Atmosphere: 3/5, Service: 2.5/5, Food: 1/5 My family and I were visiting Birmingham on our way up to Tennessee, and per our usual travel goal, wanted to try something off-chain, and a local favorite. We filtered through a few options that looked good in the southeastern part of town and decided to give Tropicaleo a shot for the menu options and open area for our kids to play. When we first arrived, it was pretty empty (only one other couple dining), but it was 40F out on a Wednesday, and actually preferred that given we brought along our three littles. There were two staff members present: the manager and a trainee/bartender(?) that we would end up interacting with that evening. We chose a spot in the back of the restaurant, on their covered patio area, where there were larger tables (only small 2-seater tables available inside), and then started to look through the menu. It was still pretty cold on the patio, and we asked if we could use one of the (5) propane heaters that were standing on the patio…bartender/trainee: “No, it’s not cold enough.” At Tropicaleo, there’s no “wait staff” per se - you order at the bar, and the food is brought to you - no biggie. We got our kids situated and then went to the bar to order - the trainee working that evening had a pretty rough go at getting our order placed, but understandable that they were learning the system. Not a knock on the staff, but most of the menu is Latin-inspired cuisine with a lot of spanish names - my wife is Puerto Rican, so many of the dishes were familiar to her, and despite her ordering, the trainee had a hard time understanding her pronunciation and the menu names; again, no biggie - we didn’t expect full conversations in spanish, but it did make us feel like the authenticity of the food might be lacking. Given we had the three littles with us, we tried to piece together some al la carte items they would like along with one of their protein bowls. The trainee was really difficult about exchanging or substituting items - “not possible,” “the dish is cooked together so we can’t separate it out,” “oh, well you can’t get avocado with THAT bowl.” We did our best to piece something together, got our food ordered, and then looked to get some drinks for ourselves and the kids. My wife got a pina-colada style drink that came in a fun ceramic tiki mug, and we asked if we could get the same for the kids: Manager: “No, the mugs are pretty special to me, and I don’t want the kids to break them.” What?….(mind you, there were about 16 of these ‘special’ mugs that I could see lined up on the counter). Now, I will give the manager some credit: he offered to get the kids set up, and gave them some guava juice in a plastic cup with a tiki umbrella, so a nice accommodation, and the kids loved it, but a little short-sighted on his part. The food came out quickly…a little TOO quickly (maybe 3-5 minutes), so we knew almost immediately it wasn’t going to be fresh. More on that shortly - The trainee brought out the food (served in paper bowls), and we asked if we could get a few extras for the kids so we could divvy out the meal; he told us they were meant to be shared from the same plate….and when we tried to explain, he rolled his eyes and brought a few back for us. Then, we realized we didn’t have silverware, so WE walked back to the bar to ask, and the manager scrambled to get us some. Then, the same for napkins…and the same for straws… It was an EXTREMELY disjointed operation, and made us feel that despite being the only customers, we were unwelcome and “in the way.” Back to the food: We ordered the mofonguitos, surullitos, maduros, a “tropical bowl” for the kids, and a pork bowl for my wife and I to share, and I say this with extreme prejudice as it’s tough for me NOT to eat food put in front of me…it was the most dissatisfying combination of Latin cuisine (and food in general) I have experienced to date, and that’s coming from someone who only has about 10 years of exposure to this type of fare. It was VERY apparent that the food had been cooked earlier…much earlier…in the day
Grace K.
