Restaurant was very much vouched for by everyone we knew. It was our first date night in a while, since we have a one year old and it was a letdown. The restaurant itself was gorgeous and the waiter, Austin, did a great job. But the ravioli appetizer was lukewarm at best with fatty pork. For the first time in my life, I had to send my dish back. The duck dish had underdone beans and basically no flavor. My wife’s snapper was great, which made my dish taste even worse. Austin even informed us that the chef tried the dish and agreed with us that it was subpar. The crazy is thing is that nobody from the kitchen nor the manager felt like saying anything to us about it, only Austin, despite the restaurant being half full at 8:00 on a Saturday. To their credit, they took it off our bill and gave us a free dessert. But I must say, for this price tag, this place isn’t worth the time. Apparently they are quite an institution in Birmingham. Well, that could change very quickly if they rest too much on their laurels.
Amazing dinner, I had a mock-tail a salad and short ribs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amanda McGrady
10/10! A great place to celebrate a birthday or anniversary.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amanda Bridges-Dunn
Excellent service. Food was perfect.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jason Bucky Etherton
We had a group of seven people. The service was excellent! Drinks were creative and delicious. Our courses came out timely and correctly. I highly recommend this restaurant.
Food was very good. Recommend the bread service, short ribs, and soufflé.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Shehzan Maredia
TLDR: This was the WORST food and service I've ever experienced in my life. BHM has great restaurants (Bottega, Chez Fon Fon, etc.). Go to them instead.Food -----Bone Marrow: Bone marrow was undercooked. Risotto was undercooked but had good flavor. Short Rib was flavorless and overcooked (10x worse than buying $3 Short Rib from Trader Joes).Grouper Crudo: Nothing special. Flavorless. Dish didn't leave me wanting more.Swordfish: Worst fish I've had. Very undercooked; 2nd waiter saw it and took it back immediately. You couldn't even cut through the fish. It was cold in the middle. I didn't think you could screw up sweet potato, but they somehow managed to do that too. The wild mushrooms were good though and added some much needed salt to the dish.Steak: We got the steak because we couldn't eat the swordfish (and thought to ourselves no way they can screw up steak). We asked for medium rare. It came back rare, no flavor, you couldn't cut through the steak. He said it was Wagyu, but that was not Wagyu. It tasted worse than $5 steak from Walmart. Everything else on the dish was messed up too. Egg was overcooked. Potatoes again undercooked. Broccoli Rabe was bitter because they hadn't done much to it other than steam it (come on do better if you're going to charge $45).Drink: I don't even want to get into it. Just mid.Dessert: We asked them not to bring it out because everything else we'd had was poorly cooked. We didn't want an undercooked souffle.Service ----Waiter: I'll caveat this review on service with saying the 2nd waiter who took back our food was nice. But I was surprised by the attitude 1st waiter and head chef. The 1st waiter rarely checked on us. She didn't pace the meal well, and she'd forgotten about the crudo until we reminded her about it (even though she said it tastes better with the bone marrow). When we asked her to return the steak, she argued with us that we should eat it and it looks good. She brought back the check and charged us for the 2 dishes we returned and didn't eat. So, I asked to speak to the chef.Chef: The chef came in with an aggressive attitude, arguing the dishes were cooked well and that we couldn't get food poisoning from them (lol). Most restaurants I go to will happily take back and void a returned dish (if not the meal), but having us pay for dishes that were poorly cooked and returned is surprising. Anyways, we ended up paying and left. Sometimes, you go out to eat and feel robbed. This was one of those times.Btw, the other table next to us also didn't enjoy their experience. They said they would've preferred even going to North Italia (chain restaurant) over this place.I have a lot of pride for how good the food is in my city, and I'm disappointed with this restaurant which is lauded as one of our top options.Anyways, here are some other places you can go to:1. Bottega (cafe)2. Chez Fon Fon3. Niki's West...15. Cheesecake Factory...99. McDonalds...1000. Hot and Hot Fish Club
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
R D
The atmosphere is upscale and sophisticated. The food presentation is nice. However.. everything was way too salty.Drinks were nice and or dinner was saved by a great chocolate souffle!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Helen H.
Had dinner with family and loved the experience so much. I started with a cocktail that was delicious, followed by an appetizer of oysters. The oysters were so tasty and so far Donald, our waiter, was very attentive and knowledgeable. I decided to try the noodle bowl and was not disappointed. The seafood in the bowl was seasoned and prepared perfectly. The broth was so yummy it could have stood on its own. I love the seating choices, (chef's counter, bar, table) the decor, the location, and the service. I love this place!
Deldrick Bell
This is my favorite restaurant in the city. We've been several times and each time has been perfect. The food is always delicious. We usually sit at the chefs counter, but reserving a table is worth the experience as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Braised Short Ribs, Hot and Hot Tomato Salad, Assorted Southern Cheeses and Charcuterie Plate, Charcuterie Board
Food was cold. Very disappointed in the service. Zero ambiance. Our party was looking forward to trying this legendary restaurant but overall we will not be coming back.
