THE RËVIEW: BYOB ROCKS

The food scene is growing faster than I can order! Burgers check, Bottles check, Music check! New to the Lakeview scene is BYOB aka Build Your Own Burger aka Birmingham's Years of Bands. 

Cheese Fries

SERVICE/AMBIANCE:
BYOB joins a host of trendy restaurants in the bustling Lakeview area. The bar houses a couple of tables and plenty of bar seating. We were intrigued by the mural of some familiar Birmingham musicians and a few that may surprise you.  Occupying the former Kelley's Neighborhood Sports Grill spot, owner Jason shared his plans to hopefully expand the space to the roof top! Our friendly waitress was serving double duty at the bar early on in the evening and was very knowledgeable of the menu.
Fried Green Tomatoes

MENU:
Just like it's name suggests, there are plenty of burger options on the menu! However, we started out with a few selections from the "Opening Acts", Fried Green tomatoes, Onion Rings, and Cheese Fries.  The Onion Rings battering was a bit on the salty side but the Fried Green tomatoes and the house-made cheese sauce for the fries definitely redeemed the rings!  

Onion Rings

My foodie crew for the night was comprised of non beef eaters, so we were pleased with the number of options for the veggie lovers!

Rolling in the Hay was a crowd favorite and we tried it two ways! First up as a Blackbean patty and also as a Veggie patty. The burger comes  stacked with  roasted sweet peppers, caramelized onions, tomatoes, arugula and lemon aioli. 

With a little building, pickles and bacon found their way into the mix. While veggie patties can be a hit or miss in the texture and flavor departments, the blackbean and veggie both held together well and were quite flavorful.

Last but not least, The Highlander, a turkey patty topped with mozzarella,onions, arugula, basil,  tomato aioli and a balsamic glaze rounded out the "Headliners". The specially crafted bun was the highlight of this burger as the frozen patty lacked the texture and flavor I was hoping for. 

VERDICT: Want to grab a hand crafted burger and drink after work or on a late night? Then I'd definitely suggest BYOB.   A cool atmosphere with good music and an above average bar food selection makes this place a "hit". I can't wait for that rooftop area to open to visit again!