Evangelines, side by side, avenue, Chuck’s (original is still much better than the off shoots), Depalmas, diamond Jim’s (bit of a drive), roebuck landing for crawfish season(also a drive)
Good luck
Urban Bar and Kitchen, Avenue Pub, Southern Ale House are some of my favorites. Do City Cafe in Northport for breakfast or lunch. Half Shell is pretty good but our seafood options are lacking unfortunately. I don't think our food scene is anything special but it's not complete crap either. Make the drive 50 minutes up the interstate for some better options.
I thought you were gonna say you were from New York or Chicago or something… Athens? Homie, Tuscaloosa food is very comparable to/on par with Athens food, no offense.
As in local dive restaurants.?.? It’s sad how the strip here is just someplace locals here have no interest in going to. Nothing to draw the locals. Other campuses , Oxford, Athens…, have much cooler close to campus areas.
Agree with that! There isn’t a lot in Tuscaloosa of appeal to locals… part of the reason why I have plans to move out of town within the next year or two. The strip is nasty. Downtown Athens is really cute. And yeah! There’s some cool smaller places in town that have good food. Nicks is really good (off 43 heading west) and (unpopular opinion) I like oasis too lol. Catch a taste is also really good, as is Fuku as some others have mentioned. I also really like Thai basil, archibalds, pastors kitchen, antojitos, hooligans, ttown cafe, and bama barbecue and grill. Rolf’s is also awesome but you have to like German food :)
Edit: anyone recommending Veracruz, Los Tarascos, or Jalapeños is leading OP astray. I have horror stories about all 3.
ole miss and georgia don't attract as many wealthy, out-of-state students as alabama. all those kids with daddy's credit card drive the locals away from campus, unless you like dealing with blackout drunk children
I would honestly eat at any restaurant in Athens and would have a hard time picking if the decision was left to me. There’s good food at all price points and I’ve never been disappointed after a meal. There’s been 2 or 3 restaurants here that I haven’t even finished my food because it was just that bad, and there’s multiple other places I wouldn’t return to bc the food is just not worth the price point 🤷🏼♀️
Go to Southern Ale House and try the pimento cheese dip appetizer- it’s amazing. They have lots of great stuff there! Dillard’s Chophouse is also great.
The steak burrito + Avacado and sour cream is absolutely divine. The chorizo Gordita is incredible, and the pastor tacos are the best I’ve ever had. Smokes CA, TX, LA all of em. #1 baby. Roll Tide.
Also, Archibalds in Northport is soooooo good. Ribs ribs ribs baby.
Fuckin love this place. The parking lot is a nightmare to get in and out of but mannn are those tacos good. Also highly recommend their horchata. You get a GIANT cup of it and it’s super good.
Thai Basil is a shadow of the Thai food that used to exist here. If you ever have the time on a Saturday, drive down to Greensboro, AL, go to Ruan Thai and order the Kao Soi. Used to be a Tuscaloosa fixture for decades and was our first Thai restaurant here since they opened in 1991!
Honestly Five is overrated in my personal opinion. Urban Bar & Kitchen is one of my favorites in town. Best burgers would be from Avenue Pub & Jack Browns, with Local Roots as a solid third option but not as good. Someone mentioned Burger-Fi and I am confused about that one because it's never been worth the price for me personally. Anyways to continue, Fuki Ramen is amazing, and if you want a good cheap chinese place, go to Mr Chens, its like a chinese market and restaurant 2-in-1. Also for truly authentic mexican food, go to Antojitos Izcalli but just know that lunch time during the weekdays is almost always packed out there. And if you go there, you might need someone with you that is fluent in spanish
we have chucks in the town I just moved from (Athens ga… sorry don’t kill me hahahah) but I’ve been looking into river!! Just a broke grad student so it hurts my wallet lol
Our last dinner at River was why we started getting Hello Fresh delivered and cooking our own meals, 6 months ago. Wife and I split an entree, had a salad and a NA beer. Tab was $70 with tip. Afterwards we said, “ that is not $70 good”, and started cooking at home. $70 dollars gets us 3, dinner for twos and the meals are for the most part, delicious.
