The 1200 block of 20th Street South now holds two very different restaurants side by side. At 1218, Ocean Restaurant has closed. For 24 years it was the Five Points South choice for anniversaries and graduation dinners. Next door at 1210, Karma's Kitchen has been open around the clock since July 31, with no closing time at all.
Put those two addresses together and you get a fair picture of the district in 2026. The district's best-known special-occasion dinner room is gone. Meanwhile, seven new businesses on 20th Street, Highland Avenue and Magnolia Avenue opened between March and September. Taken together, their posted hours cover the district from 7 a.m. coffee to a 2 a.m. cocktail, and the diner keeps going after that.
What Ocean Was, and What Changed This Year
Chef George Reis founded Ocean in 2002, and it became one of Five Points South's best-known fine-dining rooms. Bham Now reported that the restaurant won several Best Chef and Best Restaurant awards. In 2024 it was one of only three Alabama restaurants to receive the Award of Excellence from the Distinguished Restaurants of North America.
In February 2026, Reis passed ownership to Chloe Kidd, a Birmingham native. Eight months later the restaurant closed. Bham Now reported the closure on October 2, and the coverage says nothing about who or what will take over 1218 20th St. S.
The 2026 Openings, Sorted by When the Doors Open
Sorting this year's openings by posted hours rather than opening date shows how the district now spreads across the day. All hours below were published at or near each opening, so check them before you go. Some places said they planned to change their hours.
- 7 a.m., Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee, 2173 Highland Ave., inside the Cortland Vesta building. It opened in April, serves Rwandan coffee bought through direct relationships with farmers, and posted Monday through Saturday hours of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Manager Kerrick Jordan told Bham Now the shop planned to add lunch and stay open later.
- 7 a.m., Bandido Brunch & Social, 1105 20th St. S. It opened May 16 and serves Latino breakfast comfort food alongside American brunch dishes, from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.
- 10 a.m., Bandida Bowls & Sips, 1024 20th St. S. #103, in the Five Points Lane alley. Owner Stephany Chavez serves Latin-inspired açaí and yogurt bowls, dirty sodas and mini pancakes, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- 11 a.m., the meat-and-two window at Karma's Kitchen, 1210 20th St. S., Suite 100. The diner never closes, but AL.com reported that plate lunches run only from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- 4 p.m., La Catrina, 1005 20th St. S. This Latin late-night cocktail bar with DJs and dancing opened September 12. It opens at 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and at noon on weekends. Closing time is midnight Sunday through Wednesday and 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
- 5 p.m., Sakéroom, 2007 Highland Ave. This Japanese-inspired sushi and cocktail lounge opened March 20 and runs from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
- After 2 a.m., Karma's Kitchen again, still serving breakfast, burgers and patty melts.
Icon Birmingham at 2012 Magnolia Ave. in Pickwick Place is the seventh new business, which opened May 8. Its published coverage did not include regular hours, so it is left off the timeline.
Between about 3 and 4 p.m. on a weekday, only the bowl shop and the diner are serving from the new group. Sundays look different again. Land of a Thousand Hills and Bandida Bowls close, and Sakéroom is closed Sunday and Monday. Bandido Brunch, La Catrina from noon, and Karma's Kitchen carry the day.
The Diner That Took Over an Oyster Bar's Space
Karma's Kitchen sits in the former home of 5 Point Public House & Oyster Bar, according to AL.com. An oyster bar on this block has become a diner that serves no alcohol.
The owner is Dan Williams, who also owns Dave's Pub. He told AL.com the menu would stay affordable because "this economy sucks." Bham Now's preview reported that his team planned to keep Dave's annual Davesgiving meal going. For anyone who has known that tradition, it links the new diner to a Five Points South institution.
That gives the 1200 block a diner that keeps its prices affordable, has no last call, and serves a set lunch plate. Next door is an empty fine-dining room whose next use has not been announced.
Mornings Cluster Around One Brand on 20th Street
Three of the new daytime stops share a name. Raul Chavez opened Bandido Coffee in 2024 and later moved it into the historic Spanish Stores building at 1101 20th St. S. Bham Now reported that when he moved, he also signed a lease on the space next door, which became Bandido Brunch & Social at 1105. That article lists Bandida Bowls & Sips at 1024 20th St. S. as the third concept under the Bandido name.
That puts coffee, a full brunch and an açaí counter within a few addresses of each other on 20th Street, all opened by early afternoon. For a Saturday morning, the 1000 and 1100 blocks now offer more than they did in 2025. Land of a Thousand Hills, a few blocks over on Highland Avenue, adds a second coffee option inside the Cortland Vesta building.
Late Night Has Moved Up Highland and Over to Magnolia
The evening openings are spread out, and two of them moved into buildings with long nightlife histories.
Sakéroom is inside the Shepard-Sloss Building, a terra-cotta building from 1928. Founder Paige Depperschmidt previously co-founded Sands of Sahara on Green Springs Highway. She explained her choice to Bham Now:
"I'm a resident of the Five Points South area, and I'm really passionate about building up the community here. I chose this building because of its rich history—iconic nightlife spots like the Bell Bottoms, Red Room and the Hippodrome were here—and I'm thrilled to bring something elevated yet funky to Five Points South."
The menu features saké flights, an ube dessert cocktail made with house-infused Madagascar vanilla, and a short food list. The list includes sashimi, a signature fried Sakéroom Roll filled with crab and shrimp, and a sushi taco with filling options up to A5 Japanese wagyu. It is a late-night spot that still works for a dinner occasion, and its 2 a.m. close sets it apart from the special-occasion places the district used to rely on.
Around the corner, Icon Birmingham moved into the former Hush Lounge space in Pickwick Place. Bham Now described it as a 7,400-square-foot venue with a kitchen for pizza, wings and other bar food. Owner Kyle Richardson's lineup includes drag shows, DJs and themed events.
Back on 20th Street, La Catrina at 1005 rounds out the late-night group. It opens earlier than Sakéroom on weekdays and stays open on Sundays and Mondays, the two nights Sakéroom is closed.
Putting a Night Together Without One Big Reservation
The big reservation used to anchor an evening here. Now a night in Five Points South can be built from shorter stops, and the opening hours make the order easy to plan. On a Friday, you could start at La Catrina when it opens at 4 p.m. and move to Sakéroom for saké and sushi after 5. If the night runs past 2 a.m., Karma's Kitchen is still serving at 1210 20th St. S. Saturday follows the same pattern but starts earlier, since La Catrina opens at noon. Brunch at Bandido Brunch & Social and a coffee at Land of a Thousand Hills can fill the morning before that.
The district's biggest scheduled event of 2026 came in spring. In March, Five Points Alliance, the Birmingham Irish Cultural Society and Downtown BHM BID ran the St. Patrick's celebration from March 12 to 17, and the 42nd annual parade went down 20th Street South on March 14. Sakéroom and Bandida Bowls opened that same month, and the rest of this year's group opened after the parade had passed.
For this weekend, no Five Points South event has been announced. One free outing on the Southside calendar is the Yonder Walls Mural Festival on Saturday, October 17, at Urban Supply, 1301 1st Ave. S. It features more than 30 new murals and a block-party-style program. If you go during the day, La Catrina is open by noon and Karma's Kitchen is open whenever you get back.
If you own a home within walking distance of 20th Street, Highland or Magnolia, the businesses opening around you are part of what you are selling, and they belong in how your home is presented. Riverstone Realty Group follows openings like these across Birmingham and uses them when we price and market a home. Request your free home valuation, and we will show you how the Five Points South of 2026 fits into what your home is worth.
