Third time at Tallulah this week and each time the food has gotten progressively worse. Our server was awesome (per usual) - very helpful and accommodating and nice. The oysters were great, the wine was good. Everything else we had was way too salty. We had the duck (over-salted and way too much balsamic). Same thing with the asparagus and the flat bread. The dessert was completely underwhelming (and it was $12).
Dear Tallulah, you are cute and have an air of romance. Your service is great but your food is lame especially for the price. I don't think we'll meet again.
Very nice spot in Bham, Really enjoyed the ambiance which was dim and soft, generally quiet. More relaxed than the madness of some restaurants. Did not try the food but will go back for that aspect, this was more of a wine over meeting thing.
Hostess was very nice but left us hanging too long during a time that not much was going on. We ordered a couple glasses of pinot noir which were great but service was slower than would have liked. Server recommended a nice merlot. Wine list is extensive and if you love your vino this is a must try. Looking forward to dinner there soon.
This is an excellent place for a date night. Â We had reservations, so were seated promptly when we arrived. Â This was my first time here. Â The restaurant had great ambiance. Â The lighting was soft, and there were many windows in the front. Â Tallulah had a very interesting menu and a great wine selection. Â Our server was great! Â She was not pushy at all and allowed us to really enjoy our dining experience. Â The food presentation was classy and really highlighted the food. Â Overall, I would definitely recommend this restaurant and look forward to going back again.
Review Source:Looking for a great night out for delicious food and wine in Birmingham, then Tallulah is the place to go! Â The ambiance is fun and intimate at the same time. Â It's a great place to just sit at the bar and grab a glass of wine or a cocktail or go all out for dinner and drinks like I did!
First off, the menus are on tablets, which is great for a restaurant with an ever changing menu. Â You can click on each menu item to see a picture and get more information. Â It also fits in with their theme of being sustainable and environmentally friendly. Â The servers are all incredibly friendly and knowledgeable and were able to answer every question we had about the menu.
The cocktails were great. Â I had the perfect gin martini with olives and my mom had the RIP, a combination of gin and grapefruit juice which was a refreshing and delicious way to start the meal. Â For appetizers we had the olives and almonds, the charred baby octopus, and the beef carpaccio. Â Each one was perfect in it's own way. Â The almonds and olives were perfect to munch on throughout the meal and so delicious. Â The coulis and the octopus were a perfect pairing. Â And the beef carpaccio was magical and seasoned to perfection.
For entrees we ordered one of the specials, a pork chop served with spinach and root vegetables. Â It was to die for. Â I don't normally eat spinach but this was cooked so perfectly I couldn't stop spooning it up. Â We also ordered the salmon, which was amazing. Â I wanted to bathe in the sauce. Â It was all I could do not to lick the plate. Â With our entrees we ordered a bottle of wine. Â We were not sure what type of wine would go best with both pork and salmon so we asked our server Sarah. Â She recommended a pinot noir and brought out two different kinds for us to taste before we ordered. Â The one we went with was full bodied and delicious (and happened to be Sarah's favorite!).
For dessert we had the pistachio tart and the bread pudding with their delicious french press coffee. Â It was the perfect end to a perfect meal. Â All around a great place to go for a casual class of wine or a celebratory dinner.
Definitely recommend for a wine night out with the girls or for a romantic meal. Â I would suggest making a reservation since the restaurant is not that large and it can get crowded fast. Â The first thing I loved about the places was the atmosphere. Â It was quiet (early in the night, it got surprisingly loud later) and dark, lit with low lights and candles. Â Because of the low lighting, the tablet menus were a big help; especially since if you clicked on an item, you not only got a description, but a picture are well. The potato leek soup and roasted beet & goat cheese salad were amazing; I would definitely go back just for those items. Â I also ordered the meatball appetizer, which was good, but not as amazing as the soup or salad. Â My friend ordered the pear & burrata salad and steak frites and loved them as well. Â I have to admit that for a wine bar, I was not that impressed with the selection. Â They do not offer flights, the wine selection was the size of a non-wine bar restaurant, and I thought the wines I ordered were only okay. Â And considering I ordered a $16 glass of Newton chardonnay rated 93 points, I was expecting something stellar. Â However, even though I was not blow away with the wine, I still had a fantastic time and I cannot wait to go back.
Review Source:Cuisine was bland and unimaginative, portions were small, prices high, service was pretentious, salt is their spice of choice and very loud (I was hoarse when I got home from shouting to be heard). Â When you make reservations, make sure you schedule an angioplasty for the following day from all the cheese and butter and take a diuretic to prevent the edema you'll experience from all the salt! Â Not to mention they were out of Malbec!!
Review Source:This was my second time at Tallulah's and i have to say that unlike my first visit, the second was less than stellar. I selected Tallulah to bring some out of town business associates for a group dinner - there were 6 of us, based on the fact that they, like me, appreciate a great restaurant. However, while the food, like before was fabulous, the service was so disappointing that i was embarrassed to have gone there in the first place. Â
First off, our server just had a general tone of annoyance with us. She seemed fine when she took our drink order. Then she came back and asked us if we had any questions about the menu and if we were ready to order. We said, no, may we have a few minutes. She curtly said fine and walked away. She didn't return for another 15 minutes. She took orders from other tables, got herself a glass of water, walked by us, all the while avoiding eye contact as my colleague tried to get her attention.
When she finally came by to take our orders, we told her we were interested in trying all the appetizers and if there was a way we could since our group was large. Much like a sampler of everything. She told us, she didn't think they would do that for us and that we should just order a couple of appetizers and just share.
I think what got us here wasn't that the answer was no, was the way she said it, like, we were being such an  inconvenience to her.