We tried this restaurant tonight for the first time after eyeing it in the Crestwood area for years! We went with a group of around 10 people, so some of these points may be irrelevant for groups of smaller people. Things that were great: -the food was alright and there are mostly vegan/vegetarian options. Well seasoned "reimagined Puerto Rican classics" -friends in our seated group enjoyed their mock tails and everyone mostly enjoyed the food that they ordered -the waitstaff taking our order was friendly and kind. Things that were not great: -Firstly, we had to sit on the patio due to our group size (not a problem, we expected as much because there is only a small interior dining room) BUT it was a 50° night and very windy outside-VERY chilly. Propane space heaters were out in the patio area but the only staff member present in the restaurant told us they were out of propane and not functioning, which brings me to my next point -There was only ONE staff member behind the counter! It took around 20 minutes of standing in line just to order food and another 30 to be served after that, all while sitting in the very chilly patio area. The poor cashier/waitress/bartender/kitchen assist worked nonstop the entire time we were at the restaurant, but was unable to accommodate for the Saturday night crowd. -Not great bang for your buck-my husband and I spent $30 (I got a kids meal and he ordered a bowl with no drinks) and he still left the restaurant hungry. Portions were on the small side. -5 members of our group ordered mocktails with their meal and had to remind the bartender an hour after ordering that they still had not received the drinks. Overall a fun and funky place to visit in a small group, on a warm weeknight when you're not very hungry or in need of fast service.
Clayton Vines
Was my first time stopping in after going past many times, glad I finally did. Has a quaint little dining room and bar, with lots of living plants around. Cool, laid back vibe. The food was excellent and very fresh, with a lot of Paleo and plant based options of you'd like. Very "natural" and "environmentally friendly" far enough to use metal straws. Then as I was leaving, I discovered the patio in the back, just wow, what a cool space with lots of local artist's work painted on the walls. I will be back for sure and I highly recommend!!!
Laura S.
I absolutely love their food. So happy they're open again! Only giving 4 stars because I ordered for pick up an hour ahead of time thinking it would help. It didn't. The poor bartender was not only making drinks, but taking orders and serving tables. Please support this business but do so with patience in mind. They are suffering from staff shortages just like the rest of us but it's worth it!
Noah S.
Let me start this with the fact I did ordered fairly late on a Sunday but still over an hour before close. I wanted to love this place but I was let down this time and will need to go back. I ordered the Cuban sandwich and the impossible beef empanada. To start with the empanada was very expensive for the size. $5 for one that's maybe half the size of a dollar bill if that and was mediocre. The sandwich bread was good. The pork inside was dry and very salty. There here were a few bites where the pork was tender tasted good but that was maybe 10% of the sandwich. I will have to go back at another time of day and hope it was just the time I got it.
concerned citizen
?????????? If you want bland unseasoned food with horrible customer service from the owner then come here. Was looking forward to this place for months and was highly disappointed. I know for a FACT that the 4.5 stars COULDN'T have been from actual customers with taste buds. Overpriced with small portions! Dont do it to yourself. $65 dollars and left unsatisfied and hungry.
The Randalls
Spent $60 plus a $5 tip. Owner madeva decision on our food that we didnt ask for. Didnt enjoy food and owner was unwilling to fix our issue and LITERALLY REFUSED to make it right or even come talk to us for a second. Absolutely unacceptable. Will never come here again. Cashier was good tho.
Virginia H.
So I will admit to being pleasantly surprised as I did not expect to like the food LOL. We decided to check out the place as we had a gift card and I am glad that we did. We ordered the ava toast, yucca fries, the grit sticks, Cubano, and the pulled pork sandwich. Honestly everything was good. The bread for the sandwiches had a really good texture. My favorite part is actually the sauces that came with our orders - a garlic cream sauce for the fries and a guava barbecue sauce for the full pork sandwich.... I will buy the sauces to take home if I could! The restaurant has some pretty neat murals, a good number of outside seating on their back patio, and I see the potential to have a fun private party here as they have a concrete space where you could dance on the space and put a DJ on the side.
Tara Scogin
The Cubano was fantastic, but everything else we got was very overpriced, it was kind of ridiculous. We got yucca fries and tostones and it came with the tiniest portions, like not enough for a side whatsoever. I feel very shorted and this used to be one of my favorite places to eat! Jackfruit was also bad flavorwise in the tropibowl.
