Look online for recommendations for the best restaurants in Florence, Ala., and some favorites will pop up pretty consistently on most lists. But not all of them have a killer selection of pinball machines.

One that does, Wildwood Tavern, also has a motto prominently displayed in neon: “Keep Florence Funky.” If, like me, you remember the downtown Florence of the ‘80s, it’s a little incongruous: As in many cities, retail businesses had moved to beltline malls and big-box shopping centers. The downtown scene couldn’t muster much energy, let alone enough to be considered funky.

But things have changed over the years. New attractions have become anchors of a new scene: New restaurants such as Odette, whose chef just won the Alabama Seafood Cook-Off, and new stars such as designer Billy Reid, made Florence a more hip place to be. With boutique shops among landmarks such as Trowbridges, and a thriving First Friday art walk, downtown Florence now gives off a vibe reminiscent of destination towns such as Fairhope.

Co-owner Tyler Ross said that he and partner Matt Henderson were very intentional about how they wanted Wildwood Tavern to fit into the scene. “We were childhood friends growing up, grew up in the same neighborhood,” said Tyler. “We both got done with college and we were just kind of sitting around one night and said, ‘Let’s do a restaurant.’ Actually, we said, ‘Let’s do a bar.’ From there, you know, we found a cafe and we figured it a good way to get our feet wet.”

They bought a little business on brick-lined Mobile Street, a few steps from the Shoals Theatre. The Chicago Café, at 106 E. Mobile St., was (and is) a tiny walk-up spot with a menu heavy on hot dogs, flatbread pizza and toasted sandwiches.

“We did that for about three years, saved up, just really grinding it out for three years, saving up money,” said Ross. “And then we got this building.”

The adjacent space Ross was referring to, at 108 E. Mobile St., was bigger, offering space for the bar he and Henderson wanted to add, and shared a kitchen, making for obvious synergy. But they were careful to develop it as a distinct concept. “We kept the name separate, kept the vibe a little separate,” he said.

A later addition made room for the arcade – where the games, by the way, are free. “I was kind of adamant on that,” said Ross. “Just another add-on for being a good customer here, you know.”

The “keep it funky” motto was a tip of the hat to the Shoals area’s rich music history.

“That’s definitely an homage to the music, to the music scene,” he said. “And that’s what I was doing before this. I was a full-time musician before going into restaurants, a full-time hiker and musician. And man, the music that came out of here is just absurd, it’s just insane.”

Step into Wildwood Tavern and you find a nicely outfitted craft beer bar with décor that is, indeed, very funky – right up to the creative use of wooden pallets as a ceiling treatment. As at the adjacent café, the menu is heavy on hot dogs, with a dozen “fancy” options: These range from the Sweet Heat Dog with house Sriracha mayo and house-made sweet banana peppers to the Korean BBQ Dog with house-made kimchi, from the Rasta Dog with Jamaican jerk sauce and grilled pineapple to the Pie Dog with basil marinara sauce, pepperoni and toasted mozzarella. It’s a flat rate of $6 for any of them, including kettle chips and ranch dipping sauce, though you can upgrade to a veggie dog or a locally sourced bratwurst for a buck or two more.

It’s a lot to choose from. Here’s something neat: The “Doggy Bites” appetizer. For $10 you get two hot dogs of your choice, sliced in half and presented as “hot dog sliders,” plus chips and sauce. For a party wanting to sample the dog menu, it’s a great way to go.

A companion and I tried the Dapper Dog and the Smoked Slaw Dog in this format. Both were good, and what stood out immediately was the quality of the hot dog itself: Ross said Wildwood uses 100% Black Angus Beef dogs.

The Dapper Dog, with pesto sauce, toasted mozzarella and fresh tomato slices, was excellent. The slaw dog was on a whole different level, thanks to the “made-in-house smoked slaw.” The stuff brought a whole new dimension to the slaw dog concept, with a smoky flavor that was subtle on the front end of every bite and then deeper on the back end.

“With the slaw, I tried hundreds of different combinations of getting the sauce just right,” Ross said. “It was a long process to get that just right. It’s smoked cabbage. And then, I’d say the biggest thing about it is I like a mustard slaw and mayo slaw. So we just did a hybrid. It’s a mustard-mayo hybrid and then a lot of fun spices.”

The other cunning thing about the Doggy Bites appetizer is that it’s darn near a meal for two. Nonetheless, my companion and I proceeded to sample other portions of the menu. I chose the 9-inch Southern BBQ pizza, which would have been just the right size if I hadn’t already had a meal. It was rich, with barbecue sauce under cheddar, Cajun chicken and grilled onions, all dusted with Cajun seasoning. (The 9-inch pies are $7, the 12-inch versions are $10.) It was like something designed to be washed down with a craft brew or three.

My companion tried the Philly cheesesteak. I’ve said this before, but all too often in the South, “cheesesteak” is taken to mean a pile of roast beef with a pile of cheese on it and no particular savory quality. Happily this was something better, with plenty of flavor from pepper, onions and seasoning. “We make our own au jus every day and I think that brings out a lot of the flavors,” said Ross.

Like the other sandwich options, it was $9 with chips, pickle and dip. The prices are conspicuously good.

“My theory here and what I always turn back to is, anytime I’m asked a question about how we should do things, I look at it from a customer perspective and say, you know, what would sound tasty to me?” said Ross. “What sounds like a good deal to me? What would make me go there on that day? So I always try to think from that perspective and, and I think that helps a lot.”

The same sort of thinking carries over to Wildwood’s place in the scene, to Ross’ vision of who it needs to serve.

“I’d say we definitely built the place based around the music and artistic scene here,” he said. “And not just music, it’s all arts. I think that’s our biggest demographic. This town has a crazy, awesome artistic scene in all aspects.”

He paused to point at a man walking down the other side of Mobile Street. “That’s one of the best bass players in town right there, wearing that green shirt, records with everybody that comes in town,” he said. “So you just never know who’s gonna walk in, musician wise. And then other art forms, we have all sorts of cool events that really push the arts here in town. And so, you know, I saw sports bars and things like that and kind of like country bars. And I’m a fan of all of them. But I just figured, let’s lean into making a place for the artist.”

“I think people kind of naturally flock toward interesting people and that has made our demographic across the board,” Ross said. “So it’s really all over the place but base it around interesting people, you know, you get the interesting people here first and, and all else kind of follows, I think.”

That’s probably not as easy as Ross makes it sound. But with a solid menu that’s strong on flavor and value, free pinball, and a creative clientele, Wildwood Tavern makes his case for him.

Wildwood Tavern is at 108 E. Mobile St. in Florence. For menu and other information, visit www.keepflorencefunky.com.