So then the bread came out - they brought 3 long rolls for us which went quickly since there was 6 of us. after a few minutes, i asked for some more bread for the table and a very nice server said sure. Shortly after, the appetizers came out. Once they were all laid out, the server asked me if i still wanted the bread. well, of course we wanted the bread otherwise we wouldn't have asked, right?
Now the appetizers, the food was amazing, but something happened that i've never seen and frankly, was unbelievable... Â The plate of grilled octopus was placed at the edge of the table right where someone could knock the plate off the table or inadvertently place an elbow, so my associate picked up the plate to move it to a more central location - especially since we were sharing our appetizers. Well, no one informed her that the plate was EXTREMELY hot so she ended up burning her fingers trying to move the plate. Â totally unacceptable and surprising. usually, restaurants are really good about telling a patron if a dish is hot!
It's really a shame that these things happened. I'm not sure if someone was having a bad day or our group of 6 was too large, but the service my first time here was fantastic and absolutely wonderful - hence the reason i picked this restaurant in the first place.
I met a friend up for drinks and apps here on a Thursday evening. Â When I first walked up, I had no clue where to enter and the host station was in a weird spot. I was notified there were no tables open at this time until 9pm which was fine, I saw at the bar to wait for a friend. After I ordered wine, I waited for about 20 minutes since my friend was running late. Â The host came up to me and asked if I would like a table now since there was a cancelation--- SCORE! Â The table was super small but so is the restaurant. Â Very cosy but the decor was simple and elegant. Â The menu was cool and interactive on a tablet. I've seen this before at a few restaurants and I like this idea, but we had our menus for a while chatting and catching up before order and the tablets never dimed and we couldn't figure out how to turn them down. Ended up turning them over because of the glare and they were huge so they took up much of our small table.
We eventually ordered apps (chick pea frites and american beef tartar).  The chick pea frites were different.  Not sure on the texture but the house sriacha sauce was pretty tasty with a kick.  Tartar I was not a fan of, the dish seemed disjointed..  We also ordered a few sliders.  The pork was dry and not great at  all.  The Detroit wagyu slider was the stand out.  The meat was perfectly cooked and flavorful.  We also ordered the lobster roll but the waiter forgot and we ended up being full anyway.
I'd love to come back and explore the menu more (entrees, desserts). Â I also love the menu is ever changing and seasonal using all sustainable products. Â
Overall a good night with fine wine and food. Â Most likely will be back.
Tallulah is currently my FAV restaurant, followed closely by her sister Bella Piatti. The atmosphere inside of Tallulah is my idea of perfect. Creamy walls, with the spicy notes of wood, sensual snow white marble, the warm flicker of candle light, glittering table settings... I have fallen helplessly in love with the decadent embrace that is walking into Tallulah. Seriously, it's that magical in there.
Tallulah has updated their paper menu with tablets, a very nice feature considering that each menu item is accompanied by a photo and description upon tapping. This is a good trend.
 The service, for me, has been wonderful. I think some people may not realize how the service industry works at this level. For some, food service is a step forward into the larger world of the hospitality field, a learning process on the journey to chef, bartender or sommelier. If you have experienced service that seems, new or inexperienced, please just ask to have a more knowledgeable staff member assist. Don't assume the restaurant is hiring dingbats. The more likely conclusion is that the waiter is extremely passionate about food, wine and service, but is just new at it. Are you too good to be part of someones journey?
 As far as the food at Tallulah, it is in my opinion, the best of the best. The charcuterie is my obsession. Meats cured in house, accompanied by crisp and fresh walnut bread as well as these delightful soft mini English muffins.The star of the accoutrement are the house made pickles. Order extra, they are incredible. I must also have the cheese trio to pair with the charcuterie. Sinful. Daily variations insure that you will be consistently non-bored. I suggest an order of their olives and marcona almonds to complete a topnotch charcuterie and cheese feast. If you are a glutton like me, I would then go for the mind blowing walleye sliders. Even if your favorite fish sandwich is from Wendy's, you will be a fan. The walleye seems to be dusted and pan fried, served on a bed of pickled carrot and daikon (white radish), spicy aioli, nestled into a soft, warm mini bun. All the sliders are superb, but the walleye and pork are the standouts. Okay, so are the Wagyu sliders. They are all quite delish. In the event that you don't care for an array of small plates and want to go with entrees, my favorites have been the ricotta stuffed anglonotti, which is fresh pasta served with a somewhat sweet squash puree and perfectly cooked kale; Otto's farms chicken with quinoa, cucumber, yogurt and mint; and the braised lamb ragu which is fresh saffron cavatelli, kale and roasted veg. There are so many options on this menu that are amazing, it's hard not to list them all, but I will stop here. I insist that you try Tallulah! The owner is a sommelier, so have no doubts that the wine parings and selection will be on point.
Looking for a place for a nice late light dinner/snack and glass of wine after a work meeting. This was the best snack I've ever had! Really glad to have stopped at this great farm-to-table place. Most of the menu items have notes about which farm ingredients came from. The staff is well-versed in origins as well.
We sat outside on a clear, crisp fall evening. They turned on the patio heater just for us.
My friend and I had a pichet of Spanish rose that was just excellent (and turned into a second pichet). We split the burrata/tomato salad and it was heaven. Never had the opportunity to try burrata and I'll be looking for it everywhere now! We also ordered the meatball appetizer and the cheese plate. Cheeses were phenomenal, especially the aged gouda (love those calcium crystals!) and lovely grilled breads. We were really well taken care of...in fact, I thought we had 2 servers at first. The sommelier was charming and attentive as well.
Get here!