Brennan Starnes
This place is a must when visiting Birmingham. Wonderful mixed drinks, and the food was some of the best I’ve ever had. Get the loaded plaintain chip with jackfruit it’s so good! Overall maybe some of the best food I’ve ever had and will definitely be coming back again to enjoy this wonderful restaurant. The service was also impeccable, such a tentative and helpful staff!
Bought multiple dishes on the menu and each one was amazing. I will have future dreams about the jackfruit cubano that I had. If you are passing by Birmingham and are into veg friendly dishes this is a must.
Nichol Welty
It feels like walking into a good friend’s house. The staff is so friendly and everything is thoughtfully done. The owners are true believers in small businesses, equality and the Birmingham community. Cocktails and other drinks are delicious! I love having healthy options. I’m not a vegan but they make it pretty easy if you are. Such a unique flavor profile you won’t find elsewhere. WE LOVE YOU TROPICALEO!
Michelle Pegues
Very rustic. The front entrance wasn't accessible. A mural was being done on the side of the building and the only access to the restaurant's patio was through the tarps & paint cans. The Mofongo was bland even after adding salt, pepper, and hot sauce and the rice was undercooked. It was a cool night on the patio and only one heater on. The staff were very pleasant. This was an interesting place.
Ashley Moman
You will not find a more welcoming staff at any restaurant! Tropicaleo features a wonderful vegan menu as well as a traditional meat menu. The atmosphere is colorful, vibrant, and welcoming. The only place I've felt comfortable popping into during the pandemic is Tropicaleo because the owner and his staff take mask usage and public safety seriously! A welcome respite with delicious food (best rice and beans by far!!) and wonderful service.
Michael Pocus
One of the most authentic restaurant experiences in Birmingham, Tropicaleo truly captures what it feels like to be on the island of Puerto Rico. Not only do they offer traditional fare, they have been one of the first restaurants in town to have a dedicated Vegan/Veggie menu. They also have some of the best employees you can hire working in there. Thanks for keeping it real and making sure we are safe, as customers, as this pandemic has changed everything!
Atmosphere: 3/5, Service: 2.5/5, Food: 1/5 My family and I were visiting Birmingham on our way up to Tennessee, and per our usual travel goal, wanted to try something off-chain, and a local favorite. We filtered through a few options that looked good in the southeastern part of town and decided to give Tropicaleo a shot for the menu options and open area for our kids to play. When we first arrived, it was pretty empty (only one other couple dining), but it was 40F out on a Wednesday, and actually preferred that given we brought along our three littles. There were two staff members present: the manager and a trainee/bartender(?) that we would end up interacting with that evening. We chose a spot in the back of the restaurant, on their covered patio area, where there were larger tables (only small 2-seater tables available inside), and then started to look through the menu. It was still pretty cold on the patio, and we asked if we could use one of the (5) propane heaters that were standing on the patio…bartender/trainee: “No, it’s not cold enough.” At Tropicaleo, there’s no “wait staff” per se - you order at the bar, and the food is brought to you - no biggie. We got our kids situated and then went to the bar to order - the trainee working that evening had a pretty rough go at getting our order placed, but understandable that they were learning the system. Not a knock on the staff, but most of the menu is Latin-inspired cuisine with a lot of spanish names - my wife is Puerto Rican, so many of the dishes were familiar to her, and despite her ordering, the trainee had a hard time understanding her pronunciation and the menu names; again, no biggie - we didn’t expect full conversations in spanish, but it did make us feel like the authenticity of the food might be lacking. Given we had the three littles with us, we tried to piece together some al la carte items they would like along with one of their protein bowls. The trainee was really difficult about exchanging or substituting items - “not possible,” “the dish is cooked together so we can’t separate it out,” “oh, well you can’t get avocado with THAT bowl.” We did our best to piece something together, got our food ordered, and then looked to get some drinks for ourselves and the kids. My wife got a pina-colada style drink that came in a fun ceramic tiki mug, and we asked if we could get the same for the kids: Manager: “No, the mugs are pretty special to me, and I don’t want the kids to break them.” What?