Highlands Bar & Grill

Definitely the best wine, food and service I experienced in Birmingham!!!

When I visit a city for the first time I like to check the «36 Hours in _​_​_​» column on the NYT website. That’s how I found about Highlands Bar & Grill. The NYT gave it a great nod, so I made reservations for a Saturday evening dinner. Best decision ever! It was our lucky day, because Gorin was our waiter. He was extremely hospitable and, as a chef himself, very knowledgable about the food. He expertly helped us navigate the menu. For starters we had both the pork belly and the lump crab and heirloom tomato salad. It’s hard to say which one was more delicious! (OK, it was the pork belly. Don’t leave without trying it!) For dinner, I ordered a beautifully prepared speckled trout: it was lightly battered and pan fried to tender, buttery perfection. My companion had paillards of pork loin on a bed of turnip root and zucchini gratin. We swapped plates halfway through! Everything was perfectly prepared, seasoned, and presented. As we were finishing up our amazing desserts we were already trying to figure out how next to visit Birmingham so we could eat here again. Cheers to Gorin! (Oh, and just so you know, Birmingham retains some old-​school gentility. 90% of the men were in ties and all the women looked like they were either going to or coming from a royal wedding. Don’t wear jeans!)

Really fancy spot at five points. Its a bit expensive, but the food is phenomenal. Bartenders are extremely friendly and conversational if its just you. (Helps when you travel for work and its always just you.)

Great customer service by Marco and Tabatha!
Very friendly :)
The rabbit two ways is a must try.
And don’t forget to ask for the strawberry shortcake, that was definitely the highlight of my dinner, YUM!!!

While the service and atmosphere were both very good tonight, the food for this level of restaurant was just slightly above average. Maybe we were expecting too much??? Do try the beef carpaccio but skip the shrimp cocktail — small shrimp, bland sauce. The lamb chops were flavorful as were the scallops and halibut. Don’t bother with the Jack Daniels chocolate ice cream unless you’re really wanting plain chocolate ice cream… not even a hint of the sweet liquor was detected. The waiter all but confirmed this when he went to the kitchen to sample and returned to say that it was «light» tasting. No offer of apology or replacement or compensation was made.

Everyone kept saying this was the best place to eat in all of Birmingham. I disagree. It’s good, but not at the top of the charts for me. For starters, I think the name «Bar & Grill» threw me off. I’m used to that being a place with large beer mugs and chicken wings. That is not Highlands — this is more of a «fine dining» restaurant.
We made a reservation and arrived 15 minutes early (at 9:15pm). The place was packed! However, they had our table ready when we arrived and we were sat immediately. I appreciated that! Our server was super friendly and knowledgeable about the menu.
One thing I did love about this place is their menu constantly changes with whatever is currently in season. We ordered some asparagus (as it was in its prime season) and it came with some fresh trout fish and bernaise sauce. It was pretty tasty! I had a flat iron steak as my entrée. It was good, but not amazing.
Overall I had a good experience but that was mainly from their excellent service and environment. However, I don’t think I’d go back. This place is pretty much «been there done that» for me.

Nice elegant not too stuffy décor. Food was quite good. Very expensive. Parking can be a challenge, but they have valet.

I’m new to Birmingham — love the food culture here — Highlands is among the best! Meeting for cocktails in the bar area or dining in the main hall — über delish. Highly recommend!

Great overall experience!
We started with the crab claws and they were flawless! Perfect appetizer for those who love finger foods.
I had the New York Strip, which was succulent and tasteful. I had it paired with their House Cab wine and it made for a great meal.
I hear they have a great fried seafood stir fry and their fish selection is always very fresh!
A «must-​eat» place for the locals here in Birmingham!

I can truly say this is one of my favorite restaurants, it’s been a minute since I’ve been here but I can say it didn’t disappoint once again. The atmosphere is pretty laid back but still requires a jacket for the men. Customer service is fabulous, they do everything in their power to make the consumer happy.
I started off with the baked oysters which were delish, someone else in my party started off with the famous grits which are second to none and the other person I was with has the chowder soup which was good also. My entrée was the New York strip which was almost the best I’ve ever had it came over potatoes that had bacon in it. The other members of my party had the grouper which they didn’t like too much and the other the swordfish which they loved. We ended with dessert which was a strawberry trifle and also the apple crepes which were awesome!
I suggest if you want one of the best meals Birmingham has to offer. Check out Highlands!

Awesome ambiance and fantastic food! The appetizers at Highlands definitely wowed me (my favorites were the baked oysters and the beef tartine). For a main, I had the venison (which was pretty good, a bit well done for my liking)…however, I preferred the lamb chops that my boyfriend ordered (they were cocked perfectly and full of flavor). The cocktails were also great, I loved my extra dirty martini with stuffed blue cheese olives!