The food is good but the service is very inexperienced. Our waiter was overwhelmed with 3 tables and barely gave us any attention until we complained to the manager. Â The boys bringing our food out barely spoke and acted like the were afraid of people. Â For the price and the atmosphere they are trying to create they need to step it up on the service.
Review Source:Service: excellent
He was nice and had great advice on wine choices.
Wine: yummy! I tried both recommendations. ^_^ happy camper.
Food: agree with some reviews... Stick to wine and cheese here. They were the highlights. Also had tasting of charcuterie and it was good too. I'll post my pix. I was too full but ordered the charred octopus for my entree. Hubby had the steak. It was ok. A little over cooked for Medium. Not as impressed. Dessert, had the hot chocolate cake...lava cake. Good but the butter ice cream with it was an excellent combo.
Next time we'll be back for the cheese and wine and the charcuterie.
Parked at meter across from this place. Sucked that it had an hour limit. Dinner was slow so hubby had to go feed it halfway through.
Had reserved expectations based off the recent string of bad reviews but was pleasantly surprised by how terrific everything was. Â Seems like quite a few people on here (1 and 2 stars) might be screaming for attention.
Anyways, place is great. Â Nice mood, lighting. Â Prompt and attentive service throughout the night despite being easily the youngest people in the restaurant.
Had a few smaller plates to start. The marinated octopus was a little tough and served cold, which I didn't see coming, Â but good flavor. Â Make sure and get the walleye gouginettes. Â They are basically an upscale version of fish sticks. Â The best you'll ever have. Â Had the agnolotti for an entree which was delicious if not portioned quite small. Â This was a surprise as everything else on the menu seemed to be portioned at an above average clip. Â GF had the salmon with ham, peas etc. Â Very good.
Dessert was wonderful, a sugary blackberry cake with homemade ice cream and salted caramel. Â French press coffee to end it. Â
All in all, a very nice surprise and easily the second best dining experience I've had in Birmingham (outside of Forest Grill of course.)
After eating at Tallulah's for the first time this evening, I can say that I will never return again. My experience was incredibly lackluster. The food was tasteless and underwhelming. Considering the cost, the food was definitely not worth what I paid for it.
My entree ($30) featured scallops, pork belly and 'kimchi.' I was expecting a ~flavor explosion~ but instead I ended up with dry pork, boring imposter 'kimchi' and tasteless scallops. Scallops and pork are really easy to mess up and Tallulah's really did a number on this dish. I didn't even finish my meal.
My friend ordered the pokeytoe crab salad (something like that) and it was just a hot mess of a plate. Random crab bits splattered around with lots of white cream drizzle. She sent it back as it was not to her liking and inedible. The waitress did not offer any other options. The salad was taken off the check at the end but there was not an apology or any hospitality in terms of making up for this sad excuse of a meal.
The service was sloooooow. The music was LOUD! Even in the bathroom the music is booming. What I especially did not appreciate was our waitress blatantly gossiping about us to her coworkers near the "Bar" area. Really unprofessional. Get it together, do that in the back where guests cannot see you!
I will mention that our meatball appetizer was tasty. I would suggest this place for a glass of wine (many to choose from) and cheese (or other appetizers) and then head to another location.
I'd say that my favorite part of the Tallulah dining experience was the water to wash this sh*t food down or... leaving.
What a disappointing experience.
Ate here tonight and was pleased with the overall experience. They seemed a little over-staffed (there were four or five waiters chillin' by the bar) but that made for great service. Water glass was never empty, service was prompt and the waiter was willing to make suggestions and answer all of our questions. This little place would fit right in in NYC.
Christmas decorations were very well done!
This place has gone downhill. Â A year ago they were at the top of their game. Â I have been there three times in the past month and each time it has been lackluster. Â I had the hanger steak one evening and it was so over salted it was inedible. Â My date had the chicken, and quite frankly, a chain restaurant could have done better. Â The next evening I had the olive oil poached cod, which was a terrible recipe...cooked right, but awful flavor. Â Furthermore, they took the dollop of fried goat cheese off the house salad, which was the star of the dish.
The daily specials used to be the best part. Â Now it is a repeating daily special....disappointing. Â It seems as if they are watching food costs and trimming back, which leaves this former loyal customer completely underwhelmed. Â I can only guess that all of their energy and talent is focused on the new Italian place on Townsend, which I am not now inclined to try.
It's loud. What? Right. It can be a tad on the noisy side, but for those energetic and loud-talkers, could be just fine. Very small and quaint, but unfortunately a lot of their tables are in bad locations (by the door, facing the kitchen or rubbing shoulders with the bar). I suggest asking for a specific table or you may get stuck with your elbow in the next table's dinner. Eating at the bar may be a better idea but that is super limited so don't expect to find a seat after 5pm.
They have one vegetarian entree, which was a huge disappointment. The waiter even described it as 'the chicken dish, just without the chicken'. Wow, chef, way to be creative! I will note, one of their pasta dishes is vegetarian, but we all know that is easy to do on any menu. My date had the "Thursday special" which is wild boar, and was not impressed.
I will return to Tallulah, but with the right company; table of girls, a fun date i'm not trying to impress, alone at the bar, or to sit on their outside patio.
I've been to Tallulah's now a few times when I'm in town for work, and have in generally really enjoyed it.
Pros:
- Â Love the seasonal menu - keeping it small and fresh is awesome. Â However, a little hard to navigate since they have the specials in a separate section of the menu book, but that's a nit.
