Archibald’s Bar-B-Que

A favorite stop when I come to town! I grew up on this barbecue and it is impossible to beat it. This is the original spot. Used to come here with my mom and dad and just the smell would get me excited … It still does ! If you don’t try ARCHIBALD’s when in town… Then you blew it !! That sauce is so good you can eat it and some white bread by itself ! The ribs are amazing ! That pit has been seasoning for decades!!!

I don’t easily hand out a 5 because there is always better. But not here. This is a hole in the wall but perhaps the best BBQ I’ve ever had.
Lady cooking says she’s been here 53 years!

This place has amazing reviews, I am not sure how.
First off it is in the middle of a neighborhood, dang near impossible to find at night. I got the 2 meat plate and was not impressed. The meat was dry and over coated in sauce to make up for it.
Staff: Friendly guys just working the pit
Atmosphere; 2 stars
1 star for actual building
2 stars for the small pit bbq feel on the inside.
Price: 5 stars 11.95 for a two meat plate wasn’t bad at all.

Went here based on reviews from the locals, and I was not disappointed! It is a little outta the way, so don’t think you’re lost when you go. Simple BBQ menu, but they don’t need much to be good. Check it out if you like authentic BBQ!

Our daughter raved about the place so much, we almost couldn’t believe it would be that good. It definitely lives up to the hype! And the family took great care of us. The meats were outstanding. The sauce had a great spice. And the banana pudding. Oh. My. Word.

Dare I say better than the more famous rib restaurant in Tuscaloosa? I actually prefer the sauce and the ribs seem to be more tender. It is out of the way, it is a shack and it is awesome! If you’ve never tried it… Its time.

While I prefer Dreamland’s BBQ sauce, Archibald’s has the best ribs. The texture was very memorable, and something I didn’t expect from a rib. It doesn’t rely so much on the sauce to carry the meal.
The sauce doesn’t resemble BBQ to me. It was much more tangy and sour. I’m not from Alabama so I’m not sure that I appreciate the different local flavor as much, but it really felt like the ribs stole the show.
The coleslaw is super creamy. It resembles KFC but with more watery mayonnaise. It almost has no resemblance of a salad but more of a coleslaw pudding.
The restaurant is a two-​room house run by a family. There’s hardly any room to sit and it’s dark inside. The employees literally cook out of an oven in the wall. It’s not the ideal place for a date but it feels like you’re visiting family.

It’s all true, the BBQ is amazing. The whole parking lot is filled with the most delicious aroma. We drove through the entire state of Texas and didn’t find BBQ this good!
We got two rib dinners but were licking our fingers when we were done seriously considering seconds. We’re driving away now to continue our road trip and I’m still wishing we did! Yum!

Legendary Alabama BBQ from one of its royalty that has been churning out ribs since 1961.
In 2013, USA today rated the 20 tastiest ribs in America and ranked Archibald’s 6^th in the Nation. The restaurant was also awarded second place by Good Morning America in their best barbecue challenge in 2009. While visiting, you may notice a framed and faded picture of Archibald from a 1975 issue of Southern Living Magazine hanging on the wall of this tiny cinder block restaurant.
All across America and especially here in the South there has been a trend to put new twists on old food. While I deeply appreciate the influx of new and creative restaurants (something the south desperately needed), I am a BBQ purist. Archibald’s is the essence of what I fully expect when I bite into smoked pork ribs.
There are no frills here and barely any seating. The building itself is archaic and inside it looks two weeks from being condemned, yet here lies one of the best examples of Southern BBQ on this planet. Pure, unadulterated BBQ as BBQ was meant to be. So focused are they on the purity of the meat that they don’t even offer sides at this location. Just soda and white bread.
SIDENOTE: This is one of the only vinegar-​based sauces I’ve ever enjoyed. It’s so liquity that it doesn’t seem like sauce at all.
DOCUMENTARY FILM —

FINAL THOUGHTS
This doesn’t taste like food prepared at a restaurant. It tastes just like being at a backyard BBQ in Anytown USA. Archibald himself passed away in 1985, but the legendary meat he created lives on. Thank God for that, because the day this restaurant ceases to exist will be a day the South looses a piece of its food identity. You can say what you will about the best BBQ being from Kansas City, St. Louis, Memphis, Texas or the Carolina’s…but Alabama stands alone as one of my favorite places for BBQ worship! Amen. (4.5 stars rounded up to 5)

A few friends of mine asked the question when I told them, «You drove 3.5 hours for ribs???» Very simple answer was yeah… it was worth it.
We got a couple of slabs of ribs (I don’t believe they sell any sides here) and when we took a seat in one of the very few tables, that first bite took me back to family reunions at my grandma’s house. The second bite you take, you almost start to look around for your uncle to ask what he put in the sauce!
The ribs themselves are pretty meaty, very tender, great seasoning, and served with the tried and true slice of white bread.
I could keep on talking more about this place, their ribs, the cool fact that the place is literally behind what looks like somebody’s house, but just know this… if you’re every in AL, you gotta do yourself a favor and stop in at Archibald’s.