Not that my 2cents on this long thought to be best restaurant in B’ham will matter, but having eaten here several times over the years felt I might as well put it out there. Yes, this is a really good restaurant. For white table cloth, fine dining restaurant in this town again one of the top two or three. But given all the praise as one of the best in the country, I do take issue. Over the years I have been to restaurants around this country, from LA to NYC and there are too many to mention that do this type of restaurant better. Not to take away from what it is and if you are looking for a special occasion dining experience with well executed food and top notch service in B’ham this should be at the top of the list.
Tonite we started with an onion casserole app. It was a sweet onion stuffed with cheese and herbs in a broth sauce. Honestly for me it was really one note. No bite, no spice, just onion and cheese.
For main course I had the pork schnitzel which was very good. Crispy artichokes, capers and peppers spikes up the flavor. The schnitzel had a nice crispy coating. Wife had some beautiful looking scallops which she indicated were very good.
We finished with a chocolate cake with a bourbon frosting. The chocolate cake was very good, but no real taste of bourbon which sounded great but was lacking in execution.
Service was solid and very accommodating. Nothing was too much if asked. Water always filled in your glass.
I do appreciate this restaurant. It is a consistently nice dining experience. I guess what always holds me back is it never takes risks. Nothing that steps outside the box and shows real creativity. Just don’t ever feel that here. But I’ll be back because it still hits the top of what is available here in B’ham. And that means a lot after all these years.

This place has Frasier Crane written all over it. And if Frasier would dine here with Niles, you bet it’s a place worthy of the accolades that it indubitably possesses.
This is the ultimate 5-​star review: Any sub-​component you consider, whether it is service, ambiance, quality of the food, etc… Everything was 5-​stars. I wish I got our waiter’s name so I can say what a good job he did. The best I can do is say he’s the one who looks like Lane Kiffin, except better dressed without the ridiculous oversized shirts and such.
My personal favorites were the grits, the slow-​cooked pork, and the pot du crème. This is my new favorite restaurant in Birmingham.

What can I say about this place that hasn’t been said? I dined here a couple of years ago and since haven’t had a dining experience that came close to touching Highlands Grill. My date that night was awful but the restaurant was amazing enough that I’ll always remember going. If you haven’t been, I can’t recommend Highlands Grill enough.

I have been hearing about this spot for a long time. I finally got to go and for sure will be back.
Upon arrival we were immediately acknowledged and attended to. They had plenty of business and had every reason to take their time to get to us but were prompt and friendly.
The atmosphere is great for a business gathering, date, or just a classy gathering with friends. It is hard to find places like that in this area so they have a new customer out of me!
I am looking forward to my next outing here:)

Husband and I sat at the bar on a Saturday evening and shared Guadalupe’s special (oysters, shrimp, crab claws), the famous stone ground baked grits, sipped on martinis and ended the evening with the chocolate tart. The food was presented beautifully and the taste was perfection — we ate every.single.bite. The bartenders and the entire staff were all incredibly fun, friendly and provided us with superb service. We enjoyed the more casual side of the restaurant, loved the comfortable atmosphere and are already planning our return to try some more of the delicious looking food! This place surpassed our expectation and it truly is everything you hear about! Whether you’re looking to have a 3 course meal or just sample & share — go to the Highlands Bar & Grill.

The service, food, and atmosphere is very good. The cantaloupe with Benton’s ham is seasoned just right with the dressing and greens. The beef carpaccio is fresh, thinly cut with a subtle horseradish sauce. The portion is large and can be shared with others as an appetizer. The bouillabaisse has a great tomato based broth with the right amount of acidity and very fresh cuts of seafood. The scallops and Benton’s pork belly are cooked just right, moist, and salted properly.

After going here, I know why it carries such high honors.
The food and cocktails are excellent, as you would expect. But I feel it’s the atmosphere and the service that make this place the standard to which all other southern restaurants are compared.
By far, our waiter was the best I have ever had. So knowledgeable, polite, and attentive, I can only imagine what high standards the owners place upon their staff. Reservations are a must, as is at least a solid $ 100 at minimum to enjoy their fabulous, hand prepared meals. But you will not be disappointed. Alongside Hot & Hot, Highlands is the best dining in Birmingham.

One of the best places to eat in the Ham! If you can make reservations ask for Red Dog to wait on you! You will not be disappointed! The food is always superb and the people watching is highly entertaining especially if you aren’t from big money Mountain Brook. Actually the bar area is better for those like me who are out for a night of extravagant spending. Tuesday night at the bar is highly entertaining because it’s basically hooker night. You will see these very young women all over they Mountain Brook money.
The waitstaff is spot on and so are the bartenders. Food is the best in town it’s yummy in my tummy! Never disappointed ever. Frank Stitt rocks and is the most excellent chef in Birmingham!

This is my first time at Highlands and it was fantastic! As you can tell from the other reviews the service is amazing, by far the best in Birmingham. All of the food is delicious but I give them 4 stars because I think the steak could have used a little something more, just a hint of extra flavor to really make it stand out.
I recommend all of the below:
Blood Orange Mimosa– if you like mimosas this is to die for!
Pecan old fashioned– sweeter then a regular old fashioned but still great
Marinated crab claws
Winter Salad
Yellowfin Tuna
Prime New York Strip
Espresso– ask for a twist of lemon
We went for my boyfriends birthday and even though we didn’t order dessert they were kind enough to bring us a small treat out so they could write happy birthday on the plate.