- Great wine list, and very reasonably priced - particularly the reserve list
- Food is simple and fresh, so a nice option particularly when eating out a lot
- Really like the outdoor patio in the summer
Cons:
- Indoor can get a bit noisy, particularly as they get busy
Jury is still out:
- Service has been hit or miss. Â The first couple times it was really good, but the most recent time our meal took nearly 3 hours for 2 courses and we didn't receive bread until 40 minutes into the meal. Â Willing to try again, but definitely keeping an eye out.
- Food is usually good, but a few items left me a bit flat (i.e. the trout)
I agree that you'll generally want to have a reservation. Â I think they take reservations for all the indoor tables and then outdoor is first come first serve.
Really disappointing experience at Tallulah's this Thursday....
Service: Â Annoying. Â Our waitron kept referring the the sommolier as "the Som" Â and I was training as a "som" as well...well, for heavens sake, is it that hard to say "sommolier" ...too casual, but i digress.
My date had wine spilled on him by our waitron (holes in the outdoor table mean spilling wine is a super NO NO)...waitress saw that she had spilled, but said nothing, just continued to pour.. Â That's some "som" training you've had. Â My date moved the wine to the furthest away spot to avoid being poured on again.
Food: I had the trout from the regular menu, my date had the special barracuda...We shared the charcuterie plate:
Charcuterie: Cappicola good, prosciutto sliced way too thick, and soppressata decent. Â Accompanying crackers were stale. ($12 for 3 slices of each meat + pickled onions and stale crackers)
Trout: Accompanying mach salad was LOADED with sand...not just one grit on one leaf, but every single bite crunched with dirt...Really??? I'm paying $28 for dirty lettuce? Â Finally got ahold of my waitress, told her about the sand - plate was wisked away, to be replaced 5 minutes later by clean (yet completely undressed) salad and tasteless trout (salt, anyone???)...Would have loved if she would have asked "can i get you something different, seeing as how we totally screwed up that one"...no such queery. and no apology/inquiry from the management. Dirty lettuce is unforgivable.
Date had Barracuda - tasty...served with sunchoke puree (very good) and another different salad.
Best part of the our experience: the bus boys (ours was on top of things, much more so than our waitress) and wine.
Would have stated for dessert but after the meal, we opted out of dessert.
Total bill, sans tip: $133
Our Grade: C -
Tallulah...
Tallulah...
All I can say is that Tallulah is like a friend with benefits. Â She's great to hang with, the benefits are OK, but you both know that when someone comes along who really strikes a chord with you (or her), she will always play 2nd fiddle.
They make very good food at Tallulah. Â I will go so far as to say the food is better than 95% of the restaurants in the area... but in my opinion, not in the top 5%.
On my recent visit my friends and I ordered the following items:
1. Â Charcuterie - which, for the life of me, I can't remember what was on it.
2. Â Roasted artichoke with aioli
3. Â Gazpacho
4. Â White bean/chicken chili
5. Â Pappardelle Bolognese
6. Â Veal chop
Of the above items I tasted 1, 2, 4, and 5.
Charcuterie - again, I can't remember specifically what was on it. Â I know there was some type of seafood spread, some prosciutto (at least I think it was), and something that I vaguely remember as being made from duck. Â All of the components were tasty. Â Just not enough for 4. Â This of course would be easily remedied by ordering 2 plates.
Roasted Artichoke - it's hard to screw up roasting an artichoke.
Chili - this course was interesting in that is was very light, dare I say, refreshing. Â Two adjectives not normally associated with chili. Â This was actually my favorite course for the evening. Â Yes, there are purists out there that insist that if it's not beef and has beans in it, it ain't chili. Â To them I say, "Get over yourselves".
Pappardelle Bolognese - while this dish was delicious and executed beautifully (sauce not overpowering, pasta perfectly cooked), it cannot hold a candle to the Bolognese at another B'ham establishment which is the best I have ever had... including the Bolognese I had in Italy. Â So, you may take this review with a huge lump of salt.
You may ask, "If you liked Tallulah as much as you do, why only 3 stars?"
Uncharacteristically, for me anyway, I am knocking off a star for atmosphere. Â I'm really not into places that crowd the tables so close together that you're practically in on everyone's conversations. Â Functionally, this also makes it difficult for the servers to get anything done, as evidenced by having a knife dropped on my head while they were clearing the table. Â Let me be clear, I do not fault the server - it happens... if he didn't have to reach over me because of the lack of workable space, it probably wouldn't have occurred.
So, Tallulah will always be the equivalent of a friend with benefits to me. Â Great for a fling, not-so-much for a long term relationship.
I wanted to like Tallulah so much that it made the disappointment almost worse. The interior is simple, elegant, and the atmosphere cozy (I love the lit candles on every table!), but our general experience there left much to be desired. The small novellete that is the menu/wine list was difficult to navigate and filled with little blurbs (most likely from a very enthusiastic chef/sommelier), but even after 10 minutes of perusing, it was difficult to select dishes that interested us. The menu seemed on the uninspired side with steaks and salads dominating the offerings - I expected a "farm-to-table" restaurant like Tallulah to offer seasonal dishes showcasing early spring - baby greens, maybe soft shell crabs. Our waiter tried to help, but upon being asked how the salmon entrée was, he responded: "Uh, salmon is generally a good cut of meat." Seriously? Thanks!
I ended up ordering the duck and morel soup (yay something seasonal!), and the wheat fettuccine. The soup, unfortunately, while having a nice, rich, creaminess, had a grate or two too much nutmeg that did not compliment the earthiness of morels and duck at all and left a really unpleasant aftertaste. Plopping whole morels into a creamy soup slightly puzzled me also, along with serving such a rich soup in a giant porcelain bowl. When the pasta finally came a good 20 minutes later, the noodles were really really overcooked and the chicken was bland and tasteless. Isn't cooking pasta al dente something most chefs learn in Chefery 101? Â
The bf fared slightly better with the venison terrine and roasted chicken, but he was not impressed with his meal either. Dining at Tallulah was one of the few meals that have left us full but unsatisfied to the point where we felt we hadn't eaten anything at all... with so many other good restaurants in Bham, we won't be back anytime soon.
