I ate in so many great restaurants in Alabama, most of which Ive already mentioned, but just so you can find them easily Ive listed them again below by location.

Im normally wary of synthetic fruit flavours but with the temperatures topping 30 degrees, the cooling effects of the sno-cone were undeniable. It was 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. I queued for some Pecan ice-cream, one of the many flavours on offer, although 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 you can sit and enjoy your ice cream or pie, before heading off on the Route 65 interstate again. Theres even a Gumbo Trail in Gulf Shores that will take you around some of the best spots for Gumbo on the Gulf Coast. Youll be glad you did. But perhaps its worth explaining the BBQ concept, which is a far cry from burnt sausages on a rainy summer day in England.

Its tangy and cooling and many restaurants add their own twist I tried lemonade with thyme at Dauphins in Mobile and lemonade with a touch of vanilla at Bottega in Birmingham both delicious. The Seafood Bistro, (Dont be fooled by the hole-in-the-wall appearance) Montgomery, Alabama. Alabama even has an official state dessert, the Lane Cake, which was mentioned in "To Kill A Mockingbird" set in the fictional Alabama town of Maycomb, and a state fruit: the blackberry. For non-natives of the state and natives alike, here is a guide for the best tastes to sample here in the Heart of Dixie. 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. 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). 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. Martins Restaurant, Montgomery, Alabama. In Alabama a white BBQ sauce is often served with the meat, like a mayonnaise with vinegar and mustard, rather than the more typical sticky tomato based BBQ sauce. This dish is quite common in Alabama, and the list of restaurants offering catfish is endless. Luckily this hearty salad paired well with the smoked pork starter with peach chutney that I also ordered, and I certainly didnt leave hungry! This soul food restaurant is a great place to try the famous BBQ meats and other Southern dishes, like their signature Pork & Greens. Unlike in Europe where the oysters seem to be mainly served raw, its common to serve the oysters cooked, like the delicious fried oysters on flatbread with arugula salad, bacon and mozzarella that I tried at Foodcraft in Gulf Shores, with a view of the beach at The Lodge Hotel. This article may contain affiliate links that provide commission on purchases you make at no extra cost to you. You may also enjoy: A foodie guide to Victoria, Canada. To discover more of Mobiles food scene we recommend you try this Mobile Food Tour. If youd like to discover more of Birminghams food scene, we recommend that you take this Birmingham Food Tour. This is where you'll find travel inspiration for the 50+ traveller looking for an authentic travel experience with a little luxury. From fried catfish to the most excellent pulled BBQ pork found anywhere in the US, Alabama is unrivaled when it comes to throwing down in the kitchen. Entrance to the hotel and rooms is via key code so you come and go as if it was your home, and theres a roof terrace which is a fun place to relax with a drink in the evening. 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. Gunrunner Boutique Hotel | 310 E Tennessee Street, Florence, Alabama | Check prices for other hotels in Florence. My breakfast bacon was so frazzled that you could just snap it in two rather than cut with a knife. Alabama is known for its barbecue, like many southern states, and even has it's own unique White BBQ Sauce. I wont go into all of them, but believe that the firecracker shrimp at grille 29 and Conners ARE NOT gulf shrimp, but Indonesian pud shrimp. But it's also well-known for many other southern and soul food favorites like Fried Green Tomatoes,Classic Southern Smothered Pork Chops, Collard Greens, Fried Chicken, Shrimp & Grits, and Tomato Pie. I enjoyed an old fashioned peach cobbler with cream at Central in Montgomery and youll typically order a slice of pie for desert such as apple, chocolate, key lime or pecan from menus in Alabama. Your email address will not be published. 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 BBQ experience is definitely one you should try as you travel through the Deep South. Large portions of catfish with a side of coleslaw and French fries, please. 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.

Recipes, techniques, and tips for guaranteed crowd-pleasers. For more of the sweet taste of Mobile, check out this Food Tour in Mobile. Grapico a Southern thing for 100 years, 12. 15 fun things to do in Lynton and Lynmouth, Devon, Visit Laugharne in Wales on the Dylan Thomas trail, Highcliffe House B&B a luxury guest house in Lynton, Devon. Youll 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. Hotels in Alabama: You can check prices and book for range of hotels in Alabama here. 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. Birmingham Saws Soul Kitchen In the Avondale neighbourhood of Birmingham, Saws Soul Kitchen has just a few tables and a loyal clientele who constantly pop in for takeaways. Its clearly a popular stop, as the farm shop was full of people stocking up on the big bags of pecan nuts, pecan candies and pecan pies. @Mrs Weller all that Southern soul food can get addictive! In that case, were sorry to hear that and please feel free to skip ahead. Popular desserts includeClassic Southern Pecan Pie andHomemade Banana Pudding, which can be served warm or cold, with whipped cream or meringue on top. Theres 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.

Visit Muscle Shoals Alabama for music history and more! 6. I tried these for breakfast one morning at Cahawba House in Montgomery but you can find them in bakeries all over the state, best served freshly made and piping hot. You may also enjoy: 20 fun things to do in Huntsville Alabama. Good story, but a lot of things are wrong in this article. Read about the places I visited on this road trip Visit Muscle Shoals Alabama, for music history and more! Next on the list is an all-time favorite of Alabama natives. Cobalt a relaxed but upscale restaurant with a large outdoor patio overlooking the water at Perdido Bay, with a great selection of Gulf seafood.

