The Garage Cafe

I had read that The Garage was one of top bars in the U.S. had to see! Loved the venue. Excellent food. Nice local bar. Not crazy about cash only and serve yourself bar because it does get a little crowded.

This place is nice. Food is delicious and fresh. Service is friendly and quick. I will definitely go back. I can’t wait.

This is by far the best bar I have been to in Birmingham! I LOVE THE GARAGE CAFE. First off they have a kick ass beer list. You can get a lot locals picks (I’m a Good People fan). The prices are also pretty damn good. $ 4-​$ 8 per beer? You really can’t beat that.
The sandwich was one of the best things I have eaten in a cool minute. It’s build your own Sammie and the sky is the limit on what you can put on it. I basically made an Italian and it rocked. It came with chips and was only $ 9. I have thought about that damn sandwich all week. It was that good.
They atmosphere has been super chill the last two times I have been in. The bar staff is really friendly. This is a great neighborhood dive. I recommend it to everyone I meet now!

Wow. What a find. The true «hole in the wall» but I’m the nicest sense. Good people, good food, good beer, and best margarita ever. Soup was fantastic and sandwich as well… it was huge! Small and has its own personality… very local. Went for early dinner about 5. And yes its cash only and yes ATM is in back. Just cool place.

One of my favorite places in all of Birmingham and still a well kept secret. The Garage is a fantastic place to hide/​hang out for hours on end and drink all kinds of craft beer with good sandwiches a quick order away. Couple this with the enclosed courtyard and why would you want to go anywhere else. We rolled into Garage on a Thursday afternoon having a few hours to kill before meeting up with friends. We had no trouble finding a table inside with the A/​C blasting to get out of the heat. It was a perfect way to unwind from travelling that morning and by the time our friends got there we were completely relaxed. I love this place and hope that it remains somewhat a secret but I have to let people know how awesome it is.

This is a Birmingham classic. One of my favorite dives ever, let alone in this city. They have the normal array of spirits and wines and a pretty great collection of beers both locally and nation wide. The service is always good. What you come here for is the atmosphere. It’s a little bit like an antique shop blew up (in a great way). It makes for a really quirky hodge podge of interesting items as décor.
The back beer garden is my absolutely favorite. They have charming colorful Christmas lights strung up as well archways naturally grown from trees and plants. The blown up antique shop theme continues back here with cool statues and cute table and seating areas. Some nights they have live bands to music the place up, and they don’t mind if you throw a birthday or leaving party here. It is the type of place that stays open for you if you just want that one last drink (or two) after closing.

Birmingham staple. Great little bar snuggled down a side street in Birmingham. I love the eccentricity of this place! The patio makes me feel like I’m in some magical, quaint backyard.
Cash only– but they do have an ATM!
Great bloody Mary’s, sandwiches made fresh and ice cold beer selections!
Friendly staff

Kitchen closes at 10, bar stays open. You order food and drinks at different spots, which you wouldn’t know until you ask. Pick your ingredients for your sandwich from a menu telling you no prices, so you just guess and hope you’re not adding a dollar with each topping (I still don’t know). At the end, both of my friends’ and my sandwiches (of varying ingredients) were each $ 8.25, which felt like a lot for a basic sandwich. I was hoping to wind up paying $ 6 tips for the quality of the food. It was a fine sandwich, but nothing special… not going back for an $ 8 sandwich I could make at home.
I did, though, enjoy the atmosphere. Very relaxed. Customer service is friendly enough.

One of Birmingham’s best kept secrets. Known for great sandwiches by day and neighborhood watering hole by night, the garage is the best way to end any night in Birmingham.

Good beer selection, amazing location and patio, great food, but cash only. What a bummer. Can’t tell you how many times I almost came but didn’t because I don’t carry cash. A shame too.
They only serve sandwiches and soup, but both times I’ve eaten here, it was excellent. The sandwiches are a great price and come with chips. They switch their soups up but whatever they have, get it.
And come on, 4 stars easy if you would start taking cards.

I’m giving the Garage Café 4 stars because I feel like it’s a hidden little gem in Birmingham. It’s the perfect place for day drinking. Their outside area is quaint and laid back. They have tons of beers to choose from and seriously the best Bloody Mary you will ever have. They have sandwiches but I have not tried them. The only downside is that you HAVE to pay with cash.

