By Chanda Temple
Inside the Birmingham Museum of Art, you’ll find more than 24,000 paintings, sculptures, prints and decorative arts representing various cultures. But did you know that you’ll also find a cafe that serves one of the best burgers in the Magic City?
It’s Juniper at the Museum, which is brought to you by the same owners of Juniper in Forest Park. The museum cafe opened in February 2024 and operates Tuesday – Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (During a return visit to the cafe on Jan. 16, I learned that the cafe will be closing the museum location. Their last day will be Jan. 24.)
On a recent Tuesday, I stopped by for lunch, where I not only experienced an amazing lunch but also excellent customer service and beverages.
And I’m not the only fan. I was surrounded by tables full of what looked like happy diners. There was a table full of adults with children. Behind me was a mother and son. Over to my left was a couple and way behind me was another couple with a man happily snapping a photo of his sandwich.
“Not only do we provide you with the best surroundings, but good food,” Chef Omar Radford said after visiting my table, which I noticed is something he did with several other diners. “We pride ourselves in not saying, ‘No.’ I take real, honest pride in my work.”
The pride of Chef Omar and staff could be felt in the cafe, where appetizing food on plates and colorful art prints on the wall mirror the same vibe you’ll find at the Forest Park location. The museum menu features hummus plates, hearty soups, salads, sandwiches, creative beverages and a special Rice Krispy treat dessert. There are also desserts from Last Call Baking Co.
Here’s what I ordered…
The Burger
The grass-fed beef burger comes on a fresh pretzel bun with crispy edges, melted American cheese and garlic aioli. You can get one patty or two. I opted for two because, well, that’s the way it was intended. You can also get it with a vegan patty. It comes with potato chips. But for an upcharge, you can get it with fries.
The burger, which is made with beef from the Birmingham-based Evans Meats, is perfectly seasoned. I mean so perfect, I didn’t need another type sauce to go on it. The battered fries, which are tossed in salt and pepper and garnished with parsley, are perfect, too. “I have people say, ‘Y’all’s fries are delicious,’ ” said Chef Omar. And, they are.
Served on the side is what’s known as a “Drop Sauce,” which is made of mayonnaise and sambal, a hot chipotle paste that is ground with dried parsley and lemon juice. It’s made as a dip for the fries, but diners have been known to use it on other dishes. (I dipped my burger in the sauce, and it was good. I also discovered that the sauce is very good atop their crab cake, but more on that later.)
Unlike other restaurants, the beef patties are not delivered frozen. They are hand rolled, mixed with a blend of mayonnaise and seasoning, and hand patted. They are refrigerated before being pressed with a burger press. “I put all of Birmingham in the food here,” said Chef Omar, a Birmingham native. “You won’t get another burger like ours, anywhere. I promise you.”
The Crab Cake
Depending on the week, they may have a crab cake or a salmon cake on the menu. The day I went, they had a crab cake that comes with romesco sauce and salsa verde. It comes with a side romaine salad, that featured pickled shallots, freshly grated parmesan cheese and tossed in a lemon honey vinaigrette. And if you add the “Drop Sauce” to the crab cake, it’s pretty tasty.
The Spiced Limeade
How many times have you seen something on a menu, and you ordered it just because you’ve never had it? That was the case for me when I saw “Spiced Limeade” on the Juniper menu. When you swallow this wintery, earthy drink, it tastes like a Sweet Tart candy has been placed at the back of your throat. Refreshing!
Ginger Wines, the mixologist who also works at the Juniper Forest Park location on Fridays and Saturdays, created the drink, using black cardamom, a shelled spice; green and black cinnamon, cloves and Allspice. It’s topped with dehydrated, edible rose petals and a dehydrated lime. The black cardamom gives it that special taste at the back of the throat. Ginger said she wanted people to taste a brisk, light sweetness to enhance the seasonings in their meal. Mission accomplished.
The Misty Morning Prosecco Cocktail
One of the museum’s Claude Monet paintings, Misty Morning on the Seine, inspired Ginger to create a drink at the cafe with the same name. It’s made with French vanilla tea, butterfly tea flower, rose, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, lemon juice and Prosecco. “I walked into one of the galleries, saw this painting and was immediately inspired by it,” Ginger said. “I thought of French Riviera types of flavors, so that led me to the French black tea, and lemon juice to lighten and brighten it and give it a nice citrus element. It tastes like a sweet, rolled-up bubble gum drink, but brighter and more tart.”
Savor This! The large tree in the center of the cafe is a black olive tree, placed there as an homage to the Forest Park location, where servers give out free olives at every table. However, you don’t get free olives at the museum.
Another Forest Park touch to the museum cafe is the big wall adorned with framed art prints and the eclectic selection of tablecloths.
“We really think that food is art. Drinks are art. And it felt like a natural alignment to partner with the museum to open Juniper at the Museum,” said Ali Randall, co-owner of both locations. (The other co-owners are Thyme Randle, Blake Posey and Alden Williams.)
When they opened the Forest Park location in 2021, items for the restaurant were delayed in delivery because of the pandemic. So, they had to source their furniture via Facebook Marketplace and estate sales. The mixed-bag, Victorian look at Forest Park can be seen in the decor of the museum cafe.
“We don’t have tablecloths at Forest Park, but this felt like a fun way to make (the tables) feel different,” Ali said of the museum tablecloths.
And so far as the cafe burger, you can get it at the Forest Park location, too. However, it only comes with one patty because they have a smaller grill there. Also, the Forest Park does duck fries instead of battered fries.
All photos in this post are by Chanda Temple.
Chanda Temple is an award-winning writer living in Birmingham, AL. She blogs at http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. If you have a food story idea, email her at chandatemple@gmail.com. Follow her food postings on Instagram at @chandatemple.
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