I was recommended to go to here by several friends. Â I do not frequent Birmingham for reasons I care not to mention, but I was taking my mom to see a movie and to have a glass of wine before our showtime. Â I figured Tallulah was a good spot since it came highly recommended and it was close to the movie theater. Â It also has an outdoor patio during the summer months, so I thought it was perfect since the weather was gorgeous!
When we walked up, out of the 20 or so tables on the patio, about 3 of them were sat with patrons. Â We went into the restaurant, that was completely empty, and asked if we could sit outside. Â The male host so very rudely said, with a sigh, "Are you going to eat?" Â I replied, "We would like to have a glass of wine and an appetizer." Â The host said, again with a sigh, "I guess I can seat you out there." Â Really guy? Â That's the attitude you're going to give me? Â Sorry to inconvenience you buddy. Â You're a real straight shooter. Â
We sat down and our server finally came to our table about 10 minutes after we were sat. Â I would have understood had the place been busy, but it was not. Not at all and from my experience, I can see why. Â
We ordered our wine and our cheese platter. Â The combination of wine with the cheeses was very good. I ordered a glass of the Pinot Grigio and my mom had a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. Â There were 3 different cheeses that came with a couple kinds of crackers and some blueberries and raspberries throughout the plate. Â
We were about to run late for our movie, so after the check sat there with the credit card in it for 15 minutes, I paid the bill and we left. Â As we were walking to the movie theater, I noticed they charged us $24 for the cheese platter. Â Now correct me if I'm wrong, but unless they actually went to Wisconsin to get the cheese and then magically waited for it to ferment or put some spell on it to make me win the lottery, that's the most expensive cheese I've ever paid for and eaten.
I called there on Sunday, 2 days later, and spoke to the manager Kim. Â She said she wasn't there on Friday and that it was no excuse for how the maitre'd acted. Â She was apologetic and guaranteed that it would not happen again. Â She said we should not have been charged that much. Â Well, sorry Kim, but this chica won't be back to take that chance. Â Now if you want to refund my $12 for the most expensive cheese platter ever, then we'll talk.
Great little downtown spot!
After some research online we decided to go to Tallulah. I made a reservation (6:30p on a Friday) because of previous reviews, but I did not need it. Plenty of tables were available but maybe because it was early.
We were very impressed with the extensive wine list! I can see how the wine list could be overwhelming (it's half of the menu), but since we are wine lovers we thought it was great. My boyfriend had the crab bisque and I had the Tallulah house salad. I tasted the bisque and it was HEAVENLY!
For our main course we got the broiled flounder and grilled blue marlin. I preferred the marlin, but both were very tasty.
Our waiter was very pleasant and quick. He was very helpful in suggesting a wine. The other waitstaff were equally helpful as my glass of water was never more than half empty.
I enjoyed the intimate feel of the restaurant. It's rather small with candles on the tables. It was a great spot for a date night dinner.
There is also a wine tasting bar next door called 'Tallulah Too', which we hope to visit someday.
I do think the food, service, atmosphere were all wonderful but it is pricey. I think the house salad was $10 and in my opinion it was not worth that much.
They completely fail to understand the concept of a reservation.
I've been to Tallulah 3 times, used Open Table twice and sadly only had one meal here.
The first time here was a few months after they opened. I waited over 40 minutes past my reservation time that I made on Open Table. Service was abysmal, the food was so-so, and a casual wine drinker like myself felt lost on their enormous wine list. Tables are so close to each other that you will get your server's butt on your table as they try to navigate the cramped seating arrangement. It doesn't matter where you sit, you will get bumped, brushed, or smacked with a coat while trying to eat your dinner.
Conversation is impossible at these volumes. You have to practically shout at your dining partner across the table to be heard. Intimate, calm, cozy atmosphere this is not. This place is pure chaos.
Think you will just have a drink at the bar while you wait for your table? Good luck! The bar is tiny, seating is minimal and you have to wade through diners to get to it. It was incredibly awkward to have people "at the bar" basically standing over you while you were eating. Stand up too fast and you might knock someone over.
My second visit was about 6 months after the first. This time I waited over an hour past my Open Table reservation. While waiting, I enjoyed a bottle at Tallulah Too, which seems more like the Tallulah spillover room. The waitress asked me if I wanted to do some tasting while I waited? Sure! Unfortunately, that never happened. When she brought our bottle of Malbec, she felt compelled to say "Malbecs are such a good value." Wow. That really showcased her knowledge of the wine -- no tasting notes, no passion about the wines, no information about the vinter or the wine region. Just a generic response that we've all heard before. Having worked at a local mom and pop winery, I felt insulted at the lack of knowledge and enthusiasm she had about the wines she was serving.
Back to waiting for that table...
The host kept saying things like "Oh, just 10 more minutes.... Clearing off a table for you now..." After finishing off the bottle of wine with no table, I realized that they didn't want my patronage. When I got to my car, they called to tell my table was now ready, 1 hour past my reservation that I made on Open Table. Thanks, but no thanks.
I've used Open Table to make reservations at some of the hottest restaurants in Chicago, DC and Napa Valley -- I've NEVER waited more than 5 minutes for my table. Twice Tallulah snubbed my Open Table reservation.
