alabama restaurant tour

Kick Off Alabama Restaurant Week

Alabama Restaurant Week showcases the appreciation our locals and visitors share for Alabama restaurants and their staff. This culinary event unites Alabama's diverse range of cuisine over a two-week celebration held August 18-27, 2023, throughout the state. We encourage visitors to frequent the state’s restaurants during Alabama Restaurant Week, and while you’re at it, try one of Alabama’s 100 Dishes.

Restaurants are not only places where we eat, but places to celebrate and make memories. They are there for us on first dates, anniversaries, birthdays, gatherings of family and friends, special occasions, memorable vacations or just in times we need a little comfort. Alabama’s restaurants need and deserve our support. Here are a few ways patrons can show support:

Dine-In, Takeout or Delivery

Other ways to help.

Buy Gift Cards

A simple way to show your support for restaurants is to purchase gift cards that you can use later, giving you something to look forward to when dining at your favorite restaurants. Buy some for your friends, too. They will enjoy getting a gift from you, and it's thoughtful to receive a gift card for their favorite place to eat.

Buy Merchandise

Most restaurants have a variety of merchandise that you can purchase to show your support. With some restaurants selling t-shirts, hats, pottery, cookbooks and more, there are plenty of items to fit everyone’s interests.

Buy Products Online

If you are unable to make it in person, gift cards, in some restaurants, can be purchased online and used at another time. You can also buy custom products they use in their food like sauces or seasonings to help create your own dishes.

Call and Ask How You Can Help

Some small, family-owned restaurants may not have merchandise or digital gift cards to sell, so reach out to them and ask how you can help! This may be a donation, helping someone on staff, or raising funds for employees.

Advocate for Your Favorites

To advocate for your favorites, write a good review online, share your experience on your social media or use word of mouth and tell your friends. Post your Alabama food experience using the hashtag #SweetRewardsAL for a chance to win some Sweet Home Alabama swag. Learn more at Alabama.Travel/PostRewards

Find an Alabama Restaurant

There’s an Alabama food experience for everyone. Looking for the best place to start? Use the map below to begin your culinary journey.

100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama

Alabama Restaurant Week is a wonderful time to slow down and savor the flavors of Sweet Home Alabama. This week, be sure to bring a hearty appetite and meet the award-winning chefs who are turning local bounty into works of art. Whether it’s delicious goat cheese, fresh-from-the-Gulf seafood, home-grown collards and sweet potatoes, or mouth-watering barbecue, you’ll discover your personal favorites in this updated edition of Alabama’s most interesting places to eat. Download the brochure and journal today, so you can check off all of the flavor-filled explosions that you will encounter throughout Alabama Restaurant Week.

Attention Restaurateurs!

Not seeing your listing on our list of Alabama restaurants? Become an Alabama Tourism partner today, so you can promote your organization through our content. The best part is that becoming a partner is totally free, and it is an effective way to spread the word about your business and organization. Already a partner? Sign in and update your listing!

Hit the road, with an Alabama Road Trip

Racing, Riding and Building America’s Wheels

From the first crank of an engine, America fell in love with the automobile. Throughout Alabama, testimonials to our devotion abound in museums, on racetracks and in manufacturing facilities.

Foley and Elberta: Art, Antiques and Model Trains

Eight miles north of the white sand beaches of Alabama’s Gulf Coast sit two small towns rich in culture and heritage, Foley and Elberta.

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach: Spring Break at the Beach

Soak up the sun on Alabama's beautiful sugar-white sand beaches.

Alabama Road Trip App for iOS & Android

While you're at it, download the free Alabama Road Trip App to plan and execute your next foodie vacation.

Everything Alabama has to offer —in one easy place!

Looking for information on state parks, hot spots to have fun in the sun, or the best places for fishing or bird-watching? How about the world’s best museums or science centers? The Alabama Vacation guide will help you discover so many new and unique experiences. No matter where you’re headed or what you feel like doing, the Alabama vacation guide will get started on the right path.

Fill out your information below to receive a printed guide and Alabama state highway map in the mail. Note: Currently we only send mail inside the United States. All fields are required unless otherwise specified.

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Taste of Fairhope Tour

Explore fairhope on a guided, walking food tour.

Fairhope’s best food and drink in one experience!

FEATURED FOOD TOURS

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• Hour Glass 3 Hours
• Users All Ages

The Fairhope Foodie

Enjoy dishes from some of the most beloved restaurants in the area, favored by locals and visitors alike. Learn about the unique founding of Fairhope and the stories that make Fairhope a must-visit destination in the South. It’s an unforgettable food and drink adventure through Downtown Fairhope!

• Happy Hour Tour!
• Hour Glass 2 Hours

Fairhope Happy Hour Cocktail Crawl

Join our Happy Hour Cocktail Crawl tour for an unforgettable mix of Fairhope’s finest cuisine, cocktails, culture, and history. Each month has a different theme!

EXPLORE FAIRHOPE'S FOOD SCENE!

Let us introduce you to the hidden gems and beloved favorites located in Downtown Fairhope! Our team is passionate about showcasing the best of Fairhope’s culinary scene. Enjoy the signature dishes of our town along with stories about our unique founding, and thriving culture we enjoy today.

I enjoyed the Taste of Fairhope tour with Jennifer yesterday! She is a lovely tour guide. She made me feel comfortable and welcomed here. She is very knowledgeable about the town, its people, the food, the culture & everything. She gave us lots of 411 on shopping and different places to see while here. Everything we had on the tour was absolutely delish! Thank you Jennifer for the fun afternoon. You’re the best!

Great tour of a beautiful downtown! Parker (guide) was friendly, knowledgeable and fun. Food portions were huge and delicious! All locations were friendly, local and had a lot of charm! Would recommend!

Taste of Fairhope food tour was AMAZING! Parker was super friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the food and the history of the town. Definitely come hungry. Would highly recommend.

We had the best time and were waddling by the end of the tour! You definitely get your money’s worth and the food and drinks are delicious! Jennifer our tour guide was a doll! Can’t wait to visit these restaurants again! The weather was gorgeous and everything was paced out.

We had an absolute blast at the Taste of Fairhope tour today! The food was delicious and our sweet tour guide, Parker, was knowledgeable, friendly, and made a rainy day so much fun! If you want to get a “taste of fairhope,” without visiting six different restaurants, this is the way to do it. I never know what to order at a restaurant, so this allowed me to sample the most popular items at several different places. The variety of food on this tour was just what we needed. It’s definitely worth the money!

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR ALL THINGS FOOD IN FAIRHOPE!

A perfect weekend itinerary in fairhope, alabama.

Discover the charm and beauty of Fairhope, Alabama, with this perfect weekend itinerary. Explore the picturesque downtown, savor local flavors, and immerse yourself in the town’s vibrant arts and culture scene. Get ready for a weekend full of memorable things to do and experiences in this enchanting coastal town. Friday: Morning : Arrive in Fairhope and…

15 Must Have Dishes in Fairhope, Alabama

by: Chris Andrews  Fairhope is a city full of iconic dishes that reflects the city’s history and character. Located on the shores of beautiful Mobile Bay, come see why people from all over the country are flocking to Fairhope to relish the delicious food scene! Here are 15 MUST HAVE dishes in Fairhope, Alabama!  …

10 Things You Must Do in Fairhope, AL

By: Chris Andrews There’s no shortage of things to do and places to see in Fairhope. Whether you’re a long time resident or visiting for the first time, here are 10 things you must do in Fairhope, Alabama! 1. Visit the Fairhope Pier The Fairhope Municipal Pier is the iconic symbol of town. Generations…

Taste the food of Alabama USA – 20 dishes you’ll want to try!

Believe me, in Alabama you won’t go hungry! On my road trip through the state I tasted my way through a whole range of Alabama food.

Consider the meltingly tender BBQ pork of northern Alabama, to the seafood, shrimp and oysters of the Gulf Coast. Wherever I went the Southern flavours made my mouth water.

The piquant white BBQ sauce, peach chutney, the spicy Cajun flavours and the cheesy grits. Let’s take a journey to taste the food of Alabama and discover some of the dishes you’ll want to try on the way.

This is a state where they’ll fry it if they can! Fried green tomatoes, succulent fried chicken, even fried pickles. It’s soul food par excellence!

In Alabama meat is king, seafood is queen, and the portions are huge! If you order a salad it comes with at least ten toppings. It’s all washed down with endless refills of sweet iced tea.

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Table of Contents

1. Southern Breakfast to start the day in Alabama

Every place has their traditional cooked breakfast, a hearty meal to set you up for the day. Alabama is no exception. If you’re from the UK you’ll be familiar with our “English Breakfast” fry up. However, there are some variations that make the Southern Breakfast a bit different.

Bacon and eggs – In Alabama the bacon is served well cooked and crispy rather than the soft floppy bacon we have at home in the UK. My breakfast bacon was so frazzled that you could just snap it in two rather than cut with a knife.

You can choose how you like your eggs cooked, but generally they will come fried rather than poached. The fried thing is a bit of a theme!

Biscuit and gravy – It’s biscuit, but not as we know it in the UK! Not the hard, flat biscuit we would dunk in a mug of tea. Southern style biscuit is closer to a savoury scone, with a texture somewhere between cake and bread.

The biscuit is served with gravy, the brown, meaty sauce that you’d expect. If you don’t really fancy it, then just ask for the gravy to be served on the side or slather your biscuit with butter instead.

More Southern breakfast food

Grits – This is a porridge made with coarsely ground cornmeal. It is definitely the dish of the south, although I can’t say that I was converted!

Like polenta, which it resembles, it doesn’t have much taste in itself. The flavour becomes a lot more appealing when you add lots of butter and salt. Or, ask for ‘cheesy grits’ with cheese melted in for flavour.

Green fried tomatoes – Large slices of green tomatoes that are dipped in batter and deep fried. They’re often served as a side dish at breakfast or as an accompaniment for BBQ. Apparently tomato pie is also a specialty of Alabama.

The drink of choice at breakfast is either iced tea or hot coffee. Both will be regularly topped up throughout your meal at no extra charge. We found it was usually served with those plastic cartons of UHT milk so beloved of airlines.

Southern Breakfast in Alabama:

Huntsville | The Blue Plate Cafe | This traditional diner is THE place to go in Huntsville if you want the full Southern Breakfast experience. You’ll enjoy bacon, eggs, cheesy grits, biscuit and gravy washed down by bottomless coffee.

It’s the food your mother or grandmother might have cooked if you grew up in Alabama. The cafe attracts all the locals who relish their childhood favourite foods of fried chicken, collard greens and a slice of pie. 

Montgomery | Cahawba House | The small frontage gives way to an airy diner, which is the perfect place to try Southern specialties for breakfast, brunch or lunch. You can build your own breakfast here with any combo you like. I tried the Southern biscuit with pimento cheese biscuit, fried green tomato and crispy bacon.

Read more from this trip: 50 things to do in Alabama on a Road Trip USA

You may also enjoy this article about 11 cool things to do in Mobile Alabama , which we visited on the same road trip.

2. Iced tea – cool and refreshing in Alabama’s summer heat

Although the coffee is hot, the tea is definitely chilled in Alabama. Iced Tea, also known as Sweet Tea is served at practically every restaurant as a soft drink.

It’s a light tea that has been brewed and then cooled, served from large jugs that are either unsweetened or sweetened. The sweet tea was a bit too much sugar for my taste. But you can also ask for ‘half and half’, which is a mix of the two types making for a slightly less sweet version.

There’s generally a wedge of lemon on the side of the glass. Squeeze it in, leave as garnish or ask your server to leave out entirely.

On a hot day the iced tea was refreshing and cooling. With temperatures over 30 degrees during the summer, I was grateful for the free refills to stay hydrated.

You may also enjoy: 11 cool things to do in Mobile, Alabama – on my Deep South road trip USA

Our Recommended Hotel in Huntsville, Alabama: Stay at the Huntsville Marriott with a view of the Space & Rocket Center

3. BBQ in Alabama – Pulled pork and ribs

There are plenty of BBQ dishes in the southern states of the USA, each with their own subtle variations. But perhaps it’s worth explaining the BBQ concept, which is a far cry from burnt sausages on a rainy summer day in England.

In the Southern USA, BBQ is a way of cooking large cuts of marinated pork and other meats slowly, over a wood fire that never goes out. The result is succulent and smoky meat that is served with a side dishes like potato salad and coleslaw.

In Alabama a white BBQ sauce is often served with the meat. It’s like a mayonnaise with vinegar and mustard, rather than the more typical sticky tomato based BBQ sauce.

While I’m not normally a huge meat eater, I enjoyed smoky, tender pulled pork in a few different dishes while I was in Alabama. The BBQ experience is definitely one you should try as you travel through the Deep South.

Where I tried BBQ in Alabama;

Montgomery – Dreamland BBQ – Dreamland is a small chain of BBQ restaurants that started in Tuscaloosa Alabama. Now there are branches throughout the state, so it’s a great place to experience BBQ Alabama style.

I squeezed in at the bar on a Sunday lunchtime in Montgomery. Around me families were tucking into their smoked pork ribs, which Dreamland is best known for.

My choice was a lighter dish of Smokehouse Cobb salad, which still came with a generous portion of mouthwatering shredded BBQ pork on top. | Address: 12 West Jefferson Street, Montgomery

Montgomery – At Central I enjoyed casual but upscale dining, using local ingredients and Southern flavours. It’s located in a large, airy, old brick warehouse. I tried their modern twist on BBQ flavours with the starter of smoked and fried pork belly with a tangy peach chutney. | Address: 129 Coosa Street, Montgomery

You may also enjoy: 20 top things to do in Birmingham Alabama USA

More Alabama BBQ

Birmingham – Saw’s Soul Kitchen – In the Avondale neighbourhood of Birmingham, Saw’s Soul Kitchen has just a few tables and a loyal clientele who constantly pop in for takeaways.

This soul food restaurant is a great place to try the famous BBQ meats and other Southern dishes. Their signature Pork & Greens dish is pulled pork on a base of grits and sweet-sour collard greens, topped with onion rings. It was mouthwateringly good!

You can also find the full on BBQ experience at Saw’s BBQ in the Southside neighbourhood of Birmingham. At Saw’s Juke Joint the BBQ is often paired with live music.

4. Fried Chicken in Alabama

Fried chicken is another Southern favourite in the soul food repertoire of Alabama. Pieces of chicken on the bone are tenderised by soaking overnight in brine or buttermilk.

Then they are shallow or deep fried in a flour coating that sometimes has a bit of spice added. The result should be succulent meat on the inside and crispy coating on the outside. This is the perfect comfort food.

Leaving in the bone helps to keep the chicken juicy. But if you prefer boneless chicken, look out for “chicken tenders.” These are chicken breasts or goujons fried in a crispy coating. Even if you don’t eat a lot of fried food, you’ll need to treat yourself to some Southern fried chicken for the full Alabama food experience.

Our Recommended Hotel in Florence / Muscle Shoals: Stay at the Gunrunner Boutique Hotel with cool suites inspired by icons of the music scene.

Champy’s Chicken is a diner style restaurant with several branches in Tennessee and Alabama. I stopped at their roadside restaurant in Muscle Shoals to try the fried chicken.

There’s a certain 50s air in the melamine tabletops and checked PVC tablecloths, with a jukebox and neon signs, car and college memorabilia around the walls. This is where you can really get into the Southern style of cuisine.

I tried a basket of succulent fried chicken cooked to order, with sides of slaw, baked beans or French fries and a choice of sauces. | Address: 120 Second Street, Muscle Shoals 

5. Try the Salads in Alabama – where more is more!

Feeling a bit weighted down by all the talk of BBQ and fried chicken in Alabama? You might think that a fresh green salad would be the answer. But don’t expect the lightly dressed bowls of fresh salad leaves that you might find in Europe.

In Alabama the salads are more than a delicious side dish and anything goes into the mix. It’s definitely a “more is more” approach! A typical example was my Steakhouse wedge salad at Central in Montgomery.

The Cos lettuce was hollowed out and then topped with bacon, candied pecan, sliced vegetables. It was topped with a generous topping of creamy blue cheese dressing.

Luckily this hearty salad paired well with the smoked pork starter with peach chutney that I also ordered. I certainly didn’t leave hungry!

You may also enjoy: Discover the Civil Rights Trail in Alabama USA – in the footsteps of Martin Luther King

Another popular summer salad that I saw on several menus at the more upscale restaurants was the fruity combination of strawberry salad. For dinner at Odette in Florence, I paired a charcuterie board with a strawberry salad. It consisted of cress leaves, whipped feta cheese, almonds, pesto and a fermented strawberry dressing.

Delicious, but in Alabama the approach to salads is lots of toppings and punchy flavours, rather than the European approach of a few simple ingredients.