I can’t believe I haven’t written a review for The Garage yet! One of my favorite go-​to spots in Birmingham. Either for a lunch sandwich or definitely for a cold beverage. They can’t boast the biggest selection of beers in Birmingham. But they certainly can boast the biggest selection chilled in ice water in Birmingham. One of my favorite forms of getting bottled beer is straight out of ice water.
You will be hard pressed to find a cooler atmosphere in Birmingham or anywhere. The outside patio is awesome (except rainy nights of course). There is not much inside seating. So if it is raining, you might want to hold off for another night. If you do belly up to the bar, you will meet one of their many friendly bartenders. As mentioned before, it is cash only. So make sure you bring those dolla dolla bills.
And the sandwiches are simple, but delicious. Wash it down with one of those many great beer options, and you are having a great day. This is a top, must visit spot in Birmingham.

There is a reason that this place made GQ’s «10 bars worth flying to» a few years back. From the time that you walk up to it, past all of the concrete statues and antiques, you know this is not your typical bar. I will say that I am not a huge fan of the small interior of the bar. While interesting decorated, it is just a bit dark and cramped for my taste. The bartenders are always great, and the drinks are very reasonably priced. They only take cash, but do have an ATM on site. The courtyard in the back, surrounded by garages packed FULL of all kinds of antiques and half shaded with greenery that hangs down from pergolas, is what makes this place so amazing. There is so much to take in while you enjoy drinks with your friends, from concrete statues to vintage gas pumps. I always enjoy looking in each of the garages when we go here, because you never know what you will see!
I also need to mention the sandwiches! I have never had anything to eat here, since I am not a huge fan of sandwiches in general, but have heard that theirs are delicious. I have several friends that rave about them. So, if you are a fan of sandwiches, you may want to check those out too!

My only complaint is that they don’t accept credit cards. Other than that it’s one of my favorite places in Birmingham.

If you go… you must sit outside. This is a great place to hang out with friends and have some drinks. They serve sandwitches and everyone tells me they are amazing (i just dont eat sandwitches). The inside is too dark for me… so if you go sit outside… look in the windows at all the amazing collections of antiques and old and brokern sculptures.

Cool, «different», very laid back place.
Great spot for any time you want to stay out of the crowd, and want to enjoy some relaxed ambient and a good beer!
I wished they served some (actual) food, on top of their really good sandwiches.
If that happened, the place may become one of my favorites. Let’s see!
Nice place

Oh how I miss The Garage! I recently moved to Nashville from Birmingham, and I haven’t been able to find a bar quite as cool as the Garage.
Their sandwiches are amazing-​the best in Bham, in my opinion. It’s a great place for lunch and then turns into a totally different, equally awesome place to get a beer at night.
The courtyard is enclosed by old car garages, filled with concrete and metal patio tables and benches and eclectic antiques, and it’s covered by overgrown plant vines and string lighting. In the winter they have a fire pit outside to keep you warm, and in the summer they have live music on weekend nights.
A few downsides to this establishment are that they do not accept cards (there is an ATM in the back), they don’t have any beers on tap and the bartenders can be a little snooty. I’ve never understood why they are that way especially to a regular who always tips well.
Tip: You order your sandwich at the second counter past the bar and you order your drink from the bartender. They both have tip jars. I make sure to tip the bartender well and also give a little something in the jar by the sandwich counter. They deserve it for those awesome sandwiches!

This bar is a classic in Birmingham, and for good reason — the drinks are good, the bartenders are fantastic, locals are always hanging out around the bar, and the atmosphere is wonderful. The inside of this bar is dive-​y in a good way, but the outside patio is what’s really unique — it’s huge, and stone tables are everywhere, draped by greenery and surrounded by small garages packed with interesting old things to look at and wonder about.
I love going to The Garage when I want a drink, but they also serve really amazing sandwiches made with Big Sky bread and fresh ingredients that taste almost magically good — you create your own sandwich (hot or cold) by asking the server for whatever you like, so it’s vegetarian-​friendly, too.
True, this bar is cash-​only, but they have an on-​site ATM, so it’s not really that big of a deal.

The Garage is a great little place that has a local feel with local folk. The sandwiches are good, especially after a few drinks. I give it 3 stars because it is a cash only joint. Who carries cash? There is an ATM, but it isn’t the most convenient thing. Good for large groups. Nice outside area.

If you can find it then there you are! Tucked away in an antique oasis this quaint but sometime snooty establishment serves up ice cold beers (literally) and great sandwiches and soups. Go check it out and enjoy the patio filled with fun statues and cozy seating. Order up a fat sandwich and delicious soup and sit back and feel like you are not in Bham! Enjoy a cold one with Luiso the best bartender in Bham.