While visiting my stepson at the U of Alabama, my wife and I heard that the Sanctuary was a cool place. It definitely is! This former church has been turned into a great restaurant with live music. There's plenty of tables and a bar with a huge screen for sports. The band sets up in the corner up front. The food here is all small plates. Since there were 4 of us, we ordered quite a few. Some favorites were the Pork Belly Tacos, Steak Tacos, Chicken Salad Sliders, and the Steak A La Plancha. Together, with nice glasses of wine, this was an excellent dinner! The restaurant is off the beaten path from downtown and parking on the street is easy. If you're looking for something different, check out The Sanctuary! read more

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recently visited The Sanctuary on 25th while attending my niece's law school graduation celebration. The facility was very nice, clean, and provided a pleasant atmosphere for our special occasion. The service was good, and the staff was attentive throughout our visit. As for the food, it was prepared well and appeared to be enjoyed by many in our group. Several people complimented their meals and seemed very satisfied. For me personally, the menu offerings and flavors were simply not the type of food I typically prefer. That's a matter of personal taste rather than food quality. Overall, I had a positive experience with the venue and service, but the cuisine was not quite my style. For that reason, I would give The Sanctuary on 25th a 3.5 out of 5 stars. read more

After another big Alabama Crimson Tide baseball win--bringing out the brooms and finishing the sweep on Sunday--my wife and I met up with some friends at The Sanctuary on 25th to celebrate. We've eaten here before and have been wanting to make it back, but between their popularity and our schedules, it's felt like trying to line up a dentist appointment during tax season. Tonight, though, everything finally clicked. We got there early and were greeted by two cheerful hostesses who promptly sat us in the corner... felt a little like we were back in kindergarten for talking too much, but we made it work. Oh--and if you're into live music during dinner, this place delivers. There's something about enjoying a good meal with live music in the background that just elevates the whole experience. It's also the kind of setting where local artists get their start, and you never know--you might be listening to someone on their way up. Once our waiter came over, we held off ordering while waiting on our "fashionably late" friends--who, for the record, treat arrival times more like loose suggestions. Eventually, the crew assembled and it was game on. I kept it simple to start: water, no lemon. Let's not contaminate perfectly good H2O--I want it 100 proof. For appetizers, we ordered the Fried Cauliflower and Fried Okra to share. And by "share," I mean I ordered them and then immediately abandoned that concept. Only child tendencies die hard. Both dishes were excellent. The fried okra, paired with their Creole ranch, absolutely stole the show--seriously, that sauce deserves its own fan club. The cauliflower was also very good, and the homemade remoulade held its own... just not quite on the Creole ranch level. Our friends ordered the Street Corn Dip, and while I didn't personally get any (again... sharing isn't my spiritual gift), I can confirm it was outstanding based on the fact that the dish came back cleaner than a whistle. One of the coolest parts of this place is the atmosphere. The building still carries that old church feel--you can almost picture folks sitting in pews listening to a sermon. These days, though, the only preaching happening is coming from the kitchen, and there's a "sinful" bar running along one wall that probably wouldn't have made the original blueprints. For the main course, my wife went with the Lobster Mac and Cheese, and I ordered the Chili Lime Shrimp. The mac and cheese was a solid choice--rich and flavorful--but just a touch on the dry side. A little more cream would take it to the next level... perfect, but not Jesus-walking-on-water perfect. The shrimp, on the other hand, was good but didn't quite live up to expectations. It started strong but didn't finish the game, and I ended up handing off the last few bites like a reliever coming out of the bullpen. All in all, The Sanctuary on 25th is a great addition to the Tuscaloosa food scene. Between the unique setting, strong appetizers, live music, and overall experience, it's definitely worth a visit. Just be prepared--it stays busy, and if you plan on sharing food, make sure you're sitting with better people than I am. read more

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What a great place to dine in Tide Town! Dinner was perfect and the cocktails were fantastic. Highly recommended! read more

The Sanctuary on 25th - America! - Speakeasies Near Me - Tuscaloosa, Alabama

I had been meaning to try this bar for some time. Ran out of the house while some work was happening at home and I needed a great afternoon stop to kill some time. Made the decision to turn in and try Sanctuary; how fortuitous! First, this isn't just a music venue! It's a classic bar with real cocktails (mocktails, as well), but also a great reincarnation of an old church. And they serve awesome food!! Second, the drinks and food are top notch! Try a Paper Plane! It's my new favorite way to drink bourbon, TBH. You will absolutely feel distinguished while you do. I overheard many professionals around me, too, so it's definitely a place to run elbows with University types. Finally, I love music. This place has different musicians all the time. But my favorite is Dr. Warren Ertle's Corpse Revivers, an old fashioned Jazz band! They play two shows a night, almost every Tuesday! I say "almost" because, well, ...just check the Sanctuary's facebook page before you invite friends to a show. (Ask me how I know!) Overall, it's a great time, try the tacos!! read more

