Birmingham Restaurant Week 2025 showcases some of Alabama’s top culinary talent

Alabama foodies, rejoice: Birmingham Restaurant Week is back for another year, and it’s more delicious than ever.

This annual culinary celebration brings together nearly 50 restaurants, food trucks, bars and catering companies, offering exclusive, limited-time menus and special pricing to highlight the best of Birmingham’s food scene. From upscale dining experiences and international flavors to casual favorites and hidden gems, Restaurant Week invites locals and visitors alike to explore and support the city’s vibrant culinary culture.

Restaurant Week’s Preview Party, which was held at Haven in Birmingham’s Southside, gave us a taste of what to expect in the week ahead. The lively event brought together chefs, restaurant owners and food lovers under one roof to sample bites and sips from more than a dozen participating spots. The evening highlighted the creativity, passion and diversity that define Birmingham’s ever-evolving food scene. Take a look at some of the Preview Party’s standouts, as well as what you can expect from their Restaurant Week offerings.

Sol Y Luna

Offering a fresh and elevated take on Latin cuisine, Sol Y Luna pairs artful tapas with handcrafted cocktails. From small plates to fresh margaritas, this is a go-to destination for flavor-packed nights with friends or a lively date spot. At the Preview Party, chef and owner Jorge Castro served up perfect bites of passion fruit shrimp ceviche on tortillas.

Castro has been part of Restaurant Week since its beginning and commented on how the event brings the community together. “Restaurant Week is about the people,” he said. “We really get to know our customers, and it’s amazing to see them return year after year, while also meeting many new faces.” Restaurant Week specials include fixed-price dinner menus featuring shrimp sliders, a Cuban sandwich and a tres leches lemon cake.

Magnolia Point

Magnolia Point is redefining Southern soul food with an inventive twist, serving up comforting dishes that bring the bayou flavors. The restaurant is housed in a restored 1930s building on downtown’s Magnolia Avenue and offers relaxed vibes that evoke everyone’s favorite seaside snacks. Its Preview Party sampling? A perfectly dippable black-eyed pea hummus with vegetable crudité, which is offered on both the lunch and dinner fixed-price menus for Restaurant Week along with plenty of Gulf Coast flavors like its classic gumbo and fried catfish.

Michael’s Restaurant

A longtime pillar of Birmingham’s food scene, Michael’s Restaurant continues to impress with its steak, seafood and Southern favorites. Under the leadership of Bernadine Birdsong, the restaurant has embraced Restaurant Week as an opportunity to connect with the community. “I love Restaurant Week because it brings people out and allows them the opportunity to try something new,” she said. The Restaurant Week menu is promised to include Michael’s legendary Salmon Rockefeller: pan-seared salmon topped with a spinach cream sauce and chopped bacon.

Taj India

One of the city’s longest-standing Indian restaurants, Taj India has been serving Birmingham customers for nearly 30 years and is delighted to participate in Restaurant Week once more. Known for its rich curries and warm hospitality, it has become a go-to spot for both longtime locals and newcomers craving authentic Indian cuisine.

At the Restaurant Week Preview Party, Taj India served its beloved Chicken Tikka Masala — a comforting, flavor-packed dish that showcased the depth and warmth of traditional Indian cooking and was a standout among the evening’s offerings. The Chicken Tikka is featured on the fixed-price Restaurant Week menu, along with tandoori chicken and sag paneer.

From beloved institutions to rising stars, this year’s Birmingham Restaurant Week promises something for every palate. Whether you’re revisiting an old favorite or discovering a new go-to spot, there’s never been a better time to celebrate the creativity, culture and connection Birmingham’s culinary scene has to offer.

Several events are lined up to keep the celebration going. Sipology, a cocktail tasting experience featuring local mixologists and spirit brands, will take place Sunday, July 2o, at City Walk Social. For a bit of foodie fun, there’s the BRW Scavenger Hunt, happening Saturday, July 19, where you can explore the city and earn prizes along the way.

Birmingham Restaurant Week began Thursday, July 17, and runs through July 26. For more information about participating restaurants and special event tickets, visit bhamrestaurantweek.com.

This story originally was published on the SoulGrown website.