Read more about the US Civil Right Trail and the Civil Rights locations that I visited on this Alabama Road Trip:

6. Peaches in Clanton – peach capital of Alabama

It was slightly unexpected to find peaches everywhere in Alabama. But it all made perfect sense when I stopped in Clanton, as I drove south from Birmingham to Selma on the Route 65 Interstate.

Clanton in Chilton County is the peach capital of Alabama. The fruit are at their best in the summer months, especially in June. Holiday-makers take their journey to pick up a punnet of juicy fresh peaches.

I spotted the Peach Water Tower (yes it looks like a giant peach) and turned off at Exit 212 to have a closer look. Parking was at the Headley’s Big Peach Farm shop where there were plenty of juicy peaches on sale.

I also treated myself to one of their peachy ice lollies from the freezer counter, which was refreshing in the summer heat.

You may also enjoy: Visit Muscle Shoals Alabama – for music history and more!

A little further down Route 65 at Exit 215 is Peach Park. This well known farm shop and restaurant complex sells everything peachy. It’s grown from the original roadside stall and now offers a whole range of food and gifts. You’ll find peach ice cream, peach cobbler and lots of other peach products.

Close by is another similar operation Durbin Farms Market where you can stock up on peach chutneys and preserves. Even if you don’t get a chance to stop in Clanton, look out for peach chutneys, jams and homely peach pies and cobblers on the menus in Alabama.

Need help to design your dream holiday? We’ve partnered with UK travel advisor Luxeco Holidays to create your personalised itinerary

7. Cobbler & Pie – homely deserts in Alabama

In the diners and Mom and Pop restaurants of Alabama you’ll find a range of sweet pies to complete your meal. They are just like any good Southern Momma would make at home for her family.

As I’ve mentioned, there’s a big thing for peaches, which are canned or preserved to last year round and are often made into pies and cobblers. The pies are made with a sweet pastry on the bottom to line the dish. Depending on the filling there may be pastry on the top as well.

Equally popular, the cobbler is a layer of cooked fruit topped with a thicker mixture that’s somewhere between cake and pastry. It’s then sprinkled with a generous layer of sugar to caramelise in the oven.

I enjoyed an old fashioned peach cobbler with cream at Central in Montgomery. You’ll typically order a slice of pie for desert such as apple, chocolate, key lime or pecan from menus in Alabama.

Our recommended apartment in Montgomery: Stay at the Fitzgerald Museum who have 2 apartments inspired by Zelda and F Scott Fitzgerald, who lived here.

8. Pecan pie and ice cream in Alabama

While we’ve mentioned Pecan pie as being a popular dessert, there are lots of other pecan treats. These nuts are widely grown and pecans are the state nut of Alabama.

The branching pecan trees bear nuts with a hard shell, that are harvested in the autumn. As I continued along Interstate 65, I stopped just south of Montgomery at Priesters Pecans in Fort Deposit. This restaurant and farm shop that’s dedicated to everything made with Pecan nuts.

It’s clearly a popular stop! The farm shop was full of people stocking up on the big bags of pecan nuts, pecan candies and pecan pies.

I queued for some Pecan ice-cream, one of the many flavours on offer. The server had difficulty understanding me when I asked for the Peee-can flavour, until she exclaimed “Oh, you mean Pe-caaan!”

There are rocking chairs on the verandah outside the shop where. Have a seat and enjoy your ice cream or pie, before heading off on the Route 65 interstate again. | Address: 80 Bishop Bottom Rd, Fort Deposit | Turn off Route 65 at exit 142

9. Banana Pudding in Alabama

Let’s stay on the subject of desserts and sweet treats with the banana pudding that’s another staple of Alabama’s soul food menus. It’s much like the English trifle, with layers of custard, whipped cream, vanilla wafers (which are a flat spongy cake) and of course sliced banana. Sometimes the banana pudding is topped with meringue which is browned under the grill.

In the interests of research I ordered banana pudding at Saw’s Soul Kitchen in Birmingham. I got a creamy mess of banana, sponge cake and cream in a styrofoam cup. Not the most pretty to look at although undeniably creamy. I could feel the weight of the calories just by looking at it!

Read about the places I visited on this road trip – 20 things to do in Birmingham Alabama

10. Cooling Lemonade in Alabama

If you find that the ubiquitous iced tea is not to your taste, then there’s a refreshing alternative. Home made lemonade is found in most restaurants. It’s tangy and cooling and many restaurants add their own twist.

I tried lemonade with thyme at Dauphin’s in Mobile and lemonade with a touch of vanilla at Bottega in Birmingham – both delicious. This is a drink that you can sip demurely and be quite the Southern Belle. Especially good if you are going easy on the alcohol as I was on my Alabama road trip.

If you’d like to explore more of Mobile’s food scene, check out this Mobile Food Tour . 

11. Grapico – a Southern thing for 100 years

I was intrigued to come across Grapico at the Alabama Peanut Company so thought I’d add it to my list. It’s local and I hadn’t come across any drinks quite like it before.

I liked the nostalgic label – apparently it’s a Southern thing since 1916 and is made with REAL SUGAR – fancy that! Think cola with a grape taste and no caffeine. Perhaps it could be your go-to fizzy drink to fuel your road trip through Alabama?

Our recommended hotel in Birmingham: Stay at the historic Hampton Inn and Suites Tutwiler Hotel , the Grande Dame of Southern Hotels

12. Sno-cone – internal air conditioning in Alabama’s summer heat

The Alabama equivalent of the UK’s Mr Whippy ice cream van, seems to be the Sno-cone van. It selling crushed ice, flavoured with different fruity syrups.

I’m normally wary of synthetic fruit flavours but with the temperatures topping 30 degrees, the cooling effects of the sno-cone were undeniable. After eating a few spoons of the ice cold fruity mixture, it was as if someone had turned on the air conditioning from the inside.

You may also enjoy: A foodie guide to Victoria, Canada

I found a lovely chap at Shymeer Ice selling the sno-cones in Birmingham from the van beside the Railroad Park. His teenage daughter kindly took a photo of me enjoying their Sno-cone.

I enjoyed another sno-cone in Gulf Shores when I went cycling (in that crazy heat!) through the Gulf State Park. The van was parked at the visitor centre, a most welcome relief after my sweaty cycle ride.

13. Boiled Peanuts in Alabama

Hearing that boiled peanuts that are a popular snack in Alabama, I stopped at the Alabama Peanut company in Birmingham to try them out.

You might buy a cup of peanuts if you are going to the beach or a sports game. Even though they are boiled and served in their shells there’s a clever way that the flavour of Cajun spice or Dill Pickle permeates through to the peanuts inside.

The Alabama Peanut Company is in a large, airy shop on pretty, cobbled Morris Avenue, where they also roast and boil the peanuts. You can sit and eat a few at the tables inside or browse some of their merchandise. Check out the t-shirts and baseball caps with the “Southern and Salty” slogan.

14. Beignets in Alabama

As I drove south through Alabama, I noticed that the Creole flavours and dishes became more prevalent in the cuisine. The French influence dates back to the 17th and 18th century, when the Gulf coast was under French colonial rule.

Beignets are well known as a specialty of New Orleans, but I also observed them appearing on breakfast menus in Alabama as I drove south. They are a small pillows of dough, deep fried and served golden brown dusted with icing sugar.

I tried these for breakfast one morning at Cahawba House in Montgomery. They can be found in bakeries all over the state, best served freshly made and piping hot.

Our recommended hotel in Mobile: Stay at the Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown Mobile , in the heart of the Downtown area near Dauphin Street.

15. Gumbo in Alabama

Continuing with the Creole influence and flavours, look out for Gumbo on the menus in Alabama. It becomes prevalent specially as you drive south to Mobile and Gulf Shores. There’s even a Gumbo Trail in Gulf Shores that will take you around some of the best spots for Gumbo on the Gulf Coast.

Gumbo is a thick soup or stew that’s a staple of Creole cuisine. Normally it combines meat with seafood and vegetables such as peppers, celery and tomato. It’s then topped with some cooked rice, making this a substantial one pot meal.

To discover more of Mobile’s food scene we recommend you try this Mobile Food Tour .

For a more refined version I tried the famous Gumbo Z’herb, at Dauphin’s restaurant in Mobile. The restaurant has amazing views over Mobile Bay. It offers Creole influenced cuisine, with plenty of seafood, such as crab, shrimp and fresh fish from the Gulf.

The Gumbo Z’herb is a twist on the more traditional dish, with local Conecuh sausage and other meats as well as collard greens in a smoky clear stock, and it made a delicious light lunch.

16. Shrimp from the Gulf Coast of Alabama

Alabama’s Gulf Coast line provides a plentiful supply of shrimp (as you’ll know if you’ve watched the film Forrest Gump). As one of the state’s most iconic foods you’ll find shrimp on menus throughout Alabama, but especially as you reach the coast where seafood is the main event!

I tried shrimp in many guises while I was in Alabama. One popular dish I saw on menus was Cajun shrimp. Shrimp is coated in cornmeal and fried to make a crunchy crust, then mixed with a spicy Cajun sauce. I tried variations of this as Voodoo Shrimp at Connors in Huntsville.

You may also enjoy: 20 fun things to do in Huntsville Alabama

I also loved the Shrimp tacos at The Gulf in Orange Beach, with reclaimed metal shipping containers and a huge seating area overlooking the water. It was filled with friends and family on holiday enjoying the many delicious food options.

Our recommended hotel in Gulf Shores / Orange Beach: Stay at the Hotel Indigo Orange Beach , a stylish boutique hotel close to the beach.

17. Surf & turf dishes in Alabama

I found a strong surf and turf theme going on in many restaurants that mixed the best produce of Alabama, serving both steak and seafood. Examples of this were restaurants such as Connor’s where I ate in Huntsville Alabama, and it also has branches in other parts of the Southern USA, or Grille 29 with restaurants in Huntsville and Birmingham.

A typical surf and turf dish was the delicious starter I tried at Grille 29 of scallops topped with bacon jam on a bed of cheesy grits. It was sooo tasty and a meal in itself, although I paired this with the Firecracker shrimp for a seafood feast!

18. Oysters from the Gulf Coast in Alabama

Oysters are another Alabama delicacy from the Gulf of Mexico, where they are farmed and fished in Mobile Bay and other parts of the coastal waters of Alabama.

Originally it was wild oysters that you’d find served up in the oyster shacks around the bay. Now most of the oysters are farmed and with strict controls over quality. This also means that you can safely eat them all year round.

I tried the oysters at Wintzell’s Oyster House which is a Mobile institution. Although there are a number of Wintzell’s locations in Alabama, the one where I ate in Mobile on Dauphin Street is the original restaurant. At Wintzell’s they serve oysters by the dozen and half dozen, fried, stewed or nude . I tried the Oysters Rockefeller, cooked with spinach and butter sauce.

For a flavour of the south and local insights, we recommend you take this Mobile Food Tour .

Unlike in Europe where the oysters seem to be mainly served raw, it’s common to serve the oysters cooked. I ordered the delicious fried oysters on flatbread with arugula salad, bacon and mozzarella at Foodcraft in Gulf Shores, with a view of the beach at The Lodge Hotel.

19. West Indies Salad on the Gulf Coast of Alabama

Another Gulf Coast specialty that I was looking out for was West Indies Salad, which I also tried at Wintzell’s Oyster House in Mobile. It’s a dish of crab meat simply dressed with oil, vinegar and some finely chopped onion.

The salad was invented at Bayley’s Seafood Restaurant on Dauphin Island in Mobile Bay. Mine was served with a slice of melon and some salad leaves that added a bit of sweetness to offset the sharpness of the vinegar dressing.

20. Moon-Pie – the carnival favour of Mobile, Alabama

If you visit Mobile you’ll quickly become aware that Carnival is a big event, so look out for the Moon Pie confections that are the favourite food at Carnival time. You’ll find a Moon-Pie store at 107 St Francis St in Mobile, selling gifts and souvenirs, as well as the Moonpie sweet biscuit sandwiched with marshmallow and coated in chocolate.

The Moon Pie comes in lots of different flavours and originated at the Chattanooga Bakery in Tennessee. In Mobile it’s thrown from the carnival floats to an eager crowd and is the carnival favour that everyone hopes to catch.

For more of the sweet taste of Mobile, check out this Food Tour in Mobile .

Recommended reading for your Alabama road trip: Read Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads by Paul Theroux to soak up the atmosphere of the Deep South

Where to eat in Alabama

I ate in so many great restaurants in Alabama, most of which I’ve already mentioned, but just so you can find them easily I’ve listed them again below by location. Also take a look at my map at the end of this section to find all the places mentioned.

Restaurants in Huntsville, Alabama

The Blue Plate Cafe – The place to go in Huntsville if you want the full Southern Breakfast experience, of bacon, eggs, cheesy grits, biscuit and gravy or lunchtime favourites of fried chicken, collard greens and a slice of pie. 

Pane e Vino – An Italian inspired restaurant with outdoor terrace at the Huntsville Museum of art in Big Spring Park. It’s owned by leading local chef Jame Boyce and offers relaxed dining with pizza, salads and pasta dishes. 

Connors Steak & Seafood – In the Bridge Street Town Centre neighbourhood, serving steak and seafood with bags of Southern flair. 

Read about the places I visited on this road trip – 20 fun things to do in Huntsville Alabama

Restaurants in Muscle Shoals and Florence, Alabama

Champy’s Fried Chicken – A roadside diner in Muscle Shoals that’s part of a small Southern chain, with checked PVC tablecloths, jukebox and neon signs, specialising in succulent fried chicken cooked to order. 

Odette – Refined but relaxed, all seasonal and sustainable with a nod to Southern flavours and the go-to restaurant for foodies in downtown Florence. Go for brunch, lunch or dinner. 

Read about the places I visited on this road trip – Visit Muscle Shoals Alabama, for music history and more!

Restaurants in Birmingham, Alabama

Pizitz Food Hall – A great food hall in the downtown area where you can eat world cuisines from over 12 different food stalls, an ideal stop for lunch or early evening cocktails.

Saw’s Soul Kitchen – A small and unassuming diner in the hipster Avondale neighbourhood, where you can try the famous BBQ meats and other Southern soul food dishes, like their signature Pork & Greens. The takeaway service is also popular.

Alabama Peanut Company – Get your taste of boiled peanuts flavoured with Cajun spice or Dill Pickle, in their large, airy shop where they also roast and boil the peanuts.

The Essential – A fun little neighbourhood restaurant, with a menu full of well priced light dishes with a Southern take on world cuisine.

Bottega – Run by leading local Chef Frank Stitt, with a rather special atmosphere and dining experience that’s inspired by the wine bars of Italy, set in a beautiful Beaux-Arts building.

Peaches in Clanton, Alabama

Look for the giant peach water tower as your signal to stop at Clanton, just off the Route 65 Interstate, for farm shops and restaurants that feature the local peaches – peach ice cream, preserves and peach cobbler at Peach Park and Durbin Farms Market.

Restaurants in Montgomery, Alabama

Cahawba House – An airy diner, which is the perfect place in Montgomery to try Southern specialties for breakfast, brunch or lunch.

Dreamland BBQ – The place to get your fix of Southern BBQ, with 10 locations across the south, their smoked pork ribs being a specialty.

Central – A great place for a special dinner with casual but upscale dining, using local ingredients and Southern flavours, located in a large, airy brick warehouse in the Alley complex.

Pecans in Fort Deposit, Alabama

Priesters Pecans – A popular stop just off the Route 65 Interstate with a huge farm shop and cafe serving pecan nuts, pecan candies, pecan pies and pecan ice cream.

Restaurants in Mobile, Alabama

Taking a food tour is a great way to get restaurant recommendations and enjoy local flavours – so check out this food tour in Mobile .

Dauphin’s – Great views over Mobile from the 34th floor of the Trustmark building, specialising in Gulf seafood and Cajun flavours.

Wintzell’s Oyster House – A Mobile institution with a menu full of crab, shrimp and above all the oysters which are served “fried, stewed or nude”. They also have a branch in Montgomery and other parts of southern Alabama.

Restaurants in Gulf Shores, Alabama

Woodside Restaurant – A relaxed cafe on the edge of the Gulf State Park and the ideal place to stop for breakfast or brunch if you are cycling around the park.

Foodcraft – The more casual of the two restaurants in The Lodge with a deck overlooking the beach and a lunchtime menu that includes lots of light dishes like soup, sandwiches and salads.

The Gulf – I loved the buzzing beach club feel of The Gulf, with a huge outdoor seating area overlooking the water and inexpensive casual dining.

Cobalt – a relaxed but upscale restaurant with a large outdoor patio overlooking the water at Perdido Bay, with a great selection of Gulf seafood.

Read more about all the places I visited on my Alabama Road Trip:

50 things to do in Alabama

Map of Alabama

You can use my map of Alabama below to easily find all the restaurants and other places I visited on my Alabama Road trip.

