Market North End

Market North End is the downtown Birmingham spot you’d walk right past — there’s famously no sign out front — which is half its charm. Tucked into the Brookside building on North Old Woodward, it’s a lively, a-little-loud neighborhood restaurant doing American food with global touches: a serious kitchen behind a casual bar, known for its warm house flatbread, wood-fired pizzas, and a well-priced, well-chosen wine list.

The covered patio is a genuine draw, and the whole room reads open, modern, and unpretentious. We have it on our list as one of Birmingham’s most likable group spots — the kind of place for a birthday dinner with cousins or a share-everything hang where you can still hear each other. Start with the bread; find the door first.