Suggestions for an out of towner

[D-Walt]

I am going on a BBQ trip with friends to Birmingham. What restaurants are on your must visit list? We will probably go to 5 places.

[RonB]

I can't help, but welcome to The Pit.

[klflowers]

Don't know about Birmingham, but if you get near Athens, AL go to Big Bob Gibsons

[jfmorris]

It's actually in Decatur, a few miles to the west of I-65.

[klflowers]

jfmorris thanks for the assist. I should have looked before I posted. I know it is down there somewhere.

[DavidNorcross]

Welcome from Virginia!

[FireMan]

I agree with @kilflowers . If I was remotely close I’d go there. Oh, BTW, welcome, eat good and have fun!

[Jim White]

Welcome.

When my daughter lived in Birmingham, she was a big fan of Saw's. They have several locations; we went to their Juke Joint with her once and enjoyed it.

And Dreamland is a must-visit if you plan to hit that many places.

[Jerod Broussard]

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/bbq-restaurant-roundup/alabama/1019051-dream-land-bbq

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/bbq-restaurant-roundup/alabama/51025-bob-syke-s-bessemer

[tbob4]

Welcome to the Pit from Chico, CA.

[Clawbear57]

Welcome to town.

[Skip]

Welcome from Minnesota. Sorry to say I have not been there but glad you joined The Pit. You'll have to give us a report.

[au4stree]

Ok, you’re coming to my neck of the woods. My recommendations of BBQ joints are:

1). Saw’s, in Homewood. 3 locations, menus vary by location. They have a terrific menu and IMO, best bbq in town of all the restaurants.
2). Moe’s Original BBQ. I love their wings.
3). Dreamland, on the Southside near UAB. The original is from Tuscaloosa, but this location is good as well.
4). Jim N Nicks, yes this is a chain but has consistent menu and one of the better varieties.
5). If you must, give Full Moon BBQ a try, they are my least favorite place in town but, again they have a varied menu. Their turkey is good and those fried green tomatoes and chow chow are popular. Especially the chow chow. Oh, and the carrot cake and chocolate dipped cookies are popular.
6). Bob Sykes in Bessemer is popular, but I’ve never gotten a a good meal there. It’s forgettable.
7). Rodney Scott’s BBQ, whole hog bbq. I’ve written about this place, maybe you’ll have better luck than I’ve had. He’s in partnership with the owner of Jim N Nicks. Thus the reason a SC native opened a spot here in town.

Note: I don’t consider Bham to be a great BBQ town, you have to go north and a bit south to find better bbq. If you’re willing to drive a bit, Top Hat in Blount county has decent bbq and as mentioned, Big Bob’s in Decatur is good, but go to the Danville Rd location, 6th Avenue is just meh. The Danville Rd location is Chris Lilly’s store, if that tells you anything.

[jfmorris]

As a resident of Huntsville for 34 years, with a sister who lives in Alabaster south of B'ham, I'll second everything he says about the Birmingham and Alabama BBQ scene. In my opinion, Alabama in general may have a lot of BBQ restaurants, but a lot of them are just "meh", and don't approach what I do at home these days. If I was going on a BBQ pilgrimage it would be to Memphis.

[bbqLuv]

Hello from NW Oregon.

[WillTravelForFood]

From Food and Wine: https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/g...ood-birmingham

From AL.COM: https://www.al.com/bhammag/2020/03/t...m-in-2020.html
On this particular list, AUTOMATIC, OVENBIRD, and HIGHLANDS are places that have seen big national reviews. HIGHLANDS in particular. Sadly, Highlands is still showing as being temporarily closed based on their website. Booooooooo.

[jfmorris]

Welcome to the Pit!

I agree with the list 3 posts above from au4stree for sure, and if going through Decatur, give the Danville Road Big Bob's a try for sure. They are the folks who invented Alabama white bbq sauce with chicken, which is its own category of BBQ.

[Alan Brice]

Welcome fr Cincy Ohio