Alabama

I’ll take seafood over ceremony any day. Alabama makes that preference easy to follow, with seafood traditions that…

By Adeline Parker · Aug 29

Consider this your official excuse to plan the day around gravy. Comfort food takes plenty of forms here,…

By Lenora Winslow · Aug 15

One bridge separates Alabama’s coastal rush from a beach town that refuses to shout. This 14-mile barrier island…

By Gideon Hartwell · Aug 6

Bees have excellent work habits and terrible respect for personal space. They spend all day collecting nectar, then…

By Clara Whitmore · Jul 23

You had me at Alabama. This state really knows its way around the kitchen, so when a dish…

By Marisa Tindall · Jul 16

When someone offers you Southern food AND a pretty view of the water, you just don’t say no.…

By Trevor Maddox · Jul 16

The crab leg wins the first round. By the second, your sleeves are involved, the table has lost…

By Eliza Thornton · Jul 16

People sometimes have a hard time trusting new places. I get that. This list, though, is double-, triple-,…

By Renata Holcombe · Jul 11

Fried chicken is always the answer, no matter the question. Alabama knows crunch can carry an entire conversation,…

By Marisa Tindall · Jul 9

Fresh pasta has entered the chat, and suddenly every backup dinner plan looks deeply unserious. There is a…

By Lenora Winslow · Jul 9

The first rule of a crab platter is simple: stop pretending dinner will stay tidy. Some meals arrive…

By Eliza Thornton · Jul 9

Why does every meat-and-three plate come with an impossible choice? Not because of the meat. The real dilemma…

By Renata Holcombe · Jul 5

Alabama does not mess around when it comes to fried catfish. This is a state where the fryer…

By Iris Bellamy · Jul 2

There is a certain kind of lunch counter that does not need a story posted on the wall…

By Eliza Thornton · Jun 29

Alabama has a long history of feeding people well. One Birmingham restaurant has been proving that point since…

By Iris Bellamy · Jun 28

There are many reasons why Fridays are the best part of our week. This Alabama restaurant simply serves…

By Adeline Parker · Jun 28

Alabama has more burger spots than anyone could count, but these 15 are standout stars. Independent burger joints…

By Marisa Tindall · Jun 27

Alabama food maps love to act confident. They point you toward the obvious places, the big-name streets, and…

By Lenora Winslow · Jun 26

Craving a cozy waterway restaurant where dinner turns into a mini escape that doesn’t require flight schedules and…

By Bryce Halloran · Jun 26

As Shakespeare once said: “A valorous buffet is w’rth the w’rld and m’re.” Or was it a late…

By Renata Holcombe · Jun 25

Gulf Shores has plenty of seafood spots, but Alabama crab lovers keep crossing county lines for this one…

By Gideon Hartwell · Jun 21

A roadside shack in Alabama has been frying catfish to order for fifteen years and the locals have…

By Cedric Vale · Jun 19

The cornbread at this Alabama lunch counter has real corn baked inside it and people drive hours just…

By Adeline Parker · Jun 19

Fried chicken from a gas station? Alabama is not asking for permission, and anyone who has actually tried…

By Clara Whitmore · Jun 18

Six million people crowd the beaches at Gulf Shores every year. A short drive away, an island sits…

By Adeline Parker · Jun 16

Most towns wear their history quietly. This Alabama destination puts it right in front of you, building by…

By Lenora Winslow · Jun 16

There is a little seafood shack on the Alabama Gulf Coast that people drive hours for. Not because…

By Lenora Winslow · Jun 13

Somewhere in Alabama, a dirt road leads to a private island where a fictional movie town is slowly…

By Iris Bellamy · Jun 10

Alabama does not always get the loudest table at the Southern food conversation. But pull up to this…

By Eliza Thornton · Jun 5

Forget counting miles for a minute. The only number that matters here is how many crawfish make it…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 3

Smoke in the air usually means something good is nearby. That is especially true in Alabama, where roadside…

By Iris Bellamy · Jun 1

Smoke rising from a pit along a quiet Alabama highway is not a suggestion. It is a direct…

By Adeline Parker · May 28

Warm, golden crust. Thick, fragrant filling. The kind of peach cobbler that makes you pull off the highway,…

By Clara Whitmore · May 27

Retire on a lake. Pay less for almost everything. Watch bald eagles from your porch and hike through…

By Eliza Thornton · May 26

Locals fill the parking lot on weeknights. Travelers plan their route around it. That combination tells the whole…

By Iris Bellamy · May 25

Alarms go off before sunrise. Drives stretch across county lines. By the time most people are pouring their…

By Clara Whitmore · May 25

The best meal you will find for well under $15 might be hiding behind a hand-painted sign on…

By Gideon Hartwell · May 24

You did not plan to become a regular. You just wanted fried chicken. Then came the yeast rolls,…

By Gideon Hartwell · May 13

Alabama rewards the people who are willing to drive for something real. There is a roadside spot that…

By Cedric Vale · May 8