The best barbecue in Birmingham, Alabama, comes from a handful of locally owned pits: Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q for hickory-smoked pork and chicken with white sauce, Carlile’s Barbecue for a weekday lunch at a counter open since 1945, and Saw’s BBQ in Homewood for smoked chicken sandwiches and combo plates. If you are headed to Oak Mountain State Park, add Creekside BBQ in Pelham, with a covered patio over the creek.
Birmingham barbecue is mostly pork and chicken, slow smoked over hickory and served chopped or pulled, with either a tangy tomato-based sauce or Alabama’s own mayonnaise-based white sauce. Every restaurant below is locally owned and in our directory. For more on the city, start with our Birmingham, Alabama guide.
Birmingham barbecue at a glance
| Restaurant | Where | Since | Order | Hours (as of this writing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q | Cahaba Heights Road, Birmingham | 1984 | Pulled pork or chicken with white sauce, homemade desserts | Mon to Sat, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Carlile’s Barbecue | 6th Avenue South, near Forest Park and Avondale | 1945 | A barbecue plate or sandwich and dessert | Mon to Fri, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Saw’s BBQ | Oxmoor Road, Homewood | 2009 | Smoked chicken sandwich with white sauce, combo platter | Mon to Sat, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Creekside BBQ | Oak Mountain Park Road, Pelham | Newer | Brisket with crispy onions, ribs, smoked cheese grits | Daily, shorter hours Sun and Mon |
What is Birmingham-style barbecue?
Birmingham barbecue is hickory-smoked pork and chicken first, with ribs close behind and brisket on some newer menus. Most places chop or pull the meat and let you choose your sauce. Two sauces dominate:
- Red sauce: A tomato-based sauce, usually tangy and peppery rather than thick and sweet.
- White sauce: Alabama’s own sauce, made from mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper. It was created at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur in North Alabama and is traditionally used on smoked chicken. In Birmingham you will find it on pork and chicken sandwiches too.
Sides are Southern: baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, mac and cheese, collards. Save room for dessert, because several of these places treat their pies and puddings as seriously as the meat. Our upcoming story on Alabama white sauce barbecue goes deeper on the sauce.
Where is the best barbecue in Birmingham?
The best barbecue in Birmingham depends on when you can go: Carlile’s is weekday lunch only, Miss Myra’s closes at 7 p.m. and on Sundays, and Saw’s in Homewood stays open until 8 p.m. six days a week. Here is what makes each worth the trip.
Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q
Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q has smoked meat on Cahaba Heights Road since 1984 in a custom-built brick pit, and it is still run by Myra Grissom Harper and her family. Pork and chicken come off the hickory pit chopped or pulled, and the white sauce, made from mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper in the North Alabama tradition, gets ladled over meat that has already taken on hours of smoke. Sides are made fresh daily, and the dessert case rotates with whatever the kitchen baked that morning. The restaurant has been recognized by the Food Network and featured by food writer Andrew Zimmern. It is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with curbside pickup available.
Carlile’s Barbecue
Carlile’s Barbecue has fed Birmingham since 1945 from a modest storefront on 6th Avenue South, near the Forest Park and Avondale neighborhoods, southeast of downtown. The Collat family bought it in 2007 and kept the format largely intact: smoked meats by the plate or sandwich, traditional sides and a dessert case with its own following. It is a lunch place, open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with no dinner or weekend service. Plan a weekday around it, and pair it with a walk through Avondale afterward.
Saw’s BBQ (Homewood)
Saw’s BBQ on Oxmoor Road in Homewood is part of a small, locally owned group that founder Mike Wilson started in 2009 after his backyard barbecue built a following of more than 200 people on his email list. Wilson trained as a chef and cooked in a test kitchen in Birmingham before opening Saw’s. The kitchen smokes pork, chicken and ribs low and slow, and you finish the plate with the house sauces, including Saw’s thinner, vinegar-forward signature sauce, which is sold bottled in Alabama grocery stores. The smoked chicken sandwich with white sauce is the most requested item, and the pulled pork also goes on stuffed baked potatoes. It is counter service, open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saw’s has other locations around the metro, but Homewood is the one in our directory.
