Food & Drink

Browse exclusive SoulGrown stories about the flavors and libations of Alabama's cuisine

view all stories

Change comes gradually at Milo’s Hamburgers. For years after Milo Carlton opened his Birmingham restaurant in 1946, he slung only his unique burgers, slathered in house-made sauce and featuring a bonus bit of beef under the bun. It took a half-century or so for Milo’s to add chicken. Now its modest menu is coming full circle with a line of what Milo’s calls Thick-Style burgers, including two that premiere this month.

Popular fast food joint Milo’s introduces new line of burgers

read more

September 11, 2022

Oktoberfest has been many things over the years since the tradition began in Munich in the early 1800s. It started as a two-week celebration of the October 12, 1810, marriage of the Bavarian crown prince and a princess from a nearby state. People had so much fun, especially at the post-wedding horse race, folks decided to do it again in 1811. Oktoberfest officially became an annual festival in 1819, and has missed few years since. In many ways, it’s a super-charged version of typical modern fall festival, with more than 7 million visitors enjoying carnival-style rides, attractions, and signature foods like bratwurst and pork shanks.

11 Oktoberfest events to attend in Alabama this fall

read more

September 9, 2022

Chris Joe’s Birmingham restaurant roots run deep. In 1919, his family moved to the city from Canton, China and opened Joy Young Chinese and American Restaurant. The restaurant remained a staple in the city with locations in downtown Birmingham, at the Brookwood Mall, and beyond for the next 70 years. The last Joy Young restaurant closed in the 1990s. 

Rickshaw food trailer offers Asian fusion cuisine

read more

September 8, 2022

If you’ve never heard of raicilla, that could change very soon thanks to Andrew Bernauer. He’s bringing the lesser-known agave spirit to Alabama through Birmingham-based El Viaje. The company produces raicilla that’s handcrafted and distilled in Jalisco, Mexico. 

El Viaje introduces new agave spirit to Alabama

read more

September 4, 2022

You asked, he answered! Our Instagram followers submitted questions to SoulGrown’s “Man About Town” columnist.

A Man About Town: Ask Randall Fall Edition

read more

August 30, 2022

If you don’t have children in school, this may be the perfect time to hit Alabama’s beaches. The weather is still warm, but not too hot. The water is still warm, but not too cold. And the size of the crowds at beachside amenities is just right.

The best waterfront restaurants in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach

read more

August 29, 2022

Football and chicken wings connect like quarterbacks and receivers. Whether you’re watching the game in a sports bar, joining friends at a tailgate, or rooting with family at home, chomping down on a few chicken wings earns a No. 1 ranking in many fan polls.

Where to get the best wings in Alabama

read more

August 25, 2022

Auburn University’s hospitality management program takes a great leap forward this month with the opening of the Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center, where undergraduate and graduate students will combine hands-on experience with traditional classroom training.

New culinary science center opens in Auburn with luxury hotel, restaurant, and food hall

read more

August 23, 2022

August marks a big month in the ongoing and tasty collaboration between Kristen Hall and Victor King, as they reopen their retail baked-goods shop, Bandit Pâtisserie, and premiere their wine-centric Bar La Fête in downtown Birmingham. The new Bandit—a pandemic-delayed relocation from the original in suburban Homewood—opened its door on August 9. King and Hall hope to start pouring and serving small-plate dishes at Bar La Fête by the end of August.

New bakery and wine bar opens in downtown Birmingham

read more

August 21, 2022

23 counties across the mid-section of Alabama are better known to locals as the Black Belt. This area between the Appalachian foothills and the Coastal Plain has become popular to tourists for many reasons, but there are a few standouts. Here’s what we’ve found when exploring Alabama’s beautiful Black Belt.

3 ways the Alabama Black Belt promises unforgettable adventures

read more

August 14, 2022

Rada Griffin wears a lot of hats. During business hours, she’s a contract software engineer working on top-secret NASA projects. But after she clocks out for the day, the real fun begins. In addition to serving as a personal chef, Griffin is also the owner of Anissa Wakefield Wines. She recently became Alabama’s first (and only) certified Black woman winemaker.  

Meet Alabama’s first certified Black woman winemaker

read more

August 13, 2022

LeNell Camacho Santa Ana fell into the world of bartending by necessity, but discovered a passion instead. Her boutique liquor shop in Birmingham’s Norwood neighborhood has gained a staunch following from those looking for small-production brands of wine and spirits. But more than that, they’ve found expertise, integrity, charm, and humor in the woman behind the bar. We sat down with LeNell herself to learn more about how she got into the buzzy biz.

