12 Alabama restaurants to put on your 2023 calendar -- one for every month

It’s a new year, and we’ve already made plans for you.

We’ve put together this list of 12 Alabama restaurants to put on your 2023 calendar — one for every month of the year.

January to December.

Florence to Orange Beach.

Fried catfish to smoked chicken.

So, happy new year, and let’s get started

The steam table line at Niki’s West in Birmingham is legendary for its efficiency. “It’s like poetry in motion,” longtime server Tony Pettus says. (Brent Conklin/[email protected])

JANUARY: Niki’s West in Birmingham

After indulging during the holidays, you’ve likely resolved to eat healthier this year and do as your mother told you and eat your vegetables. We’ve got just the place for you — Niki’s West, “the mothership of Birmingham meat-and-threes.” With a steam table teeming with more than 20 vegetables daily — including broccoli, squash, spinach, corn, green beans, succotash, collard greens, and okra and tomatoes — you can even cheat a little and get a bowl of banana pudding for dessert.

Niki’s West is at 233 Finley Ave. West in Birmingham, Ala. The phone is 205-252-5751. For more information, go here.

Cafe Acadiana in Silverhill, Ala. — Louisiana native Gerald Ardoin and his wife, Christina, opened Café Acadiana in the small Baldwin County town of Silverhill in 2013.(AL.com file photo/Mike Brantley)

FEBRUARY: Cafe Acadiana in Silverhill

Mardi Gras season will be in full swing in February – with Fat Tuesday falling on Feb. 21 this year – and a great place to go for boudin balls, red beans and rice, crawfish etouffee and other Cajun delicacies is Café Acadiana, which Louisiana native Gerald Ardoin started in Opelousas, La., and he and his wife, Christina, reopened in the small Baldwin County town of Silverhill 10 years ago. As our own David Holloway wrote, Café Acadiana offers “an authentic taste of South Louisiana without having to leave the friendly confines of Coastal Alabama.”

Café Acadiana is at 16137 Silverhill Ave. in Silverhill, Ala. The phone is 251-945-2233. For more information, go here.

Harp & Clover in Gadsden, Ala. — The husband-and-wife team of Brett and Holly Jenkins are chefs and co-owners of the Gadsden restaurants Harp & Clover and NOLA on 2nd.(Photo courtesy of Brett Jenkins; used with permission)

MARCH: Harp & Clover in Gadsden

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (or any other day of the year) at downtown Gadsden favorite Harp & Clover, which is locally renowned for such traditional Irish fare as bangers and mash, fish and chips, and shepherd’s pie, as well as a burger menu that includes the Reuburger (a smash burger topped with shaved corn beef, sauerkraut, baby Swiss and Russian dressing) and the Dubliner (a smash burger with house-made bacon jam and smoked gouda).

Harp & Clover is at 124 Court St in Gadsden, Ala. The phone is 256-467-4824. For more information, go here.

Pane e Vino Pizzeria in Huntsville, Ala. — Pane e Vino Pizzeria offers al fresco dining with spectacular views of Huntsville’s Big Spring International Park.(Huntsville TImes file/Bob Gathany)

APRIL: Pane e Vino Pizzeria in Huntsville

By April, we’re all going to be itching to get outdoors and soak in the springtime weather, and an ideal Alabama al fresco dining spot is Huntsville chef James Boyce’s Pane e Vino Pizzeria, which overlooks the Rocket City’s Big Spring International Park. In addition to pasta, panini and calzones, the casual Italian restaurant, which is connected to the Huntsville Museum of Art, serves such specialty pizzas as the Michelangelo, the Da Vinci, the Salvador Dali and the Jackson Pollock, as well as a “Create Your Own Masterpiece.”

Pane e Vino Pizzeria is at 300 Church St. SW in Huntsville, Ala. The phone is 256-533-1180. For more information, go here.

Doc's Seafood Shack & Oyster Bar in Orange Beach, Ala. — Fried and grilled shrimp with french fries and hush puppies at Doc’s Seafood Shack & Oyster Bar in Orange Beach.(Bob Carlton/[email protected])

MAY: Doc’s Seafood Shack & Oyster Bar in Orange Beach

If your summer plans include a trip to the Alabama Gulf Coast, your beach vacation is not complete without a visit to Doc’s Seafood Shack & Oyster Bar, a flip-flops-friendly Orange Beach destination that has fed locals and tourists alike since 1984. Doc’s boasts of serving “The Best Fried Shrimp in the Entire Civilized World!” — and who are we to argue? — but for the full experience, we recommend the seafood platter, with a skewer of grilled shrimp, fried clam strips, baked stuffed crab and a fish filet.

Doc’s Seafood Shack & Oyster Bar is at 26029 Canal Road in Orange Beach, Ala. The phone is 251-981-6999. For more information, go here.

The Landing at Parker Creek, Herb Winches — Former Birmingham TV and radio sportscaster Herb Winches is the proprietor of The Landing at Parker Creek, a dining destination on Lake Martin in Coosa County.(Photo for AL.com by Joey McClure)

JUNE: The Landing at Parker Creek in Coosa County

Whether you arrive by boat or by car, The Landing at Parker Creek is the place to be on summer weekends at Lake Martin. The lakeside restaurant — which Birmingham sportscasting legend Herb Winches and his wife, Betty, opened in 2015 — offers outdoor dining pavilions, an open-air cocktail bar and a sandy beach with spectacular sunset views. Chef Torrey Hall, who earned his culinary stripes working in restaurants in his home state of Hawaii, serves a lake-friendly menu that includes a sushi bowl, shrimp tacos, a mahi-mahi sandwich and pork sliders, as well as such specials as parmesan-crusted snapper and blackened halibut. (Please note: The Landing at Parker Creek is open from mid-April through Labor Day weekend only.)