Hotels in Alabama

Read about the places I stayed on my Alabama Road Trip

Hotels in Huntsville – Huntsville Marriott at Space and Rocket Center

My spacious room at the modern Huntsville Marriott hotel, had a view towards the adjoining Rocket Center, so I woke up with a view of the Saturn 1 and Saturn V! The room was decorated in contemporary style, with a large walk in bathroom and a picture of some far off galaxy above the bed. The hotel is located a little outside the downtown area, a short walk to the Rocket Center and a great base to use for visiting Huntsville.

Huntsville Marriott at Space and Rocket Center | 5 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, Alabama | Check availability and prices for other hotels in Huntsville

Hotels in Florence / Muscle Shoals – Gunrunner Boutique Hotel

I loved staying at the Gunrunner Boutique Hotel, with 10 quirky and individually designed suites that are themed on local places and personalities. Each of the suites leads directly off this common area, so you feel a bit as if you are in some rockstar’s home with guitars and memorabilia scattered around.

My Sam Phillips suite was enormous, with a retro sitting area, a bar to mix a drink for any visiting music stars and en suite bathroom with claw foot bath and separate shower. Entrance to the hotel and rooms is via key code so you come and go as if it was your home. There’s a roof terrace which is a fun place to relax with a drink in the evening.

Gunrunner Boutique Hotel | 310 E Tennessee Street, Florence, Alabama | Check prices for other hotels in Florence

Hotels in Birmingham – Hampton Inn and Suites Tutwiler Hotel

For the two nights I spent in Birmingham, I was in the grand and historic Hampton Inn and Suites Tutwiler Hotel, which is very centrally located in the Downtown area. The Tutwiler Hotel opened in 1915 and was known as the Grande Dame of Southern Hotels.

Through the 20s and 30s it hosted the great and the good of Birmingham in a hotel that reflected the city’s prosperity at that time. The style here is classic, and I had a very elegant suite on one of the upper floors with classic wooden furniture and windows opening to the balcony.

Hampton Inn and Suites – Tutwiler Hotel  | Address: 2021 Park Place, Birmingham | Check prices and availability for other hotels in Birmingham, Alabama .

Apartments in Montgomery – the Fitzgerald Museum Apartments

It was fun to visit the Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery and even more fun to stay in one of the two apartments upstairs. I stayed in the Zelda Suite, with a portrait of Zelda hanging over the mantelpiece, reproductions of her beautiful paintings and her framed letters to Scott.

The apartment is spacious and comfortable, and is decorated in the style of the 1930s when the couple lived there. There are two bedrooms, a living room, bathroom and kitchen, all with a delightfully retro feel, as if you are visiting the home of your rather stylish grandmother.

The Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum | Book the Zelda Fitzgerald Suite | Address: 919 Felder Avenue, Montgomery

Hotels in Mobile – Hampton Inn Mobile Downtown

While in Mobile I stayed in the Hampton Inn in the heart of the Downtown area, just around the corner from Dauphin Street where there’s lots going on. The busy hotel was full of guests on holiday, families coming and going and enjoying the small outdoor pool area behind the hotel.

I enjoyed my stay in the extremely spacious suite with classic decor, two double beds and a large living area. There’s a car park for the use of guests behind the hotel, which is useful considering that the hotel is in the heart of the city.

Hampton Inn Mobile Downtown | Address: 62 S Royal Street, Mobile | Check price and availability for more hotels in Mobile, Alabama .

Hotels in Gulf Shores / Orange Beach – Hotel Indigo Orange Beach

For the couple of nights I was in Gulf Shores I stayed at the delightful Hotel Indigo, set just across the road from the beach, with a hotel shuttle to drop you off at the beach pavilion. This is a stylish boutique hotel with mostly larger suite style rooms, with relaxed contemporary decor that echoes the colours of the ocean.

I loved having the extra space of a large sitting area and fridge, with the feel of being in my own apartment but with all the amenities of a hotel. The hotel is dog friendly and many guests rent bikes to cycle from here along the Backcountry trail that starts just behind the hotel.

Hotel Indigo Orange Beach  | 22843 Perdido Beach Boulevard, Orange Beach | Check prices and availability for other hotels in Gulf Shores .

Discover 20 fun things to do in Huntsville Alabama , known as Rocket City for its connection with the US Space Programme and the US Space and Rocket Center

More articles from this trip 11 Cool things to do in Mobile Alabama 20 things to do in Birmingham Alabama Discover the US Civil Rights Trail in Alabama 50 fun things to do in Alabama Visit Muscle Shoals Alabama – for music history and more!

More information for Visiting Alabama

Plan your visit to Alabama on the Alabama Tourism website and follow on Social Media

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Book your trip with America as you like it who offer bespoke self guided tours of Alabama and the USA. For more information contact 020 8742 8299, [email protected] or visit www.americaasyoulikeit.com

You can also find information to plan your trip on the regional tourism board websites;

Huntsville Tourism website | Visit Florence Al website | Birmingham tourism website | Selma and Dallas County Chamber tourism website | Montgomery tourism website | Mobile tourism website | Gulf Shores and Orange Beach tourism website

Hotels in Alabama: You can check prices and book for range of hotels in Alabama here .

Getting to Alabama: It’s easy to fly direct from the UK to the USA via nearby airports such as Atlanta or New Orleans. Alternatively, you can connect via numerous US airport hubs and then flying on to regional airports such as Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery or Pensacola.

My trip to Alabama was sponsored* by Alabama Tourism who provided the food and other experiences mentioned.

* More info on my policies page

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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Saturday 9th of December 2023

You totally missed all of Southeast Alabama. I'm surprised that you missed Dothan, AL on your trip, especially since you went to Montgomery. Some of the food you mentioned came from restaurants who have mainly made it Southern fusion. True authentic traditional Alabama food comes from your granny's kitchen, church potlucks, fish frys, family reunions, etc.

Heather Cowper

Monday 11th of December 2023

@Meg Thanks for the info - I'd love to taste more of the home and community cooking of Alabama - sometimes it's difficult to access these as a traveller hence I've mainly recommended restaurants. With such a big state I managed to see the main centres and highlights, but thanks for your tip to also visit Dothan.

Tuesday 31st of August 2021

Good story, but a lot of things are wrong in this article. I won’t go into all of them, but believe that the firecracker shrimp at grille 29 and Conner’s ARE NOT gulf shrimp, but Indonesian pud shrimp.

Monday 10th of January 2022

@Dj thanks, I'm writing as a visitor but of course I'm sure there are some things that locals will correct me on, in restaurants you don't always know the source of the fish and seems sometimes what you assume is local catch may not be!

Saturday 19th of October 2019

thank you so much I visited Decatur from.the UK I have craved real Southern Biscuits since Wonderful delicious.amazing.I loved them.now is online

MRS B A C WELLER

Tuesday 1st of October 2019

I visited Decatur from.the UK I have craved real Southern Biscuits since Wonderful delicious.amazing.I loved them.with.breakfast.eggs.and.especially.with.pumpkin.butter Heaven

Monday 7th of October 2019

@Mrs Weller all that Southern soul food can get addictive!

Friday 27th of September 2019

Mmmm looks delicios

Birmingham Food and Drink Tours

Embark on culinary adventures in Birmingham, Alabama, with our Food and Drink Tours. Discover the Magic City's finest dining, from barbecue to Southern comfort food, craft beer to local cocktails. Join us to savor Birmingham's cuisine, one bite at a time.

Book Your Culinary Journey Now!

Seats are limited and in high demand. Secure your spot today to explore Birmingham's culinary landscape with us.

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Scroll down to learn more about our tour offerings and reserve your spot for a foodie adventure that will delight your taste buds and leave you craving for more. Don't wait – book now and experience the best of Birmingham's food and drink scene!

Welcome to Smokehouse Secrets

Your Ultimate Birmingham BBQ Adventure

Uncover the BBQ Wonders of Birmingham

Prepare for a savory journey like no other. Our Smokehouse Secrets tour takes you on a delectable expedition through the heart of Birmingham's legendary BBQ scene. You'll explore hidden gems and famous smokehouses alike, savoring mouthwatering dishes that define Southern comfort food.

Why Choose Smokehouse Secrets?

Indulge in birmingham's bbq excellence.

When you join our BBQ adventure, you're in for a treat. We pride ourselves on offering:

• Expert Local Guides: Our passionate guides are BBQ aficionados with deep knowledge of the Birmingham BBQ culture.
• Exclusive Access: Gain entry to renowned BBQ joints and explore secret gems you won't find on your own.
• Mouthwatering Tastings: Savor a diverse array of BBQ dishes, from succulent ribs to smoky pulled pork.
• Cultural Insights: Learn about the history and traditions that make Birmingham's BBQ scene unique.

Book Your BBQ Adventure Today

Don't miss out on the ultimate BBQ experience in Birmingham. Join us for an unforgettable culinary adventure filled with smoky flavors and secret recipes. Book your Smokehouse Secrets tour today!

Lunch or Dinner at the Temples of Smoke and Fire

Monday – Saturday

3 to 4 hours – 4 different local BBQ pits – Beginning at 10 AM & 4 PM

$175 per person – All Inclusive

————————————————————————————————

Budget Friendly 2 Hour Tour 

2 to 3 hours – 2 different local BBQ Pits – Beginning at 10 AM & 4 PM

$100 per person – All Inclusive

Welcome to the Southern Lunch Tour

Discover the Essence of Southern Cuisine

Embark on a Southern Culinary Adventure

Prepare to tantalize your taste buds on our Southern Lunch Tour . This extraordinary journey will take you on a delectable exploration through the heart of the South, celebrating the rich and diverse flavors of Southern cuisine.

Why Choose Our Southern Lunch Tour?

Savor the authenticity of southern dishes.

When you join our tour, you're in for an unforgettable experience filled with:

• Local Expertise: Our guides are passionate about Southern cuisine and will share their insights into the regional delicacies.
• Hidden Gems: Discover charming local eateries and iconic Southern restaurants, each with its own unique charm.
• Mouthwatering Tastings: Relish a diverse array of Southern dishes, from savory fried chicken to soulful gumbo.
• Cultural Heritage: Gain a deeper understanding of the South's culinary traditions and the stories behind each meal.

Book Your Southern Lunch Adventure

Don't miss the opportunity to experience the South's culinary treasures. Join us for an unforgettable culinary journey through Southern flavors. Book your Southern Lunch Tour today!

Lunch at the Kitchens of Southern Goodness

3 to 4 hours – 4 or 5 different local Southern Restaurants 

(loosen your belt and enjoy a vast array of Southern Goodness)

 Beginning at 10 AM

2 to 3 hours – 3 different local Southern Meals

Beginning at 10 AM

Experience Birmingham, Alabama’s vibrant nightlife and culinary scene on our Downtown Dinner Tour! Taste the best of the city’s dining scene as you visit top-rated restaurants and bars in the heart of downtown. From upscale Southern cuisine to creative cocktails, our tour offers an unforgettable culinary experience. Immerse yourself in the city’s lively atmosphere as you explore its historic streets and landmarks. Learn about the history and culture of Birmingham from our expert guides, and discover the stories behind the city’s foodie culture. This is the perfect way to enjoy an evening out in Birmingham and discover the city’s hidden gems!

Indulge in a journey through the Prohibition era with our Cocktails and Speakeasies Tour! Follow in the footsteps of 1920s bootleggers as we take you to hidden underground bars, secret back rooms, and unmarked doors. Sip on handcrafted cocktails made by skilled mixologists, and learn about the history and culture of the speakeasy scene. This immersive tour is perfect for a unique and exciting night out. Whether you’re a history buff, a cocktail enthusiast, or simply looking for a fun evening, our Cocktails and Speakeasies Tour will surely be a memorable experience.

Multiple tours in town take you to the breweries, but we take you to the, hidden(and not so hidden) cocktail bars, join us for a night you will remember, due to the nature of this tour – it is 21 and up only, wednesday’s at 8:15 pm.

Click to  Call us at 205-440-2720

Click to email [email protected]

The Birmingham Historic Touring Company (BHTC) is a boutique tour company devoted to strange, dark, and unusual walking and intimate driving tours of Birmingham, Alabama, and the surrounding area. Our unique tours are meticulously written and researched, one-of-a-kind creations led by expert guides. We are a locally-owned, independently operated business and are consistently one of the Best things to do in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Copyright 2023 Birmingham historic touring company. All rights reserved.

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EST. Please allow up to 24 hours for a response to your inquiry. Emails sent during non- office hours will be responded to on the next business day.

The Downtown Dish- Huntsville Food Tour

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The Downtown Dish- Huntsville Food Tour - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Eat Alabama Seafood

The alabama tourism department presents the art of alabama food.

This month, the Alabama Tourism Department will unveil the Art of Alabama Food, a traveling exhibit documenting the beloved and varied cuisine of Alabama along with the free “100 Dishes To Eat in Alabama Before You Die” mobile app. The Art of Alabama Food will make its debut in New York City with a weeklong exhibition leading up to Super Bowl Sunday. The tour will make subsequent stops in Atlanta, New Orleans and Nashville, Tenn., later in the spring.

“With a large pool of culinary talent and innovative restaurants, it’s an exciting time for Alabama food,” says Alabama Tourism Department director Lee Sentell. “We’re excited to share a taste of that with New York City and the New York-based media, as well as a large swath of the South in a memorable way that inspires more visits to and coverage of Alabama.”

The art-gallery-style photo exhibition is open to the public and on display from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 in the gallery space of New York’s Chelsea Market. Thirty-six images selected from the Alabama Tourism Department’s brochure “100 Dishes To Eat in Alabama Before You Die” will entice guests and inform them about some of Alabama’s best local restaurants. Guests will also be invited to download the free mobile app in order to browse the complete list of 100 Dishes. The mobile app takes consumers on a culinary road trip through the state and features Alabama’s most memorable and iconic dishes, chefs, restaurants and overall food experiences.

On Thursday, Jan. 30, the exhibit will be transformed into the ultimate tailgate experience featuring Southern fare, lively jazz music and a contemporary vibe. Some of the dishes on display will be prepared by Alabama guest chefs, including:

Bob Baumhower, Baumhower’s – locations throughout the state James Boyce, Cotton Row – Huntsville Lucy Buffett, LuLu’s – Gulf Shores Chris Hastings, Hot and Hot Fish Club – Birmingham Chris Lilly, Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q – Decatur Tasia Malakasis, Belle Chevre – Elkmont Nick Pihakis, Jim ’N Nick’s Bar-B-Q – locations throughout the state Wesley True, TRUE – Montgomery

The invitation-only event will be from 5 to 9 p.m. at 75 Ninth Avenue. More than 500 New York-based food and travel writers will be invited to learn more about the Art of Alabama Food. Dishes such as Belle Chevre’s Chevre Cheesecake and Lucy Buffet’s Sassy Sliders will be served, as well as Chris Hastings’ Bouillabaisse and Bob Baumhower’s Compleat West Indies Salad. Traditional sweet tea will be the house beverage of the evening, and fresh Alabama Gulf seafood will be featured predominantly in the menu.

The Art of Alabama Food will tour the Southeast this spring with stops in New Orleans, Nashville and Atlanta. The full schedule is as follows:

The Art of Alabama Food: Gallery Tour

January 27 – February 2: Chelsea Market, New York (gallery open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. to noon on Thursday, January 30)

April 22 – 28: Hotel Monteleone; New Orleans

May 12 – 18: The Mall at Green Hills; Nashville, Tenn.

May 26 – June 1: Lenox Square Mall; Atlanta

For more information on the Art of Alabama food, visit artofalabamafood.com or follow the hashtag #AlabamaFood on social media.

The Alabama Tourism Department (ATD) helps ensure that Alabama’s economy gains maximum benefits from tourism. More than 23 million travelers spent a combined total of $10.6 billion in the state in 2012, supporting the jobs of 161,376 Alabamians. The agency was created in October 1951 by legislative act to promote travel to and through Alabama. It does this both nationally and internationally. ATD is funded by one-fourth of the 4 percent state lodgings tax collected by hotels, motels, campgrounds and other accommodations.

Media contact: Maree JonesLuckie & Company PR 205-877-9795 [email protected]

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Alabama Gulf Coast Tour: The Gulf Restaurant

Food & Drink

Five years ago, Orange Beach, Alabama got a one-of-a-kind restaurant along Perdido Beach Boulevard. Completely outdoor-based and made from 27 recycled shipping containers all painted in a matching Azure blue, The Gulf in Orange Beach is a standout restaurant that is hard to miss for all the right reasons.

The Gulf//Kaitlan Foland

Capitalizing on the growing trend of farm-to-table, the utilization and sourcing of ingredients are only a few of the things that make The Gulf unique, which is why it was our first stop on the Alabama Gulf Coast Tour hosted by Geiger & Associates Public Relations and the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism Department . The tour is meant to highlight the island communities’ emerging culinary scene with stops at some of the most renowned restaurants along the Gulf Coast.

