The Best Affordable Restaurants in Alabama

Five spots earned a coveted Bib Gourmand in the inaugural MICHELIN Guide American South.

Sweet Home Alabama! From Birmingham to Mobile, Alabama’s cuisine celebrates Southern tradition. Gulf seafood, smoky barbecue and locally-sourced ingredients anchor a food culture that’s as welcoming as the state itself.

Our MICHELIN Guide Inspectors have identified the best restaurants in Alabama, including five Bib Gourmand restaurants that are great food for great value. Whether it’s French cuisine in Birmingham or farm-fresh classics in Mobile, each restaurant in the selection brings something uniquely delicious.

See the Bib Gourmands and the full list of recommended restaurants in Alabama below.

Birmingham

Bayonet
Cuisine: Seafood

The makings of a great day begin with lunch at this airy raw bar that gets all the details just right. In downtown Birmingham next door to their flagship restaurant Helen, Rob and Emily McDaniel direct their attention to pristine seafood and freshly shucked oysters. Whole-fish butchery and a passion for seasonality yield superb dividends, and one could make feast out of a series of small plates. Start with the clever seafood charcuterie, which includes the likes of wahoo salami and cobia sausage. Gulf coast crab bound with corn remoulade sitting atop a perfectly ripe tomato is a Southern celebration. Fries for the table? Yes, please. Meanwhile, for dessert, coconut cream pie is a must.

La Fête
Cuisine: French
This idyllic bistro makes good on its promise of comfort and quality. Tiled flooring, quaint little tables and cabinets lined with wine bottles match the French ethos. Thanks to a partnership with sister spot Bandit bakery, anything involving bread or pastry is worth ordering: flaky croissants, tomato and goat cheese tarts, fruit galettes. Roasted half chicken with potato gratin is an assured crowd-pleaser but so too is the dry-aged cheeseburger or the boudin blanc with aligot potatoes. Relaxed servers add to the allure of a restaurant that welcomes you as you are at any time of the day.

OvenBird
Cuisine: Spanish
From the parking lot, you can smell the sweet smoke that billows out of the restaurant’s two roaring, wood-burning ovens. In what feels like a backyard oasis fit with a spacious patio, find a hazy, sun-lit dining room where Chef Chris Hastings pulls inspiration from Spain and Latin America. Much of the food is cooked in cast-iron skillets. From Spanish omelets dotted with chorizo vinaigrette to charred empanadas to finely seared scallops set in ajo blanco sauce, the tapas-style menu does not shy away from flavor and is fully designed for sharing. For dessert, spiced molasses crème brûlée makes for a sweet send-off.

Pizza Grace
Cuisine: Pizza
This rambunctious pizzeria in Mercantile on Morris is a stylish spot built out of hard, warehouse floors and exposed brick. In lieu of traditional preparations, the kitchen takes a maximalist approach to toppings. Pesto, mortadella and pistachios or chorizo with romesco and chopped Castelvetrano olives arrive on a fine sourdough crust that’s been turned and crisped in a hot electric oven. Though the pies are serious and sizeable, meatballs are also a must-order for the table, as are desserts. Think pistachio tiramisu or a nostalgic ice cream bar dipped in chocolate. A fun selection of natural wines rounds out the experience.

Mobile

The Noble South 
Cuisine: American

Chef/owner Chris Rainosek has been championing the products from nearby farms for more than a decade at The Noble South, and ethical and organic practices are at the root of everything he does. It's passionate, not preachy here, where brick walls, wood tables set with metal chairs and a friendly staff add to the warm, welcoming ambience. Start with a cocktail before selecting from the well-edited, ever-changing menu featuring snacks, small plates and entrees. It's up for grabs as far as what you'll find, but you may enjoy items like grilled peaches topped with ricotta and dukkah or a bowl of Marsh Hen Mills grits topped with Gulf shrimp, sauteed spring squash and blue crabmeat. Desserts, like baked meringue with peach custard, are as noteworthy as the rest of the meal.