Ate dinner here while in town. The meal was fabulous from start to finish! Â Went on a Tuesday and had to wait 40-45 minutes for a table, which was fine as we sat at the bar and got a drink. Â as an appetizer we got the tartine. Â It was a little heavy, but since we split it amongst our table it was the perfect start. Â How do you go wrong with goat cheese and olives? Â For dinner I had the hanger steak salad and I must say it was prepared perfectly. Â My dinner mates had steak and fish dishes and they also seemed very pleased. Â To the end the meal we decided to get dessert. Â The chocolate carmel nut tart was the perfect end to my trip in Birmingham.
Review Source:My favorite Birmingham restaurant!! I usually find myself struggling between the same menu items every visit:hamburger fonfon and croque madam. Both are absolutely delicious, but there is no better burger in town! And do not leave without the pommes frites! They are fried in duck fat..... Need I say more? We usually buy a bottle of the highlands Pinot noir, which is about $40....well worth it!
Review Source:Not much to say that hasn't been said.
I just moved to Birmingham, and this was one of the places I knew I had to try out as soon as I got here. Went for lunch today with my parents and had a fabulous meal. I had the hamburger, which was just as good as everyone says. My parents had the shrimp and avocado salad and the swordfish, which was the fish of the day. Both excellent. Finished the meal with the lemon meringue tart. Also terrific.
The decor is wonderful. The ambiance is listed as casual, but is more upscale, even during lunch. I'd call it jacket optional. I felt underdressed in a polo tee and shorts, but I'm also picky about my clothes, so take that for what it's worth.
This place has the best burgers in Birmingham. They have fresh meats and vegetables. In fact the fresh theme is carried over to the drinks. They have those hooks under the counter to hang our purses and they always make grayhounds with fresh grapefruits! Â So much fun! I like to hang out at the bar with my friends.
Review Source:I just realized how many local favorites I still have not reviewed even though I assumed I had reviewed them. Â FonFon is one. Â
Out of the maybe 15 times I have eaten at FonFon, the service has been top notch with some servers going beyond the pale to provide recommendations if requested (particularly on wine, which is appreciated). Â Similarly, although I rarely stray from the best or possibly 2nd best (sometimes) burger in town, but the charcuterie, apps, burgers, croque madam and mostly everything has been excellent 95% of the time.
One time I had a less than perfect experience there and wrote the restaurant about it. Â Frank replied personally and made it right, further ensuring our patronage for years to come. Â
Add all of that together for a reasonable price (FonFon really cannot be beat for the $75-$100 dinner for two price range in this town) and it remains one near the top of my list in BHM for price/quality.
Always busy and enjoyable French bistro style restaurant in Birmingham. Opened in 2000. Reliably excellent food and service. Owner and executive chef Frank Stitt has a number of restaurants in Birmingham and they are all quite good. My advice for people visiting this restaurant is to come in on some off-hours if you can manage it. This way you aren't overwhelmed by the wait (it can be an hour or more and there are no reservations at the moment). Then sample the menu over a few visits. There are quite a few good dishes that marry French cuisine with Southern ingredients. Its a comfortable place with good wait staff. Just happy that we found another excellent place in Birmingham.
Review Source:Although I live in Texas, Birmingham is my hometown. I look for any excuse to eat here when I visit. Not only is the food great, but the atmosphere and service are very pleasant as well. Last time I was at FonFon, I had the mussels with fries and an Orange Thing. Amazing! The trout in brown butter and the burger are also delicious.
Review Source:Chez Fonfon lived up to the hype. Â I had lunch here this week and it was fabulous! Â We arrived at about 11:45 and it had just filled up (they don't take reservations ever). Â We decided to eat at the bar. Â
I started with a French 75 - great cocktail. Â I got the hamburger - one of the best I've ever had (if not the best). Â My husband got the Croque Madame - fabulous. Â The fries are cooked perfectly. Â I quickly became one of our favorite places. Â We are planning on going back for dinner.
Wow! The food, drinks and service are TRULY phenomenal. The only reason why I give this place 4 stars is because I was repeatedly bumped and nudged by waiting guests during my meal.
As you probably know, Chez Fonfon doesn't take reservations. So, my boyfriend and I happily waited about an hour on Saturday evening to be seated. I didn't mind the wait at all, because their freshly squeeze lemon drop martini was more than satisfying. We were seated in an area between the bar and the little wall in the middle of the restaurant. My boyfriend took the booth side, while I, being the good girlfriend I am, took the chair side. It wasn't two minutes later until I was leaning forward trying to compact my body against the table because the bar area was literally packed with people waiting for tables who kept bumping into me. Every time I turned around, I got a little more claustrophobic, because there were hungry eyes staring down at my food and restaurant guests bumping into my seat and nudging my arm as they passed by. Not to mention, an intoxicated man was having a rather loud conversation with his wife, which really ruined my conversation with my boyfriend.
If you aren't going to take reservations, you NEED to have a larger waiting area so your guests who are paying good money for the delicious food can eat without being nudged every couple of minutes.
