Had an amazing time at Bistro 218. The food, drinks & service was great. My friend decided to take me out for a Birthday dinner. There was a little placement on my seat wishing me Happy Birthday & they sent over a glass of champagne so we could have a toast. That was so thoughtful; they really went above & beyond. I ordered the spicy margarita, which had a good flavor but really wasn't that spicy to me. I ordered the oysters to start, highly recommend getting! Oysters were very fresh tasting. The oyster eaters know this is a very important factor. For my main I had the steak with potatoes, not sure the exact name but let me tell you I really love it. I ate the whole entree to be honest. read more

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On a drive from Florida to Nashville. Buddy suggested dining here on a stopover. What a gem. White tablecloth and proper black cloth napkins. Great barware. Super staff. Even east valet parking. We wanted southern. Had fried green tomato salad. Blackened Red Fish was outstanding. The fish melted in our mouths. Served with fried okra, green beans, and creamed corn. Rich and tasty. Wonderful. read more

Bistro 218 - Blackened Red Fish. - French Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

I went here for my birthday with a group of friends, but have been several times before. Each meal I have, I'm not surprised by how delicious it is! The staff is friendly and well versed on the menu and its seasonal changes. read more

The food was delicious. We had the pork belly appetizer, Gumbo, Duck confit, Louisiana red fish & crème brûlée and expresso chocolate desserts. Everything was wonderful! The service was great. Waiter was very polite and they went above board on keeping the water and wine glad full and taking plates away and bringing out all entrees. Old Frank Sinatra and that era music was just playing in the background and very nice. read more

Wonderful valentine's dinner. Duck confit! Great staff, stout drinks. Really enjoyed ourselves tonight, thank you. read more

Bistro 218 - Upstairs view of the restaurant. I guess we were the first to show up. - French Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Came here for the wife's birthday and we were not disappointed. Great meal and a new favorite restaurant in Birmingham. Also the chef left a nice birthday card. I recommend this restaurant to everyone read more

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Wonderful food, great service, only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because we were seated facing a server station and it was kind of awkward. read more

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Amazing food great atmosphere. My husband and I will visit this establishment again. Highly highly recommend read more

Bistro 218 - Ribeye - French Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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This is one of our favorite places. Everyone in this restaurant from the waitstaff to the management is personable and express such kindness to each guest. The food is a blend of haute cuisine and comfort classics that leave you satisfied but also excite the palette. In addition this is a gem for vegetarian guests or those with food sensitivities. Treat yourself with this immersive dinning experience right in the heart of Birmingham. read more

Our server, Rob, was terrific! As was the matré d', both as good or better than the best service I've ever received in the best restaurants in the world. The restaurant is beautiful in a European way, with discrete electric lights that look like candles, and are dimmable at the touch of a button. The drink service was perfect, and our split appetizer of grilled octopus was wonderful. We both had the duck confit entré which to my palate was wonderful. My companion found the duck to be far too salty for her taste. I thought it was bit salty, but delicious nevertheless. When Rob checked back to see how things were going my companion mentioned how salty she found the duck, and within 2 minutes the matre d' appeared and made amends, which was unnecessary, but appreciated. They comped us a dessert (and other things that were quite generous), the flourless chocolate cake, which was outstanding, sauced with a pomegranate glaze. We will be back on our next visit to Birmingham. read more

Bistro 218 - Grilled octopus appetizer with mango/chorizo - French Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Beware of seafood! A few hours after eating oysters here, i got plagued with awful food poisoning. Very disappointed as service was pleasant, server could've matched the vibe more, but i will never be returning. Our meal was almost $200 and i expected better. I'm not sure what type of bacteria was in the food, but it caused me to throw up blood accompanied by bruised ribs. I reported the incident to the health department, so hopefully they will look into it, and in result, the establishment will have more caution when dealing with food borne illnesses. read more

Bistro 218 - French Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Outstanding place for a special occasion. Celebrated our wedding anniversary this evening with delicious food and outstanding service. Great environment for dinner. Staff was very attentive and friendly. Ask to sit in Latoya's section. She will make sure that your experience is wonderful. Recommend the fried green tomato salad, crab cakes and the redfish. M read more

My sister and I tried Bistro 218 for her birthday dinner. The restaurant was almost empty when we arrived. The decor is fabulous. The ambience is great for a romantic date night. I really enjoyed the experience. The food was very good. We started with the crab cakes and octopus. The crab cakes were scrumptious and the octopus had an interesting flavor. My snapper entree was delicious. We ended the meal with a dessert sampler and it was just okay. I think this place might be underrated. read more

