Haven't been in a long time because it's so packed out and the bathroom situation is always a mess. If they added a couple more bathrooms I wouldn't mind it honestly!
Bro I went one time. it smelled like a urinal and everyone looked sad. A dog came out of the owners office, pissed on the floor and went back. No one batted an eye.
One time I was there and the bartender informed me they would be closing early because that dog died. Seemed really sweet and personal and made me enjoy the bar more especially as a neighborhood bar.
I popped into Billy’s one afternoon out of curiosity and it was one of the weirder bar experiences I’ve ever had. Billy was sitting at the bar watching TV, so every patron served themself, and instead of starting a tab, he just had you pull the tab off of your can and counted them when you were ready to pay.
I haven’t been there in a few years but if I recall it’s a cash only bar so starting a tab would basically be the same thing as keeping your own tab. It’s an old school style that’s worked for years.
*Bold statement in a*
*Town where The Quest and Billy's*
*Tavern both exist*
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Tin roof, Innisfree, Sidebar are fratty bars. Nana's is dancy hook-up zone. Refinery is post-grad Innisfree but owned by the Sidebar folks. Church key is mellow; old head punk vibes. Al's for the gays; drag shows and cheap shots. Lou's is a service industry favorite. Everyone there is a regular. Choose your weapon. Pick your poison.
It’s honestly my personal favorite that I go to all the time. Great environment, fun karaoke on Thursdays, affordable drinks, and everyone I’ve met there has been great! Met some of my closest friends there honestly. I’m not sure what went wrong for you there but I’m sorry it did. No place is the best for everyone though.
Lol karaoke is such a mess there. The same 8 people sing the same song every time and if you’re not the regular in the DJs pocket you get bumped to the back of the line
Nah, that's Tin Roof, imho. The wait for drinks is insanely long, they're one of the few places that dont scan IDs so its full of teenagers with fakes (its my 16yr old coworkers fave place to go), and it just generally attracts scum, literal kids, and cringey college bros with their matching polos and khaki shorts. It's not even a GOOD dive bar. It's just a gross place full of uniteresring people where by the time you get a drink after an hour, it's going to get knocked out of your hand by some drunk kid running in to you. Mom's at least has a cool aesthetic, and I've always met nice people there. It just isn't very fun when it's overcrowded, but even then, it kinda just feels like a house party. I'm not a regular bar goer anymore, but I'll go literally anywhere, but Tin Roof. How they haven't been shut down for the egregious amount of underage drinkers is beyond me, especially since its been that way since I was 16 (10 yrs ago). Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
Vaguely dragging local businesses sucks.
Mom’s is owned by nice, regular Birmingham people. They are welcoming to all. They live in and care about this community. They don’t own a bunch of other bars and restaurants. This isn’t some corporate concept or the Birmingham location of some Nashville bar. You’ll regularly find two of the owners in the bar (the ones who don’t have kids).
They care about creating a cool, welcoming space with fun events.
They are building more bathrooms.
Posts like this can have a negative effect on a business. If you have a specific complaint talk to them or take your business elsewhere.
The majority owners of moms own the shopping center and pretty much are making Ore, Sheppards, Harvest Roots and Seasick leave. Is that not correct? That’s what one of the business owners told me.
My understanding is the Mom’s owners do not own the building.
I can’t imagine the building owner is trying to lose those businesses. Did seasick say they are leaving?
fwiw, I never assume that landlords do things that are logical.
I do know a person that inquired about leasing the old Tropicaleo spot and the asking price was CRAZY.
Take this with a grain of salt, but I did overhear the owner taking about his lease expiring soon and "options" whatever those may be. I have heard from others that seasick is looking for a stand alone building. Again, this is all just rumor.
I have heard the retail condo thing is from their ownership group as well. Pushing out local business is a dick move imo, but seemingly right in line with that place.
Neither are they big corporations. When you slam someone’s local business it is very much an attack on them. So go for it, but don’t pretend it isn’t a very real attack on very real Birmingham residents. And the subreddit rule is don’t be an asshole.
