12 Soul Food Buffets In Alabama That Locals Can’t Get Enough Of
Alabama is home to some of the most mouth-watering soul food you’ll find anywhere in the South. From crispy fried chicken to buttery cornbread and collard greens swimming in pot liquor, these buffets serve up plates of pure comfort.
When locals need their fix of down-home cooking just like grandma used to make, they head to these beloved soul food spots where the food is plentiful and the flavors are unforgettable.
1. Mary’s Southern Cooking in Mobile
Located in the heart of Mobile, Mary’s has been filling bellies with authentic soul food for over 25 years. The aroma of fried chicken and freshly baked cornbread hits you the moment you walk through the door.
I’ve watched locals line up before opening time on Sundays, eager to pile their plates high with mac and cheese that stretches with every forkful. Their smothered pork chops practically melt in your mouth, swimming in gravy that demands to be sopped up with a biscuit.
What makes Mary’s special is how they rotate daily specials like oxtails on Thursdays and salmon croquettes on Tuesdays. The sweet tea comes in mason jars, and nobody leaves without sampling the banana pudding.
2. Granny’s Home Cookin’ in Birmingham
Tucked away on a quiet street in Birmingham, Granny’s Home Cookin’ feels like stepping into your grandmother’s dining room. Yellow walls adorned with family photos create a warm atmosphere where strangers quickly become friends over plates of comfort food.
The buffet stretches across an entire wall with cast iron pots of collard greens, black-eyed peas, and candied yams that taste like they’ve been simmering since sunrise. Their fried catfish has the perfect crispy coating while staying tender inside.
Did you know Granny’s uses recipes passed down through five generations? The owner, Miss Ellie, still makes her famous peach cobbler daily using peaches from her backyard trees when in season.
3. Big Mama’s Soul Kitchen in Montgomery
If heaven had a buffet, it would taste like Big Mama’s Soul Kitchen in Montgomery. This family-run establishment has been feeding the community for three generations, and their recipes haven’t changed a bit.
The chicken and dumplings are so good they’ve brought tears to grown men’s eyes. I always make a beeline for their black-eyed peas seasoned with ham hocks and their creamy butter beans that taste like pure Southern comfort.
Weekends at Big Mama’s feature live gospel music while you eat, creating an atmosphere that nourishes both body and soul. Their famous hot water cornbread has a crispy exterior and soft inside that pairs perfectly with everything on your plate.
4. Sweet Tea & Cornbread Buffet in Huntsville
Sweet Tea & Cornbread isn’t trying to reinvent soul food they’re preserving it in its purest form. The moment you walk in, the scent of smoked meats and buttery cornbread wraps around you like a warm hug.
Their buffet changes daily but always features at least three meat options including fall-off-the-bone ribs on Fridays. The sides steal the show with creamed corn so sweet you’d swear it was dessert and okra fried to golden perfection without a hint of sliminess.
A hidden gem on their buffet is the tomato pie, a savory Southern delicacy rarely found elsewhere. The owner, Ms. Josephine, still works the line at 78 years old, making sure every dish meets her exacting standards.
5. Mama Pearl’s Country Buffet in Selma
History and flavor collide at Mama Pearl’s in historic Selma. This unassuming buffet has been serving soul-satisfying meals since 1964, becoming as much a part of local history as the famous bridge just down the street.
The oxtail stew falls apart with just a gentle prod of your fork, swimming in a rich gravy that demands to be soaked up with their famous yeast rolls. Their collard greens have converted even the most stubborn veggie-haters with their smoky, hammy depth.
Mama Pearl’s grandson now runs the place but still uses her handwritten recipes, including the secret to her legendary sweet potato pie that locals order weeks in advance for holidays. The walls are decorated with civil rights memorabilia, making dining here a cultural experience.
6. Delta Blues Soul Food in Tuscaloosa
Just a stone’s throw from the university, Delta Blues has been fueling Crimson Tide fans with stick-to-your-ribs goodness for decades. Game days see this place packed with hungry fans in red and white, loading up before heading to the stadium.
Their smothered chicken is legendary tender pieces bathed in onion gravy that locals swear could bring peace to feuding families. The mac and cheese is baked with a secret blend of five cheeses that forms a crust so delicious, folks have been known to fight over corner pieces.