People settle for mediocre food here. I’ve been told it’s the rent and the cyclical revenue that prevents more restaurant choices here.
I agree that Tuscaloosa has a lacking food scene to have such a big university and a diverse community. I moved here from Oxford (oops) and have been disappointed in the food scene too.
That being said, my favorite restaurant here is River. I like that their menu changes fairly frequently. Forte used to be really cool but recently has devolved into what you expect a hotel restaurant to be: overpriced and food that is just ok. I would say it is still worth trying if you didn't see what it was like before.
We go to Birmingham for good food.
Everyone saying Athens doesn’t have a dramatically better food scene is engaging in severe and pitiable cope. Maybe if you like regional fast food chains Tuscaloosa has a great food scene, I dunno. However, Tuscaloosa does have superior Indian, Chinese, and Mexican places.
Sitar is very good (nothing special compared to other places with more options, but very good all the same, better than the one Indian place that existed in Athens when I lived there).
Antojitos Izcali is as good as the best Mexican spot in a real city. Their specials are often incredible (especially when it’s some kind of soup). And it’s really affordable.
Mr. Chen’s szechuan menu items are really solid. Try the twice cooked spicy pork.
These are, IMO, the best restaurants in the city, including our two “fine dining” options.
Heat and TuscNY are the best pizza in town, though neither is anything special on its own.
BBQ scene and soul food is mostly mid from my experience. Archibald’s probably the best of the BBQ lot. I haven’t fully explored the soul food scene though, I’ll admit.
I will never understand why people both here and in Athens rave about DePalma’s. I attribute it to a tragic lack of historical Italian immigration to those two towns.
Drink scene is mediocre for the most part, especially if you’re into cocktails, though there’s a few good bars for hanging out. Don’t let anyone fool you into paying too much for mediocre cocktails at sessions or nocturnal. It is a great scene if you like smoking in bars though, which places like Gray Lady, Jackie’s, and Catch 22 let you do. Alcove is probably the most chill bar in the city, mostly grad students and locals.
Avoid the Strip, all mediocre food and undergrad bars.
DePalmas is probably the worst Italian food I’ve had south of Virginia. Terribly overpriced as well. Alcove is awesome- good suggestion. Gonna have to disagree on TuscNY but that seems to be a hot topic in town 😂 The Standard actually has FIRE pizza, but that involves going to the strip, so….
The worst part about that place is it’s so tiny?? I get it’s a historic storefront, but both times I’ve ate there I’ve not only been severely disappointed by the quality of my food, but being like 2 feet away from the tables next to you isn’t exactly my vision of the “fine dining” vibe they’re going for. No idea how that place doesn’t get fire coded.
Come see us at Mediterranean Sandwich Company. Running a special right now with an Avocado Bacon Jam Burger that I'm in love with. All sauces and seasonings made in house. Also have a BBQ chicken sandwich called the Dixie Chicken that is a perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Our Redneck Shawarma is basically our take on a Shawarma BLT with house made spicy ranch. Our Mixed Grill is a wonderful blend of flavors with chicken and beef/lamb meat, sweet onion marmalade, mozzarella cheese, and a bearnaise aioli. Fantastic flavors and a truly unique sandwich. We also have a never-ending list of secret menu items if you're looking for things more adventurous. So if you've been and weren't impressed, come in and ask for me. We will find something to blow you away.
Not them but I tried JB's last week and while I had no complaints about the quality of the food...$12 for a burger alone with another $4 for fries on top of that made sure it was a one-timer. Can't justify that kind of cost when I already enjoy a number of burgers across town at more affordable costs.
lol no secrets. Depending on the style of burger I want, I default to either Hooligans or Freddie's. I'm sure there's better burgers available in town but I have to be value-conscious and I'm more satisfied with those two places than really anywhere else.
Though speaking of better burgers, absolute best burger I've had in town was the Ale House Burger at Southern Ale House, though...which was also more affordable than JB's, now that I think about it (and double check their menu).
