Alabama
10 quirky Alabama restaurants that are unusual in the best way
Have you ever had dinner in a jail cell? How about a historic schoolhouse or while fresh rolls are being thrown at you? Well, you can because when it comes to unusual places to grab a bite, it turns out Alabama has plenty of ‘em.
This is Alabama recently asked its Facebook followers what the most unusual place to get a meal in the state is, and it stirred up all kinds of quirky restaurants.
From a gas station that serves noteworthy sushi to a saloon located in a cave to a restaurant that’s slowly spinning 300 feet up in the air and even an eatery where you can have fried deviled eggs in a jail cell, Alabama has some very, very unusual places to grab a meal.
You can check out 10 of ‘em below, and you can see the full list of suggestions on the This is Alabama Facebook page.
Rattlesnake Saloon is sheltered by a massive rock overhang.Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com
Rattlesnake Saloon
1292 Mt. Mills Road in Tuscumbia
When it comes to one-of-a-kind restaurants in Alabama, Rattlesnake Saloon in Tuscumbia was the first to come to mind for a lot of folks, and given that it’s built into the side of a natural rock cave, it’s easy to understand why. Part watering hole, part restaurant, part live music venue — the Rattlesnake Saloon offers a unique experience of enjoying dinner or lunch, which is offered Thursday through Sunday and includes a menu of sandwiches, salads, barbecue, burgers and more, in a setting unlike any other in the state.
Read more: A saloon in a cave? This Alabama restaurant is more than a novelty
Tannehill General Store
22732 Bucksville Road in McCalla
Are gas stations unusual? Not really, but finding some of the best Southern food in the back of one is, and that’s likely why readers were quick to bring up what’s known as the Tannehill General in McCalla. Tannehill General is a Marathon gas station that doubles as a popular meat-and-three-style eatery known for serving a rotating menu of Southern classics like chicken and dressing, hamburger steak, fried catfish and all the sides to go along with ‘em.
Birmingham’s best gas station food
Bama Bucks Steakhouse and Wild Game Restaurant is located in Boaz, Ala. (Photo courtesy of Terry Turk)(Photo courtesy of Terry Turk)
Bama Bucks Wild Game Restaurant and Steakhouse
292 Bryant Road in Boaz
If you’re looking for an unusual eatery where you can get in an unexpected experience while also trying dishes you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere, pay a visit to Bama Bucks Wild Game and Steakhouse Restaurant, open Thursday through Sunday, in Boaz. While there, you can tour the grounds, which have more than 300 animals, including ostriches, black bears, deer and kangaroos. Sit down to a meal of gourmet wild game dishes like Creole-battered gator bites, bison lasagna, elk steak and more.
Read more: Part wild game restaurant, part exotic animal park, Bama Bucks Steakhouse is one of a kind
Main Street Cafe
101 Main Street in Madison
Main Steet Cafe in Madison doesn’t have an unusual name, but it offers diners an unusual experience — the chance to have a meal in a historic jail cell. The cafe, which is open Monday through Saturday, is housed inside Madison’s former city hall, for a dinner setting that’s unlike any other. Plus, with a menu filled with unique dishes like butter crusted chicken pot pie, low country shrimp and grits, fried deviled eggs and more, it’ll be easy to say it was “the best meal you ever had in jail!”
Super crunch roll with shrimp nigiri, miso soup and ginger salad at Bayou Fresh Seafood in Jasper, Alabama.(Mary Colurso | mcolurso@AL.com)
Bayou Fresh Seafood
217 N. Walston Bridge Road in Jasper
Just when you thought a gas station serving up some of the best country cooking in the state was unusual, our readers decided to one-up it by pointing to the Marathon gas station in Jasper that’s home to Bayou Fresh Seafood. Yes, we are suggesting you buy sushi at a no-frills deli attached to a convenience store, and once you try it, you’ll understand why. Not sure what to order from its more than 30 rolls? It’s hard to go wrong when everything is made fresh and to order, but the Super Crunch Roll is a popular pick.