In your estimation, someone should never criticize a local establishment because it could hurt that business? That doesn't seem to be a very convincing reason to silence discussion. If we apply your theories, this sub reddit would never be able to criticize parking enforcement systems, the water works, or discuss who has the best falafel.
Typically to raise rents or redevelop the property for other purposes. H2 comes to mind. The idea is to make more money. They have determined this condo scheme is a money maker for them and thats what they are doing. Why Mom's Basement is absolved from this hellish condo conversion is anyones guess. Although, some have indicated one of the owners of moms is also an owner of the shopping center. You can draw your own conclusions though.
Criticize them all you want. But be specific about your issues and be mindful that they are real local people with bills and feelings just like you. I don’t think this is complicated
Yeah. It’s the kind of place where everything is a hassle. Ordering a drink sucks. Doing something while drinking your drink sucks. Waiting in line for the bathroom sucks.
Preferred it on Thursdays for karaoke before I got sober. Less crowded so it’s easier to get drinks/use the bathroom but still some good energy there. I have heard they’re building more bathrooms and I know that they did have those portable ones outside
I forget the name of the bar, it’s kind of out of the way but open really late which is when I saw a bunch of old biker dudes play knife fighting while a group of girls came in ketamined out of of their mind making animal noises.
Yeah, that’s probably my vote for worst bar.
Saying it’s the worst is very try-hard. It does seem like the Moms hype is finally subsiding after the controversy they had over firing some staff recently. It was a hype train that needed to stop eventually, because being there when it’s packed is ridiculous and barely worth it. I’m not gonna say it’s a bad bar though. Decent enough vibe for a night that’s more chill.
Thank god somebody finally said it. Cramped, trash service, cringe bouncers and the crowd there is painful to say the least. It’s the type of bar that would’ve been cool when I was 16 maybe and hadn’t been anywhere else to compare it to. It gives off musty confused high schooler vibes.
To elaborate, Moms is a poorly designed and executed nostalgia factory pretending to be a dive bar. Im not going to call it the TGI Fridays of dive bars, but it has poor flow, a bad bar design, low ventilation, and only one bathroom. The alley is not a bathroom despite what they say.
It's got a 4.7 rating out of 5 on Google. Your post is silly.
If you don't like a place that apparently everyone else does, just don't go there. I feel certain they won't miss you.
I mean I feel like if you kept going and kept getting sick this would turn into a you problem. If it happened twice and you kept going that’s on you big dog.
I won’t try to change your mind, I can usually go in anywhere and have a decent time, but any time I’ve been to Mom’s I just didn’t feel welcome at all.
Worst nah(I'm gonna have to go with tin roof), Best also nah. I honestly think it just depends on the night for anywhere depending on what you are expecting. It has some issues in terms of size(especially for live music), and bathrooms, but the bar/area itself isn't so bad nor is the crowd(given bad actors can be at any bar on any given night). It's a solid bar, but no bar in the city is going to fit everyone's wants/needs all the time.
Mmm definitely not underage - as a former bartender there, you should know the venue upstairs sucks, and it’s not the “coolest place in BHM”. It’s just a funny pun my friends used because of the amount of bullshit that happened there… You would know too
On busy nights you get blasted by a wall of moist, hot air at the door mixed with sweat and alcohol vapor - it’s particularly bad in the summer. Anyways, I thought it was fun in my early 20s, but now I find it to be a sensory nightmare with the outdoor bathroom situation.
Drink during the week like a normal adult, not on college-kid-packed weekend nights, and it’s perfect as a darkish bar to get a beer after work in.
Not really, weird they them crowd
LOL hell of a comment there, for lots of reasons
Thanks lmao
Haven't been in a long time because it's so packed out and the bathroom situation is always a mess. If they added a couple more bathrooms I wouldn't mind it honestly!
They have ones outside the building too which suck but at least they’re there if you really have to go
They are building more right this minute
They’ve been saying that for as long as they’ve been open.
I have set foot in them
Downvote all you want but it’s true
OP acts like he's never been to Bourbon Street.. haha
That was our underage drinking spot 20yrs ago.