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Want a classy place? You found it. I was looking for something more than fast food to sit down and enjoy. I needed a quiet, friendly place to talk business and I stumbled on this place. It's easy to miss, slipped in between the flat facade of row buildings on an old block downtown. The staff was friendly and attentive and showed me quickly to a table. The food was top notch and the only star off was the gumbo/jambalaya has cooked just a bit long. I felt like I was eating food carefully prepared by someone that had passion. I wouldn't hesitate to eat here again. The bread and butter alone was worth coming for. read more

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Disappointing dinner overall. The crab cakes were on the fishy side, definitely more fishy than any otrs I've had and the fried green tomatoes were undercooked to the point of being crunchy, and not because of the crust. The steak was overcooked with a heavy char causing crispy burnt edges. The beef had a good flavor but there was no seasoning, not even a light salt or pepper. The fries that came with it were very good. Crispy, great flavor, and the best part of the meal which is very disappointing. The Chicken paillards was borderline inedible. A boiled price of unseasoned chicken with green beans that were decent and a light sauce that was okay at best. The salad had a shocking amount of wilted yellow/ light brown leafs that made it unappetizing. The creme brulee was decent. Very light and a crisp melted sugar layer on top. The appetizer bread was actually the best part of the meal, which says a lot, a fluffy and light load with melted cheese, herbs, and flaky salt. Getting past the food, the wait staff was obnoxious. They kept pressing for our table to order alcoholic beverages that we repeatedly turned down to the point they were being pests and we felt pressured to drink like it was some college party. Other than that, our waters never got low and that's the only redeeming quality. The hostess had on a mini tootoo that was just odd. She asked that no one wear hats but was walking around with a skirt that barely covered herself and high socks. It just wasn't appropriate for the atmosphere. Overall, not at all worthy of a $255 check and we won't return. There much better food and service all over the city. read more

I came here for a work dinner with 18 total people. Sometimes when you're in a large group service is compromised but not here. Our server was wonderful. He was very knowledgeable about the menu, attentive, funny, and polite. The food was amazing! We had several drinks, appetizers, soup, salad, entrees, and dessert. See photos! I highly recommend this place for a date night, girls night, or work meeting! read more

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Overall, had a wonderful experience at Bistro 218. Excellent and welcoming staff. Had the octopus for an app, which was perfectly cooked. The shrimp with risotto and blackened redfish were both wonderful and we finished them completely. Very romantic and quite place to have a special occasion dinner! Only recommendation would to serve the complimentary bread hot. Will definitely be dining again! read more

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Wait staff was great! Loved John c. Fun and pretty environment. Great food and cocktails. read more

Only come here if you want the best meal of your life. Crab cakes-perfect, Blackened Louisiana Redfish-perfect, Gin Martini-perfect, Service-exceptional. read more

Bistro 218 - a plate of crab cakes and a martini - French Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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Great food and service. The atmosphere was a little cramped upstairs but still with the visit.

Came to this restaurant twice! Once with group of people, another time is a personal visit. Good food, but service quality varies! Food is decent, but not that special and unforgettable! Different dishes has different quality! Shrimp risotto is good, but scallops varies. I got that dish, the scallops are not getting evenly seasoned! I ended up having one piece super super salty, and one piece with no taste! Recommended items are the pork belly and shrimp scallops. Chocolate mousse cake is better than blueberry cake! All of the items under waiter's recommendation do not work out read more

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Ambiance here is lovely. I came for dinner and tried the red fish, grits, fried okra dish and chicken paillards. Fried okra was good, red fish was overcooked and had a charred taste, chicken paillards did not taste good. I had a bad stomach ache when I left here. Wouldn't recommend this restaurant. read more

First time to eat here and overall it was a good experience. Entrees were excellent bookended by so so appetizer and dessert. The pomme frites were not the thick cut potatoes we expected but instead stringy with little flavor so I would skip that next time. Drinks were pretty solid but the smoky old fashion had a tad too much liquid smoke for my taste. Garnished with a piece of pork belly was a nice touch though.The red snapper and beef medallion entrees were outstanding. We split the creme brûlée but only ate about half of it as it was mediocre. Ambience is excellent and my wife was digging the 80's background music! Would go again for the entrees. read more

