9 Alabama restaurants to put on your dining wish list

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We all have a dining wish list, right?

It’s a running list of the restaurants we’d love to have a meal at someday, and there’s likely one restaurant in particular on it we’re hoping to try more than the others.

Our friends over at This is Alabama recently asked their Facebook followers to share which Alabama restaurant is at the top of their dining wish list, and the answers ranged from some of the state’s most unique eateries to some of its most award-winning and everything in-between.

Here’s a look at nine of the popular dining spots that are wish list-worthy for a lot of folks around the state. You can see all of the responses on the This is Alabama Facebook page.

Rattlesnake Saloon

1292 Mt. Mills Road in Tuscumbia

Considering Rattlesnake Saloon in Tuscumbia is built into the side of a natural rock cave -- making it one of Alabama’s most unique restaurants -- it’s not hard to grasp why folks want to have dinner there. With a menu of sandwiches, salads, barbecue and burgers, including the two-pound Gigantor burger that’s served with a pound of fries and onion rings, the meal is likely to be just as memorable as the setting.

Bama Bucks Wild Game Restaurant

292 Bryant Road in Boaz

Bama Bucks Wild Game and Steakhouse Restaurant in Boaz offers a menu and experience that would be hard to find anywhere else in the state, which is likely why it has garnered a spot on so many of our readers’ wish lists. After all, in addition to trying out dishes like bison lasagna, grilled New Zealand elk steak and red deer venison, visitors can also tour the exotic animal park to see black bears lemurs, kangaroos and more.

Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q

1715 6th Ave SE in Decatur

There’s a lot -- and we mean a lot -- of great barbecue in Alabama, but the one that came up the most on our list was Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-B-Q in Decatur. With about a century of business under its belt, Big Bob Gibson’s is a legend in Alabama’s food scene for a reason, and after one bite of its award-winning barbecue (and its famous white sauce), it’ll be easy to understand why. Of course, you’ll want a second (and third and fourth and...) to be sure.

The Bright Star restaurant

304 19th Street North in Bessemer

As the oldest family-owned restaurant in the state with more than 100 years in business, The Bright Star Restaurant in Bessemer has become a favorite for many. Still, not everyone has gotten to try its popular dishes, and that’s an issue many folks would like to rectify. While its snapper throats are one of its most noteworthy options, the Bright Star’s menu has plenty to offer, including prime rib, Greek-style chicken, crab cakes and more.

The Hatter Cafe

4277 Alabama Highway 117 in Mentone

For many, it’s not just the menu full of Southern staples and comforting dishes that makes The Hatter Cafe in Mentone that have garnered it a spot on folks’ wish lists, but it’s also the uniquely charming atmosphere. After all, where else can you go and have breakfast, lunch or dinner, complete with heart-shaped biscuits and your choice of teas, in an “Alice in Wonderland”-themed setting that’s both cozy and colorful?

Lambert’s Cafe

2981 S. McKenzie St. in Foley

It’s probably not the chance to have a roll thrown at them that makes so many people eager to have a meal at the popular Lambert’s Cafe in Foley, but it’s probably not-not that either. Beyond the rolls though, the eatery has become a summer tradition for many beach travelers thanks to its full menu of classic Southern food, from country fried steaks, meatloaf and barbecues, served with all the fixins’ and, of course, those fresh, thrown rolls.

Big Mike’s Steakhouse

33215 Highway 43 in Thomasville

Big Mike’s Steakhouse got its start in Thomasville before opening additional restaurants all over the state. While it may not have been in business as long as some of the other eateries on our list, it still has garnered a reputation thanks to its full menu of massive steaks, salads, seafood, homemade soups and so much more that has made it a desired dinner for many -- no matter which location you visit.

Automatic Seafood and Oysters

2824 5th Ave S. in Birmingham

You wouldn’t necessarily expect a seafood restaurant in a landlocked city to show up on many dining wish lists, but Automatic Seafood and Oysters in Birmingham has managed to make more than a few. With award-winning chefs and a menu filled with unique offerings, like spice crusted yellow fin tuna, swordfish schnitzel and much more, the fine dining restaurant is clearly not your average seafood joint.

Irondale Cafe

1906 1st Ave N. in Irondale

Considering Irondale Cafe in Irondale has a dish that not only inspired a book but a movie too, it makes sense that so many people would want to eat there. Of course, the fried green tomatoes are nowhere near the only dish you’ll want to try at the eatery. With a rotating menu of Southern fare, from buttermilk fried chicken to catfish, pork chops and more, there’s a reason the cafe has been in business for more than 90 years.

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