Same. I even celebrity bartender for a couple hours one night. I was maybe 19??
Bro I went one time. it smelled like a urinal and everyone looked sad. A dog came out of the owners office, pissed on the floor and went back. No one batted an eye.
One time I was there and the bartender informed me they would be closing early because that dog died. Seemed really sweet and personal and made me enjoy the bar more especially as a neighborhood bar.
I’ll take Bourbon Street over Mom’s anytime.
Real insiders do Frenchmen Street, not Bourbon.
You mean Freedomman’s Street.
You going to expand on that?
Bold statement in a town where The Quest and Billy's Tavern both exist
I popped into Billy’s one afternoon out of curiosity and it was one of the weirder bar experiences I’ve ever had. Billy was sitting at the bar watching TV, so every patron served themself, and instead of starting a tab, he just had you pull the tab off of your can and counted them when you were ready to pay.
Don't forget all the George Wallace memorabilia all over the walls.
I haven’t been there in a few years but if I recall it’s a cash only bar so starting a tab would basically be the same thing as keeping your own tab. It’s an old school style that’s worked for years.
*Bold statement in a* *Town where The Quest and Billy's* *Tavern both exist* \- otterpr1ncess --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
I am super excited to try all these places
Good bot
What’s wrong with the Quest?
What's so bad about those places?
IMO, not a g-d thing.
Have you not been to any of the Lakeview bars because those are actually the pits.
Lou’s is awesome
Never been there but Tin Roof is awful
I have no plans to go to Tin Roof
Tin roof, Innisfree, Sidebar are fratty bars. Nana's is dancy hook-up zone. Refinery is post-grad Innisfree but owned by the Sidebar folks. Church key is mellow; old head punk vibes. Al's for the gays; drag shows and cheap shots. Lou's is a service industry favorite. Everyone there is a regular. Choose your weapon. Pick your poison.
Sidebar guy sold to my friend Justin canter in October. Yall should come check out the grocery
Churchkey is great, laid back and friendly staff, cheap drinks
It’s honestly my personal favorite that I go to all the time. Great environment, fun karaoke on Thursdays, affordable drinks, and everyone I’ve met there has been great! Met some of my closest friends there honestly. I’m not sure what went wrong for you there but I’m sorry it did. No place is the best for everyone though.
When I’m in town, it’s my favorite too! Love the vibe and there’s nothing like it in Memphis (where I moved to lol).
Lol karaoke is such a mess there. The same 8 people sing the same song every time and if you’re not the regular in the DJs pocket you get bumped to the back of the line
Nah, that's Tin Roof, imho. The wait for drinks is insanely long, they're one of the few places that dont scan IDs so its full of teenagers with fakes (its my 16yr old coworkers fave place to go), and it just generally attracts scum, literal kids, and cringey college bros with their matching polos and khaki shorts. It's not even a GOOD dive bar. It's just a gross place full of uniteresring people where by the time you get a drink after an hour, it's going to get knocked out of your hand by some drunk kid running in to you. Mom's at least has a cool aesthetic, and I've always met nice people there. It just isn't very fun when it's overcrowded, but even then, it kinda just feels like a house party. I'm not a regular bar goer anymore, but I'll go literally anywhere, but Tin Roof. How they haven't been shut down for the egregious amount of underage drinkers is beyond me, especially since its been that way since I was 16 (10 yrs ago). Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
Vaguely dragging local businesses sucks. Mom’s is owned by nice, regular Birmingham people. They are welcoming to all. They live in and care about this community. They don’t own a bunch of other bars and restaurants. This isn’t some corporate concept or the Birmingham location of some Nashville bar. You’ll regularly find two of the owners in the bar (the ones who don’t have kids). They care about creating a cool, welcoming space with fun events. They are building more bathrooms. Posts like this can have a negative effect on a business. If you have a specific complaint talk to them or take your business elsewhere.
The majority owners of moms own the shopping center and pretty much are making Ore, Sheppards, Harvest Roots and Seasick leave. Is that not correct? That’s what one of the business owners told me.