Otherwise, the food was exceptional. My boyfriend's trout was seasoned and cooked to perfection. My beef short ribs and oxtail with apple and mashed potatoes was so tender, and the components complemented each other nicely. The lemon cheesecake was fluffy and divine.
We will return soon, but we will wait longer for a table on the dining side!
We took a day trip to Birmingham during the Christmas holiday and ate at Chez Fonfon. We loved it. I had the omelette with shrimp. Â My husband ordered the salad with avocado and both of my children enjoyed the burger. The food was outstanding. My son requested that we come back to Birmingham just to eat at Chez FonFon again because it was the best burger he ever had. They also ordered tea which was phenomenal. We will definitely be back. The wait staff was also first-rate.
Review Source:Another Frank Stitt classic. I have never once been disappointed in anything I've ordered here. A few seasonal changes to the menu but for the most part they stay traditional French. Favorite dishes are the Moules Frites or the Steak Frites, both are excellent and consistent. Prices are surprisingly reasonable for many of their sandwiches and smaller plates.
Really great spot for lunch too if you can sneak a table on their back patio.
Every time I go here, I am filled with joy because there is nothing I love more than good food, great service, and fabulous cocktails. I went here this past Friday for date night, and it was the boyfriend's first Frank Stitt dining experience. He enjoyed my Hamburger Fonfon and the delicious pommes frites dipped in the homemade mayonnaise. He ate the pheasant (although they were out of the sausage it was to be stuffed with) and loved it. The star of the evening was the sweet potato and bacon soup - perfectly spicy. I need to learn the recipe to have this in the winter!
The bar is usually hoppin', and we sipped on rye old fashioneds while waiting for our table. The bottle of Beaujolais our server recommended was delicious, although we struggled to finish the bottle with all of the food and cocktails!
Another amazing evening at Chez Fonfon!
PS- the valet guys were very nice about parking the boyfriend's 2002 massive, jacked-up, beat-up, red Ford F-150 next to the Bentley, multiple Porsches, and other various teeny-tiny sports cars :)
I fell in here after a day touring Birmingham in that weird netherworld of too-late-for-lunch-and-WAYY-too-early-for-dinner and so had the entire place to myself. What a lovely experience. Service was impeccable, and the server was helpful in answering any of my questions. I had the delectable escargot, followed by one of the best heirloom tomato salads I'd ever had, followed by a rich, flavorful cheese plate accompanied by the freshest walnuts on Earth. And of course, the Orange Thing. Just a delightful meal from start to finish.
Review Source:Wow. This place consistently delivers. Despite the restaurant's French homage, the cheeseburger is one of the best items on the menu. The moules frites are spot on - belgium style fries/pomme frites in a paper cone with mayonnaise, and mussels. The croque monsieur is also good. I usually get a pastis to drink, a anise-based liquor that you mix with cold water, and that I haven't seen elsewhere in Birmingham.
The ambience is casual yet upscale. The main dining room has a French farmhouse feel with cool wooden tables. It can be fun to eat at the bar for quicker seating, as this place gets pretty packed for dinner. There's a nice courtyard/patio out back complete with a boules/petanque court to satisfy your gaming desires. We actually played a round while waiting for our entrees!
Prices are reasonable. Menu can be hard to comprehend and is static; otherwise no complaints here. Oh, parking sucks and the area is a bit sketchy, but you can can always valet or just park down the block.
Great lunch!
Nice sparkling, and a Pimm's cup.
Perfect Heirloom Tomato Salad.
Splitsie on the burger and the croque madame. Â Great choice. Â Very filling and super flavorful. Â No frills and extras you get exactly what you order. Â The food is cooked perfectly and made with high quality ingredients. Â The burger really is excellent and topped with comte it's perfection. Â We left super satisfied. Â Everything is straight forward and the atmosphere is just as a French Bistro should be.
Absolutely the best burger in Birmingham! Everything on the menu is great, but when I want a good burger, Chez Fonfon is the first place I think of. I'm so excited about spring weather, because they have an amazing back patio, with a bocce ball court. My whole family loves this place!
Review Source:All I can say was hello steak tartare. It was the best I have ever had and I just crave it now. Â Not only was that good but i like the coconut cake too. It was like a bread pudding/ cake all in one. Super dense and moist, oh and the best part it was coconut.
The lamb was well cooked and tasty and I love the pork cassoulet  was just the right portion size and amazing. It was a great experience.
What a fab lil find in Birmingham. The ambiance is really lovely in this french cafe' and you can tell that the attention to detail extends into the kitchen. I stopped in for a late night bite and sip with some colleagues and found the whole experience very charming.
I nibbled on the trout which was done beautifully though I was a bit envious of the chef's veggie plates that my tablemates ordered. So cute! So yummy!
I love French food, I love French food, yes I do, yes I do (To the tune of the french song: Frère Jacques, Dormez Vu?) Great lunch here, in a nice area, adorable cafe, good service, awesome menu, awesome food, and great prices.
I was on a business trip, and yelped out my surroundings to find a place to fill my belly. I was lucky to find Found Chez Fonfon with it really hard to have bad french food. I never knew B-Ham had an area like this. Old store fronts, restaurants bars, really a neat area. I parked on the street where the parking meters are the friendliest around. One quarter gets you 45 minutes! I've never received that many credits from one quarter, sweet.
