Superior Grill

Superior Grill was a Tex-Mex restaurant and bar located at 4701 U.S. Highway 280 in unincorporated Shelby County from 1995 to 2022. The restaurant was known for its mesquite-grilled meats, fresh tortillas, oversized margaritas, and live music. Donny Mitchell was general manager of Superior Grill Birmingham from 2005 until closing. Michael Atem was the head chef.

Birmingham's Superior Grill was the third location in a chain of restaurants opened by Phil Barbaree and Bob Kirchoff of Shreveport, Louisiana in 1983. The partners had been scouting unsuccessfully for a location in Atlanta's Buckhead district and took note of the vacant building on Highway 280, formerly a Shoney’s and Dos Amigos restaurant, on their drive home. They hired Designform architects to renovate the building with a highly-themed design. The restaurant was voted "Best Mexican Restaurant" by Birmingham News readers in 2003.

In 2006 Barbaree and Kirchoff partnered with Gabe Garza to open Cocina Superior at Brookwood Village. That restaurant closed in 2020. Also in 2006 Superior Grill veterans Rodrigo and Javier Jerez opened their own Margarita Grill in Pelham.

Highway 280 Corner LLC acquired the restaurant property in September 2021 for $2.8 million. The restaurant owners were unable to agree on terms to renew their lease beyond December 2022 and decided to close on July 30 of that year. Three other Superior Grill locations operate in Louisiana, with a fourth under construction in Lafayette at the time the Birmingham restaurant closed. Much of the former restaurant's equipment was moved to that location.

References

• Garrison, Greg (July 31, 2022) "Superior Grill, known for neon, music and Tex-Mex on U.S. 280, closes." The Birmingham News
• Taylor, Drew (August 1, 2022) "'It's been a home for me': Superior Grill manager discusses end of beloved Birmingham restaurant." CBS42.com