The Broken Knife reopens in Avondale — a cult-favorite sandwich shop is back

The Broken Knife, a bold sandwich shop with a cult-like following, has re-opened at Elysian Gardens in Birmingham’s Avondale neighborhood.

Formerly located in Homewood, The Broken Knife is launching a new restaurant after one of its beloved chefs, Bucky Davis, passed away in June 2025. Following the chef’s death, the restaurant ended brick and mortar operations, but its catering service remained open for business

The Broken Knife is slowly rolling out its new menu of sandwiches Monday through Friday 11AM to 2PM at the Gardens (101 40th Street South) across from the stage.

Here’s what Chris Talley, owner and chef, says you can expect

Chris Talley, the owner and chef, described how the gourmet sandwich eatery plans to reopen in the coming month.

“We really like the spot. We’re rolling out the new menu a little bit at a time. It’s all premium sandwiches — smoked meats, Italian imported things and fancy cheeses.

Everything is made from scratch. We smoke our own meat. Our portions are huge. Everything is saucy and well seasoned. We focus on the sandwiches. That’s the star of the show. We do have rotating sides and desserts as well, which will be great. But, come for the sandwich and stay for the show!”

Chris Talley, The Broken Knife

Below are gourmet chicken sandwiches that came out last week:

• Italian chicken cutlet, which is like a chicken parmesan
• Chicken Caesar sandwich, special Caesar dressing, shaved parmesan 
• Chicken vodka sauce, a new creation by The Broken Knife with pesto, vodka sauce and more

According to Talley, the restaurant is still working out all the intricate logistics  before they can begin serving meals on weekends and during evening hours. He did assure us The Broken Knife expects to be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week soon.

Talley said this about The Broken Knife’s reopening:

“It’s really exciting. It’s thrilling because I’ve had people asking message after message, call after call, when are you reopening? And so that made me feel good. It made me feel like the food that I was making for people made them happy and they missed it.”

That’s fantastic news for concert-goers at Elysian Gardens!

In the meantime, make sure to monitor The Broken Knife’s menu roll out on Facebook.