Read more: Six Alabama dishes worth seeking out in June
Reds Little Schoolhouse
20 Gardner Road in Grady
Red’s Little School House in Grady is one of those unique locales that makes a good meal that much better. In business for more than 40 years, it’s open for lunch Wednesday through Sunday and dinner on weekends. Red’s has become known for its made-from-scratch pies, ribeye steaks and hot bar of classic Southern dishes. All of these are served to loyal customers inside a charming building that still very much looks like — from the chalkboards on the walls to the framed historic photos and more — the one-room schoolhouse it once served as.
Read more: Red’s Little Schoolhouse Restaurant teaches diners a thing or two about southern cooking
The Roadkill Café in Elberta. (Kelly Kazek/kkazek@al.com)Kelly Kazek
Roadkill Cafe
25076 State Street in Elberta
The Roadkill Cafe in Elberta likely draws in a lot of first-timers who are simply curious about its head-turning name — not to mention its “you kill it, we grill it” slogan — but its the popular eatery’s weekend lunch buffet of Southern favorites, including some of the best fried chicken in the state, that likely keeps its loyal fanbase coming back. So while the menu might be all that unusual, getting the opportunity to tell people you had lunch at The Roadkill Cafe, and loved it, feels rare enough to garner it a spot on our list.
Read more: 11 small-town Alabama restaurants that serve up big flavor
Lambert’s Cafe
2981 S. McKenzie Street in Foley
While all restaurants serve food, Lambert’s Cafe in Foley has become well-known for also throwing it — at least in regards to its hot and fresh rolls, anyway. In addition to its “throwed rolls,” the popular eatery, which first opened in 1996 and now serves lunch as well as dinner seven days a week, has become an annual stop for many beachgoers headed to the coast thanks to its eclectic menu of home-cooked dishes, including hamburger steak, fried pork chops and chicken pot pie, alongside its lively atmosphere.
Read more: 10 things you might not know about Lambert’s Cafe
Wilson Dam in Florence, as seen from the 360 Grille.Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com
360 Grille
10 Hightower Place in Florence
It doesn’t get more unusual than a restaurant, located 300 feet in the air, that is slowly, but steadily, spinning. At the upscale 360 Grille at the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa in Florence, diners can enjoy a one-of-a-kind view of the Tennessee River and the city below while also enjoying steaks, seafood, salads, burgers and more at the state’s only revolving restaurant. Whatever you order, be sure to save room for dessert. That white chocolate cheesecake with peach compote, amaretto whipped cream and chocolate drizzle is a standout too.
Read more: Inside Alabama’s only revolving restaurant: Come for the view, stay for the $36 burger
The Hatter Cafe
4277 Alabama Highway 117 in Mentone
Who doesn’t love a restaurant with a theme? At The Hatter Cafe, you can have everything from a cup of tea to a full-scale meal, all while easily envisioning yourself in Wonderland thanks to the eatery’s charming and relaxed atmosphere. Open Thursday through Monday for breakfast and lunch, The Hatter Cafe offers diners an assortment of eclectic eats — ranging from heart-shaped biscuits to waffle sandwiches, cheddar grit cakes and more — almost as unique as the decor, making it a fun experience for everyone.
Read more: You can have a tea party in this Alice in Wonderland-themed restaurant
Alabama
Jacob Crews scores 20 for Missouri in 85-77 win over Alabama State
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jacob Crews scored 20, and Anthony Robinson II added 19 in Missouri’s 85-77 win over Alabama State on Thursday night.
Crews shot 7 of 9 from the field, including 6 of 8 from the 3-point arc. Mark Mitchell added 15 points for Missouri (9-2), and Sebastian Mack added 10.
The Tigers had a 15-0 run in the first half, heading into the locker room up 52-39. Alabama State was held scoreless over a 4:19 drought in the middle of the second half to open a 9-0 run for the Tigers. The Hornets (3-8) responded with their own 10-0 run to bring the game within eight, 74-62. The Tigers regained control, though, to keep their eight-point lead the rest of the game, handing Alabama State their fourth loss in a row.
The Tigers shot 65% (33 of 51). Both teams shot 50% from the free-throw line.
