The Birmingham Food Club is back with another review, this time for Marty’s PM, a dive bar that is on Tenth Court South in Downtown Birmingham.
When I say dive bar, I mean it in its full interpretation, Marty’s PM is dark and quiet with just a small bar in the back with stools l. It has outdoor seating area as well, so when it is not in the middle of an Alabama summer, that might be where you would want to be, especially if you wanna people watch the streets of downtown. The atmosphere is has this really worn in feel to it, and it does not pretend to be something that it is not. There is a cigarette machine in the corner, a good mixture of 90’s pop and hip hop playing, felt like traveling back in time, you definitely knew where you stand in this type of place. That is also part of its charm, it is not pretending to be anything that it is not, it is upfront about being a dive bar, with no qualms or concerns about what you think about it.
I think if we are reviewing a dive bar, you really need to start with the “bar” part of it. When we first arrived there was one thing that my heart was set on that I had saw other reviews talking about, and was drawn on their chalkboard menu (which I really dug): The Kraken Bushwacker. A Bushwacker is a cocktail that is made with very similar to a Pina Colada but with chocolate. I like to think about as a “adult” chocolate milkshake. Unfortunately that was not in the cards, as the machine that they use to make those was not working the night that we went. After not having the one thing I knew they had, I just told the bartender to “make anything, I trust you” and I ended up getting a Melon Daiquiri, and it was good, but don’t think it would be something that I would order a lot of. They also had one of my favorite local brewing companies’ ales, Paradise Now made by TrimTab Brewing in Birmingham. Paradise Now is a raspberry sour ale that is always delicious and tastes like a good cider and less like beer. I would have liked to at least know what I was spending as I was ordering drinks, but with no drink menu that was pretty much impossible.
Moving on to the food, when ended up going on one of the special nights they have during the week: Hot Dog Nite. This is something that they do every Tuesday night where for six bucks, you can get two hotdogs and a bag of chips. I decided that I was going to rock with the special because the hotdogs they had were kinda crazy. The first one I got was called “Suit and Thai” which is a hotdog with coconut curry and crispy chow mien noodles on it. The second one that I picked was called “Pickle Me Rick” and was covered in pickled onions, jalapeño Fritos, and a spicy aioli sauce. I thought that both the hotdogs were pretty good, and even though it was definitely not homemade coconut curry, it still tasted pretty good. The “Pickle Me Rick” definitley was the better between the two, and it had a really great spice and crunch with it.
Other food that was tried was the Patty Melt, a breakfast burger, the “Marlow Dog” (taste like a Milos burger in hot dog form pretty much), and a grilled cheese. They also do karaoke on Tuesday nights, which started around midnight and also when the bar started to become more packed then it was when we first got there.
Here are some thoughts from the rest of the Birmingham Food Club:
“I liked the more low key vibe, however it was slightly sketchy (one bathroom is yikes). I enjoyed the custom drink experience but I do think it was a little pricey. The food was the best part for me…”
“Bartender was great but more than likely up charged. Burger was better than Jack Browns”
“Felt as though I could be murdered at any time. Still had fun. Drinks are pricey”
“I feel like I have to return because I have a membership now. $8 Jägerbomb? Rude.
“Drinks were pricey but loved that you could essentially order whatever you wanted! Kinda sketch to have to share my ID and place of employment?!?…Maybe one of those ‘get pre-lit and then go here to party all night/morning long’. Food was surprisingly good!
“Preferably less karaoke”“Drinks were definitely higher than they should’ve been. That turkey burger was kinda tight and dry. The bacon was BUSSIN though!”
Just like for Post Office Pies, Sons Donuts, and Big Spoon Creamery, Marty’s PM was ranked on six things: Atmosphere, Food, Drinks, Likelihood to Recommend, Value for Money, and Selections.
Out of the 9 people who came to Marty’s PM, this is the overall rating that the restaurant got:
Marty’s PM: 6 (The actually total was a 6.37, but we are working on a .5 scale, so it was rounded down)
With that, here are the official rankings as of now:
Sons Donuts/Big Spoon Creamery (tie) 10/10
Post Office Pies - 8.0/10
Marty's PM - 6.0/10
Overall I think Marty’s PM is pretty good place that really is dependent on how busy it is and who is tending the bar. If it is not super slammed and you can just relax with you friends, then it is great, but I could definitley see if it was busier it not being a great place to hangout at. Still want to try that Kraken Bushwacker though.
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