The Gulf Restaurant has a chef-driven menu that changes daily based on what may be available from the fresh market truck that delivers to the outdoor eatery, with multiple changing seafood options each week. Though some menu items are fan-favorite staples, patrons can also enjoy multiple different chef specials daily, making the menu diverse and exciting no matter how many times you have dined.

The Gulf Menu//Kaitlan Foland

With a trendy, yet relaxed, environment, The Gulf General Manager Bryan Hentes says they aim for a fast-casual environment with a no-pressure serving staff. This ensures patrons can relax and enjoy a Mojito while watching the waves roll in, without the added pressure to purchase additional menu items.

If it isn’t clear yet, The Gulf takes food and drink very seriously. There are absolutely no freezers on the property of the restaurant. Every ingredient is fresh, locally sourced, and hand-cut and prepped each morning. The food isn’t the only star; however, the bar also lives up to the beachfront brand’s expectation.

Seared Gulf Mahi from The Gulf//Kaitlan Foland

We had the pleasure of sampling a large variety of menu items, courtesy of The Gulf, and it was nothing short of fantastic. Again, the menu changes daily, but some of the items our tour group tried included the Chicken Chipotle Taco Bowl, Shrimp Street Tacos, Seared Gulf Mahi, Steak Frites, Fried Grouper Sandwich, Signature Hand-Cut Fries and the Shrimp Roll. Now, what would I recommend to future visitors?

Steak Frites from The Gulf//Kaitlan Foland

All of it. Usually, when you find yourself at a restaurant tasting, it’s easy to pick a clear menu favorite—at The Gulf that just wasn’t possible. Every single dish was bursting with a fresh and intensely delicious flavor that is perfectly complemented with a fresh drink and the sound of waves crashing on the beach.

Five years ago the bar had only 5 drinks on the menu using all local ingredients, and now that the menu has expanded vastly, while the commitment to quality still remains.

Lime Mojito from The Gulf//Kaitlan Foland

The most popular drink on the menu? The Bacardi-based Mojitos are hands down the number one drink at The Gulf. Does it live up to expectation? I can personally testify it does! While touring, I ordered a Lime Mojito and the flavor was incredibly refreshing and flavorful. With plenty of varieties from which to choose, the Mojito is a great option, but don’t forget the signature Bloody Mary made from infused vodka created in-house.

House-Infused Vodka from The Gulf//Kaitlan Foland

As you may have already deduced, I loved The Gulf. Not only for the many delicious food and drink options, but also for the small quirks that make the space unique, inviting and trendy. The Gulf has over 500 records that are played on a turntable, providing the music for the outdoor eatery with a sound that is authentic and different. It also has a wall that is affectionally coined “Love Locks,” which allows patrons to attach their lock of choice to the wall and throw the key into the ocean, signifying their commitment and love for one another.

I would not only recommend The Gulf as a destination point, but I would go further and say it’s a must-see when visiting. I’m not alone in that recommendation. During the busiest seasons of tourism, The Gulf can see upwards of 1,000-2,000 visitors every day. But fear not, it’s a beautiful and spacious venue that has a little something that everyone will love.

The Food Channel toured The Gulf as part of an initiative sponsored by the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism Department, hosted by Geiger & Associates Public Relations, Inc.

Alabama , Alabama Tourism , Gulf Shores , Ocean view , Orange Beach , Orange Beach Tourism , Outdoor Eatery , Restaurant Review , The Beach , the food channel , The Gulf , tourist , Food & Drink

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A Visitors Guide to Dining in Birmingham

Coming to birmingham bring your appetite., after all,  you’re coming to the dinner table of the south.

It has been said that you can’t throw a martini olive without striking one of Birmingham’s James Beard Award -winning fine dining establishments. And that’s not far from fact. Let’s take a tour.

Any tour of Birmingham’s food scene must begin with one of Birmingham’s chef célèbre, Frank Stitt ’s restaurants. Stitt grew up in Cullman County, Alabama, traveled the world over learning from culinary masters, and returned to his neck of the woods to open a number of excellent dining experiences. Known for fresh, seasonal foods prepared beautifully, and an ambiance that transports you to left bank Paris, Bottega , one of Frank’s longest standing restaurants, is a bucket-list-level stop on the Birmingham food journey.

The thing about Frank is that, by being an excellent chef and an equally excellent mentor, he almost single-handedly spawned Birmingham’s world-renowned restaurant scene. Many have been influenced by his work. Which takes us to our next stop: Hot and Hot Fish Club founded by former Highlands sous chef, Chris Hastings. And to show you the extent to which Birmingham has become fertile ground for restaurants, our next location, Helen , was founded by none other than Chris Hastings’ sous chef, Rob McDaniel.

By and large, Birmingham’s restaurant culture thrives on the excellent produce grown in the agrarian community surrounding the city, locally procured meats, and seafood flown in from the coast. Farm-to-table took to Birmingham like a fresh-caught grouper fillet takes to rarified butter. And, with the Gulf Coast just a puddle-jumper away, you can believe that grouper will have indeed been fresh caught. Speaking of seafood, if that’s your passion, an evening at James Beard award-winner, Adam Evans’ Automatic Seafood and Oysters or George Reis’ Ocean will be food for your soul.

That said, if upscale Asian and Asian fusion cuisine are where your tastes run, you’ll want to explore Bamboo , Jinsei Sushi , and Shu Shop to name but a few. Or, if you prefer a more European approach, you’ll want to check out places such as Gianmarco’s , Bocca Ristorante , Lé Fresca , or Chez Fon Fon .

Here is a partial list of some of the Birmingham area’s best-known restaurants:

• Café DuPont
• Satterfield’s
• Chez Fon Fon
• Gianmarco’s
• Galley and Garden
• Roots & Revelry
• Blueprint on 3rd
• Automatic Seafood & Oysters
• Dyron’s Low Country
• Michael’s Restaurant
• Bocca Ristorante
• Moss Rock Tacos & Tequila
• Silver Coin Indian Grill
• El Barrio Restaurant Y Bar
• Farrelly’s Southern Bar & Kitchen

The Kinda Food that Just Soothes the Soul

Singing the praises of barbecue, soul food, and the meat and three.

It isn’t just fancy dining that earns Birmingham its foodie reputation. There’s some of the best comfort food, soul food, and home cooking in the world to be found here. In fact, you’ll even find James Beard awarded meat and threes like Johnnys or beautiful old classic James Beard-recognized restaurants like The Bright Star . Nothing fancy, mind you, just authentic, real, and deeply satisfying.

For soul food you’ll want to explore places like Eagles Restaurant , Ruth’s Café , Magic City Grille , and Granny’s Fish ’N Grits . And, for barbecue, there’s Carlile’s , Rodney Scott’s BBQ (yet another highly awarded restaurant), Martin’s Barbecue , Johnny Ray’s , Full Moon , SAW’s , and Miss Myra’s just to name a few. Seriously, if we named all of the great barbecue and soul food joints in and around Birmingham, we’d probably blow up the Internet.

There are whole areas of Birmingham where you could spend a month of Sundays and never eat in the same restaurant twice. In the tiny, tony community of Avondale, for example, you’ll find authentic Mexican fare at Taco Morro Loco , craft beer and burgers at Ferus Artisan Ales , gourmet grilled cheeses at Melt , world famous pizza at Post Office Pies , and upscale bar food at Avondale Common House . And those are just the ones that come immediately to mind.

Walk down the Jones Valley Trail extension to the Pepper Place area and you’ll find healthy eats at Blue Root , some keenly hipster bar food at Lumbar , and upscale fare at Blueprint on 3rd , Bettola , Hot and Hot Fish Club , and Ovenbird . Head south from there and check out Lakeview.

In Lakeview, you’ll encounter an amazing mix of food ranging from burgers and beer where all the cool kids go at Jack Brown’s Burgers and Fries , knock-your-socks-off Nashville hot fried chicken at Hattie B’s , pizza at Slice , Mexican at Los Amigos , barbecue at Moe’s , Middle Eastern at the Purple Onion , easygoing bar food at Five , and superior sushi at Umami . (Reading that paragraph is like like going around the world in 30 seconds.)

Now, you could (and should) keep heading south where you’ll encounter all sorts of delights ranging from Demetri’s BBQ , to next-level Mexican at Taco Mama , La Paz , and Sol y Luna . There’s pizza at Jim Davenport’s , an old school lunch and soda counter at Gilchrist , and simple elegant dishes at Brick and Tin .

In Hoover, also south of Birmingham, you’ll definitely want to check out Tortuga’s Pizza – Birmingham’s home for deep dish pies, Jubilee Joe’s (if Cajun gets you fired up), Blue Pacific to get your Thai on, or Archie’s Bar-B-Q & Burgers for – you guessed it – one heck of a BBQ sandwich or burger. And, honest to goodness, we’re just scratching the surface. We could write a book on the restaurant scene in Birmingham.

When it comes to food, Birmingham is truly a melting pot in the best sense of the phrase. Our culture is a delightful salmagundi of tastes and cultures. If you are a self-proclaimed foodie, a galavanting gourmand, an epicure of the broadest order… Birmingham is simply a must on your next trip south.

All this Eating’s Bound to Make A Body Thirsty

There’s no better place to stir it up than birmingham’s beer and cocktail scene.

At least one interpretation of the name, Birmingham , has it that the original UK version was named for a frothy, yeasty beverage. While the name isn’t “ Beermingham,” it’s fair to say that the stateside version of Birmingham jumped into the craft-frothy-yeasty-beverage scene with gusto. Now, you’ll find more than a dozen different breweries scattered about the city.

Here’s a thought: start out at Cahaba Brewing and head west along the Jones Valley Trail extension.The trail will take you by nearly every brewery in town. In Avondale there’s Ferus Artisan Ales and Avondale Brewing – known for their Miss Fancy’s tripel, a Belgian-styled beer named for the famed elephant who, around the turn of the last century, resided in the zoo that occupied what is now Avondale park. Miss Fancy is known for having been tasked to drink much of the confiscated beer during the Prohibition years. It was tough work, but the large pachyderm was up to the task.

As you head west, you’ll encounter Ghost Train , Back Forty Brewing (about two blocks off the trail), Trimtab , (about three blocks off the trail), and Birmingham District Brewing and Hi-Wire Brewing . Further west in the Parkside district, you’ll find Good People and Monday Night Social Club . If you make it that far, and have sampled beers at all the breweries, we’d recommend an Uber or taxi at this point.

If your tastes lead toward stronger spirits, you’ll find Birmingham just as accommodating as it is for your beer drinking friends. Four local distilleries have cropped up in recent years, Dread River , Redmont , Campesino , and Sweet Home . You’ll find their distillations in any number of the cocktail bars around town. Dread River has its own bar on premise – a great way to sample their craft and hear how it’s made.

The cocktail scene, meanwhile, is intoxicating. New bars offering beautifully crafted cocktails have been catering to lovers of the mixologist’s art for many years now – places such as Queen’s Park , Paper Doll , The Margaret , and Collins Bar , to name only a smattering. And there are the old standbys, Lou’s Pub , and the Red Lion Lounge for example. You can find places that specialize as well, such as Mayawell , which offers an unparalleled selection of tequilas and mezcals. South of town in Hoover, you might want to stop by Barrister’s Tavern , or Pub 261 . Further south in Helena, you won’t want to miss Goodfellas Social Club .

We’ve barely stirred the surface of what’s available when it comes to cocktails. Suffice to say, if happy hour makes you, well, happy, Birmingham will greatly exceed your expectations.

While You’re Here, Visit Birmingham’s Historic Civil Rights District

It’s a must-see national monument.

As most people of a certain age remember, a cultural revolution took place in the streets of Birmingham, Alabama, in the 1960s.  It was the battlefield of America’s Civil Rights Movement, a struggle for simple decency and common sense.

The story of Birmingham’s role in the long march to civil rights has been told and retold around the world.  With the opening of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in 1993, the city found a place to tell its own story.

Though the events of the 1960s steal the spotlight, the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham and Alabama evolved from a complex history of race relations in the American South.  Richly detailed exhibits in the Institute reveal slices of Black and White life from the late 1800s to the present.  A series of galleries tells the stories of daily life for African Americans in Alabama and the nation and how it differed dramatically from the lives white people of that era took for granted.

The Institute documents the rise of the movement and the succession of events it bore around the nation: the 1955 arrest of Rosa Parks on a Montgomery bus for her refusal to give up her seat to a white man; the U.S. Supreme Court’s bus desegregation ruling in 1956; James Meredith’s 1962 admission to the University of Mississippi.

Just across the street is Birmingham’s most famous civil rights landmark, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.  Though Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was the church that drew worldwide attention, it was Birmingham’s Bethel Baptist Church that is credited with shaping the Civil Rights Movement here.  Civil rights legend, the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, was pastor of Bethel Baptist Church from 1953 until 1961.  The church often served as a gathering place for discussions of civil rights among Blacks, gatherings that angered white supremacists.  In 1958, Bethel Baptist was bombed, though the church was empty at the time.

The bombing cemented Shuttlesworth’s fiery determination to bring Birmingham to the center of the Civil Rights Movement.  His high profile in the movement incited other acts of violence against him.  On Christmas night in 1956, a bomb was planted under the parsonage where he and his family lived.  The blast destroyed the house, blowing up the bed Shuttlesworth occupied.  Miraculously, he walked away from the destroyed parsonage unharmed.

Shuttlesworth later endured vicious beatings while trying to integrate schools, buses, and businesses.  He remained active in the Birmingham struggle even after he moved to Cincinnati in 1961.  A statue of Shuttlesworth at the entrance of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute pays tribute to, some say, an unsung hero and his self-described “agitation for civil rights.”

Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, across from the Civil Rights Institute is designated a National Historic Landmark.  In the basement of the church on a September Sunday morning in 1963, four African American schoolgirls were changing into their choir robes. A bomb set by Ku Klux Klansmen ripped through that side of the church, killing 11-year-old Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Addie Mae Collins, all 14 years old. The bombing shocked and sickened the city and the world and was a turning point in the status of race relations in this country.  (The story of the 16 th Street Baptist Church bombing is told with intensity in filmmaker Spike Lee’s documentary Four Little Girls.)

Adjacent to the Civil Rights Institute, Kelly Ingram Park served as a congregating area for demonstrations in the early 1960s, including the ones in which police dogs and fire hoses were turned on marchers by Birmingham police.  Images of those attacks haunted Birmingham in the decades that followed, but they were the same images that were instrumental in overturning legal segregation.

Dramatic sculptures all around the park vividly depicts the events that took place there in the 1960s.  Among the sculptures are three ministers kneeling in prayer, a tribute to the important role of Black clergy during the movement.  The statue is based on a picture of the late Reverends John T. Porter, A.D. King, and Nelson H. Smith.

Also in the neighborhood is the A.G. Gaston Motel , where the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. regularly stayed in Room 30, meeting there with other civil rights activists to plan the scope of the Birmingham campaign.  Motel owner and Black business magnate A.G. Gaston offered rooms at discounted rates to leaders of the movement.  In 1963, a bomb was detonated below Room 30 causing extensive damage.

The nearby Fourth Avenue Business District remains active with restaurants, barbershops, and bakeries.  This cluster of Black-owned businesses was the core of African American social and commercial life in the early 1900s and later when white-owned shops and stores refused to serve Black customers.  Minority-owned businesses still operate in the district today, serving a steady stream of customers of all races.

These sites together were named a National Monument as one of the final acts by President Barack Obama.  In 2023, Birmingham is recognizing a 60-year anniversary of the momentous events that took place in the city in 1963.

Birmingham Is Not Just What You Saw in History Books

Allow us to show you another side of the greater birmingham area.

Over the past 120 or so years, Birmingham has transformed from a rusty, gritty industrial town to a genuinely sweet place to visit. Known foremost for welcoming our visitors in a way that takes the notion of Southern hospitality to its highest level, Birmingham has become a cosmopolitan city that embraces its southern and industrial roots while offering up fresh new experiences. Let us introduce you to a few of them.

The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum , located on the east side of Birmingham, houses more collectible motorcycles than any other place on the planet. The museum, which houses some 1,600 motorcycles, is situated on a hilltop overlooking a 2.38 mile, 17-turn track that hosts events yearlong including Grand-Am, Pirelli World Challenge, Vintage Racing Series events, AMA SuperBike races, and the IndyCar Series. If you can visit on race weekend, more the better. Or, if you’d prefer, try the Porsche Driving Experience where you can actually take laps on the beautiful Barber track.

