Buddy's Bar-B-Que
411 1st St N | Alabaster , AL 35007
Facebook - @Buddys-Bar-B-Que
Phone - (205) 663-6993
Website - https://www.buddysbbqalabaster.com/
Since 1976, Buddy's Bar-B-Que in Alabaster, AL has been a local gem here in the Birmingham area. If you're familiar with the area, you know that Highway 31 is a 4 lane road packed with shops, restaurants, businesses, and car dealerships. A busy road to say the least... And nestled in a little lot next to the train tracks in Alabaster is Buddy's Bar-B-Que. I passed by Buddy's a few times without even noticing it. It sort of just blends in with the new fast food chains and office buildings of the area. And plus, who stops at a BBQ joint in Alabama that has no cars in the parking lot at lunch time? Any good restaurant worth their salt has at least a FEW cars out front right? But every time I passed by, I couldn't help but notice the smell of rolling hickory smoke in the air coming from this little building. So I followed my nose, and my gut, and pulled in one day and had a HUGE revelation... Buddy's Bar-B-Que is takeout only! That explained why there wasn't anyone parked out front! And looking back, I'm so glad I followed my gut because this is BBQ done right!
The Menu
Buddy's menu is pretty traditional, like most old school BBQ restaurants in the South. There are no lunch specials, exotic menu choices, and catering options seems to be mass quantities of meat and sides. The sides are simple, yet quality hand-made sides, even down to the fries and okra. Oh, and don't forget the home made cakes! However, what I have noticed after frequenting the place over the last year, is that every time I'm in line, someone is ordering a hamburger, which seems odd at a BBQ place. So I ordered a cheeseburger and quickly realized why!! It reminds me of a small town football game concession stand burger. The kind of concession stand where someone's dad is working a huge catering grill out back, and clearly knows what he is doing. 100% worth it in my opinion. Oh, and they also have pork skins on the menu, because.... Alabama.
The Sauce
Buddy's only has one BBQ sauce, but that's all they need! It is one of my favorite BBQ Sauces in Birmingham. Really dark red, smoky ketchup based sauce with a little bit of a heat on the back end. Try it on the pork, the chicken, on the fries, and even the burger.
My Order
I try to stay somewhat similar with my orders at each of these places to give an unbiased opinion, so I went with The chopped BBQ Pork Sandwich with fries, okra, and baked beans. The BBQ sandwich is good, but it's not my favorite thing on the menu, as I enjoy their ribs the most. The fries are hand cut and extra crispy. The baked beans are sweet and have big chunks of pulled pork bark in them. And by far my favorite side at Buddy's is the fried okra. Extra crispy okra with plenty of salt, and served with home made ranch, of course.
My Closing Argument
Buddy's Bar-B-Que is a classic Southern BBQ joint. I mean, they have pork skins on the menu, come on. Great proteins, classic, yet well done side items, really good sweet tea, and home made cakes makes Buddy's stand out among the rest, and is a large part of his long term success in Alabaster. What more could you ask for? Stop by and talk to Buddy himself, as he's a really nice guy who you can tell is in love with serving BBQ. Also, check them out on Facebook. They could benefit from getting a few more followers for sure, and hopefully they could start showing signs of life on Social Media.
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