Where Delta Blues truly shines is their dessert bar featuring seven different cobblers daily. The pecan pie has won the state fair competition three years running, and their banana pudding is topped with a torched meringue that would make any pastry chef jealous.
7. Aunt Sarah’s Sunday Spread in Dothan
When folks in Dothan talk about Sunday dinner, they’re usually referring to Aunt Sarah’s. This buffet only opens after church lets out and closes when the food runs out which happens like clockwork around 4pm every Sunday.
Their fried chicken is nothing short of miraculous crispy outside, juicy inside, and seasoned so perfectly you’ll swear they’ve been reading your mind. The creamed corn is made fresh that morning, and the field peas with snaps taste like summer in a spoonful.
A charming tradition at Aunt Sarah’s is their community table where strangers are seated together, often leaving as friends. The sweet potato soufflé topped with pecan streusel is so popular that regulars know to head straight for the dessert table before filling their main plates.
8. River City Soul Food in Florence
Perched on the Tennessee River, River City Soul Food offers views as delicious as their cooking. This former riverboat captain’s home has been converted into a buffet where the food pays homage to both river and farm traditions.
Their catfish is caught daily and fried in a cornmeal batter that’s light as air yet crunchy enough to satisfy. The turnip greens are picked from local farms and slow-simmered with fatback, creating a pot liquor so good they serve it in cups on the side.
Locals know to save room for the bread pudding made with day-old biscuits and served with a whiskey sauce that’ll warm you from the inside out. During summer months, they open the wraparound porch for dining with river views that complement the soulful flavors.
9. Magnolia’s Southern Table in Decatur
Housed in a restored Victorian mansion, Magnolia’s brings elegance to soul food without sacrificing an ounce of flavor. Crystal chandeliers hang above buffet tables laden with Southern classics prepared with a chef’s attention to detail.
The smothered pork chops fall off the bone after being slow-braised for hours in a savory onion gravy. Their squash casserole combines yellow summer squash with a cheesy cream sauce and buttery cracker topping that’s become the stuff of local legend.
Many ingredients come from their own garden visible from the dining room windows. On Saturdays, they feature a special seafood section with Gulf shrimp and grits that draws crowds from as far as Birmingham. Each table receives a basket of hot water cornbread shaped into perfect little discs that crisp up beautifully.
10. Miss Myra’s Meat & Three Buffet in Bessemer
Don’t let the humble exterior fool you Miss Myra’s in Bessemer is soul food royalty. This cinderblock building with a hand-painted sign houses what many consider the most authentic Southern buffet in the state.
Their smoked chicken comes off the pit with skin so crispy and meat so juicy that first-timers often gasp at first bite. The butter beans simmer all day with ham hocks, creating a velvety texture that’s practically hypnotic.
A unique offering is their tomato gravy a tangy, slightly sweet sauce that locals pour over everything from rice to cornbread. The banana pudding here is so famous that the Food Network featured it on three different shows, with layers of pudding, vanilla wafers, and bananas topped with a cloud-like meringue.
11. Gospel & Gravy Sunday Buffet in Anniston
Sunday afternoons at Gospel & Gravy feed both stomach and spirit. This church-owned buffet operates in the fellowship hall after services, with choir members often still in robes serving up plates of heavenly food.
The fried chicken is legendary each piece hand-dredged in seasoned flour and fried in cast iron skillets that haven’t been washed with soap in decades. Their mashed potatoes are real lumpy in the best way and swimming in gravy made from scratch.
What makes this place special is how the menu changes based on what church members bring in from their gardens. Summer means fresh sliced tomatoes and cucumber salad, while fall brings sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows and pecans. The coconut cake stands tall with seven layers separated by a filling that’s guarded like a state secret.
12. Whistle Stop Cafe in Irondale
Made famous by the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes,” the real Whistle Stop Cafe in Irondale serves up a buffet that’s even better than fiction. The 100-year-old building sits beside still-active train tracks, with trains regularly whistling past during mealtime.
Their fried green tomatoes are, of course, the star thick-cut, cornmeal-battered, and fried to golden perfection. The buffet rotates daily but always features at least one stewed meat like oxtails or beef tips in rich gravy.
Regulars know Thursday is chicken and dumplings day with flat, slippery dumplings in a broth so rich it could be a meal on its own. The peach cobbler comes in a personal cast iron skillet, bubbling hot from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the crevices.
