Alabamaâs best breakfast: We have egg on our face for leaving these out
We’ve been talking about breakfast a lot this week on AL.com. We’ve told you our picks for the best breakfast in Birmingham, Mobile, Huntsville and statewide, and while we covered a lot of restaurants, y’all still told us we missed out on a lot.
So we’re here to talk about more breakfast. There are a lot of amazing breakfast places in Alabama, so let’s get to it.
MORE: Birmingham’s best breakfast
Want to keep things simple? That’s okay too. Big Bad Breakfast’s options include straightforward skillet dishes and breakfast plates.Lawrence Specker | [email protected]
The chains
We purposely excluded chains from our list — we wanted to focus on the local, mom-and-pop joints. But a lot of big-name and regional chains got a lot of love from readers too, so we’ll mention them. Big Bad Breakfast, Ruby Slipper, Waffle House, The Original Pancake House and Jack’s all got multiple mentions.
READ: 12 things you might not know about Jack’s
Blue Plate Cafe. (Matt Wake/[email protected])
North Alabama
Many of y’all echoed our Huntsville picks — Blue Plate Cafe, Good Company Cafe and the Standard Social Market all got good marks from the audience. Several brought up the omission of Big Spring Cafe in Huntsville. It’s been open since 1922, so it’s had time to perfect its breakfast game. Mia’s Cafe in Madison, which serves omelettes, pancakes and other homemade fares, also has many fans who told us we need to try the restaurant’s breakfast.
Outside of the Rocket City, Stagg’s in Florence was also mentioned as a must-visit. (The hole-in-the-wall joint made our statewide burgers list earlier this summer, but we’ll admit we have dreams about its chocolate gravy, which is served on Friday.) Several others mentioned Washington Street Diner in downtown Athens, which has little online presence but a huge following.
Tucked under Bryant-Denny Stadium on the corner of Wallace Wade Avenue and Bryant Drive, Rama Jama’s has remained a fixture for fans since it opened 26 years ago. Chock full of Crimson Tide memorabilia, the restaurant has become synonymous with Alabama football culture in Tuscaloosa. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com)
Central Alabama
One of the biggest omissions on our list, according to y’all, was Ken’s BBQ on Pinson Valley Road north of Birmingham. The parking lot is overflowing every morning for breakfast, and y’all say it’s for good reason: It’s a mighty fine breakfast.
Even though a Tuscaloosa joint (The Waysider) took the top spot on the statewide list, we were still told we were missing out on a lot of T-Town (and T-Town adjacent) places. Rama Jama’s, Northport’s City Cafe and T-Town Cafe got lots of love. This makes us wonder: Is Tuscaloosa the breakfast capital of Alabama? Maybe. We’ll debate that another day if you’d like.
Other places getting love were Roots and Revelry in Birmingham; Byron’s Smokehouse in Auburn, and Tony’s Hot Dogs in Hoover.
READ MORE: 5 things to know about City Cafe
Dick Russell’s BBQ’s Old Fashion Burger is one of Mobile’s best burgers. (Photo by Michelle Matthews/[email protected])
South Alabama
Another place readers said we missed out on Dick Russell’s Famous Bar-B-Q’s wonderful breakfast. (Note: We put ‘em on our Mobile burger list.) The barbecue joint has been serving Southern breakfasts to generations of Alabamians.
Beach restaurants are known for their seafood restaurants, but it also has a lot of great breakfast joints as well. Crowd-favorite Hazel’s Nook made our statewide list, but others cited Kitty’s Kafe in Gulf Shores. Buzzcatz Coffee and Sweets in Orange Beach, Tacky Jack’s and The Grand Hotel in Point Clear also got numerous mentions.
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