Reviewed by: Grace Howard
Esquire names House of Found Objects among “14 Best Bars in America”
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One of Birmingham’s most popular nightlife hangouts just recieved an impressive nod from Esquire. Located on 2nd Avenue North in downtown Birmingham, the House of Found Objects was just included as one of the 14 Best Bars in America in 2026—read on to learn more.
The House of Found Objects is one of the 14 Best Bars in America, according to Esquire
Each year, popular American men’s magazine Esquire sends some of its favorite writers around the country in search of the best pubs, taverns, bars and saloons that America has to offer. This year’s edition of “Best Bars in America” included just fourteen bars:
- Half Time Rec — Saint Paul, MN
- Stars — NYC, New York
- Gold Clover Bar — Washington, D.C.
- Bar Tonique — New Orleans, LA
- Ball & Chain — Miami, FL
- The House of Found Objects — Birmingham, AL
- Stir Crazy — Los Angeles, CA
- The Cork — Tuscon, AZ
- The Nashville Palace — Nashville, TN
- Papercut — Austin, TX
- Russel’s — Seattle, WA
- Kelly’s Korner Tavern — Placentia, California
- Cody’s Public House — Chicago, IL
- The Double Windsor — Brooklyn, NY
It’s not often we see Birmingham named to such a short list alongside cities like Los Angeles, Miami and NYC, but it helps that our city is home to the House of Found Objects.
About the House of Found Objects
Founded in 2022, the House of Found Objects is an eclectic downtown establishment where guests can wear silly costumes, drink the signature “Legendary Sex Panther” cocktail (and apply the matching tattoo) and see their face on a massive projection screen behind the main bar—and that’s only scratching the surface.
After the award-winning Atomic Bar & Lounge closed in 2021, owner Feizal Valli busied himself with creating a spiritual successor to the thrice James Beard Award-nominated bar. Central to the new bar’s identify was was the concept of found objects, a media genre that repurposes mundane, everyday materials into art. Inside, the House of Found Objects is decorated with countless repurposed found objects—everything from forgotten action figures and empty pill bottles to fuzzy CRT televisions and vintage reel-to-reel tape recorders.
In Esquire’s description of The House of Found Objects, author Beth Ann Fennelly notes that, “the true found object is community.” This echoes Feizal’s own description, who told me in 2022:
“With The House of Found Objects, I’m hoping to pick up and finish what The Atomic was trying to say, which is: a bar is only as good as the people that come through it.”
Feizal Valli in an interview for Bham Now in 2022
If what Feizal told me is true, then the House of Found Objects must truly have one of the best communities a bar could hope to foster.
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