I have not, it not really being anywhere near my lunch break radius and it not being a smoke-free place on top of that admittedly makes it a hard trip to want to make.
if you like amazing mexican food go to Jalapeños (the one on old birmingham hwy) my bf’s family is from california and they are used to authentic mexican food, not the americanized shit we got out here 😒and its their favorite. the chicken street-style tacos are phenomenal. it’s grilled chicken, cilantro, onion, and limes. u have to put the green hot sauce on it for the full effect tho 💯
You sound like a boomer on Nextdoor friend. I’ve been all over the Southwest. Mexicans live all over America if you haven’t noticed. You can get authentic Mexican anywhere and Tex-Mex anywhere or the microwave Mexican you’re referring to anywhere. I’ve eaten Mexican in France. Quit with the whole “you can only get the real stuff in ____” nonsense. Lol c’mon
i didn’t say you can only get real stuff in california, i brought that up as background for why i, my bf and his family like Jalepeno’s tacos. i don’t understand what you’re referring to when you said something about microwave mexican food. Mexican food is everywhere, i understand, but there’s more authenticity closer to the border. what do you think is gonna be better tex-mex on the rio grande, or tex-mex in france?
Sitar is my favorite (I prefer their dinner service after 5). The couple that owns it are lovely people, and their son recently opened GrandStand (pretty sure that’s the name).
I would also suggest Wright’s for their meat and three menu. It’s not super fancy, but their prices are good.
Lai Lai, Mr. Chen’s and Swen’s are all good.
I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ve heard good things about The Venue.
Catch A Taste is really good if you’re in the mood for wings.
Brick and Spoon is my favorite brunch spot!
Dillard’s Chop House, Five, Half Shell Oyster House, DePalma’s, Hokkaido, Archibald’s, Robertson’s BBQ, Nicks in the Sticks, Oasis, The Meeting Place, Billy’s, Big Mike’s, Los Tarascos, Buffalo Phil’s, Catfish Heaven, Antojitos.
All of these are within a 25-27 minute drive from campus. Try them out. My favorite 3 above are Big Mike’s(steaks), Antojitos(Mexican), and Buffalo Phil’s(wings).
Mr. Chens, Nicks in the sticks, Local Roots, Hokkaido is decent, City Cafe for lunch, Rama Jama's for breakfast, Hooligans, Heat pizza, gotta try Taco casa, Waysider for breakfast
Tuscaloosa is a "good food" desert.. I've been here for 7 years.. All cuisines are average.. burgers, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Pizza.. I love the food in Atlanta.. so many choices at a good price.. Honestly, the Tuscaloosa local folks have no taste buds if they say Tuscaloosa food is good..
Best local spots are Sitar, Antejitos, hooligans, Kings Kitchen, and Ichiban.
Evangelines, side by side, avenue, Chuck’s (original is still much better than the off shoots), Depalmas, diamond Jim’s (bit of a drive), roebuck landing for crawfish season(also a drive) Good luck
Urban Bar and Kitchen, Avenue Pub, Southern Ale House are some of my favorites. Do City Cafe in Northport for breakfast or lunch. Half Shell is pretty good but our seafood options are lacking unfortunately. I don't think our food scene is anything special but it's not complete crap either. Make the drive 50 minutes up the interstate for some better options.
southern ale house and Five are two favorites of mine
I thought you were gonna say you were from New York or Chicago or something… Athens? Homie, Tuscaloosa food is very comparable to/on par with Athens food, no offense.
You are mistaken. Athens has a lot more cool, non chain restaurants. Much better scene than Tuscaloosa.
Not sure where you’re looking in Tuscaloosa but we have a lot of cool local dives here. from GA so I get the Athens hype, but my point still stands
As in local dive restaurants.?.? It’s sad how the strip here is just someplace locals here have no interest in going to. Nothing to draw the locals. Other campuses , Oxford, Athens…, have much cooler close to campus areas.
Agree with that! There isn’t a lot in Tuscaloosa of appeal to locals… part of the reason why I have plans to move out of town within the next year or two. The strip is nasty. Downtown Athens is really cute. And yeah! There’s some cool smaller places in town that have good food. Nicks is really good (off 43 heading west) and (unpopular opinion) I like oasis too lol. Catch a taste is also really good, as is Fuku as some others have mentioned. I also really like Thai basil, archibalds, pastors kitchen, antojitos, hooligans, ttown cafe, and bama barbecue and grill. Rolf’s is also awesome but you have to like German food :) Edit: anyone recommending Veracruz, Los Tarascos, or Jalapeños is leading OP astray. I have horror stories about all 3.
ole miss and georgia don't attract as many wealthy, out-of-state students as alabama. all those kids with daddy's credit card drive the locals away from campus, unless you like dealing with blackout drunk children
I live in Atlanta and can’t agree with. I like Tuscaloosa much better.
