A new restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner has opened inside The Tutwiler Hotel in downtown Birmingham, bringing a menu built on Greek and New Orleans culinary traditions to the freshly renovated DoubleTree by Hilton property. Iron & Oak Tavern is located at 2021 Park Place, inside the historic hotel that recently completed its conversion to the DoubleTree brand.
According to EIN Presswire, the tavern's menu features elevated tavern classics and shareable dishes alongside crafted drinks, with the restaurant aiming to serve downtown lunch crowds, host evening outings and welcome Tutwiler Hotel guests all under one roof. The concept comes from Webber Hospitality Group owners Eddie Webber and Stephanie Pierce, who bring more than 14 years of experience in Birmingham's bar and hospitality industry, working alongside Chef and Operating Partner Nicole Pissanos.
Pissanos leads the kitchen's culinary program by drawing on her own Greek and New Orleans heritage, the report notes, a personal thread that runs through the restaurant's identity. Webber, Pierce and Pissanos built the concept and its day-to-day operations from the ground up, rather than adapting an existing format to the space.
A Historic Hotel's Next Chapter
Eddie Webber said the restaurant intends to restore the space as a meaningful gathering place for Birmingham, and that it honors the building's history while building its next chapter, per the same report. Webber Hospitality Group, based in Birmingham, focuses on welcoming concepts built around memorable food, beverages and guest experiences, and the new tavern adds a food and beverage offering meant to serve both hotel guests and the broader downtown community.
The opening follows a lengthy renovation of the Tutwiler itself. The hotel officially reopened as a DoubleTree by Hilton in August, as reported by Bham Now, capping more than a year of work on the historic property. A&R Group, which owns and operates the hotel, announced a $7 million investment in the building in 2023, the outlet's earlier coverage shows.
Behind the Ownership Group
A&R Group is headquartered in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and describes itself as a vertically integrated hospitality platform that develops, designs, constructs and manages hotel assets within one structure, according to A&R Group. The company has grown into a portfolio of 28 properties across Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, California, Colorado and Mississippi, and it works with Hilton, Marriott and IHG brands. The Tutwiler building itself is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features 149 guestrooms spread across 13 different layouts per floor.
Separately, Birmingham's city council approved a retail liquor license for Iron & Oak Tavern following a public hearing, according to CitizenPortal.ai, which also reported the council's approval of a separate license for Double Cups LLC during the same session. With the hotel's rebrand and the tavern's opening now complete, A&R Group says the Tutwiler is operating as a refreshed full-service hotel experience in downtown Birmingham, with additional developments still underway at the company.
