You don’t have to go to Alabama’s cities to find good restaurants, and these small-town eateries are proof.
Our friends at This is Alabama recently asked its Facebook followers what their favorite small-town restaurant is, and the answers range from Southern fare to farm-to-table, steaks, seafood and more. The thing they have in common though? They’re all worth a drive to try.
You can read about 11 small-town restaurants readers love below, and you can see all the submissions on the This is Alabama Facebook page.
The Chicken Shack in Luverne, Ala., is a popular stop on the way to the beach.(Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com)The Chicken Shack
665 Forest Avenue in Luverne
One trait that usually makes a small-town restaurant great is a diverse menu, and The Chicken Shack in Luverne certainly has that going for it because — despite its name — the eatery offers a-whole-lot more than just chicken. Yes, you can absolutely get fried chicken, chicken tenders, chicken salad and even some chicken noodle soup while you’re there, but you can also get everything from cheeseburgers to fried grouper to a ribeye steak with all the fixins’.
Read more: In search of Alabama’s best fried chicken: The Chicken Shack in Luverne
Our Place Diner
2751 U.S. Highway 231 in Ozark
When it comes to classic small-town restaurants, Our Place Diner in Ozark feels like a step back in time to the good old days. It’s a no-fuss place to grab a meal you’ll remember, no matter what you’re craving or when you stop in. From hearty breakfast offerings to fried chicken and other Southern classics, steaks, big burgers served with fresh-cut fries or massive onion rings, salads, desserts and more, it’s safe to bet Our Place Diner has it on the menu.
Red’s Little School House Restaurant in Grady, Ala., is a classic and meat-and-three.Julie Bennett/AL.comRed’s Little School House Restaurant
20 Gardner Road in Grady
Tucked away on the backroads of Grady is Red’s Little School House, a small-town meat-and-three that has been known to lure travelers from near and far with its full menu of Southern classics. In business for more than 40 years and located inside a charming building that once served as a one-room schoolhouse, Red’s keeps its customers coming back thanks to its menu of everything ribeye steaks to fresh vegetables, casseroles, made-from-scratch pies and so much more.
Read more: Red’s Little Schoolhouse Restaurant teaches diners a thing or two about southern cooking
McLin’s Restaurant
2 Old Newton Road in Daleville
For more than 50 years, McLin’s Restaurant has been serving lunch and dinner to the Daleville community and beyond, and during that time, its garnered a variety of awards, including an Alabama Cattlemen’s Association award for best steak in the state by the customers and by judges. Its menu isn’t just perfectly cooked steaks though. There’s also a diverse selection of seafood, including flounder, jumbo shrimp, oysters and scallops, as well as chicken, coconut pie and more.
The Roadkill Café in Elberta is a popular south Alabama eatery. (Kelly Kazek/kkazek@al.com)Kelly KazekRoadkill Cafe
25076 State Street in Elberta
While a name like The Roadkill Cafe might not make an eatery sound super appealing, there’s a good chance that’ll change with the first bite. After all, the Elberta restaurant is known for having some of the best fried chicken around and its buffet, which changes daily, offers plenty of classic Southern sides like mashed potatoes, cheese grits and more to go with it. There’s also a salad bar and burgers up for grabs if the buffet isn’t your style. Just be sure to save room for one of their many desserts.
Read more: Where the locals eat on Alabama’s beaches
Courthouse Cafe
27 W. Claiborne Street in Monroeville
Monroeville might be best known for being home to Harper Lee, famed author of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” but it’s also known for being home to the Courthouse Cafe, and for good reason. The Courthouse Cafe is a classic small-town spot that offers a variety of dishes in a setting that makes you feel right at home. While there, you can get wings, all kinds of po’ boys, salads, stuffed potatoes and yes, a “boo” burger served with “Finch” fries, named after some of Lee’s beloved characters.
Read more: 6 Alabama places with ties to films you can visit
The tomato pie is the most popular dish at the Wildflower Cafe in Mentone, Ala. This one is served with bacon. (Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com)Wildflower Cafe
6007 Alabama Highway 117 in Mentone
In the small, mountain town of Mentone, you can find the beloved Wildflower Cafe, which offers its guests up a variety of one-of-a-kind comfort foods served with a side of whimsical charm. Its menu includes signature dishes like the cafe’s famous tomato pie, mountain-style shrimp grits, black and blue hamburger steak, smothered chicken and more. Plus, its dessert menu, which offers homemade peanut butter pie, wildflower crepes, hummingbird cake and more, is worth a visit all on its own.
Read more: 5 reasons we love magical Mentone, Alabama, ‘the town time forgot’
Main Street Tavern
710 N. Boundary Street in Montevallo
Another small-town restaurant that packs a lot of variety into its menu is the popular Main Street Tavern in Montevallo. While there, you can dine on everything from Southern favorites like fried chicken and hamburger steak to burgers with every kind of topping, seafood platters, shepherd’s pie, fish tacos, pastas, steaks, catfish po’ boys, fresh vegetable plates and much more. No matter what you end up ordering, be sure to include a slice of their homemade key lime pie as well.
Jesse’s Restaurant in Magnolia Springs, Ala., is perfect for a night out.(Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com)Jesse’s Restaurant
14770 Oak Street in Magnolia Springs
There are two locations for Jesse’s Restaurant — the original in Magnolia Springs and another in Fort Morgan — and both are in small towns near Alabama’s coast. So the next time you’re at the beach and want fresh seafood with a Southern flare, like shrimp and grits, oysters, crab cakes or pan-seared scallops and grouper, along with steaks, salads, pork chops and more, remember that you don’t have to go to the state’s bigger beach towns to get it.
Read more: 12 Alabama restaurants perfect for date night
Gather Restaurant
111 W. Nashville Avenue in Atmore
At Gather Restaurant in Atmore, you can get one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted Southern dishes in a setting that is both comfortable and elegant. Some of the unique offerings on the dinner menu include Chef Chris’ Brussel sprouts, the classic fried green tomato stack, the heritage Pepsi pork chops, crab stuffed flounder and the “Train Wreck,” which consists of twin filets of beef, pork belly, fried green tomatoes, pimento grits, Conecuh crab sauce and a fried egg.
The Elvis sundae with peanut butter and banana at Payne’s Sandwich Shop & Soda Fountain in Scottsboro, Ala.(Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com)Payne’s Soda Fountain
101 E. Laurel Street in Scottsboro
Payne’s Sandwich Shop and Soda Fountain in Scottsboro has been in business since 1869 and, at this point, is a state institution beloved as much for its vintage feel to its menu of tasty eats, like its classic Rueben, barbecue ham sliders and red slaw hot dogs, to its sweet treats, like the Elvis sundae that consists of chocolate and vanilla ice cream topped with chopped bananas, hot fudge, peanut butter drizzle, whipped cream, chopped nuts and, of course, a cherry on top.
Read more: 150 years of memories at Alabama’s oldest soda fountain
Dining and Cooking