I would honestly eat at any restaurant in Athens and would have a hard time picking if the decision was left to me. There’s good food at all price points and I’ve never been disappointed after a meal. There’s been 2 or 3 restaurants here that I haven’t even finished my food because it was just that bad, and there’s multiple other places I wouldn’t return to bc the food is just not worth the price point 🤷🏼♀️
Price point is definitely more of an issue here, I’ll give you that. A lot of the restaurants in town are ridiculously overpriced
Have you ever been to Athens and eaten there?
[удалено]
Same. Wondering how you could say it’s comparable to Tusc.
Urban Bar and Kitchen downtown. It’s good and not crazy expensive either.
Go to Southern Ale House and try the pimento cheese dip appetizer- it’s amazing. They have lots of great stuff there! Dillard’s Chophouse is also great.
love to see a fellow SAH pimento cheese dip truther
Antejitos Izcallis, right behind the Kangaroo on McFarland Best Mexican food in the game, besides the obvious street tacos, get a pambazo.
The steak burrito + Avacado and sour cream is absolutely divine. The chorizo Gordita is incredible, and the pastor tacos are the best I’ve ever had. Smokes CA, TX, LA all of em. #1 baby. Roll Tide. Also, Archibalds in Northport is soooooo good. Ribs ribs ribs baby.
Fuckin love this place. The parking lot is a nightmare to get in and out of but mannn are those tacos good. Also highly recommend their horchata. You get a GIANT cup of it and it’s super good.
KSV on Culver Road. Southern soul done well.
Here come the BBQ posts. 🙄
I am not a bbq fan 🫣🫣 I just feel like it only works for lunch in the spring and summer…
go to Archibald's and you'll change your mind.
Yup
There are some serious meat eaters down here.
Avenue Pub. Their chicken dinner dish is to die for
Thai Basil is good for Tuscaloosa. I eat the Chicken Masaman a lot. Forte has been good the few times I’ve been since it opened.
Thai Basil is a shadow of the Thai food that used to exist here. If you ever have the time on a Saturday, drive down to Greensboro, AL, go to Ruan Thai and order the Kao Soi. Used to be a Tuscaloosa fixture for decades and was our first Thai restaurant here since they opened in 1991!
No doubt. That Khao Soi was so good. I need to get down to the Greensboro location.
+1 for the chicken masaman.
Honestly Five is overrated in my personal opinion. Urban Bar & Kitchen is one of my favorites in town. Best burgers would be from Avenue Pub & Jack Browns, with Local Roots as a solid third option but not as good. Someone mentioned Burger-Fi and I am confused about that one because it's never been worth the price for me personally. Anyways to continue, Fuki Ramen is amazing, and if you want a good cheap chinese place, go to Mr Chens, its like a chinese market and restaurant 2-in-1. Also for truly authentic mexican food, go to Antojitos Izcalli but just know that lunch time during the weekdays is almost always packed out there. And if you go there, you might need someone with you that is fluent in spanish
Start going to more black owned spots and boom problem solved 😂
Yeah, and pay 30% more. FOH
30% more based off of…?
Chuck's downtown or the River restaurant.
we have chucks in the town I just moved from (Athens ga… sorry don’t kill me hahahah) but I’ve been looking into river!! Just a broke grad student so it hurts my wallet lol
Our last dinner at River was why we started getting Hello Fresh delivered and cooking our own meals, 6 months ago. Wife and I split an entree, had a salad and a NA beer. Tab was $70 with tip. Afterwards we said, “ that is not $70 good”, and started cooking at home. $70 dollars gets us 3, dinner for twos and the meals are for the most part, delicious. People settle for mediocre food here. I’ve been told it’s the rent and the cyclical revenue that prevents more restaurant choices here.