A week later, I visited Tallulah for the third time for the Yelp Elite event. A really nice event overall. The tasting notes were on cards though it would've been nice to have been led through a tasting by the owner. I just wasn't getting the "slab of granite" flavor. The snacks were unimpressive and something about having a communal olive bowl just grossed me out.
I felt a kick to the gut when the owner concluded her speech by saying Tallulah has "great service."
We called on the Sunday before Valentine's Day to get a reservation for the same day. Â "No can do, unless you want to fight someone at the bar for a seat," was the gist of the response. Â So we showed up at 630PM, and promptly were seated at a four top (for a party of two) right in front of the kitchen. Â Score!
This farm to table wine bistro was a popular spot for the Hallmark holiday. Â We started with the prawns accompanied by a side of grilled radicchio, which in my opinion, is the red-headed step child of cabbages. Â The prawns were served on sugar cane sticks in a well seasoned coating. Â Next was the hanger steak, medium rare, heirloom mushrooms, and mashed red skins. Â Few places can get the hanger steak right, but Tallulah does. Â With just enough heat to create a nice char on the outside and melt in your mouth tenderness, the hanger steak shines. Â Much to my dismay, the sea scallops were 86'd on this particular night, but with the extensive wine selection, I was able to drink away my sorrows. Â
For $5 each, Tallulah offers 2 oz wine tastings, so I was able to make my own flight. Â I tried a few Argentinean and French reds, to the recommendations of our server. Â His honesty and genuine interest in our dining experience made the night complete.
We came here during Restaurant Week in Birmingham. I've been wanting to come here since they opened and it was worth the wait.
I had the three-course menu set-up for Restaurant Week. My first course was Tenderloin Tips which were fantastic and glazed in a red wine reduction with honey, I wanted to lick the plate. My main course was Chicken Scaloppini which was well prepared but not something I'd order again (personal taste issues, not the restaurant's fault). The dessert was so, so good! I got the Sweet and Tart Cherry pie and it was the best slice of pie I've ever had, seriously. Even better than Achatz's cherry pie.
My husband had the special of the night, filet mignon. I tried a bit of it and the mashed potatoes with crispy onions on top and immediately had food envy! The steak was just as good if not better than any other steak I've tried at local chop houses.
I had two pomegranate martinis and they were well made and strong. The wine list was extensive, too bad I don't enjoy the stuff. I think a wine lover would be in heaven here!
The atmosphere is great, upscale without being pretentious. The decor is simple, yet beautiful. The room was a bit cramped.
I would highly recommend making a reservation as even on a Monday night they had a mostly full restaurant!
I am very much looking forward to going back in the summertime and sitting on their street-side patio, enjoying their delicious food and drinks.
Decided to try out this long bookmarked spot on a recent snowy Friday night. I don't know if it is always crowded or if the recent freep top ten best new restaurants of 2010 list had increased traffic, but despite the weather there were no tables available when we got to the restaurant at 7 pm. No opening until 930! I guess we are bad planners. Luckily however, two seats were open at the bar, which will serve you the full menu, when we arrived and we quickly took advantage.
The food menu is fairly short but everything sounds so good that it is hard to make a decision. We opted for one of the special apps of the day, a potato crab cake with jalapeño cream sauce, and also a cup of the seafood chowder. The cakes were mostly potato but very tasty and the subtle jalapeño flavor went very well with them. The chowder was a tomato base, not thickened, and had many perfectly cooked mussels, probably the most tender mussels I have ever eaten.
The wine list is much longer than the food list and I was happy to be sitting at the bar where I could easily ask for advice about what to choose. An added bonus of being at the bar is you can quickly get a little sip of the wine you are considering before ordering a glass, most of which start around $8. The 2009 Shaya Verdejo that I decided on went very nicely with the potato crab cakes and the chowder.
For entrees my wife had pan seared scallops with a spinach salad, dressed with crisp bacon and fried onion. I debated between the sweet potato gnocchi and the pappardelle. The bartender tipped me towards the pappardelle and assured me that if I didn't like it he would take it back and give me the gnocchi instead. If you have not tried this dish yet then definitely go for it. The pasta is made fresh daily and is very light and fluffy. The bolognese has pork and lamb and the dollop of fresh ricotta on top adds a nice creaminess to everything. I had the 2007 Stratton Lummis Cabernet Sauvignon with the pasta which went very nicely.
Even though we shared the app, soup, and both had our own entree, we couldn't resist dessert. Actually I was very happy with the portion sizes. A lot of other restaurants we visit provide enough food in one entree to feed both of us for days, but here we got the right amount to satisfy without stuffing us. We got the chocolate bavarian cake, which was one of the days specials, and it was fantastic. The cake had perfectly tiny air bubbles in it and the chocolate filling between layers was hiding several raspberries which added a nice sweet and tart accent to the dish.
Overall our experience was excellent and we will return. The only dilemma is, do we make a reservation for a table or just try to get into a spot again at the bar for dinner?
Tallulah's mission statement really sums it up. They really love wine here and what goes best with wine? Food. They cover both categories pretty extraordinarily well. The atmosphere sets the tone. It's has a warmth to it, a cozy feeling as if you're dining with family. Not too big, not too small.
The wine selection is very good. They definitely know their stuff. My husband and I have tried many varieties of reds and the bottle we ended up with was very well balanced and paired well with our hanger steaks. For appetizers, he got the mussels and I got the prawns. Take my advice, skip the prawns. They were over cooked and tortured with too many spices...but the mussels! OH! The mussels! Absolutely delicious and a humongous portion! The sauce has this very light bit of mustard flavor and complimented the rustic mussel flavor.