….(mind you, there were about 16 of these ‘special’ mugs that I could see lined up on the counter). Now, I will give the manager some credit: he offered to get the kids set up, and gave them some guava juice in a plastic cup with a tiki umbrella, so a nice accommodation, and the kids loved it, but a little short-sighted on his part. The food came out quickly…a little TOO quickly (maybe 3-5 minutes), so we knew almost immediately it wasn’t going to be fresh. More on that shortly - The trainee brought out the food (served in paper bowls), and we asked if we could get a few extras for the kids so we could divvy out the meal; he told us they were meant to be shared from the same plate….and when we tried to explain, he rolled his eyes and brought a few back for us. Then, we realized we didn’t have silverware, so WE walked back to the bar to ask, and the manager scrambled to get us some. Then, the same for napkins…and the same for straws… It was an EXTREMELY disjointed operation, and made us feel that despite being the only customers, we were unwelcome and “in the way.” Back to the food: We ordered the mofonguitos, surullitos, maduros, a “tropical bowl” for the kids, and a pork bowl for my wife and I to share, and I say this with extreme prejudice as it’s tough for me NOT to eat food put in front of me…it was the most dissatisfying combination of Latin cuisine (and food in general) I have experienced to date, and that’s coming from someone who only has about 10 years of exposure to this type of fare. It was VERY apparent that the food had been cooked earlier…much earlier…in the day
We tried this restaurant tonight for the first time after eyeing it in the Crestwood area for years! We went with a group of around 10 people, so some of these points may be irrelevant for groups of smaller people. Things that were great: -the food was alright and there are mostly vegan/vegetarian options. Well seasoned "reimagined Puerto Rican classics" -friends in our seated group enjoyed their mock tails and everyone mostly enjoyed the food that they ordered -the waitstaff taking our order was friendly and kind. Things that were not great: -Firstly, we had to sit on the patio due to our group size (not a problem, we expected as much because there is only a small interior dining room) BUT it was a 50° night and very windy outside-VERY chilly. Propane space heaters were out in the patio area but the only staff member present in the restaurant told us they were out of propane and not functioning, which brings me to my next point -There was only ONE staff member behind the counter! It took around 20 minutes of standing in line just to order food and another 30 to be served after that, all while sitting in the very chilly patio area. The poor cashier/waitress/bartender/kitchen assist worked nonstop the entire time we were at the restaurant, but was unable to accommodate for the Saturday night crowd. -Not great bang for your buck-my husband and I spent $30 (I got a kids meal and he ordered a bowl with no drinks) and he still left the restaurant hungry. Portions were on the small side. -5 members of our group ordered mocktails with their meal and had to remind the bartender an hour after ordering that they still had not received the drinks. Overall a fun and funky place to visit in a small group, on a warm weeknight when you're not very hungry or in need of fast service.
Was my first time stopping in after going past many times, glad I finally did. Has a quaint little dining room and bar, with lots of living plants around. Cool, laid back vibe. The food was excellent and very fresh, with a lot of Paleo and plant based options of you'd like. Very "natural" and "environmentally friendly" far enough to use metal straws. Then as I was leaving, I discovered the patio in the back, just wow, what a cool space with lots of local artist's work painted on the walls. I will be back for sure and I highly recommend!!!
I absolutely love their food. So happy they're open again! Only giving 4 stars because I ordered for pick up an hour ahead of time thinking it would help. It didn't. The poor bartender was not only making drinks, but taking orders and serving tables. Please support this business but do so with patience in mind. They are suffering from staff shortages just like the rest of us but it's worth it!