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The bacon-wrapped figs are delish! We had the sweetest waitress. The live musician made some derogatory statements, and she came over to apologize and make sure we knew those were not her or the establishment's opinions. I trust the owners took note and won't have them back. The building is cool. We sat in a cozy booth. We will try again! read more

This is a very cool place to visit. As always we sat at the bar. It is always a great place to get insight on the place. The food was delicious and the drinks well crafted. read more

The Sanctuary on 25th - Tacos with fried flour tortillas and I believe this drink was envy. Absolutely delicious - Speakeasies Near Me - Tuscaloosa, Alabama

This is one of Tuscaloosa's hidden gems. If you're looking for a place to unwind, the perfect date, or a friends night out, this is the spot. The Sanctuary features local musical artists and has a variety of fine wines, and delicious appetizers if you just want to enjoy the music and have a glass of wine. They also have a dinner menu, and I always get their street corn chicken tacos. The owner is very friendly and will chat with you and make sure you're taken care of. I recommend this place 100 percent! read more

The Sanctuary on 25th - The Band playing at The Sanctuary - Speakeasies Near Me - Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Wonderful owners and servers. Great food and fabulous music! Great place for small plates read more

The Sanctuary on 25th - Speakeasies Near Me - Tuscaloosa, Alabama

This is a great place to go eat The food and service are good I would recommend this to anyone read more

This venue has wonderful ambience and delicious food. Great service and always live entertainment. The beer selection is quite vast.

Great drinks and food and service!! It's our favorite in Tuscaloosa and great live music too!!

A solid 4.5. Eclectic menu of small plates. I say keep 'em coming! !! The servers we've had are very attentive, unless it's really, really busy. Every thing has been wonderful, We've visited three times, from Missouri. And no, we don't have anyone at the nearby Big University. Very business casual atmosphere, unless it gets late. Then who knows! Apps of he Olive plate and the bacon dates get my vote. I think the meal is not complete without steak ala Plancha and the Chorizo Mushrooms. And San Jacobos reminds me of my time in Holland. They are really good. Salads and desserts (5-stars on the Bread Pudding) round out the menu. One of these days I'm going to try their version of Shrimp & Grits. Specialty cocktails a work a look but there's always solid old-fashioned with my name on it. There is a Sunday Brunch and I'd guess it's as good as nighttime, but never experienced that nor the happy hour menu. read more

Hidden gem in Tuscaloosa. Great music, food and service. What they did to transform a former church into a bar/concert venue while preserving the overall aesthetic/ambiance is amazing. read more

Updating the review. The food is still subpar and tiny portions. Espresso martini was $13 and very small also. read more

The Sanctuary on 25th - $22 is in this photo. Lobster Mac and cheese and fries. - Speakeasies Near Me - Tuscaloosa, Alabama

There was a large disparity between the drink and food quality. For drinks, they offered unique and eclectic flavors, one of which had a price of bubblegum on the drink rim to top it off. Food was subpar, with rough chicken bites that felt overcooked. Also, had several run ins with the wait staff who was friendly but made it feel like they were rushing us through the dining experience (ie:taking menus early). Would go back for drinks, but would avoid eating. read more

Fun way to try lots of really good food! Our table took the waiter's suggestions for most of our choices. The Steak La Plancha, lobster mac and cheese, and the chili lime shrimp were all delicious. The setting looks like a 1920s speakeasy. I had a mocktail called humility. It was really good. The bar was impressive. Definitely worth a visit when in Tuscaloosa. read more

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Great food, great atmosphere, amazing cocktails! Service is t the fastest, but that's one of the things I like about the experience here.

Oh my gosh - I love this place!! Super cool vibe!! It got the old church feel with the pews & ornate decor but mixed with live music and bar - just such a creative way to define the space! When we were there it was mid afternoon so it was pretty chill - which was perfect. I had to catch up some work (while having a beverage) and my husband caught up on some sports games. Our server was so nice and helpful. I loved the food and drinks. For food we got chicken skewers, pork belly, Brussels sprouts - they are small plates which I love so I can get some variety and try a few things. 100% would go back. Next time I want to check out an evening so we can enjoy the live music!! read more

I love the atmosphere with all the different areas to relax, socialize, and enjoy music or dance. The food options are nice as well. Service very friendly to me thus far and efficient read more

Can't comment on the food but the ambiance is awesome. Great music. Friendly staff. Love the entire theme of this place. Highly recommend for a beverage. read more

