Roadfood in Alabama

I'll be in Alabama in early June. Looking for great food in the Tuscaloosa and Cullman areas. Prefer local diners and restaurants. Love BBQ. Thanks

Don't miss Dreamland in Tuscaloosa. Only ribs and white bread but the ribs are great.

It is Dreamland, hands down that you want to visit. The one in Tuscaloosa is off the beaten path. A real adventure to find, but worth it. We found the one in Birmingham by following our noses. Check out their website dreamlandbbq.com.
Good luck.

Dearfolk,
The phone book used to say (probably still does) that Dreamland is located in Jerusalem Heights. This is off the southern bypass route around the city. Practically anyone but a Moslem will be able to tell you explicitly how to get there. It is an adventure finding it, but it's well worth it. Go to the Tuscaloosa original; the Birmingham one is good, but there's something missing... maybe it's the spirit of Mr. Bishop, the founder... it permeates the original location.
The Waysider in Tuscaloosa has a killer breakfast. It's on the westish side of downtown, and a whet south.
The City Cafe in Northport is another good bet. We're talking seriously good country food here... not fancy.
The only place I know of in Cullman (I've never eaten there) is The All-Steak, which used to be downtown. Cullman is not a barbecue town like Tuscaloosa: be forewarned. It's also VERY white and VERY dry! Many of the hardcore racists in Birmingham left and proceeded to Cullman! It's apt to be a culinary desert, in spite of the intense Germanic influence there.
Let us know what you find.
Curiously, Ort. Carlton in Athens, Georgia.

I found a Barbeque in Cullman ... http://www.johnnysbarbq.com/ Only there once, BUT;
What everone was eating was Jumbo Baked Potatoes, stuffed with Pulled pork or chicken.
I found the place in a AAA guidebook, before internet access. I've also duplicated the
these several times, every year getting a 50 lb. box of #1 Idaho Bakers and a Boston Butt

I was in Cullman on a Sunday, everything is closed.

Johnny's Bar-B-Que and Bates' Bar-B-Que are both pretty good. Bates' pulled pork is excellent but the sauce is not to my liking. Johnny's sauce is good but their pork is not quite as good as Bates'. Top Hat Barbecue in Blount Springs is a short, pleasant drive. OK barbecue and really good catfish. Williams Barbecue in Cullman is fair. Didn't try Whitt's due to their lack of a pit or wood.(Or any cars in the parking lot!)

The barbecue at the Brick Pit, west of Mobile, is among the best I've found--smoked over a combination of hickory and pecan.

Fred Sauceman
Johnson City, Tennessee

It may be a little early yet, but you out to check the peach stands at the Clanton exit off I-65 (if you get down that far) to see if any peaches are in yet...

Many of the places listed in the thread above are great (particularly Dreamland and the Northport cafe). I spent a quarter in Tuscaloosa doing my internship one year, and I have to say those are 2 of the 3 best places in Tuscaloosa to eat. If you love Barbeque and like a little adventure finding places, however, there is one other great place to eat in Tuscaloosa. Its called "Archibald's BBQ" an it literally is in a cinderblock hut behind a guys house. They serve really great ribs on white bread - thats about it - but they do it really well. Getting here can be tricky, and while I dont remember the road names exactly, I can tell you you need to head out to Northport to start off. The hours are typically from around 11:00 or so to "whenever they run out of ribs" which is often early in the evening, so its best to look them up in the phone book and call for directions/hours. Dont let the exterior fool you - its a great place to eat. There isnt a whole lot of seating, either.

Hope this helps,

Robert Penland

Off of I-59 (Exit 183) in Gadsen you'll find some fine BBQ at Merrill's.Get the hot,hot sauce.Take the exit East about two miles on the left.It's a little joint,take-out only.Enjoy.

Bessemer (a Birmingham suburb) isn't that far from Tuscaloosa and is located between Tuscaloosa and
Cullman. Last winter I had the good fortune of having lunch at The Bright Star restaurant in downtown Bessemer, a totally wonderful dining experience. The food and service were great, but best of all was the experience of dining in a restaurant, which, though well maintined, had not been changed or modernized since back in the 1920's (be sure to look all through it; into all the different dining rooms). The Bright Star's dinner menu is rather expensive, but its luncheon menu offerings are quite reasonably priced, and all are well worth the price or even more. The Bright Star's website is www.thebrightstar.com and is a must visit for anyone interested in great food/unique dining. The website features menu copies, but the restaurant offers many more lunchen items than are shown on the website (mostly plate lunches, some with a Greek touch and/or otherwise unique, and most in the $8 to $12 price range). The website also shows directions to the restaurant from most major highways in the area. This was my first and only visit to The Bright Star but I surely hope to return ASAP. I highly recommend a visit to it during your time in Alabama (and don't be frightened off by the general appearance of downtown Bessemer).

quote:

Originally posted by firescot

I'll be in Alabama in early June. Looking for great food in the Tuscaloosa and Cullman areas. Prefer local diners and restaurants. Love BBQ. Thanks

Will be going thru Gadsden soon. Is there a real good hamburger joint (not fast food) or BBQ nearby? I'd go to Dreamland but it's out of the way.