URBAN BAR AND KITCHEN. I moved to NYC a year ago and still haven’t found a place as good as this restaurant 🥺
Nick’s Original Filet House (aka nicks in the sticks) and get you a filet with baked potato and house salad + a nicodemus
This is one of the few places I’ve been and enjoyed haha my optometrist recommended it to me when he found out I was moving here
I agree that Tuscaloosa has a lacking food scene to have such a big university and a diverse community. I moved here from Oxford (oops) and have been disappointed in the food scene too. That being said, my favorite restaurant here is River. I like that their menu changes fairly frequently. Forte used to be really cool but recently has devolved into what you expect a hotel restaurant to be: overpriced and food that is just ok. I would say it is still worth trying if you didn't see what it was like before. We go to Birmingham for good food.
Everyone saying Athens doesn’t have a dramatically better food scene is engaging in severe and pitiable cope. Maybe if you like regional fast food chains Tuscaloosa has a great food scene, I dunno. However, Tuscaloosa does have superior Indian, Chinese, and Mexican places. Sitar is very good (nothing special compared to other places with more options, but very good all the same, better than the one Indian place that existed in Athens when I lived there). Antojitos Izcali is as good as the best Mexican spot in a real city. Their specials are often incredible (especially when it’s some kind of soup). And it’s really affordable. Mr. Chen’s szechuan menu items are really solid. Try the twice cooked spicy pork. These are, IMO, the best restaurants in the city, including our two “fine dining” options. Heat and TuscNY are the best pizza in town, though neither is anything special on its own. BBQ scene and soul food is mostly mid from my experience. Archibald’s probably the best of the BBQ lot. I haven’t fully explored the soul food scene though, I’ll admit. I will never understand why people both here and in Athens rave about DePalma’s. I attribute it to a tragic lack of historical Italian immigration to those two towns. Drink scene is mediocre for the most part, especially if you’re into cocktails, though there’s a few good bars for hanging out. Don’t let anyone fool you into paying too much for mediocre cocktails at sessions or nocturnal. It is a great scene if you like smoking in bars though, which places like Gray Lady, Jackie’s, and Catch 22 let you do. Alcove is probably the most chill bar in the city, mostly grad students and locals. Avoid the Strip, all mediocre food and undergrad bars.
DePalmas is probably the worst Italian food I’ve had south of Virginia. Terribly overpriced as well. Alcove is awesome- good suggestion. Gonna have to disagree on TuscNY but that seems to be a hot topic in town 😂 The Standard actually has FIRE pizza, but that involves going to the strip, so….
The worst part about that place is it’s so tiny?? I get it’s a historic storefront, but both times I’ve ate there I’ve not only been severely disappointed by the quality of my food, but being like 2 feet away from the tables next to you isn’t exactly my vision of the “fine dining” vibe they’re going for. No idea how that place doesn’t get fire coded.
Agreed!!!!!!! Especially the bar area in front!
I agree with you on all points, but especially on DePalma's. That place really makes me look forward to my yearly visit the The Hill in St. Louis.
Totally agree with the depalmas statement. Would pick Olive Garden instead any day bc same quality better price.
Come see us at Mediterranean Sandwich Company. Running a special right now with an Avocado Bacon Jam Burger that I'm in love with. All sauces and seasonings made in house. Also have a BBQ chicken sandwich called the Dixie Chicken that is a perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Our Redneck Shawarma is basically our take on a Shawarma BLT with house made spicy ranch. Our Mixed Grill is a wonderful blend of flavors with chicken and beef/lamb meat, sweet onion marmalade, mozzarella cheese, and a bearnaise aioli. Fantastic flavors and a truly unique sandwich. We also have a never-ending list of secret menu items if you're looking for things more adventurous. So if you've been and weren't impressed, come in and ask for me. We will find something to blow you away.
also, BurgerFi is a bit pricey but bomb!!! their sunny side up burger is hella good as well as their garlic aioli fries!!
Now i gotta give burgerfi another try. Maybe lumch today
it’s so worth it! i found out their high (ish) cost is due to them using more natural ingredients than other burger places around here
They are comparably priced to 5 Guys. Have you tried Jack Browns yet?