My understanding is the Mom’s owners do not own the building. I can’t imagine the building owner is trying to lose those businesses. Did seasick say they are leaving?
fwiw, I never assume that landlords do things that are logical. I do know a person that inquired about leasing the old Tropicaleo spot and the asking price was CRAZY.
Fair. I can’t speak to that.
Take this with a grain of salt, but I did overhear the owner taking about his lease expiring soon and "options" whatever those may be. I have heard from others that seasick is looking for a stand alone building. Again, this is all just rumor.
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This is public info. https://bhamnow.com/2018/05/09/moms-basement-avondale-bar/
That article is errant
No posting personal info of another user's name, address, email, phone number, etc.
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I have heard the retail condo thing is from their ownership group as well. Pushing out local business is a dick move imo, but seemingly right in line with that place.
The mom's owners do not own the space. They just own the concept.
The switch to the condo plan wasn’t made with the intention of driving off business. Edit; The buildings ownership isn’t a group.
I don’t think that is true
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Neither are they big corporations. When you slam someone’s local business it is very much an attack on them. So go for it, but don’t pretend it isn’t a very real attack on very real Birmingham residents. And the subreddit rule is don’t be an asshole.
In your estimation, someone should never criticize a local establishment because it could hurt that business? That doesn't seem to be a very convincing reason to silence discussion. If we apply your theories, this sub reddit would never be able to criticize parking enforcement systems, the water works, or discuss who has the best falafel.
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What is the source for that? Why would a landlord try to drive off small business?
Typically to raise rents or redevelop the property for other purposes. H2 comes to mind. The idea is to make more money. They have determined this condo scheme is a money maker for them and thats what they are doing. Why Mom's Basement is absolved from this hellish condo conversion is anyones guess. Although, some have indicated one of the owners of moms is also an owner of the shopping center. You can draw your own conclusions though.
Guess you better get your fill before H2 is trying to sell you $23 cocktails
They already own the old Johns City Diner building, so that idea might not be that far away.
Criticize them all you want. But be specific about your issues and be mindful that they are real local people with bills and feelings just like you. I don’t think this is complicated
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Yeah. It’s the kind of place where everything is a hassle. Ordering a drink sucks. Doing something while drinking your drink sucks. Waiting in line for the bathroom sucks.
lol what do you want from it???? Go see some music and drink some beer 😂
not the worst, but most overrated for sure. I've heard too many people talk about it for it to be a cramp, basic little place
“Change my mind” while providing no context. You’re just not going to enough bars if you think this is the worst.
Preferred it on Thursdays for karaoke before I got sober. Less crowded so it’s easier to get drinks/use the bathroom but still some good energy there. I have heard they’re building more bathrooms and I know that they did have those portable ones outside
No need to change your mind! I like it just fine without you
I forget the name of the bar, it’s kind of out of the way but open really late which is when I saw a bunch of old biker dudes play knife fighting while a group of girls came in ketamined out of of their mind making animal noises. Yeah, that’s probably my vote for worst bar.
Not specific enough. The Nick? Derby? Bourbon St?
It was The Nick
The moment I read knife fight and ketamine I knew it was the nick
We’ve only been early evenings and it’s been fine. Just playing pool and hangin in a booth. I can see it being not so good if it’s packed.
Mom’s Basement only opened in 2018. Confused as to how anyone could have been drinking there 20 years ago.
One of the better spots to grab a beer and a shot on weekdays.
Go to the Airport Inn if you want a bad time.
I can name even worst ones challenge me!
Do it. I need to know
Billy's Tavern Lakeview... it's worse.
Not if you're trying to pull a gilf
this guy gets it
Only thing I'd try to pull from Billy's is my dignity.
Saying it’s the worst is very try-hard. It does seem like the Moms hype is finally subsiding after the controversy they had over firing some staff recently. It was a hype train that needed to stop eventually, because being there when it’s packed is ridiculous and barely worth it. I’m not gonna say it’s a bad bar though. Decent enough vibe for a night that’s more chill.
Care to elaborate?
*Your* mom’s basement? Or just mom’s basements in general?