For entrees, we both got the hanger steak with mashed potatoes & heirloom mushrooms. This dish is truly steak & potato perfection! They put some crispy shoe string potatoes on top of the mashed potatoes to add a nice crispy crunch. The light gravy surrounding the perfectly cooked hanger steak is just enough to push the flavor of the meat up a notch without over doing it. Needless to say, I highly recommend this dish!
I forgot to mention, we were seated promptly and the hostess took our coats. I really appreciated the complimentary coat check service, this made up for the slightly tight quarters we were sat in.
The service, the atmosphere, the food and the wine all were great and for that...I commend you, Tallulah.
We had reservations, over a month in advance, for a group of 9 of us. The food was good, and so was our server. However, they shoved 9 of us into a table for 6, in a corner. When we asked them to add the vacant table next to us, so that we weren't shoulder-to-shoulder, they refused. That empty table was empty the whole time. The manager was unaccommodating and unapologetic- pity, because our server was outstanding and the kitchen puts out decent food. The attitude that the manager showed us will keep me away as long as their doors remain open.
I do hope, for their sake, that they fix their customer service. Lose the attitude people, it's Michigan.
From the start, Tallulah is more wine bar than bistro - which is not necessarily a bad thing. They have an outstanding wine collection as well as an attached wine store where you can parouse a large collection and also do wine tastings, which is great while you are waiting to be  seated (the place is always packed - it totally fits the "Birmingham bill" and thus has a large following.) Also, they have fabulous cocktails and take pride on having an "chief bartender." If you're a wino or perhaps a spirit enthusiast, you'll appreciate Tallulah.
As for the food, my eating experience has always been pleasant - nothing outstanding but definitely tasty. One thing I do love about Tallulah's menu is that they very much value farm-to-table food principles, serving organic, local, and seasonal items. The menu is limited, but I think that is a plus - they have chosen a few items to do right.
Additionally, they have a great wine and food pairing menu where you can try 2 ounces of a suggested wine, paired with suggested menu items, for only 5 dollars a taste. This is something I have yet to try, but really want to - I think I'll do it next time.
Yes, there will be a next time. Tallulah's atmosphere and wine are enough to keep me coming back. With great respect for the owner's commitment to good wines, local and organic fare, and small business, I will continue to go to Tallulah, even if the food is not Michelin.
In summation, if you are looking for a good night of drinking and atmosphere, with some good food to make sure you can still walk straight at the end of the night, Tallulah is your gal.
This is the type of place Birmingham needed! Â
What a breath of fresh air!
Tallulah is simple and promotes local farmers on its menu. Â They try to use simple flavors and spices and let the flavors of the food speak for themselves and they definitely do! Â The wine list is excellent as well- lots of more obscure wines and good pairings.
The service was great too. Â They are very helpful.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it can be hard to get in. Â Definitely use <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fopentable.com&s=897c359bd752b4f5407d5ea86453c82be2d1913c8d0b51b18d81fc58f52a6497" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://opentable.com</a> and set up a reservation. Â :)
Atmosphere: Great! The location is convenient. Inside, it falls just shy of fine dining in a way that maintains a casual and inviting feel. There is also an attached wine shop in which we tasted some different vintages while waiting for our table. Wouldn't change a thing!
Service: The host was professional and helpful and accommodated a short-notice change in our reservation, which resulted in only a very short wait. The proprietor, Mindy, was warm and genuine. Our server was knowledgeable, professional, and charming. Perfect.
Food: The food was excellent. With six adults ordering three courses each, we loved 5/6 appetizers, 6/6 entrees, and 5/6 desserts - the two courses we didn't *love* were fine, just overshadowed by other dishes.
Wine: We went with the server's recommendations and three different wines were each paired perfectly with our dishes. When we go back, I'm sure we'll order exactly the same way.
Value: Any Birmingham restaurant will set you back a minimum of $25-50 per person for dinner, but price shouldn't be confused with value. At Tallulah, I felt that the quality, quantity, and variety of food (and drink!) was an excellent value.
Overall: Highest recommendation and we will certainly be returning, as well.
After a few extraordinary visits to Tallulah in the past months, I returned tonight.
Simply put, the service was terrible. Â First, it took forever for someone to greet us. Â When we were greeted, no one was sure how to find us a table outside, because the host had disappeared. Â But we waited. Â Beware that you cannot get a table on the patio before 11 p.m. if you're just drinking wine, even if the patio is ENTIRELY empty besides 2 tables at 10:50 p.m. Â
Upon being seated at 11:07 p.m., Â we ordered the "artisan" cheese plate. Â It was 5 slices of yellow cheese, a few crackers, and pear butter. Â I almost sent it back. Â And priced very reasonably at $12. Â This was kind of hilarious.
And the wait staff, which had always been attentive and kind, was decidedly unfriendly and supercilious. Â If I am going to drop $12 on a depressing cheese plate, you must be at least a little solicitous. Â Maybe I'm just getting old, but I absolutely hate interacting with disrespectful young people. Â
All in all, it was a surprisingly disappointing experience, which spoiled one of the few free nights I have, and I'm not inclined to return anytime soon.
LOVE this place! Â They use local produce and everything taste so fresh and great. Â My favourite is whole trout with ruby grapefruit and watercress and I know I'm going to have this same dish every time we go back!
You can ask your server for wine pairing and we really enjoyed it.
They are normally fully booked for Friday / Saturday evenings. Â Outside seating is first come first served, so if you are not in hurry, it's an option to wait at the bar, too. Â (I also have to mention bar area gets crowded too...)
I also like the atmosphere and how the kitchen is open to the dining area.
I was visiting Michigan and stopped by here with a friend on Monday night. Â They had a live band playing Samba...good sign 1.
