Finding delicious late-night eats in Birmingham can be a challenging task, when restaurant kitchens close but hungry tummies continue to rumble.

An upscale bar in the Avondale neighborhood aims to change all that, offering late-night fare in a casual and welcoming atmosphere. Tim Burt, the owner of Parkside on Fifth, likes to use the term “elevated dining” when he’s talking about the bar at 4036 Fifth Ave. South, and that certainly applies to a key item on the menu: the Parkside Burger.

“It was popular from day one,” Burt said in an interview with AL.com. “It just became a hit, literally from the moment we opened.”

Offering standout food after 9 p.m. was an important part of the planning at Parkside on Fifth, Burt says, and when the new bar opened its doors to visitors in March 2022, the Parkside Burger was there to greet them.

“Well, what’s a bar without a burger?” Burt said. “I mean, who doesn’t love a good burger? Who doesn’t want a burger when they get off work, or certainly as late-night meal option? Some people call it a fourth meal. You’ve got to have a good burger.”

It’s tempting to simply sink our teeth into the Parkside Burger — and plenty of folks do that at Burt’s bar, as soon as the food hits the table — but our job here is to take a closer look at the delectable dish before diving in. Let’s get started.

ON THE PLATE

The Parkside Burger is a fresh, hand-patted beef burger made with Angus chuck, served on a soft, standard hamburger bun. (“The focus is on the inside, not the outside,” said Parkside’s manager, Cameron Lapierre.) The burger is topped with cheese, tomato jam (not ketchup!), grilled onions and fresh spinach. Straight-cut fries are served on the side. Parkside on Fifth experimented with different cuts of fries before settling on the current incarnation, which are not as thin as shoestring fries and not as thick as steak fries. (“They’re like diner fries,” Lapierre said. “Crunchy outside, soft inside. They’re perfect medium fries.”) Price for the dish: $18.

WHAT IT TASTES LIKE

“It’s a a non-traditional burger,” Lapierre said. “The flavors are not what you’d expect, like a usual burger with mustard, ketchup and pickles. This burger is very juicy, not too dry or too thin. You feel like you’re getting a meal. The Fontina cheese is a soft cheese, not dissimilar to Muenster, with a subtle flavor. The house-made tomato jam is spicy and gently sweet. We use a tablespoon of caramelized white onions. The fresh spinach adds a little crunch, but not like iceberg (lettuce).”

DEGREE OF ‘DONENESS’

It’s your call, but when asked, Lapierre recommends that the Parkside Burger be served medium or medium-rare. That’s a chef standard, ensuring a juicy burger with a pink center.

WHERE THE RECIPE COMES FROM

Parkside’s on Fifth’s current chef, Paul Powell, inherited the recipe for the Parkside Burger from the folks at Hotbox, who created the burger when Hotbox was located in an Airstream trailer behind a previous incarnation of the Parkside bar. Those days are gone, but the burger remains, adopted by Parkside on Fifth with the blessing of Ed Stacey and Ryan Champion of Hotbox.

“The recipe has been handed down from chef to chef,” Burt said.“It’s important that we kept it the way it always was. The way they make that tomato jam, the same recipe that it’s always been, that’s a critical part of it. … Their chef taught my chef and we are just continuing the tradition of the Parkside Burger that was begun by Hotbox, 10 or 15 years ago. We are using their original recipe for the Parkside Burger.”

HOW POPULAR IS IT?

Lapierre, who’s been the manager at Parkside on Fifth since June 2022, said the bar served 150 Parkside Burgers during the month of October this year. Chicken wings, served with ranch dressing, are another popular item for late-night diners at the bar, according to owner Burt. “Those two items, burgers and wings, are definitely the ultimate bar food,” Burt said.

WHAT TO DRINK WITH YOUR BURGER

Lots of people like beer with a burger, and Parkside on Fifth serves a variety of brews, from domestics to craft beers to imports. The bar also serves wine, sodas and other non-alcoholic drinks. Parkside on Fifth is known for its craft cocktails, most of which are named after museums (The Whitney, The Louvre, The Getty, The High, etc.). What cocktail might go best with the Parkside Burger? Lapierre recommends something refreshing like a mojito, made with rum, lime, mint syrup, fresh mint and soda.

WHAT MAKES THE PARKSIDE BURGER SPECIAL?

“When you come to Parkside, it’s an experience,” Burt said. “It’s the whole experience. Where can you come, at 10 o’clock on a Friday night and get a hand-patted burger, all fresh ingredients, and sit outside by a wood-burning fire, and have cocktails brought to you through a QR code? … That’s the thing, You’re not sitting at a metal table and a metal chair, eating a (frozen) burger, and that’s what a lot of bars have. We have the environment that matches the food. Comfortable setting, comfortable chairs, beautiful indoor and outdoor setting. An elevated casual environment.”

HOW LATE CAN I ORDER IT?

Parkside on Fifth is open until 11 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, and the kitchen closes at 10 p.m. The bar is open until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and the kitchen closes at midnight. Parkside is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

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