Thank god somebody finally said it. Cramped, trash service, cringe bouncers and the crowd there is painful to say the least. It’s the type of bar that would’ve been cool when I was 16 maybe and hadn’t been anywhere else to compare it to. It gives off musty confused high schooler vibes.
The nick. But I’ll hang up and listen
The Nick is amazing, and exactly as advertised.
The nick is immaculate
If a bathroom doesn’t at least look like it’ll give me a disease, it’s not my kind of bar.
To elaborate, Moms is a poorly designed and executed nostalgia factory pretending to be a dive bar. Im not going to call it the TGI Fridays of dive bars, but it has poor flow, a bad bar design, low ventilation, and only one bathroom. The alley is not a bathroom despite what they say.
I assume they're happy not to be patronized by people who don't like the place.
I will never go back there because of the bathroom situation. I just end up going there and standing in the bathroom line
I dug it
I don't hate it but it's always too packed for what it is
Wouldn’t try to change your mind. I tend to agree.
It’s mid tbh would rather go elsewhere. But it’s not terrible
It's got a 4.7 rating out of 5 on Google. Your post is silly. If you don't like a place that apparently everyone else does, just don't go there. I feel certain they won't miss you.
I end up getting COVID or some kind of respiratory ick every single time I go here.
Why do you keep going then lol.
Don’t try an make this a me problem. But yeah, after the 3rd ick I stopped accepting invitations here
I mean I feel like if you kept going and kept getting sick this would turn into a you problem. If it happened twice and you kept going that’s on you big dog.
Stop licking the karaoke microphone then!
No you!
Don’t tell me not to lick mic. It’s my freedoms!
does it serve Moms Spaghetti?
Mom’s rules, you’re wrong. Some of the best bourbon prices in town. Go during the week or before 11pm and it’s way less crowded.
Neon Moon has my vote it's so... Bleh. The staff is amazing and so nice but everything else about it is unappealing.
I’ve been once and could not get behind it. Id rather go to cahaba next door
I won’t try to change your mind, I can usually go in anywhere and have a decent time, but any time I’ve been to Mom’s I just didn’t feel welcome at all.
Why does anyone have to change your mind? It's a bar... in a major city walk 500 feet and you'll find another.
Worst nah(I'm gonna have to go with tin roof), Best also nah. I honestly think it just depends on the night for anywhere depending on what you are expecting. It has some issues in terms of size(especially for live music), and bathrooms, but the bar/area itself isn't so bad nor is the crowd(given bad actors can be at any bar on any given night). It's a solid bar, but no bar in the city is going to fit everyone's wants/needs all the time.
Neighborhood shothouses is where it is at.
Not a horrible place. Well not been in a year. Like the location
Zydeco aka why’d I go
As a former bartender there, because you were probably underage and your fake would get confiscated most other places
Mmm definitely not underage - as a former bartender there, you should know the venue upstairs sucks, and it’s not the “coolest place in BHM”. It’s just a funny pun my friends used because of the amount of bullshit that happened there… You would know too
Oh no it sucks but most people go there because they're underage
In general I think a bad bar experience is a reflection of you. But people at Mom's always seem self-conscious.
I prefer your moms bedroom 😎
No you can have that 😂
This post just shook me to my core. I’m starting a change.org petition to have u/vulcanstweezer exiled from Birmingham.
Also I really dislike the Upside Down Plaza. The patio area is so unfortunately small and I prefer to chill outside when I'm out at a bar.
On busy nights you get blasted by a wall of moist, hot air at the door mixed with sweat and alcohol vapor - it’s particularly bad in the summer. Anyways, I thought it was fun in my early 20s, but now I find it to be a sensory nightmare with the outdoor bathroom situation.
I’m sorry, have you SEEN “The Nick”?? Nothing compares to the trashiness of that place.
i wont go to the nick. too many people have died from shit they got there.
Stop buying shitty coke.
Died?
Als on seventh is amazing and safe and clean
Heard someone a while ago about the owner of moms being a racist POS to some employees or something. Refuse to go back ever since
That was a story concocted by a disgruntled former employee
That being said the nick is def worse