Believe me, in Alabama you wont go hungry! Its all washed down with endless refills of sweet iced tea. 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. 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. Come along with me to taste the food, explore the culture, go hiking and cycling, experience a luxury cruise or boutique hotel. This is a state where theyll fry it if they can! Although the coffee is hot, the tea is definitely chilled in Alabama, with Iced Tea, also known as Sweet Tea being served at practically every restaurant as a soft drink.

You may also enjoy this article about 11 cool things to do in Mobile Alabama, which we visited on the same road trip. For dinner at Odette in Florence, I paired a charcuterie board with a strawberry salad of cress leaves, whipped feta cheese, almonds, pesto and a fermented strawberry dressing. Bottega Run by leading local Chef Frank Stitt, with a rather special atmosphere and dining experience thats inspired by the wine bars of Italy, set in a beautiful Beaux-Arts building. We love food tours as a way to dip into the local food culture, so recommend you take one like this Birmingham Food Tour. Theres generally a wedge of lemon on the side of the glass, which you can squeeze in, leave as garnish or ask your server to leave out entirely. Our Recommended Hotel in Florence / Muscle Shoals: Stay at the Gunrunner Boutique Hotel with cool suites inspired by icons of the music scene. Sno-cone internal air conditioning in Alabamas summer heat, 16. While in Mobile I stayed in the Hampton Inn in the heart of the Downtown area, just around the corner from Dauphin Street where theres lots going on. Shrimp from the Gulf Coast of Alabama, 18. They are a small pillows of dough, deep fried and served golden brown dusted with icing sugar. 5. Our recommended hotel in Birmingham: Stay at the historic Hampton Inn and Suites Tutwiler Hotel, the Grande Dame of Southern Hotels. 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 also have a branch in Montgomery and other parts of southern Alabama.

Our recommended hotel in Mobile: Stay at the Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown Mobile, in the heart of the Downtown area near Dauphin Street. Read more about all the places I visited on my Alabama Road Trip: You can use my map of Alabama to easily find all the restaurants and other places I visited on my Alabama Road trip. Biscuit and gravy Its biscuit, but not as we know it in the UK! In the interests of research I ordered banana pudding at Saws Soul Kitchen in Birmingham, and got a creamy mess of banana, sponge cake and cream in a styrofoam cup. 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 tried shrimp in many guises while I was in Alabama, and one popular dish I saw on menus was Cajun shrimp which is coated in cornmeal and fried to make a crunchy crust, then mixed with a spicy Cajun sauce. Another popular summer salad that I saw on several menus at the more upscale restaurants was the fruity combination of strawberry salad. Cobbler & Pie homely deserts in Alabama, 11. 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.

I enjoyed my stay in the extremely spacious suite with classic decor, two double beds and a large living area. West Indies Salad on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, 20. What to Know About Southern Cuisine, Top 5 Restaurants Worth Moving to Alabama For, What Food is Alabama Known For? Not the hard, flat biscuit we would dunk in a mug of tea, but closer to a savoury scone with a texture somewhere between cake and bread. 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 are plenty of BBQ dishes in the southern states of the USA, each with their own subtle variations. You might buy a cup of peanuts if you are going to the beach or a sports game, and even though they are boiled and served in their shells theres a clever way that the flavour of Cajun spice or Dill Pickle permeates through to the peanuts inside. bueno taco menu calories restaurants 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 room had recently been updated in contemporary style, with a large walk in bathroom and a picture of some far off galaxy above the bed. Southern Breakfast to start the day in Alabama, 2. The Alabama equivalent of the UKs Mr Whippy ice cream van, seems to be the Sno-cone van selling crushed ice, flavoured with different fruity syrups. The Alabama Peanut Company is in a large, airy shop on pretty, cobbled Morris Avenue, where they also roast and boil the peanuts. 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. This is a drink that you can sip demurely and be quite the Southern Belle, especially if you are going easy on the alcohol as I was on my Alabama road trip. Our recommended hotel in Gulf Shores / Orange Beach: Stay at the Hotel Indigo Orange Beach, a stylish boutique hotel close to the beach. Well, perhaps not about them, but at least in name. I also treated myself to one of their peachy ice lollies from the freezer counter which came in a few different flavours. Go for brunch, lunch or dinner. The Tutwiler Hotel opened in 1915 and was known as the Grande Dame of Southern Hotels, hosting the great and the good of Birmingham in a hotel that reflected the citys prosperity at that time. Oysters from the Gulf Coast in Alabama, 19. Alabama is a state that is rich in history but also rich in the diverse dishes available for people to sample. through the Gulf State Park and came across the van at the visitor centre a most welcome relief after my sweaty cycle ride. 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. Champys Fried Chicken A roadside diner in Muscle Shoals thats part of a small Southern chain, with checked PVC tablecloths, jukebox and neon signs, specialising in succulent fried chicken cooked to order. | 80 Bishop Bottom Rd, Fort Deposit | Turn off Route 65 at exit 142. 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. Its grown from the original roadside stall and now offers a whole range of food and gifts, selling peach ice cream, peach cobbler and lots of other peach products. Montgomery Dreamland BBQ Dreamland is a small chain of BBQ restaurants that started in Tuscaloosa Alabama.