Creekside BBQ (Pelham)
Creekside BBQ sits above Bishop Creek on Oak Mountain Park Road in Pelham, close to the entrance to Oak Mountain State Park, which makes it the natural post-hike stop. Its owners spent more than 20 years running another Pelham restaurant, and the menu mixes regional styles: Alabama-style chicken, North Carolina-style pork and Memphis-style ribs, plus brisket topped with crispy onions and Wickles pickles. Sides go beyond the usual, with smoked cheese grits, feta potato salad, corn casserole and fried green tomatoes. The 48-seat covered patio over the creek is dog friendly, and the bar pours Alabama craft beer. It is open seven days a week.
Which Birmingham barbecue spot should you choose?
- For white sauce: Miss Myra’s, where it goes on pit-smoked pork and chicken, or the smoked chicken sandwich at Saw’s.
- For history: Carlile’s, open since 1945, or Miss Myra’s, open since 1984 and still family run.
- For a weekday lunch near downtown: Carlile’s.
- For dinner: Saw’s in Homewood until 8 p.m., or Creekside BBQ in Pelham.
- For a group with mixed tastes: Creekside BBQ, with combo plates, burgers, salads and a kids menu.
- After a hike: Creekside BBQ, a few minutes from Oak Mountain State Park.
What should you order?
Start with what each place is known for, then branch out.
- Pulled pork: The Birmingham baseline. Try it plain first, then with red and white sauce side by side.
- Smoked chicken with white sauce: The most Alabama order you can make.
- Ribs: Creekside BBQ smokes Memphis-style spare ribs, and Saw’s smokes ribs as well.
- Combo plates: The best way to try several meats on a first visit at Saw’s or Creekside.
- Dessert: Miss Myra’s homemade desserts and Carlile’s dessert case both have devoted fans, and Creekside has banana pudding.
Where does barbecue fit into a Birmingham trip?
Barbecue makes an easy lunch between sights. Carlile’s on 6th Avenue South is a short drive from Sloss Furnaces and Avondale, so a weekday plan could be Sloss in the morning, Carlile’s for lunch and a brewery in Avondale in the late afternoon. Our Birmingham breweries guide has the taprooms. If you are watching your budget, pair a barbecue lunch with the free sights in our story on free things to do in Birmingham. Saw’s in Homewood is close to the shops and restaurants of downtown Homewood, and Creekside BBQ is the reward after a day on the trails; see hiking near Birmingham for routes.
Are there other Birmingham barbecue places worth knowing?
Yes. Birmingham has more barbecue than our directory currently lists, including well-known names around town that we hope to add. Browse the Birmingham food and drink page for the current list, and if your favorite pit is missing, let us know. Across the state, our upcoming guide to the best barbecue in Alabama covers pits from the Tennessee Valley to the coast.
Tips for eating barbecue in Birmingham
- Check hours twice. Several of the best spots close early, and Carlile’s is closed on weekends.
- Make lunch the main event. Carlile’s serves only until 3 p.m., and the others close by early evening.
- Order sauce on the side the first time so you can taste the smoke.
- Feeding a crowd? Miss Myra’s, Carlile’s, Saw’s and Creekside all offer catering. Miss Myra’s asks for a day’s notice on delivery orders.
FAQ
What is the oldest barbecue restaurant in Birmingham?
Among the restaurants in our directory, Carlile’s Barbecue is the oldest, serving Birmingham since 1945 from 6th Avenue South. Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q, open since 1984, is the next oldest.
What is Alabama white sauce?
Alabama white sauce is a tangy barbecue sauce made from mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper. It was created at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur and is traditionally served on smoked chicken. In Birmingham, try it at Miss Myra’s or on the smoked chicken sandwich at Saw’s.
Where can I get barbecue in Birmingham on a Sunday?
Of the spots in this guide, Creekside BBQ in Pelham is open seven days a week, with shorter Sunday hours. Miss Myra’s, Carlile’s and Saw’s in Homewood are closed on Sundays.
Where can I get barbecue near Oak Mountain State Park?
Creekside BBQ on Oak Mountain Park Road in Pelham is close to the park entrance. It has a dog-friendly covered patio over Bishop Creek and Alabama craft beer on tap.
Where are the best ribs in Birmingham?
Creekside BBQ in Pelham smokes Memphis-style spare ribs and offers them on two- and three-meat combo plates. Saw’s BBQ also smokes ribs low and slow alongside its pork and chicken.