7 questions with Birmingham’s boutique beverage expert

read more

August 11, 2022

What is it about Alabama biscuits? The best—airy and light—are a quintessentially Southern food that is equally at home in a diner or inside a temple to haute cooking. We’re talking all-American biscuits, the bready cousin to the unleavened, hard, flat and often sweet English-style biscuit that we’re more likely to call a cookie. Leavened with baking powder and salt instead of yeast, a Southern biscuit is at home on the side of a breakfast plate, patiently waiting to be slathered in syrup or used to sop yolk released by a sunny-side up egg. When sliced, biscuits are the perfect holder for breakfast, lunch, or dinner sandwiches.

Where to find Alabama’s best biscuits

read more

August 9, 2022

Banana pudding. Few foods are more quintessentially Southern than sweet, creamy ’nanner puddin’. Perhaps that’s why Alabama plays host to the first-ever Major League Eating World Banana Pudding Championship on Friday, August 5. Akin to televised hot-dog or chicken-wing eating contests, 10 people who gorge for a living will compete for a $3,000 total prize purse at Madison’s CrossPointe Church.

How banana pudding came to be a beloved Alabama dish

read more

August 3, 2022

Each flavor at Big Spoon Creamery is unique, specially designed to bring out the best from the freshly harvested and gourmet ingredients that owners Geri-Martha and Ryan O’Hara use in the ice cream they sell from their parlors in Birmingham and Homewood, and through select outlets.

7 questions with Birmingham’s beloved ice cream maker

read more

July 28, 2022

Birmingham Restaurant Week’s summer session is back, with participating restaurants (and a few food trucks) offering special prix-fixe menus designed to expose diners to new places and new dishes in the food-obsessed metro area.

7 new and interesting restaurants to try during Birmingham Restaurant Week

read more

July 23, 2022

At Ravello Ristorante in Montgomery, it’s easy to picture yourself on a cliffside perch above the sea in Italy, sipping a glass of local wine and enjoying plates of shaved aged ham and crudo dressed with lemon and fruity olive oil.

Get a first taste of the new Ravello restaurant in Montgomery

read more

July 22, 2022

The Bailey Cove Farmers Market in Huntsville leads Alabama at the quarter-way mark in balloting for the America’s Farmers Market Celebration, a summer-long promotion that allows local-food fans to vote for their favorite direct-from-grower outlets. The competition, sponsored by the American Farmland Trust and the Farmers Market Coalition, carries a $10,000 prize package for the top five vote-getters nationally. But the overall goal is to boost awareness and customer loyalty to all places where farmers and cooks connect.

Will an Alabama farmers market be voted the nation’s favorite?

read more

July 14, 2022

At Ironwood Kitchen + Cocktails inside the Valley Hotel in Homewood, out-of-town guests and locals alike get a taste of Alabama, prepared with creative flair. “Bangin’ Bama Collards” appear frequently on the menu at the restaurant located on the main floor of the boutique hotel, which opened in early 2021. Platters that form the base for Ironwood’s signature appetizer, The Hanger (brown sugar chipotle bacon), are shaped in the state outline.

Get a taste of Ironwood Kitchen + Cocktails in Homewood

read more

July 13, 2022

If you’ve explored Birmingham’s dining scene over the past decade, there’s a good chance you’ve run into Jimmy Truong. The Birmingham native has worked at and with some of the Magic City’s most popular establishments from Automatic Seafood, Collins Bar, and Queens Park to former favorites Octane and Woodlawn Cycle Café. Last month, Jimmy Truong established his own place in our city’s ever-growing food and beverage scene with the grand opening of a new coffee shop, June Coffee, in downtown Birmingham. Though Truong says owning his own business was somewhat in his destiny, it wasn’t always clear that coffee would be the form it took. 

Industry veteran opens new downtown Birmingham coffee shop

read more

July 11, 2022

Our first must-visit place in a new series of places to explore “in our own backyard” is the capital itself, Montgomery, Alabama. Whether you’re a born and raised Alabamian or a southern transplant, Montgomery is one of our state’s most rich historical cities. If you’re looking to get away for the weekend and learn more about Alabama’s heritage while having a great time, Montgomery is a spot you need to check out. We’ve rounded up our favorite places to eat, play, and stay in the capital of dreams!

In Our Own Backyard: Montgomery, Alabama

read more

July 8, 2022