Great wine selection and knowledgeable wait staff...good sign 2.
Excellent grapes wrapped in goat cheese and coated with pistachios....really? Â That was fantastic!
Cheese platter-you can't go wrong with cheese, this was great, with macaroon almonds, mmmm.
I had the special trout for dinner-simple, yet just tasty enough.
The place also has a great crowd, a great vibe and great service....I'll be back!
I stopped by Tallulah for the first time this past week, and long story short, I will certainly be going back.
First of all, the company of our fellow diners was very interesting, so that kind of set things up for a lively evening. Within one minute of sitting down (literally), one of the ladies at the next table over leans over and begins vehemently talking to  us, going on and on about her "gorgeous gay seventeen year old son dating an inked-up twenty-five year old Jewish man in a band" (no joke, she talked about this specific subject for at least ten-fifteen minutes), how her husband is in "federal prison", and her burgeoning matchmaking business - at which point I leaned over to my dining companion during a lull in the conversation and mentioned my strong opinion that one day she was sitting on the couch with her wine and Vicodin and an episode of Patti Stanger's Millionaire Matchmaker came on, sparking a brilliant career change.
Gerard Butler was also there, but I'm not really celebrity-obsessed, so I was kind of whatever about it.
Moving on to the actual offerings...
The ambiance of the dining room kind of outweighs the cramped quarters, which is good. Classy, white linen, but not over the top about it.
The wine selection was VERY impressive - not huge, but a considerably eclectic variety. I got a glass of Lillet as an aperitif, and how many places can you cite that have Lillet at all? That alone impressed me quite a bit.
Food wise, what we had was pretty good. We split an appetizer of the prawns (cooked perfectly, with a slight heat to them), a beet salad (not spectacular, but an above-average salad), and the sweet potato gnocchi (very good, if not a smidge salty at times).
My congratulations to Mindy VanHellemont. Tallulah is a welcome addition to Birmingham, as opposed to the dearth of yuppie-hipster-dbag "lounges" opening up like gangbusters.
The only thing we didn't like about this place is the tight quarters. Â But everyone seemed to be having a good time so it wasn't a big issue.
The wine list is pretty awesome. Â There is a great variety, with some great bargains if you know what to look for. Â We had a bottle of vietti barbera d'asti, which is a great value wine. Â My favorite thing about the wine list is they had some great italian wines, which are usually overlooked. Â A lot of times there are a couple throwaway chiantis and that's about it. Â Tallulah had a valpolicella, the barbera, a barbaresco, a nebbiolo, a sangiovese, a barolo, a montepulciano, and a couple others. Â The only thing i noticed that was missing was a brunello. Â
Wine prices looked decent too, with a great range. Â Some places in birmingham are loaded up with 70.00+ selections, with maybe one or two options for less than 50.00. Â Tallulah had a great distribution from 20 bucks up to 100+. Â We'd definitely go back just for the wine.
They had a cheese plate option (that we kind of were allowed to assemble ourselves) that was good, but nothing amazing. Â They had a raclette, which isn't common, and it was good, and a good blue cheese. Â The bread, however, was awesome (a mini baguette style loaf from avalon, in detroit). Â
My wife had a chicken seafood gumbo, which was excellent and just a bit spicy, and the house salad, which i didn't try but she liked (it's the salad in the photo).
I had the roasted chicken, which was very tasty and tender. Â The exterior was awesome. Â The interior was flavorful but a bit less tender. Â
They had quail on special and it was highly recommended, but i wasn't in the mood to try it.
Also, they were absolutely packed on a thursday night. Â A good sign I guess. Â We were still seated immediately though, because a table had just left. Â
Each table has a potted fresh herb on it. Â Ours had thyme. Â It is a great touch. Â At one point our server took ours away to make room, but later we grabbed the potted rosemary from the table next to us when they left.
Service was cheerful and accommodating at every turn. Â We will definitely be working this place into our rotation, and i can see this being bumped to 5 stars in the future.
A couple friends of mine and I went last night, and from a prior review I have to agree it's a little bit like Napa. First of all, it's packed, which for a Wednesday night is nice to see. I liked the décor, it was simple and classic, almost a cape cod design. The waiters are attentive without hovering. Had a bottle of cabernet that was very pleasant, the wait staff was helpful in selecting something.
I recommend the cheese platter, they had a nice array of different kinds of cheeses. I had the sweet potato gnocchi and my only complaint would be I assumed the sweet potato would be in the pasta, but rather was just mixed in with finished gnocchi. One of my friends had the sea bass, which was very good, well seasoned and finished nicely. Another had the whole trout which had a nice lemon sauce. They also have a good amount of vegetarian entrees, which changes often from what we were told. There was a chimichurri flank steak on the menu that sounded amazing as well.
The owner was very attentive to the entire room, checking in at least once to make sure that everything was presented well. The chef didn't spend too much time in the kitchen, which I thought was a little odd, rather he was delivering the finished product to tables.
The bar was packed when we got there around 8, and was consistently busy the entire time we were there. The waiter said that they will have outdoor seating, hopefully next week. It's has definitely gotten good word out, and will go back soon.
Absolutely gorgeous restaurant. On the outskirts of downtown Birmingham, it has a great location that's away from the movie theaters and busier bars and restaurants.
Stopping by Tallulah when it's still light out is the way to go. The decor inside is light and airy, so sun shining in is beautiful.
The staff was incredibly nice and very knowledgeable when it came to selecting a wine (try the Felino). The wine was fantastic.
By the time I left, the restaurant was already getting packed (around 5:30 p.m.). Make sure to check out their wine shop next door, too.
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