New chicken joint, Sauce & Suds, coming soon to Five Points South

Owner Dennis Maple is opening Sauce & Suds in Five Points South in early 2025. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

Chicken wing lovers, rejoice! A new restaurant featuring burgers and fries, beer and—of course, chicken wings—is coming soon to the former Black Market Bar & Grill location in Five Points South.

We met with owner Dennis Maple to learn all about Sauce & Suds.

Sauce & Suds is an idea 15 years in the making

The future Sauce & Suds location in Five Points South. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

Although Sauce & Suds owner Dennis Maple has lived all over (San Diego, Chicago, Dallas and Columbus, to name a few) he and his family are putting down roots in Birmingham—and that includes a new restaurant.

“[Sauce & Suds] is a concept I’ve had in the back of my mind for about 15 years. I’ve wanted to have my own restaurant for a long time, and I always knew it was going to be primarily focused on chicken wings.”

When Black Market Bar & Grill’s former location came up for lease in mid-2024, he leaped at the opportunity to open his new restaurant in Five Points South.

“For me, Five Points South was the perfect location and this was the perfect building. I love the old pub feel to it—I don’t want to change any of that. I plan to shine it up—put a new coat of stain on it where needed—but the old pub aesthetic is here to stay.”

What to expect at Sauce & Suds

As the name implies, Sauce & Suds will predominately feature a wide variety of wings (sauces) and beer (suds).

“We’ll have burgers and wraps and other options, but for food we’re primarily focused on wings. Everything will be fresh—we have a stellar local butcher and a local poultry farm from where we’ll source all the chicken.”

For maximum dip-ability, Sauce & Suds will have at least 20 custom sauces—including a mild “Whispering Garlic”, a spicy “Screaming Garlic”, honey barbecue, mango habanero and many more.

On the suds side, Sauce & Suds will feature ten popular domestics on tap, cocktail and wine options and, “as many bottles and cans as [they] can get from craft breweries.”

“The idea is to have a revolving selection of 99 different beers—a play on the ’99 Bottles of Beer’ on the wall song. We’re definitely going to have as many local brews as we can, and I plan to add new beers from craft breweries from across the country.”

Sauce & Suds plans to open in mid-February

Sauce & Suds is coming soon to Five Points South. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

Currently, Dennis Maple plans to open Sauce & Suds on Saturday, February 15—the day after Valentine’s Day.

“It’s a lot of emotions all at once—a lot of nerves and a lot of excitement! It’s been a learning experience, but I am super excited for this area and I can’t wait to feed our first guests!”

• Sauce & Suds: Website | Instagram
• Address: 1035 20th St S, Birmingham, AL 35205

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