Alabama State outscored Missouri in the final period, 38-33. Asjon Anderscon scored 23 for the Hornets, leading all players in scoring.
Up next
Missouri hosts Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 14.
Alabama State travels to Cincinnati to face the Bearcats on Dec. 17.
___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Alabama
Katie Windham Highlights Alabama Areas of Improvement on The Joe Gaither Show
Let’s crank up a Thursday edition of “The Joe Gaither Show on BamaCentral” with Mason Woods and Katie Windham as we start getting ready for next week’s College Football Playoff game between Alabama and Oklahoma. Windham detailed how the Crimson Tide can improve over the next few weeks, we discuss the team’s health and look back at our last road trip to Norman. The show then discusses the Heisman Trophy finalists before addressing a Kalen DeBoer coaching rumor.
The program opens by power ranking the holidays before discussing Windham’s three areas the Crimson Tide can improve over the next week. Our trio picks the easiest area the team can improve and how Alabama must perform in Norman. Windham details our last trip to Oklahoma as we go down memory lane to the Sooners’ 24-3 victory last season.
The show continues on by getting Windham’s thoughts on Alabama’a College Football Playoff selection and if the Crimson Tide actually deserved its place in the field. She brings up a unique aspect of Alabama’s blowout loss in the SEC Championship and how it played into the program’s inclusion in the College Football Playoffs.
We move from next week’s game into a small discussion on Notre Dame’s reaction of being left out of the field and how it relates to Alabama’s future home-and-home dates with the Fighting Irish. Will the two esteemed programs still face off in a few years?
The show heads into the only college football action of the weekend by highlighting the strong Heisman Trophy finalist field. Who brings home the bronze statue?
Lastly, we spend the final bit of the show talking about Michigan firing Sherrone Moore and the reports of the Wolverines considering persuing Kalen DeBeor for their next head coach. Will DeBoer leave Tuscaloosa for Ann Arbor?
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Call (205) 462-7340 Extension 800 to leave your thoughts in a voicemail, and you’ll be featured on the show. You can also join us live in the comment sections Monday through Friday at 8:15 a.m. CT.
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Alabama
New Alabama law raises penalties for porch piracy
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – As holiday deliveries ramp up, a new Alabama law aims to deter package theft by raising penalties for so-called “porch piracy.” The law, which went into effect on October 1, 2025, makes repeated package theft a felony and can carry prison sentences of up to 10 years in the most serious cases.
What changed
Previously, many package thefts in Alabama were charged as misdemeanor theft because the value of individual stolen packages often fell below felony thresholds. Under the new law however, lawmakers established penalties that focus on the number of homes targeted rather than the dollar value of items stolen:
- Stealing from 1 to 9 homes: most serious misdemeanor
- Stealing from 10 to 29 homes: felony
- Stealing from 30 or more homes: can result in up to 10 years in prison
The law also increases penalties if stolen packages are used to commit identity theft or fraud. In addition, anyone who knowingly receives packages stolen by a porch pirate can be charged under the new rules.
Lawmakers weigh in
Senator April Weaver, one of the bill’s sponsors, said the change was meant to protect Alabama families during the holidays.
“It was really important to protect the people not only in my district but throughout the state of Alabama and to make sure their hard-earned money is going to their children’s Christmas,” she said.
On camera, Senator Weaver added with holiday humor, “It means the Grinch may have stolen Christmas in Whoville, but if he does it in Alabama, he’ll have plenty of time in state prison for his heart to grow three sizes.”
What police recommend if your package is stolen
If you discover a stolen package, law enforcement recommends:
- Report the theft to police immediately.
- Preserve any doorbell or surveillance footage that may show the theft.
- Contact the delivery company right away to report the missing item.
- Consider requiring a signature on delivery to reduce the risk of theft.
The law went into effect on October 1, 2025; this December marks the first holiday season it is in effect. Alabama is now one of more than a dozen states that have passed laws specifically targeting package theft. Supporters say the law sends a stronger message that porch piracy will no longer be treated as a minor offense.
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