No trip to Birmingham would be complete without checking out the big iron man on the mountain. At Vulcan Park & Museum , the statue of Vulcan, Roman God of the Forge, is the largest cast iron statue in the world. Designed by Italian artist Giuseppe Moretti and cast from local iron in 1904, Vulcan has stood atop Red Mountain overlooking the valley in which Birmingham is nestled since the 1930s. The view from his pedestal alone is worth the trip.

If you’re bringing the kids, you’ll want to check out the McWane Science Center . The McWane Center, whose mission is to “spark wonder and curiosity about our world through hands-on science,” has fascinating interactive exhibits as well as an IMAX theatre. It’s well worth the time you’ll spend there.

Alabama Adventure and Splash Adventure is another great way to entertain the kids. Weather permitting, you can enjoy water slides, a wave pool, lazy river, and many other opportunities for fun in the water. Or, if dry entertainment is the order of the day, you can enjoy rides such as The Rampage, a 120-foot high, classic wooden roller coaster, or The Vault, a laser maze challenge.

A visit to the Birmingham Zoo and Birmingham Botanical Gardens makes for an excellent day. The two are conveniently located adjacent to one another – an easy walk made perfectly for a beautiful day. Meet our furry, feathery, and scaly neighbors. Notable personalities you won’t want to miss include Giovanni the seal, Nairi the orangutan, Zuri the giraffe and Bulwagi the African elephant, to name but a few of the characters you’ll be introduced to at the zoo.

Stroll over to the 67-acre Birmingham Botanical Gardens and enjoy a peaceful shaded walk through an incredibly rich floral experience. Be sure to visit the Conservatory and check out the Citrus, Desert, and Tropical Houses, each featuring a flora from unique ecosystems.

If you enjoy all things botanical, you’ll also want to try Aldridge Gardens . This 30-acre woodland garden sports a five-acre lake, walking trails graced with Japanese maples, snowflake hydrangeas (discovered and patented by garden namesake, Eddie Aldridge), outdoor exhibits and enviro-sculptures. Not to miss: the Ken Jackson Collection of Frank Fleming bronze sculptures, the largest such publicly-available collection.

A visit to Birmingham should definitely include an introduction to the industry that built it. And, there’s no better place for a look at Birmingham’s iron and steel history than the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark , a fixture in Birmingham since the 1880s. While the furnaces ceased operation in 1970, you can still wander over the 50-acre site and enjoy either a guided or self-guided tour. Who knows, you might even run into the ghost of James “Slag” Wormwood, the notorious foreman who lost his footing and fell  into a pool of molten iron.

Birmingham offers a number of museum experiences as well. Consider spending several hours at the Birmingham Museum of Art . In addition to frequent traveling exhibits, you will also enjoy the standing collection of more than 27,000 pieces. From there, it’s a short walk along Birmingham’s City Walk (an attraction in and of itself) over to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame , a 33,000 square-foot museum – one of the largest sports halls of fame in the nation – that is home to more than 6,000 pieces of sports memorabilia dating back to the first induction class in 1969.

While we’re on the subject of sports, you may also want to check out the Negro Southern League Museum . Housed in a three-story building adjacent to the Birmingham Barons’ Regions Field , the NSLM celebrates the great African-American baseball players who were part of the Negro Southern League dating back to the 1920s. Back before professional baseball was integrated, the Southern Negro League was a way into the Negro American League and Negro National League for talented young players. Here you can learn about the greats like Satchel Paige, Louis Santop (the first great power hitter in Negro League baseball), and Bullet Joe Rogan, to name but a few. From the NSLM, you may want to head over to America’s oldest ballpark Rickwood Field to enjoy an even richer experience.

Also noteworthy for any visitor to Birmingham (regardless of their golf acumen) is Topgolf. A hybrid of driving range, restaurant, bar, and interactive game, Topgolf is fun for everyone, whether they know the business end of a 3-wood or not.

A more comprehensive list of attractions in the Birmingham area may be found here .

While You’re Stepping Out, You Might Want to Step Out.

You’re coming to a city with more outdoor wonders than you can shake a hiking stick at.

We often hear from first-time visitors that they were amazed at how green it is in and around Birmingham. Right they are. We take great pride in our outdoor spaces. So, when you’re packing, you may want to consider throwing your hiking boots in the suitcase or strapping your mountain bike on the car.

Whether you’re into biking, hiking, water fun, fishing, golf – you name it – we’ve got it going on here in the greater Birmingham area. From serene trails that pass through some of Birmingham’s most interesting historical spaces, to the Cahaba River, richer in terms of biodiversity than all of England, to exquisite golf courses with views that will make you catch your breath, Birmingham has plenty to offer the outdoors enthusiast. Let’s start with parks.

At more than 11,000 acres, Alabama’s largest state park, Oak Mountain State Park , is about a twenty minute drive from downtown Birmingham. There, you can find everything from petting zoos to hiking and biking trails, to lakes and waterfalls. The recent addition of an Aquapark and cable wakeboard course have taken summertime at the park to a whole new level.

Also close to the city center you’ll find Red Mountain Park and Ruffner Mountain . Red Mountain Park features 16 miles of multi-use trails that meander through some 1,500 wooded acres, three tree houses with incredible views, a six-acre off-leash dog park, and the remnants of iron ore mines and ore processing facilities that date back to the 1800s.

Ruffner Mountain is also built on old mining lands. Views from the trail that circles the old limestone quarry alone are worth the walk. Deep in the heart of the park you’ll encounter old mine entrances, ore crushers, and the remnants of the railroad that carried iron ore and limestone into the iron mills in town.

South of the city in the community of Hoover, you will find the Moss Rock Preserve . At almost 350 acres, Moss Rock features trails, waterfalls, and outcroppings of stone that attract a huge number of rock climbers. After wandering through the preserve you’ll want to check out the small village nestled at its southeast border where you’ll find food and drink options along with other retail businesses.

Birmingham has also embarked on an ambitious project to connect the city and all of its surroundings via the Red Rock Trail System . Currently, 125 miles of trail connect urban walking trails with beautiful parks and wooded trails. One such trail, the Jones Valley Trail connects Birmingham from east to west and passes within blocks of almost every craft brewery in town. At the west end, you’ll find Railroad Park and Regions Field . At the east end you find yourself in the hip little community of Avondale. Not to miss: the Rotary Trail which passes through an abandoned railroad cut through downtown, and the Sunrise Rotary Plaza featuring a dramatic sculpture by renowned local artist, Deedee Morrison. The Kiwanis Vulcan Walking Trail , a four-mile out-and-back walk is also worth the visit. Above you the iron man, Vulcan, himself looks over you as you enjoy dramatic views of the city below.

Birmingham’s city parks are amazing in their own right. Down in the Civil Rights district, Kelly Ingram Park serves as a sobering reminder of hard-won freedom. The aforementioned Railroad Park , on the other hand, provides 19 acres of gentle city park terrain with ponds and playgrounds. Avondale Park , one of the oldest in the city, features baseball and softball fields, a spring-fed pond frequented by many waterfowl species, and the stone structures that used to be part of the zoo located there in the early 1900s.

These are but a few of the many parks, trails, and wild spaces that dot the landscape in and around the greater Birmingham area, offering ample opportunity for visitors to stretch their legs and commune with nature.

When You Visit, Bring Your Sticks

We’ve got some of the finest golf courses in the country.

Birmingham is graced with moderate weather for much of the year, which makes it an excellent golf destination. With courses ranging from the highly rated Limestone Springs course to the gorgeous Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail courses at Oxmoor Valley and Ross Bridge , the beautiful pine-wooded course at Oak Mountain State Park , and the city’s oldest municipal course at Highland Park , you can almost always find a tee time on any one of the 17 or so courses that surround the city. And, if weather becomes an issue, there’s always Topgolf where hitting golf balls and enjoying excellent food and drink come together for year-round entertainment, rain or shine and regardless of skill level.

Put on Your Shopping Shoes

Birmingham’s rich shopping scene will have you getting your steps in.

When The Summit was first built in 1997 it was the first of what would become known as lifestyle centers. Open air, fashionable anchor stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Belk, restaurants such as P.F. Chang’s and Chuy’s , boutiques and makeup stores, outdoor outfitters like Orvis, Mountain High Outfitters, and REI, you name it, you can find it at The Summit.

That said, if your tastes run more to a more personal shopping experience, you’ll want to wander through some of our more tony shopping villages such as Mountain Brook Village, English Village, and Crestline where you’ll find exquisite little boutiques such as Brogue & Cuff and ETC.   guaranteed to meet the expectations of even the most refined tastes.

Birmingham is also home to a number of eclectic shopping experiences. In the ascendant neighborhood of Woodlawn you’ll find hip little shops such as Club Duquette , known for comfortable but stylish clothing, supplies for easy living, and a vibe that’s all its own. In Lakeview you’ll want to check out Billy Reid ’s place (he is, after all, Alabama’s most famous fashion designer), the Stone Hollow Farmstead where you’ll find turmeric vinegar, apple butter and other delights, and Design Supply – 9,000 square feet of abstracts and chic tabletop accessories.

In Avondale , check out Ore Mercantile for hip clothes and accessories as well as a first-rate deli. In Forest Park , you’ll want to visit Shoppe and General . Shoppe offers up plants and gardening supplies while General serves up art books and beautiful flea market finds as well as a mean pimento cheese sandwich.

No trip would be complete without losing a good hour or so in Jim Reed’s Books & the Museum of Fond Memories . Looking for a hard-to-find book? Jim’s probably got it. If not, he can find it. And his place is simply fascinating. If books are your thing, you can also hoof it over to Alabama Booksmith in Homewood where every volume is a signed edition. And the owner, Jake Reiss, is masterful at sussing out delicious gifts in the form of autographed books.

If you’re into architectural items and antiques, Birmingham has the goods. At Architectural Heritage , you can find Italian marble mantels and copper chimney pots. At the Antique Market on Linden , you’ll stumble across a truly random selection of everything from a carved figurehead from a Spanish galleon to vintage barware.

Just south of Birmingham in the Vestavia community, you’ll discover some interesting shopping spots as well. From Learning Express Toys – a rare neighborhood toy store, to Manhattan South – a contemporary boutique that marries up West Coast styles with a truly personal level of customer service, to Annabelle’s – a delightful stationery and gift shop, you’ll find just about anything your heart desires.

From established purveyors to hidden gems, the greater Birmingham area is a truly delightful place to shop.

Prepare to Kick Up Your Heels

When it comes to emerging music and excellent venues, birmingham rocks.

People don’t necessarily think of Birmingham first when they think of music, but we’re here to tell you that perhaps they should. Birmingham has become somewhat of an incubator for new and interesting music. Birmingham has spawned a broad range of music from the powerful soul of St. Paul and the Broken Bones , to singer songwriters such as Rebecca Egeland , Love Moor , and Kyle Kimbrell , to rock ’n’ roll groups like Heath Green and the Makeshifters , Holy Youth , and Alabama Rose . And, with venues like Oak Mountain Amphitheater , Iron City , WorkPlay , Saturn , and Zydeco , you’ll find acts from all over the country stopping in to make music.

Any musical discussion of Birmingham would be incomplete without mentioning Oasis . This classic rock ’n’ roll dive offers up heaps of ambiance, live music, and a full bar. You can also find that authentic feeling of a down-and-dirty music venue at the old standby, The Nick .

Parting Thoughts

We hope you’ve enjoyed this overview of things to do here in the greater Birmingham area. There’s plenty more than we’re able to convey here. We recommend you spend some time on our site if you’d like more in-depth information about any of these wonderful experiences.

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15 ICONIC PLACES TO EAT IN MOBILE, AL

Chris Andrews | March 8,2021

Mobile has an abundance of great restaurants and many of those have stood the test of time. Despite changing food trends, world wars, culture wars, pandemics, and new restaurants popping up all over town, these 15 places to eat have solidified their mark on Mobile’s food scene.

(For this list, iconic is labeled as any restaurant or place to eat that has been open for 25 years.)

1. Three George’s Candy Shop

Started by three Greek immigrants all named George, Three George’s has been serving chocolates, candy, milkshakes, and sandwiches in downtown Mobile since 1917! Enjoy chocolate from century old recipes that have been carefully handed down through the years.

2. Pollman’s Bakery

Pollman’s Bakery has been family owned and operated in Mobile since 1918. Known for their king cakes, brownies and chocolate dobash cakes they also serve po-boys and Cuban sandwiches.

3. Morisson’s Cafeteria 

Dating back to 1920, Mobile’s oldest restaurant is Morisson’s. Generations of Mobilians can still remember the white table cloths of their downtown location. The cafeteria continues to serve home style cooked dishes at their Springdale location.

4. Dew Drop Inn 

The Dew Drop Inn has been serving hot dogs to hungry guests for so long that the hot dog was a novelty food when they opened in 1924. No visit to Mobile is complete without a stop for a Dew Drop Dog.

5. Wintzell’s Oyster House

Wintzells Oyster House is the iconic restaurant of downtown Mobile. Started as a six stool oyster bar on Dauphin St, “Fried, stewed, or nude”, Mobilians have enjoyed fresh, Gulf oysters here since 1938.

6. Callaghan’s Irish Social Club

Callaghan’s has been open in the historic Oakleigh Garden District since 1946. Callaghan’s consistently holds the prize for the “Best Burger in Alabama” they’ve also been named the “Best Bar in America”.

7. Bayley’s Restaurant 

Bill Bayley traveled the world before coming home to Mobile where he started Bayley’s Restaurant in 1947. Bayley’s is the original home of the West Indies Salad and fried crab claws.

8. A&M Peanut Shop

Generations of Mobilians have enjoyed the hot, roasted peanuts from the A&M Peanut Shop.  The 120 year old peanut roaster fills the streets of Mobile with that delicious aroma. Their iconic downtown location has been the perfect stop for an afternoon snack since 1947.

9. Roshell’s Cafe & Deli

Roshell’s Cafe has been located on Spring Hill Ave. in Crichton since the 1950’s when it was opened as Mac’s Drive In. The steer burger and fresh seafood have made Roshell’s a lunchtime favorite for many decades.

10. Dick Russell’s BBQ

Dick Russell’s has been operating in Mobile since 1954. Many people come for the BBQ, steaks and seafood. Mobilians will tell you most about their breakfast and made from scratch biscuits.

11. BLUEGILL Restaurant 

Home on the Causeway since 1958, the Bluegill has become a landmark with their Flamin’ Oysters, live music, and some of the best views in Mobile.

12. Cammie’s Old Dutch Ice Cream Shoppe

Since 1969, all ages of Mobilians have enjoyed the delicious homemade ice cream from Old Dutch. The retro environment adds the perfect touch to this Mobile landmark.

13. The Mariner Restaurant 

Situated on Dog River overlooking Mobile Bay, the Mariner has been a staple of Mobile since 1978. Locals will tell you the Mariner has some of best fried crab claws you will find anywhere. Don’t miss the incredible sunset views over the marina.

14. Butch Cassidy’s Cafe

Home of the “Soon to be Famous Butch Burger”, Butch Cassidy’s has been a midtown favorite for almost 30 years. Butch Cassidy’s serves some of the best burgers and wings you’ll find anywhere in Mobile.

15. Big Time Diner

Located in west Mobile, Big Time Diner has been serving home cooked meals for 25 years. Get the blue plate special with homemade cornbread. The menu is full of “Old Mobile” recipes handed down through the years.

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Get your tastebuds ready for Mobile’s signature food tour! Taste iconic Gulf Coast dishes at some of the most popular eateries while learning about the fascinating history of the area.

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Taste your way through the oldest city in Alabama. This experience brings together classic Gulf Coast dishes, incredible scenery, and a lot of fun!

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16 Great Places to Eat or Drink in Montgomery Alabama

I had a chance to experience the food scene in Montgomery Alabama on a recent press trip to the city. While you can still find Southern favorites, I found a food scene that offered more variety and some great options in both food and drink.

Central is, as the name says, centrally located (129 Coosa Street) in the heart of downtown, just around the corner from the new Legacy Museum  and just across the street from the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center . More importantly, this is the top-rated restaurant in Montgomery according to TripAdvisor … and me, although granted my experience is less extensive.

We started our dinner with the charcuterie board with a variety of “local and domestic cheeses, smoked meats, fresh and dried fruits, seasonal preserves and house-made breads”. I must admit that I had never seen pickled okra before, but I have never met a pickle I didn’t like.

Central has a  seasonal menu changing roughly 4 times a year. The menu does feature a few dishes like the “bricked chicken” all year round. After tasting this dish, I suspect there would be quite an uproar if it came and went with the vagaries of the season.

The Spring menu also offered a local catch, salmon, and steak. The menu only had 8 entrees but everyone was quite pleased with what they ordered.

Cahawba House

We had breakfast ( breakfast menu ) at Cahawba House (3506, 31 S Court St) which features “Bama Bona-fide Southern Cuisine”. We had a simple breakfast of fresh biscuits with a variety of jams including some spice jalapeño options. We had sides of bacon and also of a local Conecuh sausage . While you can never go wrong with bacon, the sausage will make you want to jump in the car and drive down to Evergreen, Alabama where it is made. Fortunately, Conecuh sausage is available widely locally and via the internet.