My wife and I had Dinner at 218 last Saturday to celebrate Father's Day. I had the blackened Louisiana Redfish, my wife had the Duck. We shared the fried green tomato salad which is two fried green tomato slices on top of grits with two may three tiny pieces of lettuce. So to call this a salad is a joke but the flavor was no joke. It was excellent, crispy, hot, what FGT's are supposed to be. My redfish was excellent, prepared and seasoned well with just enough spice to make one believe it's a Cajun thing. The Duck was excellent as well, expertly prepared and served hot. Creme Brûlée for dessert was good but not great. Our server, John, was attentive and a wealth of information about the menu items. All in all, an excellent meal! read more

Bistro 218 - Blackened Redfish - French Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

So this is my second time here and this is experience is better than the first one, and the first one wasn't bad. I ate at the bar this time, drawn in by the 80's music. They have a very tasty gumbo and a compressed pear salad that is a lovely item to try. The bartender was attentive without being obtrusive so that worked out nice. So I'll end this review to the refrain of "Crack that Whip!" read more

We enjoyed celebrating our anniversary here on January 31st. Even on a Tuesday night the service was impeccable and the food delicious. We went with another couple, and between us tried a lot of different dishes. Everyone was pleased with their choices. I highly recommend this restaurant! The only thing I would suggest is that the valet service have umbrellas. read more

The Valentine's dinner for 2 ($350), not including drinks. Reservation for 6:30, but the table was not ready; once we sat, we ordered right away but waited for water, and we ordered drinks but waited too long for them as well. Shrimp Cocktail had 3 shrimp, Oyster bisque was kinda OK, but I requested bread twice, and it never came. The Beef Wellington was poor overall, with crust and flavor that would lose in a taste test with Marie Calender's frozen pot pie. Thankfully we have been happily married for a long time and could take this in stride, choosing to make fun of the whole thing as one of those everything went wrong kinda meals. I don't think anyone was pleased that night. I will not return. read more

In town for business and always looking for great places to eat. The reviews on this place were positive and I was able to get a reservation through Open Table. OMG! There aren't enough positive adjectives you describe this restaurant. Absolutely everything was exceptional! read more

I walked by this restaurant many times and didn't even realize it was there. I feel like this might be a Birmingham hidden gem for some. If you want to have a great date night or to celebrate with friends and/or family this is definitely a fantastic option. Great atmosphere, service, food, and drinks. I literally couldn't have asked for anything better. Our server was Ryan C. and he was very knowledgeable about all the dishes and drinks. He made great suggestions and was very courteous. I ordered the beef tenderloin medallions rare to medium rare and it was cooked to perfection. The brandy cream was seasoned perfectly and paired excellent with the beef and the potatoes gratin. We also ordered the sea scallops and they were the best scallops dish that we've ever had. Every time we get scallops at a nice restaurant they're very good ; however, bistro 218 took it a step further with their incredible sauce that was seasoned perfectly. For dessert we had the blueberry entremet. The texture and the variety of flavors between the blueberry, lemon, and almond flavored cake were amazing. If you haven't been here, I highly recommend that you try it ASAP! read more

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Bistro 218 was a last minute walk up selection that we could not have made a better restaurant decision. After temperatures were checked we were seated at the bar that was arranged for socially distanced pairings. The bartender, Matt was very attentive and being first time patrons walked us through the menu providing what turned out exceptional recommendations. The bar area was well designed and allowed for easy conversation. My wife enjoyed a cocktail designed by Matt which there are a wide selection to choose from, I had a couple different draft selections. House warm bread provided was a nice start followed by the Charred Spanish Octopus, outstanding . Main courses included sea scallops, beef tenderloin and a Pan Seared Gulf Red Snapper both entrees ....again....outstanding. We capped off the evening with dessert of pistachio chocolate mousse, and Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake We went from walk ups last weekend to a reservation for this coming weekend read more

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Let me just say that I'm giving 4 stars for specific reasons...such as...we had the best seats in the house, the ambiance, the staff that stepped up to serve us...and the steak. I have to share some details because I feel it's necessary. We were about 10 minutes early before our table/reservations were ready. So we sat at the bar to start the party early. Apparently the young lady who attended the bar was not comfortable with serving us, so she requested another person to come...which he came and served us well. (Homophobic maybe, I'm not sure, but she was not serving us). I immediately felt uncomfortable, but pressed through. Glad I did! Our waiter was phenomenal! He explained all the meals. We tried Octopus for the first time, it chewed like steak I felt it was too chewy, so not a fan. Our steak was the best part of the meal. The atmosphere upstairs was very elegant, so I'll definitely be back, but I will avoid the bar at all costs, especially if the dark haired young lady is the attendee. read more