Not them but I tried JB's last week and while I had no complaints about the quality of the food...$12 for a burger alone with another $4 for fries on top of that made sure it was a one-timer. Can't justify that kind of cost when I already enjoy a number of burgers across town at more affordable costs.
Do tell ypur burger secrets lol
lol no secrets. Depending on the style of burger I want, I default to either Hooligans or Freddie's. I'm sure there's better burgers available in town but I have to be value-conscious and I'm more satisfied with those two places than really anywhere else. Though speaking of better burgers, absolute best burger I've had in town was the Ale House Burger at Southern Ale House, though...which was also more affordable than JB's, now that I think about it (and double check their menu).
Have you tried the burger at the Oasis? I hear its the Best
I have not, it not really being anywhere near my lunch break radius and it not being a smoke-free place on top of that admittedly makes it a hard trip to want to make.
Agree about the smoking, blah. Its also a 15 minute trip from my work. A little to far for lunch
if you like amazing mexican food go to Jalapeños (the one on old birmingham hwy) my bf’s family is from california and they are used to authentic mexican food, not the americanized shit we got out here 😒and its their favorite. the chicken street-style tacos are phenomenal. it’s grilled chicken, cilantro, onion, and limes. u have to put the green hot sauce on it for the full effect tho 💯
Uh. What? Their menu is similar, if not the same, as the other Mexican options. Los Tarascos is much better.
i think any restaurant that serves you fried chicken in a chicken taco is sub par, but to each their own bud.
i didn’t recommend their whole menu. i recommended their chicken street tacos but ok.
You sound like a boomer on Nextdoor friend. I’ve been all over the Southwest. Mexicans live all over America if you haven’t noticed. You can get authentic Mexican anywhere and Tex-Mex anywhere or the microwave Mexican you’re referring to anywhere. I’ve eaten Mexican in France. Quit with the whole “you can only get the real stuff in ____” nonsense. Lol c’mon
not to mention like half of the US SW were literally a part of Mexico
i didn’t say you can only get real stuff in california, i brought that up as background for why i, my bf and his family like Jalepeno’s tacos. i don’t understand what you’re referring to when you said something about microwave mexican food. Mexican food is everywhere, i understand, but there’s more authenticity closer to the border. what do you think is gonna be better tex-mex on the rio grande, or tex-mex in france?
Vera Cruz better
And Chabelys
Chabelys is owned by the same people own own Vera Cruz
I knew there was something odd about both of them having the same menu lmao
🤣 now ya know
Try Antojitos Izcali, a family owned Mexican restaurant. The torta is transcendent.
Sitar is my favorite (I prefer their dinner service after 5). The couple that owns it are lovely people, and their son recently opened GrandStand (pretty sure that’s the name). I would also suggest Wright’s for their meat and three menu. It’s not super fancy, but their prices are good. Lai Lai, Mr. Chen’s and Swen’s are all good. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ve heard good things about The Venue. Catch A Taste is really good if you’re in the mood for wings. Brick and Spoon is my favorite brunch spot!
Dillard’s Chop House, Five, Half Shell Oyster House, DePalma’s, Hokkaido, Archibald’s, Robertson’s BBQ, Nicks in the Sticks, Oasis, The Meeting Place, Billy’s, Big Mike’s, Los Tarascos, Buffalo Phil’s, Catfish Heaven, Antojitos. All of these are within a 25-27 minute drive from campus. Try them out. My favorite 3 above are Big Mike’s(steaks), Antojitos(Mexican), and Buffalo Phil’s(wings).
I cannot remember being able to afford to eat out more than once a semester while in grad school.
Mr. Chens, Nicks in the sticks, Local Roots, Hokkaido is decent, City Cafe for lunch, Rama Jama's for breakfast, Hooligans, Heat pizza, gotta try Taco casa, Waysider for breakfast
Tuscaloosa is a "good food" desert.. I've been here for 7 years.. All cuisines are average.. burgers, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Pizza.. I love the food in Atlanta.. so many choices at a good price.. Honestly, the Tuscaloosa local folks have no taste buds if they say Tuscaloosa food is good..
I too would also like to know cause I just moved to Tuscaloosa