Adiós

Adios opened in downtown Birmingham as a cocktail bar built around the idea of sharing Mexican culture through drinks rather than through the more familiar route of a Tex Mex restaurant. The bar sits at 2218 1st Avenue North, and it was named one of the best bars in the country by AL.com, a distinction that reflects how quickly it became a fixture of Birmingham’s cocktail scene after opening.

The bar was co-founded by Jose Medina Camacho, who serves as beverage director and operating partner, and Jesus Mendez, the managing partner. Both were born in Mexico and immigrated with their families to northern Alabama in the early 1990s, and both built careers in food and beverage in the years before opening Adios together. Their goal, according to the bar’s own account of its story, was to create a place that shares their Latino heritage with the wider Alabama community rather than simply serving as another downtown cocktail spot.

That heritage shows up throughout the space itself. The bar is decorated with tropical plants, antique stained glass, and Oaxacan prints, giving it a warmer and more layered feel than a typical downtown lounge. The cocktail program builds on classic techniques while working in Mexican spirits and ingredients, and the menu is organized into house cocktails, classic cocktails, a beer and wine list, and a non alcoholic section for guests who want something crafted without the alcohol. A happy hour menu is also available for anyone stopping in earlier in the evening.

Adios keeps evening hours that fit its role as a downtown night out, opening at 4 p.m. daily and running until midnight Sunday through Thursday, then staying open until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays for guests who want a later stop after dinner elsewhere downtown. The bar’s downtown location puts it within easy walking distance of the Pizitz Food Hall, Railroad Park, and several other bars and restaurants in the Loft District, making it a natural addition to a longer evening out rather than a destination that requires a special trip on its own.

What sets Adios apart in a city with a growing number of cocktail bars is the specificity of its story. Rather than a generic craft cocktail concept, the bar was built by two Birmingham hospitality veterans drawing directly on their own family history, and that point of view carries through in the drinks, the decor, and the overall feel of the room. For visitors looking for a cocktail bar with a genuine sense of place rather than a copy of a bar found in any other city, Adios is one of downtown Birmingham’s clearer examples of that idea done well.

Downtown Birmingham has seen a steady wave of new bars and restaurants open in the years since Adios arrived, and the bar’s location near the Pizitz Food Hall puts it in the middle of that growth. Visitors spending an evening downtown can reasonably start with dinner at the food hall, walk a few blocks to Adios for cocktails, and continue on to another bar in the Loft District without ever needing to drive, which is part of what makes the neighborhood one of the more convenient parts of Birmingham for a night out.

The bar’s non alcoholic menu is worth calling out specifically, since it goes beyond the usual soda and juice options found at many cocktail bars and instead offers crafted drinks built with the same attention as the alcoholic menu. That makes Adios a workable stop for mixed groups where not everyone is drinking, without anyone feeling like an afterthought on the menu. Between the cocktail program, the food hall proximity, and the bar’s own origin story rooted in the founders’ Mexican heritage, Adios gives visitors a downtown Birmingham cocktail bar with more depth behind it than its stylish decor alone would suggest.