Alabama has a lot of restaurants that stay busy without ever running ads. People keep coming back because the food just works, with crispy fried chicken, flavorful sides, and desserts that actually taste homemade.
These are the places where the server remembers your usual order and you see the same faces every week. Some are tucked away in small towns, others are corner spots in cities, but locals swear by all of them.
Eating at one feels less like going out to eat and more like spending a few hours in a familiar, welcoming spot.
1. Niki’s West, Birmingham
Walk into this cafeteria-style spot any day of the week and you’ll find a line out the door. Locals have been coming here since 1957 for homestyle southern cooking served fresh…