Debra H.
Very nice restaurant in very trendy Pepper Place. Ambience is very on point. Modern industrial chic. We were a bit early, but were seated promptly and drinks were served. Our server was congenial and extremely knowledgeable about the food. He made outstanding recommendations and provided prompt, friendly and professional service. The Chicken fried wagyu steak w/ fingerling garlic potatoes, seasoned greens and buttermilk gravy could easily have been a five star dinner. All that was needed was to cook the potatoes until they were actually done properly and to offer enough gravy to actually taste. The cassoulet was short on duck confit, while the white beans were gritty due to under cooking. Desert was spectacular, much better than the entrees. The jump from very good to outstanding for this restaurant is easy, insure properly cooked meals w/enough food to taste. We will return!
Janis T.
Hot and Hot is one of my all time favorite places in Bham and that's saying a lot because there are many to choose from. It's a James Beard award-winning restaurant and it's easy to see why. The menu options are creative and consistently wonderful. The service is always on point with every need anticipated without hovering. The decor is understated but elegant and it feels comfortable. I also appreciate that there's never a fuss about separate checks. Don't skip dessert because they have some amazing offerings. This is a great place to reconnect with friends, celebrate a special occasion or just enjoy a wonderful meal. Don't forget the reservation and know that Chef likes everyone present before ordering so they properly orchestrate the meal.
Georgia Dominick
Pricy but worth it. Seafood noodle bowl was off the charts good. Rabbit pot pie was deelish. Smoked mullet pate is incredible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: 7 Layer Carrot Cake
David S.
Had not been to Hot and Hot in several years. This may have been the last time. Not sure they will be an options for others looking out to next year. Too many better places with a better vibe and taste. Menu looked wonderful at first glance. Everyone had trouble deciding what to get. now we know why. All four of the entrees were MEH and most of all lacked flavor. My duck was small and uneventful. both fish dishes were overcooked and bland. chicken fried steak was the better of the 4 entrees. the quail was very good and the tartar was good. drinks were small and wait for table was 15 minutes after reservation time. scene was weak. this was a friday night at 715. next stop will be another choice. disappointed Hastings place has fallen out of top picks in this restaurant heavy city "chicken Fried Steak"Red SnapperWagyu Beef Tartare
Restaurant was very much vouched for by everyone we knew. It was our first date night in a while, since we have a one year old and it was a letdown. The restaurant itself was gorgeous and the waiter, Austin, did a great job. But the ravioli appetizer was lukewarm at best with fatty pork. For the first time in my life, I had to send my dish back. The duck dish had underdone beans and basically no flavor. My wife’s snapper was great, which made my dish taste even worse. Austin even informed us that the chef tried the dish and agreed with us that it was subpar. The crazy is thing is that nobody from the kitchen nor the manager felt like saying anything to us about it, only Austin, despite the restaurant being half full at 8:00 on a Saturday. To their credit, they took it off our bill and gave us a free dessert. But I must say, for this price tag, this place isn’t worth the time. Apparently they are quite an institution in Birmingham. Well, that could change very quickly if they rest too much on their laurels.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Elton's Chocolate Soufflé, Snapper
Amazing dinner, I had a mock-tail a salad and short ribs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
10/10! A great place to celebrate a birthday or anniversary.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent service. Food was perfect.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a group of seven people. The service was excellent! Drinks were creative and delicious. Our courses came out timely and correctly. I highly recommend this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Elton's Chocolate Soufflé, Chicken Roulade, Snapper
Food was very good. Recommend the bread service, short ribs, and soufflé.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
TLDR: This was the WORST food and service I've ever experienced in my life. BHM has great restaurants (Bottega, Chez Fon Fon, etc.). Go to them instead.Food -----Bone Marrow: Bone marrow was undercooked. Risotto was undercooked but had good flavor. Short Rib was flavorless and overcooked (10x worse than buying $3 Short Rib from Trader Joes).Grouper Crudo: Nothing special. Flavorless. Dish didn't leave me wanting more.Swordfish: Worst fish I've had. Very undercooked; 2nd waiter saw it and took it back immediately. You couldn't even cut through the fish. It was cold in the middle. I didn't think you could screw up sweet potato, but they somehow managed to do that too. The wild mushrooms were good though and added some much needed salt to the dish.Steak: We got the steak because we couldn't eat the swordfish (and thought to ourselves no way they can screw up steak). We asked for medium rare. It came back rare, no flavor, you couldn't cut through the steak. He said it was Wagyu, but that was not Wagyu. It tasted worse than $5 steak from Walmart. Everything else on the dish was messed up too. Egg was overcooked. Potatoes again undercooked. Broccoli Rabe was bitter because they hadn't done much to it other than steam it (come on do better if