Cahawba House is named after the city of Cahawba which was the first permanent state capital of Alabama from 1820 to 1825.

They also serve lunch ( lunch menu ). The lunch menu features a variety of sandwiches and the classic southern “meat and three”. A meat and three is a meat of your choice and 3 sides.

Capitol Oyster Bar

We had lunch at the Capitol Oyster Bar which claims to be Montgomery, Alabama’s best seafood restaurant. This place is a dive… and I mean that in the best possible way because I love a good dive. It is near the river in the middle of nowhere ( 617 Shady Street ). It has a great deck looking out on the river.

This is not a restaurant you go to because you happen to be walking by. It is a local favorite for its seafood and for its live music in the evenings. They serve both lunch (lunch menu) and dinner (dinner menu). Our party ordered lots of oysters and fried blue crab claws. I had a Fried Shrimp Po-Boy, because well… they had po-boys.

Vintage Year

We had dinner at Vintage Year (405 Cloverdale Road) which is an upscale restaurant in the Garden District near Alabama State University. If the name sounds more like a wine shop that’s because that is exactly how Vintage Year got its start. It was Montgomery’s only specialty wine shop when it started in 1984. They started serving gourmet lunches to go with the wine and then later morphed into a sit-down restaurant.

They serve dinner and Sunday brunch ( menu ). The menu is a collection of meat, fish, and pasta, all well presented and tasty. Vintage Year also has a full bar with a selection of specialty cocktails.

They are also known for their burgers, which is what I had. Tuesday night is Burger night at Vintage Year.

More Burgers

Other spots that were recommended to me by locals to find the best burgers in town would include  Hamburger King (547 S Decatur St) and  Vicky’s Lunch Van (2520 Fairground Rd) which is not a van anymore.

Vintage Café

Right across the street from Vintage Year is Vintage Café (416 Cloverdale Rd) which is a coffee shop opened by the Vintage Year owners that serves breakfast ( breakfast and beverage menu ) and lunch ( lunch menu) .

The building is a converted bank building that still has a working drive-up ATM , in addition, to drive-up coffee. I love the fact that the main counter is the faces of safe deposit boxes. The office is in the old vault .

Derk’s Filet & Vine

A stone’s throw from Vintage Café is Derk’s Filet & Vine (431 Cloverdale Rd) which is a Market, BottleShop and Deli. We were scheduled to have lunch there ( deli menu ) to try their deli’ sandwiches but sometimes in a press trip schedule something just has to give and this was it. Next time I am in town I have to get back there to try Dante’s barbeque sandwich (“smoked in-house & chopped”).

One of the prettiest settings for a light lunch in Montgomery is the M Cafe at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. They serve lunch and Saturday brunch. This is a quiche of the day, salad and sandwich kind of place.

Prevail Union

We fueled up the coffee drinkers at Prevail Union (39 Dexter Avenue), which is downtown next to the revitalized Kress building. Food and Wine Magazine named this as the best coffee in the state of Alabama.

Common Bond Brewers

If you are more in the mood for a local beer then let me steer you to Common Bond Brewers (424 Bibb Street) which is located downtown in an old stable house for horse-drawn carriages.

The craft beer scene is only lately coming to Alabama because of some weird laws that are still in the process of being relaxed. If anyone will convince the legislators of Alabama of the benefit of craft beer it could be the capitol’s Common Bond. During our visit they were offering 4 flagship beers plus a few specials:

• an American pale ale
• an American blonde ale
• an American rye amber ale

Andrew McNally and Tim Doles opened Common Bond in April 2018, only a month before our visit. At the time of our visit, it was the city’s only production brewery. McNally is a chemist turned brewmaster who would travel to different regions just to try the beer. His inspiration for the beer he is making at Common Bond includes Dogfish Head out of Delaware.

If you want some pizza with that beer then you should know that one of Montgomery’s best pizza places is next door to Common Bond, the Bibb Street Pizza Company . (Also in competition for best pizza according to the locals I talked to are  Tomatino’s Pizza and Bake Shop in Cloverdale (1036 E Fairview Ave) and Mid Town pizza (2940 Zelda Road).)

Leroy Lounge

For a  cocktail menu and 18 beers on tap, the Leroy Lounge (2752 Boultier Avenue) offers a throwback bar kind of experience.

Aviator Bar

For a downtown themed bar, nothing celebrates the aviation history of Montgomery quite like getting a drink at the Aviator Bar (166 Commerce St). Montgomery was, after all, the first city where the Wright Brothers opened a flight school and it is still the home of Maxwell Air Force Base.

Whether you are eating a meat and three or a local sausage or chicken with smoked gnocchi or a po’ boy or a slice of pizza and a locally brewed beer, Montgomery can and will please your palate.

What is your favorite place to eat in Montgomery?

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by Chris Christensen

+Chris Christensen | @chris2x | facebook

6 Responses to “16 Great Places to Eat or Drink in Montgomery Alabama”

William Graham

Great choices! One very, very minor correction: Vintage Year is in Old Cloverdale. The Garden District starts one block West.

Thanks, I could not tell from my notes and stared at a map to try and figure out which neighborhood it was in. I needed a map with actual neighborhood boundaries but I did not find one.

So glad you enjoyed your stay in the gump!

It makes me so happy you came to my neck of the woods and wrote about our city. Will be waiting for your return.

Glad u enjoyed Montgomery. Next visit make sure to stop by El Rey Burrito Lounge!

Chris Christensen

You had me at burrito.

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Tags: alabama , article , food , Montgomery , restaurant

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How Auburn, Alabama, Is Creating A Winning Food Scene–Here's Why You Should Visit Now

Built on football, this SEC stronghold is quickly becoming a culinary powerhouse.

• Rising to the Challenge

Humble Beginnings

• The New Outpaces the Old

International Appeal

Future fame, rising to the challenge.

Not so long ago, Auburn, Alabama, wasn't high on anyone's list of food cities, even though its deep agricultural roots gave it plenty of fertile ground for farm-to-table cooking. Making a change meant plowing under a student-first model, heavy on fast food, and planting seeds for a well-rounded culinary landscape. Now the community honors homegrown produce from Alabama farmers and fresh seafood from the Gulf while embracing the cuisines of international transplants who've found a home here.

The secret to Auburn's transformation can be found in the community's mantra: A rising tide lifts all boats. You will hear it repeated in conversation after conversation with the restaurateurs and chefs of Auburn's most successful enterprises.

But would that sentiment hold when push came to shove? The push came in 2020, when COVID-19 forced temporary closures, but the reaction from the restaurant community was far from a shove. Instead of jockeying for position amid a dwindling audience, owners banded together, sharing their survival strategies and organizing meals for health-care workers.

That spirit of togetherness has allowed Auburn to triple its number of restaurants and add several chefs with local ties to the list of James Beard Award nominees and semifinalists. Yes, you will still find your fair share of chicken-tender joints, but you're just as likely to discover slow-simmered pho, Texas-style brisket, and hand-stuffed bao. With the debut of Auburn University's multidisciplinary, world-class culinary school in the fall of 2022, it seems the town's culinary scene has many more wins to come.

It's impossible to tell the story of Auburn food without David Bancroft. In 2004 as a college senior, he dipped his toe into the culinary arts as a prep cook at Amsterdam Cafe . A little over a year later, he dove in completely and became the restaurant's executive chef. Over the next six years, he breathed new life into the restaurant, introducing the creative farm-to-table cuisine that he's known for today. Locals came out in droves for his specials featuring ostrich and emu paired with fresh produce he planted just outside the restaurant's back doors. Prior to Bancroft's tenure at Amsterdam Cafe, it had also served as an incubator for future James Beard Award alums and Birmingham chefs Rob McDaniel (Helen) and Adam Evans ( Automatic Seafood and Oysters ).

By the time Bancroft, now a four-time James Beard Award semifinalist and Iron Chef Showdown winner, opened Acre on an acre of land in the historic downtown section of the city, the community was ready for the revolution he brought with instant classics like chicken-fried bacon and spiced Gulf red snapper served with apple-radish-fennel slaw and collard green spaetzle.

With its commitment to local purveyors, an impressive in-house charcuterie program, and a genetic clone of a Toomer's Corner oak tree planted out front, Acre is about as Auburn as it gets. Melding innovation with tradition, it's a microcosm of the greater Auburn-Opelika food community, where the nostalgia of fresh-squeezed lemonade, soft serve, and chili dogs from Toomer's Drugs and Mrs. Story's Dairy Bar coexists with contemporary fine dining and fast-casual fusion.

The New Outpaces The Old

Lisa van der Reijden opened the modern American eatery Lucy's in 2018 but says the light and bright California-style bistro wouldn't exist without Bancroft's trailblazing. Auburn simply wasn't ready for a sumac-roasted cauliflower entrée or an entire menu dedicated to internationally inspired gin and tonics. Van der Reijden says, "Chef David definitely laid the foundation, and we're all building upon it."

If she's a fan of Bancroft, the admiration is mutual. He contends that Lucy's offers the "best brunch on the face of the earth," admitting that even his kids prefer Lucy's giant pancakes to his own.

Van der Reijden remembers a time when she and her husband, Hans—another key player in Auburn's culinary scene—regularly drove to Montgomery for espresso because there was none to be found in town. Now Lucy's serves a house roast locally sourced from Mama Mocha's Coffee Roastery .

Joining Lucy's among the next generation of Auburn favorites is The Depot , a train station turned seafood brasserie that serves everything from briny oysters to buttery Maine lobster, and its landlocked counterpart The Hound , with its lodge-style dining room where bacon and bourbon rule. Order the Pail-O-Pork Rinds or their famous meatloaf made with two types of bacon.

Some other new spots to check out include Bow & Arrow (a second venture from Bancroft with a large menu that's inspired by the fusion cultures of his South Texas childhood) and Hawaiian-born chef Torrey Hall's Sword + Skillet , an upscale coastal food truck parked permanently at hip mixed-use development Midtown Auburn .

At Bow & Arrow, you'll find slow-smoked brisket and a jalapeño-Cheddar sausage commingling with borracho beans, fresh-made flour tortillas, and creamy enchiladas. Chef Hall uses Sword + Skillet to share his passion for Pacific cuisine, with Baja mahi-mahi tacos as well as his signature filet mignon sliders.

There are far fewer than six degrees of separation among the members of Auburn's food family. Hall's wife is a first cousin to Whitley Dykes. Dykes and his wife, Kunyu Li, own The Irritable Bao , a Chinese dumpling-and-bao restaurant that swiftly achieved legendary status.

The Irritable Bao started as the food truck Dumps Like a Truck in 2017. Dykes and Li, who met and married in Li's native China, initially opened the truck attempting to create a sense of home for the international-student population Dykes worked with at Auburn Global (a university program aimed at helping ease the transition for students from abroad). The couple quickly realized that their pillow-like bao and tongue-in-cheek puns had much wider appeal.

"The fact that the lines went down the street—that was mind-blowing," Dykes says. "I never anticipated that, and now it's so customary that when it doesn't happen, I'm like 'Where is everyone?' "

Dykes credits much of The Irritable Bao's success to support from the area's restaurant community. Taqueria Durango , a street-style taco truck, kicked off the kindness by sharing their commissary kitchen with the newly opened truck. Then the Bancrofts came knocking.

"David and his wife, Christin, reached out to us and asked if we wanted to park outside their restaurant to serve our food on a day when they weren't even open," Dykes remembers. "They let our customers come into their restaurant and eat, and then they had their staff bus and clean everything. The level of kindness and humility that took was pretty special."

As The Irritable Bao grows its dedicated following with favorites like the Buffalo chicken bao and pork-and-cabbage wontons in homemade chili oil, they have committed to carrying the torch of camaraderie that Dykes says Bancroft lit so many years ago.

Case in point: The Irritable Bao's "collabaorations" feature a variety of bao fillings from other local eateries like chicken tikka masala from Good Karma and Bolognese from Ariccia Cucina Italiana , an Italian place where you can order the Porchetta di Ariccia. Former chef Miguel Figueroa traveled all the way to porchetta's birthplace—the town in Italy for which the restaurant is named—to learn the secrets of the slow-roasted pork dish. His version is one of the Alabama Tourism Department's "100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama ." Now Ariccia Cucina Italiana is helmed by chef Marc Osier and continues to turn out fantastic Italian cuisine.

To complete the Auburn restaurant tour, stop by Pho Lee for Vietnamese cuisine. Then visit chef Phounsavan Malavong at Savanh Thai Kitchen to try her drunken noodles and Prik Pao.

In the symbiotic relationship between college and city, Auburn University's Hospitality Management Program stands out. When the Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center opened last fall, it represented both the literal and figurative intersection of campus and community. Continuing the university's long-standing relationship with Ithaka Hospitality Partners, the management group behind The Hotel at Auburn University, the Rane Center takes the hands-on teaching model at the hotel and kicks it up a few hundred notches.

More than 12 years ago, Ithaka Hospitality Partners CEO Hans van der Reijden launched this landmark project with discovery visits to some of the world's top culinary programs. "We saw excellence [everywhere] but only in one singular lane," he explains. "What we [did] was take all of these individual components and build a program where we could get everything that touches hospitality but do it at the highest level."

The 142,000-square-foot complex now houses The Laurel, a luxury boutique hotel with an open-to-the-public spa and rooftop bar. Also under its umbrella is a coffee roastery and cafe, along with a microbrewery and tasting room, laboratories focused on distilled spirits and wine appreciation, a culinary-exhibition laboratory, media studio, and a food hall called Hey Day Market . Its crowning glory is 1856 , a teaching restaurant that features a new dining concept each year from a nationally acclaimed chef in residence. This year's chef in residence is acclaimed chef and restaurateur Ford Fry, who has been named a semifinalist for a James Beard Award five times over.

A real game changer for students, the new center also serves the Auburn neighborhood at large. Locals and visitors have access to the food hall's 8 to 10 concepts, including one serving Malaysian street noodles and another specializing in Parisian crêpes. Meanwhile, 1856 offers an affordable high-end tasting menu, and the center hosts regular events like cooking classes, afternoon tea, holiday meals, and even a summer chef series featuring menus dreamed up by visiting chefs. Special Epicurean Experience weekends invite foodies to fully immerse themselves in all the center has to offer with a package that includes a room at the Laurel, cooking demonstrations, wine education and tastings, a welcome reception, farewell brunch, and full tasting menu dinner at 1856.

Van der Reijden says culinary centers inherently accelerate restaurant scenes both by attracting talent and building excitement for food. However, the real magic happens years later. "You'll start seeing graduates fly out, make names for themselves and then return home to open restaurants. You bring the world to them, and then they can, in turn, bring it back to Auburn," he says.

Related Articles

We’re Trying 26 New Restaurants in 2023

Are you a foodie looking to explore new culinary horizons? Look no further than Alabama’s Gulf Coast, where you’ll find a diverse array of delicious restaurants serving up everything from fresh seafood to Southern comfort food.

In 2023, we’ll take you on a culinary tour of the Gulf Coast, highlighting some of the best restaurants and dishes the region offers.

So, our family was chatting about fun ideas for the New Year and…

We said, “hey, what if we tested out a restaurant each week that we’ve never been to?!?” (we’re looking to expand our horizons a bit)

We don’t eat out a ton, and when we do, we typically go to our favorites (we’ll leave them unnamed here for the sake of this project).

So, we’re doing it. This post will grow throughout 2023 as we add the new restaurants we try.

Article Breakdown

• We are eating our way through the alphabet. So at the end of the year, our goal is to have tried 26 new restaurants.
• We’re willing to drive up to 45 minutes from our home in the, located in the center of Mobile. (we might have to adjust this for certain letters — time will tell).
• Most restaurants will be affordable enough that ‘Joe and Sally’ can go eat on their family night out.

Looking forward to breaking bread with my family. Let’s Eat!

A is for… Azteca’s

Yes, I know, I can hear it now. “You guys have never been to Azteca’s?”

Surprisingly, no.

But dang, it was a really cool Mexican restaurant – the atmosphere was great – and we enjoyed the tunes (part of our fun).

I mean, have you ever had a ‘flowering’ avocado?

Me neither. Azteca’s scores a 5/5 tacos 🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮(*not a real scoring system…)

B is for… Big Bad Breakfast

Every time we drive by, the place is hopping (especially over the weekend).

The first place I’ve been to in a while where your ‘side’ can be a giant pancake.

We’ll be back for sure.

It gets a solid pancake rating🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞

We just recently added Big Bad Breakfast to our top brunch spots.

C is for… Catalina Restaurant

Catalina is in Bayou La Batre. We had heard good things about it, so we were willing to take a bit of a drive (and on a foggy night!) It didn’t disappoint.

