Ironwood Kitchen & Cocktails - Birmingham, Alabama

Selly N.

All in all, we had a pleasant evening meal with friends at this restaurant. The atmosphere was lovely. The food was of good quality and tasty. Personally, I think it was not good value for money. The portion sizes were a bit small. The service, was friendly but a bit inattentive. It was nice to try, but not necessarily a restaurant I'd go back to again.

Jennie R.

This is a nice place to have a casual dinner or just a drink. I had the kale salad with shrimp. There were a lot of great ingredients in the salad, although the kale was tough to eat. The stems were particularly chewy. My husband had the scallops with risotto. Although the scallops were great, the risotto was a little heavy. Our server was very attentive and courteous.

Tameka C.

I had the 1/2 chicken that came with Mac and cheese and a savory slaw. It was a 10/10. Everything was perfectly seasoned and all items complimented each other. I had the s'mores for dessert 6/10, tastes better at home after putting in the microwave. The waiter was friendly but not as tentative as we'd like and the service was rather slow. I would recommend visiting if you have time to spare.

LaToya H.

Beautiful restaurant situated in Homewood inside the Valley Hotel Homewood. The seating in front of the bar allows for great street views as you enjoy your food with your guests. Cocktails were great! Bar staff hit a home run with their recommendations. Highly recommended!

Donyetta D. A.

I absolutely love this hidden to me gem. The cotton candy mimosa is delicious!! The Ironwood omlette is so good that I had to return to make sure. Using caramelized onions is chef's kiss. I will be here monthly for my self care date!!!

Deb S.

We were a party of 5, and went on Sunday evening of Valentine's Day weekend. Honestly, we'd been once before the previous year and found it overpriced and mediocre, but this restaurant was the only one we could get a reservation for due to the holiday.

Our server was Josh, and at first I thought he was just a bad server (never refilled drinks, took forever to take our order, even telling us to wait when we told him we were ready, etc.). He appeared completely stressed out and overwhelmed. Later, I observed him having to bus his own tables and that he had half the restaurant he was trying to serve. Thus, this is a management/staffing issue and wasn't his fault. For the prices on the menu, it's ridiculous a server would have to bus his or her own tables.

Food was a mixed bag. The bacon appetizer was on point. Even with the horrible service, I would return just for this one item. It's not overly-candied and has the perfect amount of heat. As a true bacon lover, it was scrumptious. That said, I would order it at the bar so I could get better service. Oysters were also good, though I didn't have any. We were never offered bread. The seafood salad was well-presented and tasty with a good shrimp portion. The crab, though, consisted of a few microscopic shreds on the top of the lettuce wedge.

Entrees: I was hesitant to order the $85 "Valentine's" special ribeye because of our past experience. Plus, it would have to be incredible for $85. It wasn't. It came out in separate pieces, which was weird. I ordered it medium rare. The smaller end piece was well done. The other pieces were rare. I was good with those, as well as the purée under them (I forget what it was, maybe butternut squash?). Risotto was a bit gluey, but tasted decent. I had a mild allergic reaction to something in this dish. My sinuses all clogged up tight and my face got hot. Couldn't breathe out of my nose. I don't have any known food allergies, so this was bizarre. All said, $85 is a prime steakhouse price for something that was far from prime.

My daughter ordered the hanger steak medium rare. It came sliced. It was well done except for one piece that was medium well. Garlic fries were good when piping hot. Josh never came back to see how our meal was, so we couldn't say anything. I had to ask the hostess for silverware and steak knives. He was nowhere to be found. We had long run out of our first cocktails (that took 30+ minutes to arrive once seated). We did order another round towards the end of the meal, but had to ask for tea refills for the parents.

Filet was "fine" according to my husband. Pork and beans were great according to my father-in-law. That looked like the best meal, by far. Don't remember what my MIL ordered, but she liked it (seafood risotto?). The whole experience took two hours, most of which was spent waiting for Josh to make a rare appearance, so we didn't bother with dessert. I think they only had the two Valentine's menu choices, neither of which sounded tempting.

All in all, the hit or miss food and the poor service makes this a spot to go to only if you can't get a resy anywhere else. Again, I'm not blaming the server. He clearly had way too much for one person to do. You'd think a high-end restaurant like this could afford staff, but something is off here. For us to have two mediocre experiences a whole year apart shows this wasn't simply an off night. It's a consistent management/staffing issue with no truly memorable food to offset the rest of the problems, not to mention the high prices. If I ever go back, it will be just to the bar for a cocktail and that lovely bacon. Then we would go somewhere better for our actual meal.

Lisa S. L. F. E. D.

What an amazing dining experience. Not your typical "hotel" restaurant. From the cozy atmosphere to the friendly, professional, knowledgeable service to the menu that featured quail, venison, farm raised chicken, etc. this was one of the best meals I've had in awhile. First up was a delicious seasonal cocktail, followed by warm house baked bread and rosemary dipping oil. Then I tried the stuffed quail appetizer. Honesty that could have been a meal in itsef, served over sautéed kale. The skin was crispy, the meat tender and juicy. For my entree I tried the coffee-rubbed venison with cherries. Again perfectly seasoned and cooked to a medium-rare. I couldn't resist the dessert menu. After debating between the cobbler and lemon posset, I chose the posset because it's the first time I've ever seen it on a restaurant menu. From start to finish, the meal was perfection. I would definitely go back.

Tony C.

Visited on a Saturday for brunch. Was promptly seated. Wait staff was wonderful went as far as to describe a drink for my wife. She stated that she’d only had a sip from a straw, and it tasted like Christmas. It was a perfect description. The breakfast was outstanding, we both had the Southern Breakfast. Sausage tasted as if it was homemade and the highlight of the meal for me. Would recommend to anyone wanting to try something different for brunch.