you're going to charge $45).Drink: I don't even want to get into it. Just mid.Dessert: We asked them not to bring it out because everything else we'd had was poorly cooked. We didn't want an undercooked souffle.Service ----Waiter: I'll caveat this review on service with saying the 2nd waiter who took back our food was nice. But I was surprised by the attitude 1st waiter and head chef. The 1st waiter rarely checked on us. She didn't pace the meal well, and she'd forgotten about the crudo until we reminded her about it (even though she said it tastes better with the bone marrow). When we asked her to return the steak, she argued with us that we should eat it and it looks good. She brought back the check and charged us for the 2 dishes we returned and didn't eat. So, I asked to speak to the chef.Chef: The chef came in with an aggressive attitude, arguing the dishes were cooked well and that we couldn't get food poisoning from them (lol). Most restaurants I go to will happily take back and void a returned dish (if not the meal), but having us pay for dishes that were poorly cooked and returned is surprising. Anyways, we ended up paying and left. Sometimes, you go out to eat and feel robbed. This was one of those times.Btw, the other table next to us also didn't enjoy their experience. They said they would've preferred even going to North Italia (chain restaurant) over this place.I have a lot of pride for how good the food is in my city, and I'm disappointed with this restaurant which is lauded as one of our top options.Anyways, here are some other places you can go to:1. Bottega (cafe)2. Chez Fon Fon3. Niki's West...15. Cheesecake Factory...99. McDonalds...1000. Hot and Hot Fish Club
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
The atmosphere is upscale and sophisticated. The food presentation is nice. However.. everything was way too salty.Drinks were nice and or dinner was saved by a great chocolate souffle!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Had dinner with family and loved the experience so much. I started with a cocktail that was delicious, followed by an appetizer of oysters. The oysters were so tasty and so far Donald, our waiter, was very attentive and knowledgeable. I decided to try the noodle bowl and was not disappointed. The seafood in the bowl was seasoned and prepared perfectly. The broth was so yummy it could have stood on its own. I love the seating choices, (chef's counter, bar, table) the decor, the location, and the service. I love this place!
This is my favorite restaurant in the city. We've been several times and each time has been perfect. The food is always delicious. We usually sit at the chefs counter, but reserving a table is worth the experience as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Braised Short Ribs, Hot and Hot Tomato Salad, Assorted Southern Cheeses and Charcuterie Plate, Charcuterie Board
Restaurantji Recommends
Food was cold. Very disappointed in the service. Zero ambiance. Our party was looking forward to trying this legendary restaurant but overall we will not be coming back.
Very nice restaurant in very trendy Pepper Place. Ambience is very on point. Modern industrial chic. We were a bit early, but were seated promptly and drinks were served. Our server was congenial and extremely knowledgeable about the food. He made outstanding recommendations and provided prompt, friendly and professional service. The Chicken fried wagyu steak w/ fingerling garlic potatoes, seasoned greens and buttermilk gravy could easily have been a five star dinner. All that was needed was to cook the potatoes until they were actually done properly and to offer enough gravy to actually taste. The cassoulet was short on duck confit, while the white beans were gritty due to under cooking. Desert was spectacular, much better than the entrees. The jump from very good to outstanding for this restaurant is easy, insure properly cooked meals w/enough food to taste. We will return!
Hot and Hot is one of my all time favorite places in Bham and that's saying a lot because there are many to choose from. It's a James Beard award-winning restaurant and it's easy to see why. The menu options are creative and consistently wonderful. The service is always on point with every need anticipated without hovering. The decor is understated but elegant and it feels comfortable. I also appreciate that there's never a fuss about separate checks. Don't skip dessert because they have some amazing offerings. This is a great place to reconnect with friends, celebrate a special occasion or just enjoy a wonderful meal. Don't forget the reservation and know that Chef likes everyone present before ordering so they properly orchestrate the meal.
Pricy but worth it. Seafood noodle bowl was off the charts good. Rabbit pot pie was deelish. Smoked mullet pate is incredible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: 7 Layer Carrot Cake
Had not been to Hot and Hot in several years. This may have been the last time. Not sure they will be an options for others looking out to next year. Too many better places with a better vibe and taste. Menu looked wonderful at first glance. Everyone had trouble deciding what to get. now we know why. All four of the entrees were MEH and most of all lacked flavor. My duck was small and uneventful. both fish dishes were overcooked and bland. chicken fried steak was the better of the 4 entrees. the quail was very good and the tartar was good. drinks were small and wait for table was 15 minutes after reservation time. scene was weak. this was a friday night at 715. next stop will be another choice. disappointed Hastings place has fallen out of top picks in this restaurant heavy city "chicken Fried Steak"Red SnapperWagyu Beef Tartare