One of my goals is to try new things, but… I always like to test out PoBoy’s when I go to seafood restaurants. How else can I compare restaurants if I don’t do this?

It was solid. Our table was raving about the freshness.

Crab Rating is off the charts 🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀

D is for… Debris

We’ve wanted to try Debris since it opened. In its previous location was a local bar called Boo Radley’s (the only bar I ever recall selling bottles of Boone’s Farm). If you visit Debris, you’ll even notice a bit of homage paid to ole’ Boo.

I’m a big fan of Poboys. The plan is to try new things, so I went with the Pistolette. The Pisto-what?

This was a deep-fried piece of tasty bread with crawfish and cream sauce inside.

Totally worth the calories.

E is for… El Milagro y Taqueria y Pupuseria

Thanks for the recommendation, guys! We enjoyed testing this one out. “Try some pupusas” is what I was told. Pup-who? One of my goals is to also try new food items in addition to the new restaurants.

They were awesome. Like a fried pancake stuffed with meat and goodness. Just a heads up. If you order water, it will come in a bottle and be $0.99 Some may not like that, but I thought it was fun. It felt authentic – like I was a traveler. And the music was authentic as well!

We ordered, and I swear it wasn’t 5-7 minutes, and we had food on our table. Great experience!

F is for… Front Yard Tacos

We kept hearing about this spot. “Man, have you tried Front Yard Tacos? It’s the perfect spot for some breakfast tacos.”

We finally got our chance to give it a shot.

It’s downtown, connected to Nova Espresso in its (you guessed it) front yard.

I had the Breakydilla. Somehow they managed to get both sweet and spice in this thing. I’m a sucker for multi-flavor food.

And nice that you can snag a coffee while you’re there. We’ll definitely be back!

G is for… Grace on Dauphin

As soon as the city ordinance passed allowing for rooftop restaurants and bars, we (luckily) had a few quickly spring up.

Grace on Dauphin is one of those, and it’s been on our list to check out.

The day we visited for lunch, they had just installed these awesome umbrellas. Perfect!

I had the mother clucker chicken sandwich. And man, it was mother cluckin’ good! 🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔

We’ll be back for date night for sure.

H is for… Hammered Cow

Get more photos and check out the full experience here!

I is for… Iron Hand Brewing

Check out the full experience with photos here.

J is for… Jerusalem Cafe

K is for… Koma Bistro

Check out our full eating experience here .

L is for… Las Floriditas

Check out our full eating experience and more photos here.

M is for… Market By The Bay

N is for… Nino’s Pizza

O is for… Osaka Steakhouse – Hibachi & Sushi

Here’s our full experience.

P is for… Poke Bowl + Pizzeria Delphina

Q is for… Quickly Asian Fusion Cafe

R is for… Reney’s Honey Butter

S is for… Slurp Society

T is for… Trellis Room Restaurant (& Taste of Fairhope Food Tour)

U is for… ???

V is for… vandals street kitchen.

W is for… Wet Willie’s AND Wasabi Sushi & Noodles

Disclosure:  this article might contain affiliate links. This means we will make a commission if you purchase using our link. You get the same price whether you use our special link or not, and sometimes we’re able to get you an even better deal through our relationships!  More info in our  privacy policy .

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Dine With Wildlife At This One-Of-A-Kind Wild Game Restaurant In Alabama

Jennifer Young

More by this Author

Alabama boasts a variety of restaurants, many of which offer more than just delicious food. One such restaurant is Bama Bucks. Bama Bucks is more than just a restaurant. It’s an experience, and you can learn all about it below.

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Rattlesnake Saloon Just Might Have The Wackiest Menu In All Of Alabama But It's Amazing

This One Of A Kind Library Restaurant In Alabama Is A Book Lover's Dream Come True

Have you ever eaten at Bama Bucks? If so, please share your experience with us in the comments below.

Another Alabama restaurant that offers a unique dining experience is the Rattlesnake Saloon. For information, be sure to take a look at the following article: There’s No Restaurant In The World Like This One In Alabama .

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Discover the best that Southern USA has to offer! Hidden gems, vibrant cities and more!

15 Best Restaurants In Montgomery AL You Must Try

March 30, 2021 //  by  Southern Trippers

Are you looking for a list of the best places to eat in Montgomery? We have you covered with the best restaurants in Montgomery Alabama you must try!

Montgomery is a southern town that plays a vital roll in the Civil Rights Movement, whether you are visiting Rosa Parks Library , visiting one of the National Parks or State Parks you are sure to work up an appetite. The food scene in Montgomery has transformed and revitalized the downtown area near the riverfront and led to a variety of southern cuisine being celebrated.

From fresh caught seafood restaurants, authentic Italian restaurants, southern homestyle breakfast and brunch spots, amazing Asian cuisines such as Japanese and Chinese, bbq, upscale American dining, Mexican, grills and more there is something for everyones tastes in Montgomery.

Capitol Oyster Bar

Located on the Alabama River the Capitol Oyster Bar is the perfect place to dine when looking for restaurants in Montgomery with ambience. With outdoor dining on the deck, live Blues music and some of the best seafood in Montgomery this is the perfect place to head for an afternoon or evening! They even offer pontoon boat rentals for before or after your meal for you to explore the river.

They are known as the name suggests for the fresh raw oysters and fried blue craw claws. From the steamer you can order oysters, crab claws, seasoned shrimp, peeled royal red shrimp, and alaskan snow crab legs by the pound. Dinner platters such as fried shrimp, scallops, catfish and chicken tends, or frog legs, oyster and ribeye served with two sides and hush puppies.

Asia Bistro & Seafood

Asia Bistro and Seafood is a great option if looking for authentic Chinese and Asian food! Open daily from 11 am to 10:30 pm. You can find all you favorites such as egg rolls, wontons, dumplings, soups such as wonton, hot and sour and egg drop as well as Thai soups like Tom Yum.

Vegetarian dishes like Chinese mixed vegetables and hot and spicy tofu are offered. All your typical Chinese dishes like Sesame, Honey, Kung Pao and Sweet and Sour Chicken as well as Beef and Broccoli, Hunan Beef, Moo Shu Pork, Veggie Fried or Tofu Fried Rice, Pork Fried rice, Chicken Lo Mein and more!

Central Restaurant

Central Restaurant is one of the upscale downtown Montgomery restaurants that is locally owned and sources its ingredients locally. It has been rated one of the best restaurants in the area and prides itself on being. acasual upscale dining experience and even offers private dining rooms for those celebrating special occasions with friends and family or work events.

The menu does change seasonally based on the ingredients and menu items are meant to be shared tapas style. Try the Cheddar Pimento Cheese flatbread, deviled crab cigar, wood fired oysters, Central’s Charcuterie board, winter apple and Pig Salad, Alabama Gulf Fried rice, Cedar Plank Salmon, Sunday Sauce with braised Short Rib, NY strip and Roasted Half chicken. For dessert try the the eggnog creme brulee, Sweet potato cheesecake, Jake’s Mile high lemon Meringue and applewood smoked bacon and apple fritters!

Sushi Cafe is located in the Zelda shopping plaza and where Chef Daniel Lee aims to wow diners with Japanese cuisine, sushi and more. The interior of the restaurants transports diners back to Tokyo, a new location will be opening in The Shops of Peppertree. The hours for lunch are Monday to Friday from 11 am to 2:15 pm and dinner Monday to Saturday 5 pm to 9 pm.

The sushi rolls are beautifully presented with unique choices. Try the Daniel Special roll with shrimp tempura along with cooked shrimp, scallops and crab meat, the Dragon Lady roll, Texas roll and Cilantro roll. Also offered is Tempura, Teriyaki dinner bowls served with salad and miso soup as well as veggies and fried or steamed rice.

If you are looking for places to eat in Montgomery that serve seafood in a casual setting head to The Wharf! Their motto is the “Coast is Here”. There are two locations in Montgomery one on Atlanta Highway and one in Eastchase. The restaurant chain was founded by the Dugger Family in Tallahassee and has now franchised to several other cities.

First on the menu you will find salads like the Southern Louie with shrimp tossed in a housemade sauce served over romaine lettuce with pecans and tomatoes, chopped shrimp boat with blue cheese and the seafood gumbo. To Po Boys with your choice of grouper, shrimp, oyster, mahi, crispy chicken or Fried green tomatoes. To burgers and crab cake sandwiches and even tacos. From Baja shrimp, spicy Wharf shrimp to grouper and Mediterranean Mahi.

Vintage Year

Since 1984, Vintage Year has been a favorite of the Montgomery dining scene. Known for sourcing some fo the freshest seafood, award winning burgers, an amazing wine menu, and delicious steaks the atmosphere and food are equally matched. Come by Tuesdays for burger night along with $5 wine and drafts!

On the menu you will find oysters on the half shell, rosemary dumpling soup with 6 root vegetables, seafood Dynamite with Gulf shrimp, scallops, oysters, and more. Moving on to mains you can order the market catch of the day, a Black Angus filet with duck fat roasted potatoes and baby turnips, Chicken and Dumplings, Vintage pasta with caramelized onions, kale and goat cheese, or the VY burger made with Alabama wagyu beef! Additional sides such as butternut squash with honey, shallot roasted potatoes and mac n’ cheese can be added.

Don’t forget to order one of the craft cocktails. Try the Alabama Sazerac with Alabama Whiskey, a Fall Fashion with double oak bourbon, a Tea-Tini with gin and early grey tea or one of the wines off the extensive wine menu! You can also bring your own bottle for a $25 corking fee.

Sa-Za is one of the downtown Montgomery restaurants serving up authentic Italian cuisine. The restaurant from the moment you walk in wants to capture your senses from the bright colors, music, and open kitchen the serve up only the best ingredients for their dishes. Chef Joe’s menu focus on traditional Italian food served in an innovative way. The menu is extensive with a option for everyones craving!

Some of the chef’s highlights include egg in purgatory poached in marinara with garlic styx, grandma’s eggplant, bruschetta of the day, grandma’s meatballs, traditional chopped antipasto salad. Try one of the pizzas made with fresh dough daily such as the Greek, Meat lovers, pizza Paillard with chicken breast or wild mushrooms or Kafta lamb curry.

Main pasta dishes include SaZa Famous five layer lasagna, shrimp marinara, Grandma’s Spaghettini and meatballs, boneless short ribs, chicken Francaise with lemon butter sauce, chicken piccata, and chopped lobster and shrimp over angel hair pasta with EVOO and eggplant parmigiana! And during weekday a lunch menu is offered with half portions of pasta as well as sandwiches like veal parmigiana, meatballs hero and pizza by the slice!

Chappy’s Deli

Are you looking for breakfast places to eat in Montgomery? Head to Chappy’s Deli where they serve up breakfast Monday to Saturday until 10:30 am! Serving up New York style diner food since 1989. They serve a lunch and dinner menu too.

The eggs and omelets are all served with toast, butter, jelly and grits. Try the capitol city platter with three eggs, biscuit and gravy, hash browns and meat. Or the Conecuh omelet with sausage, grilled hash browns and cheese.

Pancakes and waffles are also serves such as the buttermilk blueberry pancakes or blueberry waffles, golden malted waffles, french toast or pecan pancakes and waffles. Popular breakfast sandwiches include breakfast croissant, egg white delight, Conecuh wrap with the Alabama Conecuh sausage.

If you are looking for Japanese food in Montgomery head to Kabuki a hibachi and sushi restaurant. Whether you choose to sit at the sushi bar or around the hibachi table you can watch as your food is prepared in front of you! Lunch is served during the week from 11 am to 3 pm.

From the lunch box specials served with salad, rice and California roll with your choice of Teriyaki, Tempura, Katsu, Curry or Yakitori each with your choice of meat or fish! Or try the sushi bar special like Maki choose 2 rolls or a variety of custom sushi rolls.

Who doesn’t love Hibachi? If coming for dinner you must try the hibachi menu at Kabuki! Like most menus it is served with a soup, salad, veggies, shrimp appetizer and fried rice plus your choice of protein. From veggies only, chicken, tuna, steak, lobster tail, filet, scallops and shrimp to specialties like Kabuki marina with steak, chicken and shrimp, or Samurai with filet, shrimp and scallops. Hibachi is also offered for lunch!

Cahawba House

Cahawba House is a great option for either lunch or breakfast in Montgomery Alabama. Breakfast is served all day Saturday and Sunday and lunch is served from 11 am to 2 pm daily except for Tuesdays when they are closed. They serve what they call Bama Bone Fide Southern Cuisine.

For the lunch menu Cahawba House serves homemade chicken salad sandwiches on texas toast, pimento grilled cheese, fried chicken strip sandwich, BLFGT sandwich with bacon, lettuce, garlic mayo, friend green tomatoes, , Big Cahawba Burger all served with hand cut fries. If in the mood for salads try the market salad with strawberries and goat cheese.

There are also menu favorites like momma’s meatloaf, friend, herb roasted or bbq chicken, catfish, or hamburger steak with gravy with your choice of sides from balsamic glazed fried green tomatoes, smashed potatoes and crazy, hull peas, mac n’cheese and rice and broccoli gratin. Finish the meal off with some cinnamon beignets, fried pecan or apple pie and cinnamon dusted pork rinds.

American Deli

American Deli is one of the restaurants in Montgomery Alabama that has over 10 locations spread throughout the city! While this may be a chain each restaurant has its own eclectic style with fresh made food. The menu is simple but this is a great option for those looking for a quick lunch spot that serves fresh food!

Try the wings that fresh and tossed in signature sauce then fried, a Philly with steak or beef with onions and peppers, fried rice with veggies with either chicken, beef or shrimp, the burger, white meat chicken tenders, fried chicken and shrimp with fries, the Reuben with corn beef, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing and gyro with fresh soft pita and veggies. Also on the menu are subs with your choice f meats and salads.

Island Delight

The Island Delight at Dexter is a Caribbean restaurant serving up delicious Island cuisine while transporting you to the islands! The lunch menu is divided into four areas : fish, beef, goat, chicken. Try Escoveitch fish a favorite from the islands, pan fried with pickling sauce, jerk salmon with mango salsa, beef oxtails strewed with veggies, curried goat or pineapple glazed chicken, brownstew chicken in a sauce, or fried chicken! There is a vegan and vegetarian menu as well!

On the dinner menu at Island Delight is Man-a-Yard with three different meats and two sides, jerk red snapper, beef oxtails, Island jerk chicken, peppered steak, and jerk ribs. Or try one of the juice bar drinks from the Reggae Bar. Like the Cool Running! with pineapple , watermelon and mint, Sunshine in a Bottle with carrots, banana, pineapple and orange, Voodoo Berry with berries or Jamaican Sensation with papaya, passion fruit, guava and pineapple. Plus an assortment of other vegetable and fruit based juices.

If looking for upscale modern American food in Montgomery head to City Grill. They are closed Monday and Tuesday but open rest of the week for dinner. It is one of the restaurants in Montgomery known for their white table clothes, amazing service and upscale menu and recently changed locations to Hampstead on Taylor road where they now have a large outdoor dining patio for guests to enjoy.

On the menu, appetizers include a triple cream brie with sliced almonds, a baked Feta with olives and rosemary, a Fig Turnover with gorgonzola and pecans, crab cake with grilled shrimp and fried calamari with jalepeno tarter sauce. Another menu favorite is the grilled halloumi salad with spinach, chickpeas and vegetables.

For mains, try the grilled lamb chops with a yogurt mint sauce, grilled filet of beef with garlic and sun dried tomatoes with roasted potatoes, surf and turf, sautéed shrimp and andouille sausage, grilled buerre blanc roasted salmon, or a miso glazed salmon with edamame and grilled squash.

Shane’s Rib Shack

Shane’s Rib Shack is one of the family owned Montgomery restaurants serving up grandfathers’s Big Dad secret BBQ recipe. Not only is this a family run restaurant they also believe in giving back to the local communities through donations and donating food.

Choose from one of the restaurants barbecue plates such as pulled pork, chopped BBQ chicken, shack sampler, two meat or three meat options, and ribs. All plates include two sides and a piece of Texas toast! If you want something lighter order a sandwich or wrap, like the grilled chicken wrap. Or try the Shanic burger, lunch baskets, salads with your choice of barbque meat, wings and chicken tenders.

The sides served at Shane’s Rib Shack include cole slaw, fries, baked beans, fried okra, mac n’ cheese, brunswick stew, side salad, and onion rings. They also have a special gluten free menu for those with dining restrictions.

Sol Restaurante Mexicano & Taqueria

If you are looking for Mexican restaurants in Montgomery Alabama you must head to Sol Restaurante Mexicano & Taqueria! Open daily from 11 am to 9:30 pm, they run amazing lunch and dinner specials, where you can build your own plate, along with Mexican street food, and a large bar menu.