You walk in and the bar has a cafe' kind of feel, only a place that would fit in this type of area. I was alone that day after my client backed out on lunch and sat at the bar. I was happy they had three different newspapers laid out on the bar so I could entertain myself while I waited for my food.
Open the menu you see a great variety and healthy selection. I was surprised at how great the prices were for being a french restaurant. I got the Croquet Madame (Grilled Ham sandwich, cheeses, and a fried egg). I'm not big on ham but the waiter suggested it to me. The Sandwich was pretty good, the egg was done perfectly. You could really tell they know how to fry an egg. Everything about my experience was wonderful. I really want to give this place 5 stars, but my food was good not the best. Darn it I'm just going to give it a 5.
Pros:
- Great Prices
- Great Service
- In a fun area
- Good menu selection
- Nice ambiance
- Food presentation
- Good place for lunch
Cons
- Not a dern thing wrong
Chez FonFon is precisely what I pictured when I thought of Birmingham, Alabama: uppity and clean-cut with a tad of Southern socialness. The groups in here consist of the following: groups of gossiping women, business men who just got off of work, and young professionals. It reminds me a lot of Highland Park in Dallas, which is a place for people to act rich and live nicely.
The little French-ish diner offers some well-crafted menu items, with a nice selection of alcohol and some unique desserts. The prices are affordable, as the more upscale sister restaurant is right next door. This is your better value option if you are looking for something nice.
The crawfish gratin is pretty unique, but simple. It contains crawfish tails swimming in a cream sauce with peas and carrots, topped with a hearty bread crumb topping.
The brabant potatoes are left short of tender, so they offer a nice give and crispness. The haricot vert are fresh and crisp. No frills with the sides; that is always nice.
The croque madame is a nice grilled sandwich with a fried egg, ham, and swiss. It is reminiscent of a panini, as the grilled bread adds a nice crunch. Solid meat and bread, nothing too fancy.
Chez FonFon is a slightly upscale cafe with a very straightforward approach. This is a good eatery for an affordable, but nicer than casual dining experience. It gets slightly loud, and there may be a wait, so head on over a little before you get ready to eat. Maybe grab a drink and socialize!
Chez Fon Fon is the place to go in Birmingham if you are looking for French food. Â I have eaten here several times. The place is really good for both food and service, and is also a fun place to meet friends. Â The hamburger is great, as are the french fries (which seem to be double deep fried in duck fat).
The menu is a bit of a challenge. Â You will be presented with challenges like deciding between a sandwich or rather bland omelette for $10-$15, or a much pricier special ($25) that may be too heavy on foie gras. Â The choices will also seem like apples and oranges. Â The burger or the charcuterie platter? Â To get the most of the experience, you will have to face this dilemma by ordering entrees and appetizers. Â This makes it easy to run up a tab here, and also possible that you will like some things much more than others.
With that in mind, it is a great place. Â The food is mostly really good (don't order the omelette). The dessert cakes are superb.
The service is polite and friendly, but not quite equal to big brother Highland's next door.
I had a wonderful dining experience at Chez Fonfon last night. I am in town for work for a week by myself. I venture out at night having dinners alone, which is always an interesting experience (one time an old lady sat down with me because she felt sorry that I was eating by myself, very nice of her, but really unnecessary. Anyway, back on topic). The restaurant located near a charming little intersection alongside other busy restaurants. I was sitted right away by the window on a quaint iron table that was the perfect size for one.
My waiter was quick, friendly, and unintrusive. I ordered the Lamb Shoulder and enjoyed every morsel. It was tender and flavorful. The vegetables were well cooked as well and sat in a yummy dark broth. I received my check quickly and was in and out in an hour. I consider the price very reasonable for the quality of food that I consumed.
If this restaurant is near where I live I will definitely return and try all the other items on the menu.
I was visiting town for a few days, and Chez Fonfon was recommended as a place not to be missed. And it was a very good recommendation, let me tell you! I had an epic meal here last Wednesday with a dear friend of mine and a few other fine folks. Â The food was quite good and the service was outstanding. We had a bit of a wait for our friends to show up, but the waitstaff was gracious about that, and we never felt rushed or unwelcome.
The meal started with cocktails and a cheese platter. My friend had an excellent French 75, and I had an Orange Thing (a vodka and orange cocktail). The cheese platter we chose had a chevre, a bleu, and a lovely sheep's milk cheese, and was garnished with walnuts. It also came with slices of white and wheat bread. However, it was notably missing a sweet component. So, we requested a bit of honey or fruit, and were quickly presented with both.
Dinner was outstanding. Everyone's food was lovely, judging from their comments, and my lamb shoulder was especially delightful. It was actually fork tender, and the potatoes and vegetables it was served on were very flavorful. The chocolate caramel walnut torte was a lovely dessert, with a tender crust and buttery handmade caramel.
If I come to Birmingham again, I will make a point of stopping here again, at least for a cocktail if not for dinner.
But, frankly, I'll probably really, really want to have dinner here, too. Yum!
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