Armour House is a new brasserie located in the heart of downtown Birmingham’s historic district. Founded by business visionaries Rollins Montgomery and Chris Reebals, and helmed by Executive Chef Jeffrey Compton, Armour House offers a great dining experience complete with echoes of the city’s rich history and sophisticated present.
The restaurant features dry-aged steaks grilled over fire and fresh from the sea raw bar options. This sophisticated yet comfortable dining space was created from what was once the Armour & Company meatpacking building. Well over a century old, the building speaks to Birmingham’s classic hard-working city history.
Executive Chef Jeffrey Compton served as Chef de Cuisine at Acre in Auburn, where he played a pivotal role in Acre earning a multitude of prestigious awards including 2018 Best Restaurant in Alabama from Southern Living Magazine, a spot on Open Table’s 50 Best Southern Restaurants in the Nation, and Best Farm-to-Table Restaurant in Alabama from Travel & Leisure.
Compton’s culinary style has been shaped by his extensive travels through Southern Europe where he explored France, Spain, Italy and Greece. The rich and diverse flavors he encountered along the way inspired him to create a sophisticated yet rustic approach to cuisine.
“So the way I see the food here is quality ingredients executed very professionally with a little bit of rustic flare. We don’t have white tablecloths for a reason because we kind of want to show off all those tables, which were reclaimed from wood here in this building,” Compton says.
The restaurant opened after an extensive building renovation back in November. Building renovations included the creation of 20 apartments on the upper floors, and a speakeasy bar, Pogo, in the basement.
Still the restaurant experience is what really matters.
Diners are greeted through the front door with the impressive bar the first thing that catches your eye, followed by the giant display case highlighting the beef and other meats that form the centerpiece of this restaurant’s menu.
“It is an awesome kind of greeting. You are greeted by this beautiful bar, and then as you make your way to the dining room there is a big display case full of beef and we do some seafood and prosciuttos and ducks hanging. So it’s a pretty cool entrance,” Compton says.
“We’re thrilled to bring elevated brasserie dining and a new culinary experience to the Birmingham community,” Compton said in a media release.
“Our team has poured their hearts into bringing this concept to life, and we look forward to welcoming both locals and visitors alike to experience all that Armour House has to offer.”
Compton says he was trained in rustic French cooking, and did some traveling in France and Spain. “I wanted bring back that style of food. I’m from the Gulf Coast, so I obviously love seafood and I have a passion for it. Food really is love. So anytime we are putting out a plate and an entree, we’re putting a little bit of a piece of our heart on that plate as well. So we want to be able to do that in a fun, creative way, while constantly changing the menu because the seasons change, the food changes, everything changes. So we want to change with that. We want to blossom in the community,” Compton says.
“We want to be a contributing member to the hospitality community here and hopefully be welcomed with open arms,” he says.
A Peek at the Menu
PRIME NEW YORK STRIP 16oz
With sides marinated beets, wood-fired mushrooms, braised collard greens.
BONE-IN PORK SCHNITZEL
Crispy Brussel sprouts, roasted butternut squash, apple, prosciutto vinaigrette, ramp aioli, 25 year balsamic
SEARED GULF FISH
Gulf gumbo base, duck andouille rice perloo,
colossal shrimp, salsa verde, fines herbs
SEAFOOD TOWER
A grand tower showcasing raw bar
selections one dozen oysters, lobster
salad, tuna crudo, and shrimp cocktail
YELLOWFIN TUNA RILLETTES
smoked yellowfin tuna, whole grain remoulade, pickled fresno pepper, chive, olive oil, lavash
In addition to Armour House, the four-story building, which faces First Avenue North on the front and Morris Avenue in the back, currently includes 20 luxury apartments and a rooftop terrace with a sweeping view of Birmingham’s Southside.