The Sanctuary on 25th - Lust, Greed, and Envy drinks. - Speakeasies Near Me - Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Don't tell anyone about this spot! Off the beaten path of downtown in an old church. Small plates, varied menu. Fast to table service with lots of staff running food. Try the bacon wrapped dates as an appetizer. Street Corn app was good, but not a repeat. Reasonable wine menu with some good choices under 60$ (and a few top notch labels if you feeling spendy), 30 or so beer taps on the wall. Nice pour from the bar. Wedge salad and especially the Caesar were solid. Skirt steak was tasty with chimichuri. Cheesecake was good but skip the spicy raspberry puree unless you feeling added... the heat wasn't what I was looking for in dessert. read more

The best service!! Bria is a sweet and amazing server and Arianna is by far the best bartender I've met. Thank you ladies for your kindness and service. read more

Love this venue! Great acoustics. Great vibe. We enjoyed our cocktails , cheeseburger sliders and wedge salad. The fried cauliflower was off the chain. Will definitely be exploring the menu since we definitely plan to return soon. Abe Partridge was awesome. My introduction to him and The Sanctuary could not have been better. read more

We have been here several times! We absolutely love it! There is not a food or drink that we do not like! I will tell you though if you go when there is a live band it will be loud our party could not hear each other talk while the band was playing. The service has always been great too! I definitely recommend the flank steak! read more

This is a little secret spot, in a not so great area but check it out... I haven't experienced the live music but I feel like it would be awesome... They have a great variety of small plates sliders, pork belly, shrimp n grits. The atmosphere is really cool, bartenders, servers and other guests are so friendly which is really nice to see when there's so many places that you goto and people obviously hate their jobs.. read more

Food and drink was great Music by THE LINDSEY BROTHERS was exceptional Will repeat visits and enjoyment in most unique place in Tuscaloosa! read more

Excellent food and service. The flavors are amazing. Highly recommend. The parking situation could be better.

First time here. Great food & atmosphere. They have live music at night and a huge tv to watch the games. There's an outside area with bar. The service was fantastic. Looking forward to going back when I visit my daughter in Tuscaloosa. read more

Excellent food and service. Ambiance was exceptional, including live music. Small plate focus with many options to experience, perfect for sharing numerous options. Only challenge is minimal parking. Highly recommend for date night or a night out with family and friends! read more

Wow. Amazing food, drinks and service. The bartender made a killer old-fashioned and the envy was also delicious. The French onion dip and the fried pepperoncini's were delicious. The chicken skewers and churros were also fantastic. Every recommendation the bartender made was excellent. I hope I get the opportunity to come here again. This place is awesome! read more

wonderful food, atmosphere service and live music. definitely must see place in Tuscaloosa. The bar makes wonderful drinks has an innovative menu and their support of local artist is amazing. read more

First, wow! What a cool space! It is really impressive how they have completely remodeled this space. It was such a vibe (complementary)!! I was with a group and had a few items to share which were great. The corn dip was my favorite. I read that they had excellent cocktails and was very excited to see a mocktail list! Unfortunately it was the worst mocktail I've ever had-- tasted like cough medicine (generosity). Nothing to cut the sweet and just sticky feeling? That was so disappointing. Entrees are small, but good variety. The lobster mac and cheese wasn't anything special, but it was filling. The vibe here is SO GOOD. If they can get a little more elevated with food to make it exceptional, this will be a really special place! read more

The Sanctuary on 25th - Mocktails etc. - Speakeasies Near Me - Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Nikki is very nice & helpful! I appreciate her trying to help accommodate our family as we added to our group.

Food was delish. Service was good. Only negative is that we got on the waitlist on Yelp and after paying an uber to take us to the restaurant, the host told us they don't actually use the waitlist and that it's not authorized by the restaurant. They made it work for us because they had a table outside we could sit at, but hopefully they can get this resolved as we were not the only people who arrived thinking we were in some sort of line for a table. read more

Just wanted to start off saying the atmosphere is absolutely awesome here aswell as the service and waiters with everyone being kind and helpful. We got an appetizer of stuffed jalapeños which were very good. I ordered the pork belly tacos which have a sort of Korean glaze which I found delectable and my girlfriend got the shrimp and grits which she throughly enjoyed. All in all the food and drinks were great the only reason there isn't a 5 star is because of the smaller portions. read more

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This is a perfect game day restaurant! Excellent service, fantastic food, and the atmosphere is cozy and quaint.

Found this gem on our way to Georgia. The huge doors gave a fantastic first impression as we walked into this church turned restaurant. Roomy and Beautiful - the friendly service just enhanced the overall appeal. The one page menu design had lots of great choices. Without a doubt - if it's on the menu - the street corn dip is a MUST! The other foods were great as well but DO NOT pass up on the street corn dip So happy we found this place.... We will definitely be back again if given the chance read more

Service was slow. Chicken skewers were very good. Fish tacos were just okay. I would look for somewhere else to eat next time.

Sadly, I hate giving this place an excellent review because that means more people will show up and it'll be harder to get reservations but here it is....this place is fabulous. Music, drinks, food....excellent! read more