Crab Barrack, Bar La Fête & others approved for Birmingham alcohol licenses

Several much-anticipated eateries were approved for liquor licenses, thanks to a vote of the Birmingham City Council last week.

Here are the five establishments and their locations:

• Crab Barrack – 1108 20th Street South
• Bar La Fête – 2212 Morris Avenue, Suite 201
• Ikko Ramen and Sushi – 1909 11th Avenue South
• Slice Pizza & Brew – 1101 Dunston Avenue
• Bosses Private Lounge – 201 Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard South

The Council passed four of the five restaurants via the consent agenda. 

There was a brief discussion about Bosses Private Lounge. The owner informed the Council that patrons will have to become members to enter the lounge. A member must also be 25 years and older as well as a business owner.

Though she normally does not approve of private clubs/lounges, City Councilor Valerie Abbott praised the owner’s application, saying, “Your proposal is one of the most thorough I’ve seen.”

Sneak Peek 

Bham Now has written stories about three of the restaurants that secured licenses.

Here are excerpts:

Crab Barrack

The new Crab Barrack in Five Points South takes the place of the former Brennen’s Irish Pub.  

“Looking for mouthwatering seafood in Birmingham? Look no further than The Crab Barrack. With favorites like seasonal Blue Crab, snow crab legs, mussels, lobster, shrimp and clams, The Crab Barrack has something for every seafood lover. Plus, each dish is served with corn, potatoes & sausage—Low Country boil never tasted so good.”

Bar La Fête

Fun fact: Bar La Fête is only one block from the Bham Now office.  

“La fête in French translates to celebration/party. That’s exactly what owners Kristen Hall and Victor King want their new wine bar and restaurant to be. Mimicking the atmosphere of the wine bars of Paris, this space will be playful yet moody with a quality selection of fine wines, beers and high-end spirits.”

Ikko Ramen and Sushi 

Back in 2020, Bham Now’s own Sharron Swain featured Ikko Ramen and Sushi in a sponsored story for Watts Realty.

“One of my fellow Bham Nowers who happens to be a wizard with photography equipment and I headed over there just after the lunch rush to see what caused other coworkers to gush about this place like a first crush.”

Slice Moving into Basil?

Of course, whenever we see liquor licenses granted that tips us off on future openings. We were not able to reach Slice at the time of our publication, but with a liquor license in hand, it looks like they have plans for the old Basil Pizza site.

We’ll keep our eye out for these and restaurant openings throughout The Magic City.  Tag us at @bhamnow if you see a new project.