Like Pac-Man chomping up the last dots of another maze, we’ve consumed almost an entire year again. That’s a lot of time, calories and flavors. Burp.

There’s no denying this is an exciting time in Huntsville dining. The quality, cleverness, selection and variety of local food here has never been better.

I personally have tried many restaurants in 2023, and the ones I liked we then covered for AL.com.

Below are my top five locally owned joints that opened this year. They’re listed in no particular order. No regional/national chains, just mom-and-pops. Some solid food trucks and other mobile food businesses got rolling in 2023, but for this list we’re sticking to brick-and-mortar ventures.

Thanks for reading our Huntsville dining coverage this year, and I hope 2024 is your tastiest year yet.