This is our annual list of the top five best dishes in Birmingham, Alabama. The first five are for this year, and the previous year’s are listed afterward. Do you know of a dish you’d like to see? D.M. us on Instagram or email us at info@abouttown.io.
Garlic Marinated Mini-Cucumbers | The Great Wall
The Great Wall? Red Pearl? Red Pearl? The Great Wall? It’s a debate worth having. Our suggestion with The Great Wall is you order the dishes that aren’t the traditional Chinese dishes we’ve all heard of. You may not be adventurous enough for some of them, but the Cucumbers, DanDan Noodles, and Beef with Flaming Vegetables are a few must do’s.
Bun Cha Gio Thit Nuong | Saigon Noodle House
This Vietnamese dish has vermicelli noodles with fried pork egg rolls and charbroiled pork. It’s served with lettuce, cucumber, cilantro, crushed peanuts and fried onions. A great dish that makes a great lunch because it’s not heavy and won’t weigh you down. If you’ve never been to Saigon Noodle House on 280, put it on your to-do list.
Fried Chicken | Little Donkey
The debate for who has the best fried chicken in Birmingham is a fiery one. Little Donkey’s is super crisp without holding too much breading. You may think of traditional TexMex dishes when you think of Little Donkey, but it was named one of the best places to eat fried chicken in America on Thrillist, a popular national website that features food, drink, travel and entertainment.
Detroit Style Pizza | Uncle G’s
Have you ever had Detroit style pizza? It’s thick like Chicago-style but the sauce is served on the side and meant to be poured on the top. It’s great! Uncle G’s opened a brick-and-mortar near Riverchase about 2 years ago, and they also have a food truck that is usually outside of Hop City near Pepper Place.
The Jack Benny | Big Bad Breakfast
This is a version of eggs benedict. Instead of English muffins, they use a crispy fried hash brown cake as its base, and is topped with sliced ham, wilted spinach and the star of the show- hollandaise. We especially love the addition of spinach, and the hash brown cake holds the toppings better than bread.
Campanelle | Luca Lagotto
Campanelle, or cacio pepe, is one of Rome’s signature dishes and served all over the Italian capital. It’s a simple pasta dish that includes a cheese sauce with parmigiano reggiano and black pepper. Luca opened in the past year, and is located in Homewood on 28th Ave South, just down from The Valley hotel.
Yellow Curry Noodle Bowl | Blue Pacific
Could the best Thai food in town really be located in the former Hoover Foodmart? Yes! In fact, it’s barebones ambiance adds to its charm and authenticity. The menu is minimal to say the least. Choices are limited and change depending on the day, but we’ve never had anything bad here. We chose the Friday special, Yellow Curry. It comes with chicken, potatoes, cherry tomatoes and coconut milk.
Crust Burger | Joyland
Joyland, which has another spot in Nashville, opened recently near Avondale where Rodney Scott’s used to be. Joyland is an imaginative concept from James Beard Award-winning Chef Sean Brock inspired by the original fast-food restaurants of yesteryear. Their crust burger is similar to smash burger with a “fancy sauce,” which gives this burger a nice umami pop.
Jim Special | Davenport’s Pizza
The winner of this year’s Best Pizza in our annual Reader’s Poll, Davenport’s has been a Birmingham fixture since 1964. The founder, Rex Hollis named the restaurant after his friend, Jim “Peanut” Davenport, who was a professional baseball player with the San Francisco Giants. They grew up together in Siluria, AL and was a well known local name after the Giants were in the World Series the year before.
Cumin Lamb | Red Pearl
How could we not include a dish from the best Chinese restaurant in Birmingham? Last year we included their Vegetable Chow Naan Fun. This year we’re going with their Cumin Lamb. Not a fan of lamb? Try the Cumin Beef. Both are spicy and incorporate all the things we love about Chinese food.
Hot & Hot Tomato Salad | Hot & Hot Fish Club
Part of its appeal is that it’s seasonal, and you can’t just get it whenever. Hot & Hot follows the tomato season from Florida into the Carolinas to keep the dish on the menu from May-September. It’s certainly had its fair share of hype being on numerous regional favs lists. But it’s worth the hype. Chef Chris Hastings was inspired by his mother’s succotash but lightened it up after several rounds of experimentation.
Baklava Ice Cream | Ocean
We were hesitant to include desserts on this list, because, well, they’re desserts. It’s kind of like cheating. There are so many good ones. But we gave the nod to Ocean’s Baklava Ice Cream. Gorgeously and curiously presented, it’s a ‘twist’ on a traditional Mediterranean dessert.
Linguine alle Vongole | Le Fresca
Usually, when prepared American style, linguine with clam sauce can be a overtly rich gut punch. But Le Fresca’s preparation is true to it’s source country. It’s light and simple. Fresh house-made pasta, white wine, butter, garlic and a generous portion of clams. Of all the restaurants that have recently encapsulated the downtown culinary scene, Le Fresca may be our favorite. Friendly unpretentious staff with a great atmosphere has taken North Italy to 2nd Ave North.
Ceviche | Dos Hermanos Taco Truck
You may not be adventurous enough to try raw fish from a taco truck, but this is a must try. It makes a fantastic light, but hardy lunch that’s super fast. It’s always fresh with generous slices of avocado and Dos Hermanos’s homemade salsas and marinated jalapeños and carrots are a perfect complement.
