5 things to know about Automatic Seafood & Oysters opening April 1 in Lakeview

automatic5 5 things to know about Automatic Seafood & Oysters opening April 1 in Lakeview
Chef Adam Evans and his wife Suzanne with a fresh catch. Suzanne is the project designer and co-owner of the restaurant. (Photo submitted)

Lakeview will soon be home to Birmingham’s newest seafood restaurant, Automatic Seafood & Oysters. They’ll open the doors Monday, April 1. Read on to learn five things about one of Birmingham’s most anticipated restaurant openings of the year.

automatic2 5 things to know about Automatic Seafood & Oysters opening April 1 in Lakeview
Owners Adam and Suzanne Evans last year at the future site of Automatic Seafood & Oysters in Lakewood. (Photo submitted)

1. Chef Adam Evans Knows His Fish

This will be Chef Adam Evans first restaurant in Birmingham. But did you know he’s been making his mark on the culinary scene for years now?

He gained national attention with his seafood dishes at The Optimist, an Atlanta based restaurant that recently won Esquire’s Restaurant of the Year and Bon Appétit’s Top Ten Best New Restaurants. Chef Evans also opened Atlanta’s Brezza Cucina with Chef Jonathan Waxman in 2015.

Read Garden & Gun’s feature about how Chef Evans grills his oysters.

2. The Building Was Once a Sprinkler Manufacturing Site

Adam and Suzanne set their sights on the Lakewood property in 2017. Built in the 1940s, the building once housed Automatic Sprinkler Corporation’s manufacturing site in Birmingham. The restaurant’s name is a homage to the building’s former tenants.

Suzanne, who is also the project designer for the restaurant, created a comfortable, elegant, and classic space at Automatic as an ode to Americana in a coastal setting.

Read more about Suzanne in our Bham Now feature about her design work.

Birmingham, Automatic Seafood and Oysters, restaurants
Automatic Seafood and Oysters under construction in Birmingham in 2018. (Photo by Pat Byington for Bham Now)

3. Chef Evans Lets Flavorful Main Ingredients Shine

Evans plans to bring bold flavor and classic technique to the simple seafood dishes on the menu.

“Chef Evans is inspired by the beautiful simplicity of high-quality products, which he combines with classic technique and flavors that complement the authenticity of each dish.”

Automatic Seafood & Oysters
automatic1 5 things to know about Automatic Seafood & Oysters opening April 1 in Lakeview
Owners Adam and Suzanne Evans at the future location of Automatic Seafood & Oysters in 2017. (Photo submitted)

3. Regionally Sourced Ingredients

Automatic Seafood & Oysters’ menu offers a variety of seafood featuring fish sourced from the Gulf of Mexico and oysters from waters along the Southern and Eastern coastlines.

Most of the seafood on Chef Evans’ menu are from regional vendors, markets, and fisheries. Also, most of the produce is local. Menu highlights unique to Birmingham culinary scene include:

  • Fresh-caught sardines
  • Locally fished spiny lobsters
  • Octopus
  • Full-service raw bar featuring Alabama oysters

4. Chef Evans Specialty is Fin Fish

A wide range of finfish – prepared using a variety of techniques –make up the majority of entrée choices. So, what is finfish you ask? It’s any fish with cartilaginous or bony skeletons, such as Halibut and Grouper.

5. Automatic Seafood & Oysters Building By The Numbers

The 5,000-square-foot restaurant seats 140 guests indoors, 40 guests outdoors and 22 guests at the bar.  There’s also a private dining room for parties and events, which holds up to 30 guests.

The Details:

  • What: Automatic Seafood & Oysters opening night
  • When: Monday, April 1, 2019
  • Where: 2824 5th Avenue South

Normal Hours of Operation:

Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 10 PM and Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11 PM

Will you attend Automatic Seafood & Oysters opening night? Tag us @bhamnow in your food photos and let us know what you ordered!

Christine Hull
Christine Hull
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