Review Little Donkey - Birmingham

Visited this place while I was waiting for a meeting at a local business. Food was absolutely outstanding. Real genuine cooking. Corn tortillas seemed to be crafted in house, and I had the fried chicken and smoked brisket tacos. The brisket was a little difficult to eat in taco form (nice big chunky bits on the tortilla) but it was so good I ate what fell out with my fingers. The chicken was fried to perfection, and left you wanting another. 10/10 will be returning within a few weeks guaranteed.

Great food. Great atmosphere. Great service. It’s been a while since we have eaten here and our food was delicious! Patio dining is PERFECT!!!! Birmingham sunsets are the best! Fried chicken is delicious and the supreme LD smoked chicken burrito were definitely the way to go.

Nice local chain for contemporary Mexican dishes! They boast unique street style taco recipes and a secret fried chicken recipe. You can get the chicken on a sandwich, taco, or get it family style in half and full orders. Super tasty! I'm a huge salsa fan and theirs is a smoky Chipotle style, so that's a nice twist, too. Lots of indoor and outdoor seating, a great spot for summer! 👍If helpful, thx!🙏

Went here with the whole family and it was great. Everyone found something they wanted to order, overall food quality was good, service was prompt and friendly, and prices were great. It's not a fancy dining by any means, but it does what it does very well. The chips and guacamole were great! Plus they have some great cocktails.

Its different than your ordinary Mexican food place. I enjoyed sitting outside. The servers were very nice and the food was good.

So to start off, let me say that the ONLY reason they aren't getting 5 starts from me is due to pricing. The price for virtually everything on the menu was 20%-25% too high in my opinion. That being said, the food was really quite good, as were the drinks. Their tortilla chips, salsa, and queso were all top notch as well, and the ingredients were all fresh and well prepared. Service was excellent too. I guess the way I'd look at it is that it's definitely worth going to at LEAST once, but unless their prices drop 10%-15%, I don't think I'd ever recommend it as a regularity. TL;DR. Pros: 1) Great food 2) Good service 3) Nice atmosphere Cons: 1) Prices about 20%-25% too high (based on similar style restaurants). Even a 10%-15% drop would make them significantly more competitive in my mind.

I ordered takeout online here, and it said the order would be ready in 15-20 minutes. I arrived after 15 minutes, and they were still working on my order. No big deal, those online ordering portals are estimates. I get that. So I went back to my car, but when I went back in, I was informed that they were out of several ingredients. They would’ve had a number associated with the order to call if they’d found that out before I came back in. A substitution was offered that made it sound like I’d be out of there fairly quickly, but that wasn’t the case. It was nearly an hour after I placed my order before I left with my food. And then there was no apology, no “sorry about your wait,” or anything. The food was definitely not worth the wait. Some things were completely cold. There was a bone in my burrito. I also ordered the crispy potatoes from the “for the table” part of the menu. They were huge chunks of potatoes, looked like half of an entire potato with a little sauce. So if you were thinking little cubed, or bite-sized crispy potatoes, think twice before ordering those. The salsa and queso were fine, but that’s not enough to keep me coming back.

Really enjoyed this place. Friendly staff, open kitchen layout, and freshly made tortillas (to order) from flour or corn masa. Its cool that you can see them puff up right in front of you. The best way I can describe this place is a southern food inspired, mexican restaurant. Imagine bbq meats with tex-mex toppings and salsas. They have nice happy hour specials (3 to 6pm daily) and an interesting $2 special available all-day. The free chips and salsa are also a nice touch for the business traveler trying to triage the 100 emails he got during a face to face meeting.... Highly recommend the tacos. I plan on replicating the "oaxacan cheese steak" taco for my next dinner party. Pro-tip: use a fork and knife first to get the amount of taco filling down. Once it is around the 30 to 40% mark, eat the taco in handheld mode as is the norm. 2019 Update: Do you like tamales? If so, highly recommend trying them here (see photos). As stated before, this place is amazing. 2022 Update: Place is still awesome. If you are still reading this review, you should just go and try it yourself.

We have made two trips to Birmingham in the last week to visit our family. We made a point both times to eat at the Little Donkey. The food is fantastic and the service was outstanding. Our server Jay was great and made us feel very welcomed. The manager and kitchen manager made a point to speak to us both times. The cost is more than your typical Mexican restaurant but the food is sooo much better. There is nothing bland. Each bite brings outstanding flavor. Quality is never cheap. We will make the Little Donkey a stop every time we come for a visit.

Was really hoping for a good experience as we had a bad one at the Homewood location. Nope. Service was subpar, the sparkling margarita is the size of a shot and it's $9.00, chips and salsa are almost $10 when I can go to ANY Mexican restaurant and they're complimentary. Kids food was worth the cost and the tortillas seemed to be homemade which was a nice touch. Sadly we won't be back. Too many other good choices for Mexican food in the area. Big Bad Breakfast and Jim N Nick's are still atop our list though.

Awesome tacos! (street tacos 🌮 & chicken tacos). The meat & chicken were so tender & all of the sides were very fresh. The dessert was excellent too... very good service; waiter was knowledgeable of menu & gave recommendations since it was our first time to visit - we will definitely be back!

We had an amazing lunch today. This is probably my new favorite place. My meal was phenomenal. There are several things on the menu that I can’t wait to try!

We love Liitle Donkey 280 and our fantastic server, Ariel, so much that we are not leaving! Enjoying this beautiful day on the patio.

Don’t know what the love fest is about. First visit was not great so we wanted to give it another try. Food is good but not worth the price. Servers are nice and well-dressed but the place is poorly managed. Staff debated at the host station about where to seat us and then no one would wait on us while other families were seated after us and served before us. The place was not full, so rush was not the issue.

So good! Great waitress! The guacamole is a must have.

The service was good. The fried chicken was great tasting, crunchy just the way I like it, but $11 for a leg and thigh? The street corn and potatoes were great. 2 people for lunch almost $40 with tip. Probably the only visit we will make.

Food here is great, as are the cocktails. Have aleays enjoyed good service. Love the quesadilla here. Family loves the fried chicken!

Not as good as Homewood Not enough space Still a little green after a new opening. They will get better. Best wishes�

The staff was so friendly; everyone greeted us! The drinks looked amazing! The food was fresh and delicious! We will be back. Thanks for coming to 280/Greystone area!

Not your typical Mexican restaurant. Food was VERY flavorful and tangy to spicey. Waiter Demetrius was off the charts-- personable, helpful and on top of the drink refills with a great smile. Fries chicken was great and so was the slaw. Steak and roasted potatoes were very flavorful. We will have to go back!