Oneiron,
Try The East Gadsden Cafe in East Gadsden. There are also several decent places scattered about the city: one of the better ones is a steakhouse-looking place (run by a Greek family) on Meighan Boulevard, the zoom-through road that takes U. S. 278 across town.
Gadsden has so many nook-and-cranny neighborhoods that if you really do some asking, there's no telling what goodies you'll turn up. Police are an unfailing source of good luncheon specials, as are UPS deliverers.
Report back to us on what you find. I've gotta get over that way thrifting pretty soon, and will (obviously) have to eat something, somewhere.
Gadding About To Gadsden Eventually Myself, Ort. Carlton in Athens, Georgia.

Thanks so much for the options! I'm going to try them all if I can, even if just for a pulled pork sandwich! Any hints for Huntsville?
Scott from Michigan

While this posting does not concern any restaurant located betweenTuscaloosa and Cullman, I do notice that a couple of postings have been made here concerning Mobile, AL, restaurants, so I post this here as the most appropriate location I can find. I notice a year 2000 Roadfood Review of Wintzell's Oyster House on Dauphin St. in downtown Mobile. While in my opinion that review rather correctly describes the food of that Wintzell's of 40 years ago, the best I can say for it in recent years is that if "you have a meal to spare in Mobile", a visit to the original downtown Wintzell's might be worth it for its unusual "decor". If you are seeking quality seafood, though, many better choices can easily be found in Mobile and throughout the general area. However, the primary purpose of this posting is to advise that if the newer branch of Wintzell's located on Airport Boulevard across from Providence Hospital is still operational (something I somewhat doubt), go elsewhere if you want either good seafood or good service. When eating there last summer I experienced some of the worst service and worst fried shrimp its ever been my misfortune to encounter. My dining companion was of the exact same opinion.

More on Mobile, AL, restaurants - While unlike the case with Wintzell's, I thoroughly agree with the Roadfood Reviewer's Write-Up concerning the Dew Drop Inn in Mobile. The Dew Drop certainly deserves all the praise he gave it. I just wanted to mention that anyone enjoying a dinner or plate lunch at the Dew Drop would likely also enjoy a plate lunch at Mobile's "The Tiny Diny Restaurant" on Halls Mill Road near Pleasant Valley Road intersection . "The Tiny Diny", though an apt description of the restaurant's original building further down Halls Mill, is somewhat a misnomer for its large, multi-dining room facility of recent years. The Tiny Diny opens very early to serve breakfast. Then it is really busy at lunch time, and closes about 4PM (though it may have run out of of some of its daily Plate Lunch specials by the close of the noon hour rush). It offers a variety of salads, sandwiches, burgers. dinners, etc., but its most popular offerings are its great plate lunches which are different choices for each day of the week. "Great country cooking" is the best way to describe both the meats and vegetables on the plate lunches. Its pies are also superb. While The Tiny Diny does not have the Dew Drop's superb hotdogs, its plate lunches are, if anything, even more delicious than those of the Dew Drop.

Firescot -- Hit "Big Bob Gibson's Barbecue" in Decatur for pulled pork or the "Greenbriar" for BBQ chicken with white sauce...

quote:

Originally posted by Ort. Carlton.

Oneiron,
Try The East Gadsden Cafe in East Gadsden. There are also several decent places scattered about the city: one of the better ones is a steakhouse-looking place (run by a Greek family) on Meighan Boulevard, the zoom-through road that takes U. S. 278 across town.
Gadsden has so many nook-and-cranny neighborhoods that if you really do some asking, there's no telling what goodies you'll turn up. Police are an unfailing source of good luncheon specials, as are UPS deliverers.
Report back to us on what you find. I've gotta get over that way thrifting pretty soon, and will (obviously) have to eat something, somewhere.
Gadding About To Gadsden Eventually Myself, Ort. Carlton in Athens, Georgia.

Hey, Ort! didn't find the steakhouse you mentioned, didn't find anything of inerest so we ate in ATL when we got back, I did not have any time to scout around Gadsden, so not much help here.

You need to check out Lamberts in Foley, AL if your down near the coast. It's a country place with "throwed rolls", a guy comes out of the kitchen w/ hot rolls and tosses them to the diners. If you miss, they boo you. But the choices are many and the portions are huge, and they keep coming around w/ extras of other dishes and fill up your plates. Wonderful sweet tea.

