Barbecue in Birmingham
Birmingham has 5 barbecue spots on The BBQ Atlas, with Alabama-style smoke on the menu. You'll find Dreamland BBQ, Dreamland BBQ and SAW's BBQ here, among others. We don't rank them — explore each below and decide where you're eating in Birmingham, United States.
Dreamland BBQ
Birmingham, United States
Dreamland's Highway 280 location sits at Inverness Corners on Birmingham's southeast side, where 280 meets Valleydale Road. Hickory-smoked pork ribs, the signature Dreamland sauce, and the sides that came later — the same order that began at Big Daddy Bishop's 1958 Tuscaloosa original.
Dreamland BBQ
Birmingham, United States
Dreamland's Southside location brought the Tuscaloosa rib to Birmingham, on 14th Avenue South. Hickory-smoked pork ribs, the signature sauce, and banana pudding after — the spread that grew out of Big Daddy Bishop's 1958 original an hour down the road.
SAW's BBQ
Birmingham, United States
On the Southside, in the old Fat Sam's space on 11th Avenue South, SAW's runs the Alabama barbecue that made its name across the metro: pulled pork, ribs, and smoked chicken under a white sauce that's more mayonnaise than tomato and unmistakably Alabama. The stuffed baked potato — piled with pork — is the move if you're properly hungry. Counter service, and a line that tends to prove the point.
SAW's Juke Joint
Birmingham, United States
SAW's Juke Joint is the one with a stage. In Crestline, Mike Wilson, chef Brandon Cain, and American Idol winner Taylor Hicks built an "upscale dive" that pairs the barbecue with live music — bluesy, jazzy sets, especially on weekend nights — under reclaimed wood and bare bulbs. The kitchen pulls from both the SAW's BBQ and Soul Kitchen menus, so you get the white sauce, the smoked meats, and the stuffed baked potato that made the Alabama 100. Come for the pork; stay for the band.
SAW's Soul Kitchen
Birmingham, United States
SAW's Soul Kitchen is the family's Avondale spin on the original — soul food and barbecue with more room to improvise. Chef Brandon Cain, who cooked in New Orleans kitchens including Emeril Lagasse's NOLA, runs a menu that reaches past the standard SAW's board: signature barbecue sandwiches, burgers, inventive daily specials, and a banana pudding people order without being told. The room is small and cozy — pig decor, vintage road signs, a little indoor-outdoor seating. It's SAW's, with a New Orleans accent.