Everything We Know
About Brick & Tin
Birmingham's beloved farm-to-table restaurant finally plants roots in Rocket City — inside a 100-year-old hardware store, no less.
A Birmingham Original Comes North
If you've spent any time in Birmingham, you already know Brick & Tin. Founded in 2010 by chef Mauricio Papapietro — a former chef de cuisine at the legendary Highlands Bar and Grill — the restaurant built a devoted following in Mountain Brook and Birmingham by doing something deceptively simple: sourcing honestly, baking everything in-house, and treating the counter-service model with the same seriousness usually reserved for white-tablecloth dining.
After more than 15 years and multiple Birmingham-area locations, Papapietro set his sights on Huntsville — making this the restaurant's first location outside the Birmingham metro. It won't be the last: a fourth Alabama location in Cahaba Heights opened in March 2026, signaling that the brand's expansion is very much in motion.
"With all the growth and new construction happening in Huntsville, it was a challenge to find a historic space in a good location that also provided everything we require for Brick & Tin…"
— Mauricio Papapietro, OwnerPapapietro landed on the ground floor of the historic Lewter Hardware building at 222 Washington St NE — a 100-year-old structure in the heart of downtown. The adaptive reuse project, designed by Poole & Company Architects, preserved the building's original brick, timber, and character while fitting out a 5,500-square-foot restaurant with a 116-seat capacity, including two outdoor patios (front and back, totaling 46 seats).
Farm-to-Table, For Real This Time
"Farm-to-table" gets thrown around a lot. At Brick & Tin, it means something specific: sourcing from local Alabama farms within a 40–50 mile radius, building direct relationships with farmers, and using only meats that are humanely raised and hormone-free — complete with animal welfare certification to prove it.
Papapietro has talked openly about why proximity matters: "Connecting people to the soil from local farmers is an incredibly important and kind of profound thing that is lost nowadays." When your brisket came from a farm an hour away and your sourdough was baked that morning in the same building where you're eating it, that philosophy shows up on the plate.
What to Order
The Huntsville menu mirrors the Birmingham locations: a tight, focused lineup of paninis, seasonal salads, and rotating plates built around whatever's fresh and local. Everything lands in the $20–$30 range for a full meal. Here are the highlights early visitors keep talking about:
Menu items are clearly labeled for vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diets — a thoughtful touch that makes the menu accessible without making it feel like an afterthought.
The Practical Details
A few things worth knowing before you head downtown:
Worth the Trip Downtown
Huntsville has been developing a more serious food identity over the last decade, and Brick & Tin fits perfectly into that story. It's not a chain pretending to be local — it's a genuinely chef-driven concept with deep roots in Alabama's culinary scene. For lunch downtown, it's hard to beat: great bread, thoughtfully sourced proteins, a real bar, and a space with actual character. The no-reservations policy means you may wait at peak hours, but the 5,500 sq ft and 116 seats help move things along. This one's earned a permanent spot on our Huntsville dining radar.
More Huntsville Dining Guides
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