Alabama has at least one of the restaurants of the year, according to USA Today.

In their “USA Today Restaurants of the Year 2024,” the USA Today Network (a collection of affiliated newspaper and website writers) created a list of the 47 best this country has to offer, and you’ll find one of them in downtown Tuscaloosa.

“We get the question all the time: What restaurant should I try?” the USA Today staff writes. “It comes from friends looking for the latest and greatest, family visiting from out of state and readers who trust our expertise.”

READ: 10 Black-owned restaurants you should try in Tuscaloosa

The list includes “buzzy Instagram-worthy spots backed by award-winning chefs, tried-and-true small-town standbys, and pantheons of fine dining worthy of foodies pilgrimages.”

So enough already — we’re hungry. Tell us where to go enjoy this meal, and we’ll crank up the car.

The Alabama pick: Urban Bar & Kitchen, located at 2321 University Blvd., right at the center of downtown Tuscaloosa.

“‘Minimalist boho meets industrial’ is how Urban Bar & Kitchen describes its downtown Tuscaloosa interior, a revamped spot that has offered Italian, Mexican, pub food and fusion over the decades,” writes The Tuscaloosa News’ Mark Cobb. “Southern comfort food blended with tastes of other longitudes and latitudes summarizes the UBK menu: gumbo to salmon, surf ‘n’ turf pasta to honey garlic pork chops, and gumbo worthy to stand with anything from south Louisiana.”

Cobb compliments the service, says the owners may even stop by your table to say hello and highlights the restaurant’s variations on Southern favorites like mac ‘n’ cheese and sweet potato fries. “Though it opened only three years ago, it has fast become not only a Druid City hit but the place you take visitors to show off,” Cobb writes.

Read the full USA Today Restaurants of the Year 2024 list.

Urban Bar & Kitchen’s mission statement, according to its website: “We aim to inspire our community by connecting people to real food, using the best products, and providing the best service to create a respected brand.”

A visit to their site poses the question: What should you order on your first visit? “Well that depends on what you’re in the mood for,” the site answers. “Our ‘Cowboy Burger’ is pretty spunky … Can’t go wrong with a basic ‘Popcorn Shrimp’. If you’re seeking something a little less basic, our ‘Creole Surf & Turf’ is really popular … The ‘After Eden’ (cocktail) is a nice fruity blend & you can’t go wrong with chicken tenders!”

Other items include appetizers like pulled pork nachos and bacon bombs, plus entrees like the wings and waffle and the shrimp and grits. Cocktails include the Urban Margarita (white tequila, triple sec, lime, orange), the Caribbean Mule (Captain Morgan, lime juice, brown sugar, ginger beer) and more.

Have you tried Urban Bar & Kitchen? Is it one of the 47 best in the U.S.? You’ll find it next door to Brown’s Corner and just down the street from Session Cocktails. Let us know what you think.