The lunch and dinner specials are a great deal where you can choose 2 to 4 menu items ( dinner is just $1 more!). You can choose between burritos, tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, quesadillas, flauta, stewed beans, grilled mushrooms, guacamole salad, beans and rice! Or try the table side guacamole perfect way to start the meal!

Other Mexican street food includes street tacos from al pastor, carnitas, barbacoa, tripa, asada, chicken, catfish, pork belly and more and Elote a Mexican corn. They also serve fajitas both with traditional and vegetarian options, salads, nachos, huevos a la Mexicana or Benito.

On the Bar menu you can find house margaritas, beer-ritas, imported and domestic beers, and house wines!

Alabama Announce ‘Roll On II’ 2024 Tour Dates

O ver the past several years, the members of Alabama have weathered their fair share of health challenges and other logistical difficulties, keeping them from the stage. So they never take the opportunity to tour for granted — and they’re getting that chance once again in 2024.

On Thursday (March 21), the group announced a lineup of dates billed as the 2024 Roll On II North American Tour, a reprisal of their 2023 tour of the same name. It’s a nod to the band’s “Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler),” a hit from 1984, as well as a fitting name for a tour presented by Kenworth Trucking Company.

In a statement, frontman Randy Owen says fans who attend a show in 2024 can look forward to singing along to all their favorite Alabama hits.

“I look forward to singing ‘Mountain Music,’ ‘Tennessee River,’ ‘Feels So Right’ and so many more,” Owen relates in a statement. “It’s just a matter of getting up onstage and enjoying it. We can’t wait to see the fans who made it all possible.”

For many of the shows, the band will have some extra musical pals along to make the moment even more special. Diamond Rio , the Marshall Tucker Band, Jamey Johnson , Lee Greenwood and the Bellamy Brothers are all booked to perform on various dates on the tour.

In late 2023, Owen gave Taste of Country a positive update on his health , but he stopped short of committing to tour plans for 2024.

“I’m 73 years old. I just had my tests and everything, and everything came back really good. I had my flu shot. So I’m ready to go,” he said at that time, but added that the health setbacks he’s suffered in the past have left him cautious — and appreciative of every chance he gets to set foot onstage.

“I just never know. I enjoy every show and thank God I get to do one more show,” Owen added.

For ticketing information for Alabama’s upcoming tour dates, visit the band’s website . More dates are expected to be announced at a later time.

Alabama, 2024 Roll On II North America Tour Dates:

March 23 — Thackerville, Okla. @ Lucas Oil Live

April 5 — Clearwater, Fla. @ The Sound at Coachman Park (with Diamond Rio)

April 7 — Hollywood, Fla. @ Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

April 25 — Norfolk, Va. @ Chartway Arena (with Lee Greenwood)

April 27 — Hershey, Pa. @ Giant Center (with Lee Greenwood)

May 11 — Orange Beach, Ala. @ The Wharf Amphiteatre (with Jamey Johnson)

May 17 — Council Bluffs, Iowa @ Stir Concert Cove – Harrah’s Council Bluffs Casino & Hotel

May 19 — Moline, Ill. @ Vibrant Arena at the Mark (with the Bellamy Brothers)

June 1 — Fort Payne, Ala. @ June Jam XVIII

June 15 — Columbia, S.C. @ Southeastern BBQ Showdown at Segra Park

June 22 — Gay, GA @ Long Leaf Country Music Festival (with The Marshall Tucker Band)

June 27 — Fort Yates, N.D. @ Prairie Knights Casino & Resort

June 29 — Dauphin, Manitoba, Calif. @ Dauphin’s CountryFest

July 25 — Columbus, Ohio @ Ohio State Fair

July 27 — Gethsemane, Ky. @ The Amp at Log Still (with Lee Greenwood)

Aug. 8 — Selbyville, Dele. @ Freeman Arts Pavilion

Aug. 10 — Doswell, Va. @ Atlantic Union Bank After Hours at Servpro Pavilion

Sept. 13 — Stateline, Nev. @ Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys

Nov. 8 — St. Augustine, Fla. @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre

Nov. 9 — St. Augustine, Fla. @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre

• Anniston/Gadsden

The Tuscaloosa restaurant Nick Saban might finally try in retirement

• Updated: Mar. 26, 2024, 12:28 p.m. |
• Published: Mar. 26, 2024, 11:36 a.m.

Tucked under Bryant-Denny Stadium on the corner of Wallace Wade Avenue and Bryant Drive, Rama Jama's has remained a fixture for fans since it opened 26 years ago. Chock full of Crimson Tide memorabilia, the restaurant has become synonymous with Alabama football culture in Tuscaloosa. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com)

• Mark Heim | [email protected]

The restaurant has been an institution in Tuscaloosa since 1996.

Sitting right there just a few paces from Bryant-Denny Stadium, the home of the beloved Alabama Crimson Tide, it has served as a pre-game for many Alabama fans over the years.

Perhaps now, former Alabama coach Nick Saban - recently retired - may actually stop in. Maybe.

In the latest ESPN piece chronicling Saban’s transition to national championship-winning coach to the recently retired, Chris Low, once again, does a remarkable job of illustrating the coach’s laser-sharp focus for the past 17 years in Tuscaloosa.

Saban’s new office at the on-campus stadium is on the opposite side of where his statue is located, but it has a view of Rama Jama’s, which has become as much of the game-day experience as the song it was named for.

Per the story, and on the day Saban moved into his new office, Alabama head athletic trainer Jeff Allen pointed out the restaurant and said , “Coach, now you can walk across the street and get you a hamburger for lunch.”

“Yeah, what is that place?” Saban asked. “Has it been there for a long time?”

“Yeah, Coach, for decades,” Allen said with a laugh.

According to Low, Saban just nodded and said that he might try it sometime.

Alabama fans are no strangers to Rama Jama’s, which announced last month that a second location is coming to Tuscaloosa .

RELATED : How Saban’s perfectionism complicated family grocery runs

Gary Lewis opened Rama Jama’s in Tuscaloosa in 1996. Located along Bryant Drive, the breakfast and lunch spot’s walls and exterior are covered in Alabama sports memorabilia, featuring newspaper and magazine cutouts of Bama legends and famous visitors. ESPN has broadcast from the restaurant several times, including Todd Blackledge’s “Taste of the Town” segment.

The eatery garnered headlines for the Rama Jama’s National Championship BLT .

It has a strip of bacon for every Crimson Tide national title, all 18 claimed by Bama. The sandwich adds tomatoes, lettuce and several slices of toasted white bread topped off with a giant onion ring.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim . He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

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Grand Hyatt San Francisco

Experience downtown san francisco from our luxury union square hotel.

Grand Hyatt San Francisco welcomes you with a sophisticated elegance and refined modern style. Located in the heart of the city on Union Square, immerse yourself in the premier shopping, Michelin Star dining and entertainment of downtown San Francisco. Then retreat to your room where you can unwind and enjoy the spectacular views of the City by the Bay.

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Relax and rejuvenate in a well-appointed luxury hotel room or suite at Grand Hyatt San Francisco. Each contemporary space offers residential-style amenities and floor-to-ceiling windows with stunning Union Square, Bay or city skyline views.

OneUP Lounge

The stylish OneUP Lounge serves wine, cocktails and a selection of light meals and Bar snacks in a relaxing atmosphere.

Located just off the hotel lobby, our laid-back San Francisco coffee bar is open every morning, and serves locally owned and roasted Red Bay Coffee, tea, fresh pastries, sandwiches and snacks. Lunch options are also available for purchase.

OneUP Restaurant

The stylish OneUP Lounge serves wine, cocktails and a selection of light meals and bar snacks in a relaxing atmosphere. It’s the perfect spot to end the day with friends or gather with family. Our dedicated staff, elegant bar and comfortable seating invite you to stay awhile.

The Grand Club

The Grand Club is located on the 32nd floor of the hotel and features unparalleled views of the Bay, Coit Tower, Alcatraz, and Downtown San Francisco. It offers multiple seating areas, charging stations, and televisions. The lounge serves a selection of breakfast items, all day grab-and-go snacks, and evening hors d’oeuvres, as well as beer and wine. *Limited to Globalist guests and above, and those with purchased Club access only.

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Let our wedding specialists help you bring your dream to life with stunning downtown wedding venues, including a top-floor reception area featuring panoramic views of San Francisco Bay.

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Taste Italian, German, Mexican cuisine and more in one night at Green Bay's International food tour

GREEN BAY - Taste flavors from around the world at Downtown Green Bay's International Food Tour on April 9.

From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., a Lamers' trolley bus will take attendees through the Downtown and Olde Main Street business districts in Green Bay, stopping along the way at participating restaurants.

Participating restaurants and cuisines include:

• St. Brendan's Inn , 234 S. Washington St., is serving Irish cuisine.
• Hagemeister Park , 325 N. Washington St., is serving German cusine.
• Mangiare , 121 N. Adams St., is serving Italian cusine.
• Heights Pub & Parlor , 217 N. Washington St., is serving Samoan cusine.
• Tequila's Mexican Bar & Restaurant , 1258 Main St., is serving Mexican cusine.
• Crown & Common , 1139 Main St., is serving New York-style pizza.
• Asian Fusion Cuisines , 213 N. Washington St. is serving Southeast Asian cusine.

Heights Pub & Parlor plans to release a new menu ahead of the food tour which will have dishes that can be sampled for the tour. Other restaurants will stick with the current theme of food they offer.

General admission tickets cost $40 per person and can be purchased online. Attendees check in at The Nightly Buzz, 130 E. Walnut St., where they will receive their passports for the event.

Reach Jelissa Burns at 920-453-5107 or [email protected]. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @burns_jelissa or on Instagram at burns_jelissa.

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Korean food gets a Michelin-starred makeover in Seoul restaurants

Anthony Kuhn

Chef Joseph Lidgerwood prepares to cook beef over a wood fire at Evett restaurant in Seoul, South Korea, Dec. 7. Jun Michael Park for NPR hide caption

Chef Joseph Lidgerwood prepares to cook beef over a wood fire at Evett restaurant in Seoul, South Korea, Dec. 7.

SEOUL, South Korea — How do you reinterpret a simple traditional dish into food that wins awards and commands a high price at a fine dining restaurant? Here's an example:

For a final course at Evett, a restaurant in Seoul's trendy Gangnam district, Australian chef Joseph Lidgerwood grills a chunk of Korean beef over a wood fire.

Then, he distills an inexpensive bowl of white rice and a dollop of brown doenjang — a paste of salty, fermented soybeans — reducing them to a small white puree with brown stripes, to accompany the beef.

Lidgerwood confesses that "the thing that I always wrestle with at fine dining restaurants is that sometimes it never tastes as good as the traditional Korean stuff."

State of the World from NPR

What's the recent hype behind korean fine dining.

He says he asks himself, "this tastes amazing, how can we bring this back to Evett? How can we make this into a dish that can be served at a location like this?"

While foreign-run, Evett is part of Seoul's burgeoning gastronomic scene driven largely by South Korean chefs.

Their success in fine-tuning Korean food helped them scale the heights of haute cuisine, adding the taste of success to the many other trophies of South Korea's cultural power.

How to start cooking Korean American food

And en route to the top, Korean chefs and their creations have gotten a strong boost from other South Korean cultural exports, which have whetted international appetites for other Korean cultural genres.

In New York, two of 12 Michelin star awards last year , and three of 19 in 2022 , went to Korean restaurants.

"Something that I never thought would happen in my lifetime, especially to Korean food, is happening," muses Cho Hee Sook , often referred to as the "Godmother of Korean cuisine."

She got her start in the 1980s, when the only fine dining in South Korea was in hotels, and chefs were considered a lowly profession.

The rise of haute Korean cuisine

Evett , meanwhile, has been listed in the Michelin Guide since 2020, with one star for its high-quality cooking.

The main dining hall of the Michelin one-star-rated restaurant Evett. Jun Michael Park for NPR hide caption

The main dining hall of the Michelin one-star-rated restaurant Evett.

Lunch at Evett costs about $114 per person, dinner about $119, not including wine.

"I'm not from Korea, but I have a love affair with Korean ingredients," says Evett's chef Lidgerwood. His aim with all his dishes, he says, is "to present them in different ways, to make people kind of look back at the past."

One of his signature creations, for example, is a "Meju doughnut." Meju is a beige brick of dried, fermented soybeans, from which three fundamental ingredients of Korean cuisine — soy sauce, fermented soybean paste and chili paste — are made.

The "Meju doughnut" has sticky rice with caramelized cream inside, black garlic puree and a millet rick cake on top, presented on a meju — a brick of fermented soybeans. Jun Michael Park for NPR hide caption

The "Meju doughnut" has sticky rice with caramelized cream inside, black garlic puree and a millet rick cake on top, presented on a meju — a brick of fermented soybeans.

The brick is there to show you something about how Korean food is made. What you eat is a ball perched atop the block, a donut made with caramelized cream, anchovies and black garlic, and a dusting of powdered meju on top.

Another course is served in a dish made to look like a traditional Korean hat, filled with radishes and onions cooked in Korean makgeolli liquor and abalone, and topped with a perilla seed cracker.

There's a wooden Korean window frame that holds sweets including a ginseng marshmallow and a sesame oil caramel.

Here & Now

'the korean vegan' cookbook; the healing power of storytelling.

Lidgerwood's dishes reflect Korea's traditional use of seasonal ingredients, supplemented by taking fresh foods and preserving them through fermentation. Some he acquires on his roughly dozen annual foraging trips around South Korea.

"We have an amazing library of fermented stuff that we can pull and pick as we choose," he says.

Many of Lidgerwood's dishes cater to Koreans' love of foods that are simultaneously sweet and salty. Many others have a creamy consistency more like European cuisine than Korean.

But chef Junghyun Park , chef and owner of the two-Michelin-starred Atomix and three other New York restaurants, says that, for him, at least, Korean haute cuisine is not about adapting traditional Korean foods to suit Western palates.

"I like cooking in New York because people there are very open to new cultures," he explains. "They like accepting new things. So it's not like I have to change to their tastes."

The Korean food scene in Alabama's capital is 'home' for many

In other words, he just serves what he thinks tastes good. And he also dismisses the notion that Korean chefs have suddenly burst upon the global fine dining scene.

"They all started cooking around the early 2000s, like myself," he says, "and have trained as chefs for nearly 20 years, developing their own culinary styles. I think such efforts are now bearing fruit."

Traditional dishes with a modern twist

Chef Cho Hee Sook says one of her main aims is to update traditional Korean cuisine to reflect modern lifestyles.

Traditional Korean meals are centered on rice, served with side dishes called banchan .

Due to both exposure to foreign foods, and health-conscious efforts to cut carbs , she says, "more and more people are excluding rice from their table now and having what would have been banchan as standalone dishes."

Staff prepare apples in Evett's kitchen. Jun Michael Park for NPR hide caption

Staff prepare apples in Evett's kitchen.

Many banchan and other traditional Korean foods make liberal use of soy sauce, chili paste and fermented soybean paste, to add flavor to the bland rice.

"Without rice, those flavorings are too salty," Cho says. "But as you try to assemble a fine dining course without rice, you soften the flavor of the traditional fermented pastes."

And, she adds, out of concern for hygiene, especially since COVID-19, many Korean restaurants are now serving meals in individual portions, rather than shared dishes in the middle of a table, another trend reflected in Korean haute cuisine.

A rising tide of Korean cultural exports

A key ingredient in the success of Korean haute cuisine is the rising tide of other South Korean cultural exports, from K-pop bands including BTS and BLACKPINK to movies like Parasite and the TV series Squid Game .

And South Korea's government and corporations are thinking of ways to promote Korean food abroad and profit from it.

"Our ultimate goal is to increase exposure of Korean food overseas and through that, increase exports of Korean agricultural and food products," explains Yang Joo-pil, an official in charge of food industry policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

To do this, his ministry is finding ways to link Korean food to other facets of Korean culture.

Signature dishes of restaurant Evett. Jun Michael Park for NPR hide caption

Signature dishes of restaurant Evett.

"For example, we select about 10 food items each year for product placements in dramas," he says, referring to TV shows. They also sell Korean food at K-pop concerts overseas.

Kimchi and the wonder of fermented foods

South Korea's largest food company, CJ Foods, meanwhile, aims to sell more of its frozen dumplings, chili paste, kimchi and other foodstuffs overseas, by cultivating rising young chefs like Evett's Lidgerwood.

Lidgerwood's culinary offerings are rich in culinary information. Putting that much cultural content "might seem like a lot of work, for people who aren't as interested in meeting the cow and the farmer," he quips.

"But for us it's a kind of a joy," he adds. "So that's why we get up every morning."

Jen Kwon and Se Eun Gong contributed to this report in Seoul.

• michelin guide
• fine dining
• Korean food
• restaurants
• South Korea