Let me start this with the fact I did ordered fairly late on a Sunday but still over an hour before close. I wanted to love this place but I was let down this time and will need to go back. I ordered the Cuban sandwich and the impossible beef empanada. To start with the empanada was very expensive for the size. $5 for one that's maybe half the size of a dollar bill if that and was mediocre. The sandwich bread was good. The pork inside was dry and very salty. There here were a few bites where the pork was tender tasted good but that was maybe 10% of the sandwich. I will have to go back at another time of day and hope it was just the time I got it.
?????????? If you want bland unseasoned food with horrible customer service from the owner then come here. Was looking forward to this place for months and was highly disappointed. I know for a FACT that the 4.5 stars COULDN'T have been from actual customers with taste buds. Overpriced with small portions! Dont do it to yourself. $65 dollars and left unsatisfied and hungry.
Spent $60 plus a $5 tip. Owner madeva decision on our food that we didnt ask for. Didnt enjoy food and owner was unwilling to fix our issue and LITERALLY REFUSED to make it right or even come talk to us for a second. Absolutely unacceptable. Will never come here again. Cashier was good tho.
So I will admit to being pleasantly surprised as I did not expect to like the food LOL. We decided to check out the place as we had a gift card and I am glad that we did. We ordered the ava toast, yucca fries, the grit sticks, Cubano, and the pulled pork sandwich. Honestly everything was good. The bread for the sandwiches had a really good texture. My favorite part is actually the sauces that came with our orders - a garlic cream sauce for the fries and a guava barbecue sauce for the full pork sandwich.... I will buy the sauces to take home if I could! The restaurant has some pretty neat murals, a good number of outside seating on their back patio, and I see the potential to have a fun private party here as they have a concrete space where you could dance on the space and put a DJ on the side.
The Cubano was fantastic, but everything else we got was very overpriced, it was kind of ridiculous. We got yucca fries and tostones and it came with the tiniest portions, like not enough for a side whatsoever. I feel very shorted and this used to be one of my favorite places to eat! Jackfruit was also bad flavorwise in the tropibowl.
This place is a must when visiting Birmingham. Wonderful mixed drinks, and the food was some of the best I’ve ever had. Get the loaded plaintain chip with jackfruit it’s so good! Overall maybe some of the best food I’ve ever had and will definitely be coming back again to enjoy this wonderful restaurant. The service was also impeccable, such a tentative and helpful staff!
Restaurantji Recommends
Bought multiple dishes on the menu and each one was amazing. I will have future dreams about the jackfruit cubano that I had. If you are passing by Birmingham and are into veg friendly dishes this is a must.
It feels like walking into a good friend’s house. The staff is so friendly and everything is thoughtfully done. The owners are true believers in small businesses, equality and the Birmingham community. Cocktails and other drinks are delicious! I love having healthy options. I’m not a vegan but they make it pretty easy if you are. Such a unique flavor profile you won’t find elsewhere. WE LOVE YOU TROPICALEO!
Very rustic. The front entrance wasn't accessible. A mural was being done on the side of the building and the only access to the restaurant's patio was through the tarps & paint cans. The Mofongo was bland even after adding salt, pepper, and hot sauce and the rice was undercooked. It was a cool night on the patio and only one heater on. The staff were very pleasant. This was an interesting place.
You will not find a more welcoming staff at any restaurant! Tropicaleo features a wonderful vegan menu as well as a traditional meat menu. The atmosphere is colorful, vibrant, and welcoming. The only place I've felt comfortable popping into during the pandemic is Tropicaleo because the owner and his staff take mask usage and public safety seriously! A welcome respite with delicious food (best rice and beans by far!!) and wonderful service.
One of the most authentic restaurant experiences in Birmingham, Tropicaleo truly captures what it feels like to be on the island of Puerto Rico. Not only do they offer traditional fare, they have been one of the first restaurants in town to have a dedicated Vegan/Veggie menu. They also have some of the best employees you can hire working in there. Thanks for keeping it real and making sure we are safe, as customers, as this pandemic has changed everything!