The Forge opened in Lakeview in 2019 and immediately confused people. The name sounds industrial. The building looks industrial. The menu reads like a steakhouse that got lost in a cocktail bar. First-timers routinely show up expecting dim lighting, red leather, and a sommelier who judges their shoes. What they find is something considerably more relaxed and considerably more interesting.
The space sits off Seventh Avenue South, a few blocks from the Lakeview District’s main drag of bars and breweries. It’s brick-and-steel inside, yes, with high ceilings and open kitchen views — but the energy is closer to a neighborhood dinner party than to a power lunch. The staff here have an easy familiarity with the regulars that takes some places years to develop. The Forge got there faster than most.
The menu is built around live-fire cooking, which means a wood-burning grill and rotisserie doing most of the heavy work. The chicken from the rotisserie has developed something of a local reputation — burnished skin, herbs tucked underneath, the kind of bird that makes you question every other roasted chicken you’ve eaten in this city. It runs around $28 and is more than capable of anchoring the whole meal.
But don’t ignore the vegetables. The Forge does something unusual: it treats produce like it costs money, which in 2024 it does. The roasted carrots, the charred broccolini, whatever’s seasonal and listed on the chalkboard — these aren’t afterthoughts plated alongside a steak. They’ve been thought about. You can taste that.
Speaking of steak: there is one, usually a prime cut, usually a ribeye or strip depending on the week, priced accordingly. If you came specifically for beef, you won’t leave disappointed. But if you order only the steak and none of the sides or shareable plates, you’ve missed the point of the kitchen.
The cocktail program deserves mention without becoming a whole essay. The bar team knows what they’re doing. Drinks are balanced and not overcomplicated — there’s no eight-ingredient house creation that takes twelve minutes to build. The wine list is short but deliberate, weighted toward bottles that work with smoked and charred food, which is actually a harder pairing problem than it sounds.
Reservations are strongly recommended Thursday through Saturday. Weeknights earlier in the week are easier to walk into, and there’s a bar area where you can eat the full menu if you don’t mind a stool. Friday and Saturday, plan ahead or plan to wait.
Dinner for two with drinks runs somewhere between $90 and $130, depending on your enthusiasm for the wine list. That’s not a bargain, and The Forge doesn’t pretend to be one. What it offers instead is a meal that earns its price without putting on airs about it — which, in Birmingham’s increasingly crowded upscale dining scene, is a less common trick than it should be.
If you came expecting a temple to beef with valet parking and a dessert cart, you may need to recalibrate. If you came hungry and willing to let the kitchen lead, you’re going to have a good night.