Thanks to all. I leave in the morning and plan to hit Archibald's or Dreamland for dinner on Thursday night in Tuscaloosa, breakfast at the City Cafe, and then head to Cullman. Thanks for the Decatur tip, I may try to get up there too.
I'll let you know what I found and how it was when I get back.
Thanks again,
Scott from Michigan

Whoowee! I had the best pit ribs I've ever tasted. Archibald's ribs were incredible! I've never had any ribs like these. The city cafe was just so-so, but don't miss Archibald's!
Thanks to all for the tips.
Scott from Michigan

Does anyone have suggestions for Birmingham? I'll be there in early July. Also any good places between Birmingham and Knoxville, TN?

quote:

Originally posted by John B

Does anyone have suggestions for Birmingham? I'll be there in early July. Also any good places between Birmingham and Knoxville, TN?

Dreamland BBQ - pass up the bread and sauce offered as an appetizer, you'll need the room for the BBQ and Brunswick Stew and sweet tea.

John B,

I attended school in Birmingham a few years back and think I can steer ya in the right direction. Dreamland is certainly a great place for BBQ, as is "Full moon BBQ" (its more pulled pork than ribs though). My favorite place to eat in Birmingham, however, is a little place called "Bert's on the Bluff". Bert's is a meat and three vegetables type of place - it is simply fantastic. Large portions, cheap prices. I know it is open Mon thru Fri for lunch and dinner - they may be open on Saturday but I would call to be sure.
A nice italian pizzeria is "Yankee Pizzaria". It has a terrific calzone, the prices are reasonable, and its got a good family atmosphere.
My favorite hamburger in Birmingham is located at Hamburger Heaven (there are two locations - both are great). Get the Jumbo Cheeseburger combo and you wont be disappointed. The burgers are quite large and the taste is out of this world in my opinion.
If you are in the mood for more upscale fare and dont mind driving to Bessemer (SW Birmingham) the "Brightstar" is a cool place to go. Excellent food with great atmosphere - its been around since the early 1900s at least and is decorated with murals painted by a traveling artist in the 1920s or so. Its a little more pricy than the other suggestions, but its worth it.

Hope this helps

John B, I most wholeheartedly second rhpenland's recommendation of The Bright Star Restaurant in Bessemer, AL. My first and only trip there last winter was really the highlight of any recent restaurant discoveries. Can't wait to get back. Just got off phone with friends trying to set up a fall trip to include The Bright Star again. For more info re it, see my 5/26/03 posting above in this series. A visit to its website is enjoyable and provides even more detailed nfo. From what I saw of menu, The Bright Star is surely on the pricey side for dinner, but its lunch time menu offerings are most reasonably priced. Hope you can get there. Enjoy your trip. Liketoeat

quote:

Originally posted by John B

Does anyone have suggestions for Birmingham? I'll be there in early July. Also any good places between Birmingham and Knoxville, TN?

I lived in Birmingham for eleven years, and still visit family and friends there regularly. The Bright Star in Bessemer is truly an experience to remember. Also, Niki's West is a good place, if you are looking for a country-style cafeteria. Lovoy's in Homewood is a small, nice, authentic Italian restaurant with a good wine list. Since it is summer, try the Cobb Lane area of Birmingham (Southside area). The Back Alley has great lunches, and you can eat in one of several outdoor gazebos, if you wish. Jim & Nick's is another good BBQ restaurant (local chain - several locations) if you like the traditional "red" sauce. Have a great and safe trip!

One place I haven't seen anybody mentioned is The Globe in downtown Northport, actually only a block from the famous City Cafe. (On a breezy day downtown you can smell lard from one direction and olive oil from the other.) The Globe is owned by a former theater actor and his wife and has Shakespeare theme. The food is wonderful (I'm partial to the Hotspur with roast beef and sauerkraut). Their Much Ado BLT is made with Apple smoked bacon and turkey. At dinner they are known for the Thai Emerald Curry with jumbo Tiger shrimp. It is pricey but it is realy special.

Any suggestions for 'Que or authentic Southern grub in Auburn/Opelika area. I am going to be there for the usc/Auburn football game. Just to let the homefolks know....as a UCLA fan I will of course be rooting for Auburn and not to offend the Tide fans....my family and I were in Birmingham/Tuscaloosa two years ago for the UCLA/Bama game and were blown away by the friendliness and hospitality of the locals....not to mention the great BBQ!

In my research....I have come across two BBQ places in Auburn/Opelika....Chuck's and Country's. Would appreciate the opinions of those in the know along with any other suggestions.

Go Auburn......and Roll Tide of course....no references to Mike Price.