By Ingrid Schnader
Automatic Seafood & Oysters, which opened in Birmingham April 2019, was named among the best new restaurants in the country by two national publications this month.
In a Nov. 13 article in Esquire, Automatic was recognized as No. 8 out of 22 Best New Restaurants in America. This story will run in print in Esquire’s Winter issue, on newsstands Dec. 3.
“The oysters were fresh, the A.S.O. cocktail was cold, and dishes like a crispy fish collar with Calabrian chili butter and flaky fish ribs with Alabama white sauce floored me with their direct-hit deliciousness,” wrote the reporter, Jeff Gordinier.
“Chef Adam Evans, a product of Muscle Shoals, is paying homage to a specifically southern tradition of seafood cookery, and he’s doing it in a spacious, wide-windowed room that feels like a boat club where nobody’s a snob,” he said.
A week later, Nov. 19, Thrillist announced that Automatic was included in its 2019 list for the Best New Restaurants in America. This list of 12 restaurants was curated by a group of six experts who chose establishments that represent American culture and that push food forward creatively. Erin Murray reviewed Automatic.
“Chef Adam Evans is all about local fish, especially the spiny ones, so order the simply roasted Kitty Mitchell grouper and crispy whole yellowtail snapper,” Murray wrote. “Twirl around in lunch counter-style chairs at the bar, holding your mint-garnished highball up against the IG-ready tropical print wallpaper.”
Visit automaticseafood.com to learn more about this up-and-coming restaurant.
