducing bar snacks at The Essential - available exclusively to our bar guests. This week’s lineup: pepper poppers, chicken parmesan wings and cheesy taters.

Pull up a stool. You’re a bar person now.

08/17/2026

Summertime sippin’ just got two new best friends!

Pearfectly Said - a pear-forward riff on the classic Last Word, with gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino + housemade sour pear cordial, finished with a hibiscus-dyed pear “cherry.”

3:10 to Lima - a sparkling pisco sour with local melon, fresh mint + bubbles. Dry, refreshing & made for this warm weather.

08/14/2026

A hot weekend calls for cold crudo!

New to the menu - king salmon pounded thin with cucumber mayo, shaved cucumber, sesame, crispy okra + ginger pickled with Steen’s cane syrup.

Cool, bright, crunchy & oh so delicious.

08/11/2026

Don’t even try to pretend we’re not all tomato girls at heart. And with heirlooms this beautiful, how could you not be?

Our new Tomato Salad is here with Boyd’s Harvest Farm heirloom tomatoes, Steve Sando and the Rancho Gordo staff hummus, sunflower seeds, oregano, fresh herbs + Larder Foods ramp vinaigrette.

Pro tip: add some sourdough for maximum dipping, scooping, and soaking up every last drop.

08/05/2026

Our 8th birthday has us feeling a little nostalgic, so we’re giving some love to a dish that’s been with us since day one - the five grain salad.

Eight years later, it’s still one of our favorites: hearty, fresh, and full of texture. Farro, barley, red wheat berries, Carolina Gold rice, crispy quinoa, toasted walnuts, fresh avocado, and whipped feta bringing it all together.

Some things are classics for a reason.

07/21/2026

Eight years?! We think that calls for presents (for you)

To celebrate The Essential turning 8, we’re giving away:
🎉 An exclusive Paul & Tina print (now officially for sale!)
🎉 An $80 Essential gift card
🎉 An Essential T-shirt

Here’s how to enter:
• Follow The Essential
• Like this post
• Tag a friend in the comments (each tag = another entry!)

We’ll pick one lucky winner this Thursday.

Thanks for eight incredible years of brunches, dinners, cocktails, celebrations & making The Essential what it is. Here’s to many more!

07/11/2026

Our newest summer additions are here! Fresh, housemade, and built around the best flavors of the season.

Gemelli with sunflower seed pesto, romano beans, zucchini & ricotta salata.

Paccheri with shish*to cream, Gulf shrimp, octopus, charred corn, hatch chili & torpedo onions.

07/01/2026

We spent all morning staring at these new lunch specials too. 😋

Fried Chicken Sandwich with hatch chili plum sauce, garlic mayo, cabbage & fries.

Pimento Cheese BLT with housemade bacon, pimento cheese, heirloom tomatoes, iceberg also with fries.

Address

2215 First Avenue N
Birmingham, AL
35203

Opening Hours

Monday	11am - 9pm
Tuesday	11am - 9pm
Wednesday	11am - 9pm
Thursday	11am - 9pm
Friday	11am - 9pm
Saturday	9am - 2pm
	5pm - 9pm
Sunday	9am - 2pm
	5pm - 9pm

Telephone

+12057187612

Website

https://essentialbham.com/

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