The Landing at Parker Creek is at 8300 Parker Creek Marina Road in Equality, Ala. The phone is 205-410-6091. For more information, go here and here.

Alabama Rib Shack in Gainesville, Ala. — The Alabama Rib Shack in Gainesville is off the beaten path but well worth the drive for ribs, chicken and pulled pork. (Bob Carlton/[email protected])

JULY: Alabama Rib Shack in Gainesville

It’s not the Fourth of July without some barbecue, and at the Alabama Rib Shack in the tiny Sumter County town of Gainesville, pitmaster Jamie Lee Mitchell smokes everything from pork to chicken to sausage to three varieties of ribs. Mitchell, who grew up in Gainesville and then moved to Boston before coming home a few years ago, built his A-frame log cabin restaurant with his own hands, and the name notwithstanding, it is anything but a shack.

The Alabama Rib Shack is at 9316 State St. in Gainesville, Ala. The phone is 205-652-1115. For more information, go here.

The Ark in Riverside, Ala. — The Ark restaurant in Riverside is famous for its crispy fried catfish and crunchy hush puppies.(Bob Carlton/[email protected])

AUGUST: The Ark in Riverside

A local landmark with a national reputation and a colorful history that goes back more than 90 years, The Ark on Lake Logan Martin in the St. Clair County town of Riverside is legendary for its crispy fried catfish, juicy steaks and crunchy hush puppies. It all began around 1930, when A.J. “Bud” Thompson took an old river barge and converted it into a “floating restaurant” that he anchored about 30 feet out in the Coosa River so he could sell beer at a time when both St. Clair and Talladega counties prohibited alcohol sales. The restaurant moved to its current location on U.S. 78, just south of the Coosa River bridge, in the early 1960s, and when the nearby Talladega Superspeedway opened in 1969, it became a favorite of NASCAR drivers and fans.

The Ark is at 13030 U.S. 78 in Riverside, Ala. The phone is 205-338-7420. For more information, go here.

Rane Culinary Science Center in Auburn, Ala. — Students in Auburn University’s Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management gain real-time experience working in the kitchen of the teaching restaurant 1856 — Culinary Residence in AU’s Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center.(Photo by Mason Erwin; used with permission)

SEPTEMBER: 1856 – Culinary Residence in Auburn

The crown jewel of Auburn University’s $110-million Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center, 1856 – Culinary Residence is a teaching restaurant helmed by chef-in-residence Tyler Lyne and master sommelier Thomas Price and staffed, in part, by students in AU’s Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management. The restaurant offers an à la carte menu at lunch and a seven- to nine-course tasting menu at dinner. If you’re traveling to the Loveliest Village on the Plains for an Auburn home football game, make your reservations early, and while you’re there, venture up to the rooftop terrace for an eagle’s-eye view of the AU campus, including Samford Hall and Jordan-Hare Stadium.

1856 – Culinary Residence is at 205 South College St. in Auburn, Ala. For more information, go here.

OCTOBER: Rama Jama’s in Tuscaloosa

Strategically located at the intersection of Paul Bryant Drive and Wallace Wade Avenue just outside Bryant-Denny Stadium, Rama Jama’s is a must-stop for anyone who bleeds crimson — especially on football Saturdays in the fall. Put your fandom to the ultimate test and order the National Championship BLT, which comes with 18 slices of bacon, one for each of the Tide’s national titles.

Rama Jama’s is at 1000 Paul W. Bryant Drive in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The phone is 205-737-7524. For more information, go here.

Ricatoni's Italian Grill in Florence, Ala. — Ricatoni’s Italian Grill, a mainstay in downtown Florence for more than 25 years, is famous for its pastas and pizza. (Bob Carlton/[email protected])

NOVEMBER: Ricatoni’s Italian Grill in Florence

Long legendary for its music scene, Florence has also become quite the dining destination, too, and a longtime favorite downtown is Ricatoni’s Italian Grill, an old-school Italian eatery that’s been around since owner Rick Elliott (also known by his YouTube alter ego of Ricatoni Valentino) opened the business in 1996. Ricatoni’s is famous for its cheese ravioli, chicken Alfredo and wood-fired pizzas, and regulars highly recommend the fresh bread with olive oil and herbs that comes with every meal.

Ricatoni’s Italian Grill is at 107 North Court Street in Florence, Ala. The phone is 256-718-1002. For more information, go here.

DECEMBER: Michael’s Restaurant in Birmingham

Michael’s has been synonymous with great steaks in Birmingham ever since Magic City restaurateur Michael Matsos opened his Michael’s Sirloin Room on 20th Street downtown in 1953. Now, Bernadine Birdsong, who bought the restaurant from the Matsos family seven years ago, carries on that tradition in Michael’s new location adjoining the Negro Southern League Museum next to Regions Field. Some things haven’t changed, though. Longtime Michael’s customers will be glad to know that the restaurant’s famous steer-butt steak is still on the menu, as well as the white chocolate bread pudding.

Michael’s Restaurant is at 1525 First Ave. South in Birmingham, Ala. The phone is 205-871-9525. For more information, go here.

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