To complete a romantic evening, we like Continental Bakery downtown’s prix fixe offering, and they’ll throw in Casablanca tickets if you make your reservation for 5, 5:30, or 6 p.m. So that’s that, appropriate for friends, casual daters, and the seriously committed.
#BLACK MARKET BAR AND GRILL MOVIE#
They’re available here, and the movie starts at 8 p.m. Do yourself (and your Valentine) a favor and buy tickets now. The way we see it, Casablanca is key to any good Valentine’s observance, and the Alabama Theatre agrees. Ultimately, Downtown edged out Five Points because it offers the most complete date night options for any stage of love, with your basic ingredients of food, drink, and classic movie within walking distance of one another. And we feel pretty strongly about this, despite our secret hankering for an amorous grilled cheese at Melt. The way we see it, there are two ideal neighborhoods for your saints day celebration: Downtown and Five Points South. Never fear, we’re here with your Birmingham-based advice. Unless you have a proposal planned, it’s tough to find the right balance of something special that’s still true to your relationship. Besides the noble goal of celebrating love generally, there’s the real expectation of romance, which we all know is a whole other thing entirely. We’ll go on record and argue that Valentine’s Day is the year’s most high-pressure holiday. Valentine's Tips: Location, Location, Location We’re not saying you have to share the shots you win, but - realtor pro-tip alert! - it’s an excellent strategy to meet your neighbors.
#BLACK MARKET BAR AND GRILL FREE#
Bingo winners get a spin on the prize wheel, which could mean a free burger or a round of shots. You might as well grab a bingo card while you’re at it, since it’s a low commitment game easily played while eating your burger or shooting a round of pool. We’ve promised ourselves to be more adventurous next time and try the ‘Trashcan Burger’ (chef’s choice of toppings) or even the ‘Graceland.’ With peanut butter, jelly, egg, and bacon, it sounds so wrong we’re guessing it’s very, very right. They’re thick and delicious enough to have been grilled at home, but with more interesting toppings and a side of hearty steak fries. Plus, the $6 burger specials help narrow down your choices in two pages of tempting menu selections.Īnd the burgers are a tasty choice indeed. They’re also the perfect night out for early in the work week, when you almost want a night in.
Beer, Burgers, and Bingo nights (Tuesdays, with Bingo beginning at 8 p.m.) have an almost locals-only pub feel that every neighborhood needs. The bar hosts musical acts, but we like the casual evenings of cheerful, throwback entertainment. But with a full, fun food menu and charming historical details (aged hardwoods, pressed tin, leaded glass), there’s a strong gastropub element as well. It has the requisite dark walls adorned with memorabilia and the vaguely punk vibe of a great dive. Inside, Black Market is an endearing combination of dive bar and local gastropub. Like much of the Five Points South neighborhood, Black Market is a study in contrasts.Īccording to the Five Points South Neighborhood Association, the bar’s historic Shepherd-Sloss building “is one of Birmingham’s two best examples of Italian revival architecture (the other is the Florentine Building downtown).” Despite its grand exterior, the association notes, the building has typically housed basic small businesses for the neighborhood, including a drug store and a hair salon. But inside it’s more interesting than that. From the outside, it seems like a simple watering hole in an Italianate building, perhaps an edgier answer to nearby Dave’s Pub. Black Market Bar & Grill looks plain enough, tucked into Highland Avenue between Five Points and Cobb Lane.