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Truly enjoyed my Tues night dinner w/a friend. Not super busy but were asked if we had reservations (it was around 8P) and when we said no, hostess had to check to see if there was a table. (Again, not full.) Our server was willing to share her opinions of the menu when we asked, from wine to dinner to dessert. Friend had the Duck Confit, on her recommendation, and I went with the Wild Blackened Louisiana Redfish. The presentation of both meals was beautiful, and we both cleaned our plates, something I haven't done in a LONG time. Redfish wasn't overcooked, grits were tasty and so was the homemade fried okra. Dessert was a homemade pound cake that tasted a bit more like citrus carrot cake, but covered with a roasted white chocolate cream and adorned with homemade chocolate pieces and dots of raspberry glace. The lack of a fifth star is simply our greeting and that our server seemed a bit over zealous, which I found somewhat off-putting. Still, enjoy the atmosphere: very cozy. read more

Birmingham has a prestigious reputation for great restaurants, especially French inspired restaurants. It took me way too long to give Bistro 218 a shot and after my dinner last week, I am happy to say that they are worthy rivals to the standard bearers like Highland and Cafe DuPont. The restaurant maintained so much of the original elements, like the exposed brick and tile floors. The service was impeccable! Our server was knowledgeable, friendly and attentive. I can't say enough good things about him. We started with a drink and that set the tone for the meal. The 218 is a bourbon drink with orange bitters and lemon, with a maple, nutmeg egg foam. This was without a doubt the best mixed drink I've had. For starters, I had the octopus and my brother had the rabbit and duck pate. The octopus was really extraordinary! Served with romesco sauce and chorizo. The octopus was Sous Vide for hours to keep it tender and then grilled. The smoky octopus and the sauce with chorizo was an incredible combination of flavors. The Pate was also very good, served with pickled veggies. We both had the duck confit for our main course. The confit was complemented by seared duck breast fingerling potatoes, haricots vert and a veal Demi glacé. Duck is my favorite protein and they nailed it two ways. It's a standard dish but it was just so well executed. They gave me a complementary creme brûlée for my bday that was very good too. We sat there afterwards kind of blown away by how good our experience was. I can't wait to come back and try more from that kitchen. 5 stars!!! read more

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Wonderful restaurant in downtown Birmingham with very tasteful dishes. My girlfriend and I enjoyed cocktails and were treated promptly with great service. The entrees were perfectly cooked read more

Food was phenomenal. Gumbo was cravable and that is hard for me. Had the salmon and it was lovely. Sweet little restaurant.

I had the most exquisite meal last night at Bistro 218! The whole dining experience was fabulous. A special shout out to our waiter Sean who was awesome!! He was polite, knowledgeable, attentive, and quick. Good service makes all the difference! We got there early, so we had the whole restaurant to ourselves. To start, we split the Pork Belly Appetizer which was served over grits with an egg on top. One word: AH-MAZING. I will be back just to get the pork belly for lunch! For my entree, I ordered the duck confit. It was equally as amazing. I was practically picking the meat off the bones! The duck was served with fingerling potatoes and green beans. My dinner companion got the Pan Seared Scallops as an entree and she really enjoyed them! To top it all off, we finished with the Chocolate Tarte with raspberries and mango purée. It was a lovely finish to a fantastic meal. We will be back soon! read more

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Lovely. Based on the sign that looks a little bit like a chain restaurant sign, I never would have thought that this place is so, so good. The White tablecloth service was impeccable. The food was exquisite and so was the wine list. read more

Ahmazing drinks, food and service. The ambiance is perfect and we enjoyed everything, crab cakes, flounder, redfish, and almond cake! I'll def be back again and soon too! Get there! read more

I loved the food and the service! Had gumbo, snapper and almond cake! The only feedback I have is that they were playing 80's music like simple minds etc. I like that genre, but it didn't match the ambiance. Overall, based on food and services, it was a solid experience. read more

Started with terrific cocktails - French and Hemingway. Nice balance of flavor and liquor!! Starters pomme frites, gumbo and Bistro salad. All 5 stars and special compliments on well dressed salad! Main dishes- Tornadoes were perfectly cooked and Fantastic flavor! The strip steak again perfectly cooked, moist and well made! I cannot say enough how pleased were with meal and service!! I will be back! Thank you Richard!! read more