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Fairhope AL Restaurants

tjllml

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Dec 13, 2006
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Will be spending a few days there soon. Any recommendations for good restaurants nearby would be appreciated.
 
The Waffle House in Fairhope ranked one thumb up.
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Will be spending a few days there soon. Any recommendations for good restaurants nearby would be appreciated.

Never been and had to look up where it is, but the good news is that you’re only about 20 mins from the “Mobile” restaurants on the causeway. I was literally at the Original Oyster House two days ago and split a blackened gray trigger filet covered with fried crawfish and Conecuh sausage cream sauce, some grilled oysters, and some steamed royal red shrimp with my wife. Also on the Causeway is Felix’s Fish Camp which is slightly more upscale than the Original Oyster House (make sure you try their soup sampler as an app, it’s great).

Actual Mobile is a little further away but you’re only half an hour or 45 mins from most of Mobile’s restaurants.

This has a local’s perspective on the restaurants actually in Fairhope.

http://www.fairhopealabama.net/about.html

The only one I recognised is Wintzels which is a small chain of seafood restaurants. It’s ok, but the Original Oyster House is better.
 
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I would go back today if I could for the rolls and apple butter. Mmmmmmm
There's only two Lambert's in the entire country (the other in St. Louis)...So it would be sensible to take advantage while in the area.
 
My wife and I just spent a few years on the "Eastern Shore" of the bay as the locals called it. Fairhope was probably our favorite place and we spent a lot of Fridays and Saturdays wandering around town before we left the area for Georgia last year. It was unlike any other place we lived in Alabama in our eight years in the state, perhaps because it was settled by Iowans trying to establish a Utopian community in the 19th century.

Here is what we enjoyed while we were there. There are a number of other places, but we were regulars at the following:

Dragonfly: Great place for tacos (duck taco was my favorite) and pho-style soups. Definitely grab a bite here.

Fairhope Brewery: Very good beers here. The taproom is large, comfortable, and is usually uncrowded (unless they are celebrating their annual Mardis Gras in July). They didn't always have a great variety of dark beers, but a good selection overall. If they have it, get the Judge Roy Bean Coffee Stout (let it warm up some before you drink it; it causes the coffee flavor to become stronger) or the Jalapeno IPA. No food here, but they do have a food truck outside every now and then.

Warehouse Bakery: Great place for breakfast or lunch. Biscuits are really good and the setting was always nice. It is a bit away from the walkable section of Fairhope.

Page and Palette Bookstore: This is a local bookstore downtown that also has a coffee shop and bar. The coffee is very good, the bar has a good selection of Alabama-crafted beers.

Locals: Small restaurant with great burgers. They often have wild game burgers on the menu (The two that stood out were the boar burger and kangaroo burger)

If you make it to the beach (about 45 mins away), check out the new brewery in Gulf Shores, Lulu's in Gulf Shores, and The Gulf in Orange Beach. Lulu's is large and touristy, but get a seat by the bar that overlooks the canal and watch the expensive boats sail by while you drink beer and eat pork nachos. The Gulf is constructed of re-purposed shipping containers and has a great outdoor seating area overlooking the water.

Also, check out the Fairhope History Museum while you're there. It is small, but well curated, with a number of good exhibits on the local history.
 
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This is shocking to me.

I’ve been to practically everywhere in Florida and most places in Georgia, but my Bama experience is limited to Mobile, Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Huntsville, Birmingham and the places along the way between those spots. I’ve actually more familiar with and spent more time in Mississippi than Alabama because of having a bunch of inlaw relatives in that state.
 
My wife and I just spent a few years on the "Eastern Shore" of the bay as the locals called it. Fairhope was probably our favorite place and we spent a lot of Fridays and Saturdays wandering around town before we left the area for Georgia last year. It was unlike any other place we lived in Alabama in our eight years in the state, perhaps because it was settled by Iowans trying to establish a Utopian community in the 19th century.

Here is what we enjoyed while we were there. There are a number of other places, but we were regulars at the following:

Dragonfly: Great place for tacos (duck taco was my favorite) and pho-style soups. Definitely grab a bite here.

Fairhope Brewery: Very good beers here. The taproom is large, comfortable, and is usually uncrowded (unless they are celebrating their annual Mardis Gras in July). They didn't always have a great variety of dark beers, but a good selection overall. If they have it, get the Judge Roy Bean Coffee Stout (let it warm up some before you drink it; it causes the coffee flavor to become stronger) or the Jalapeno IPA. No food here, but they do have a food truck outside every now and then.

Warehouse Bakery: Great place for breakfast or lunch. Biscuits are really good and the setting was always nice. It is a bit away from the walkable section of Fairhope.

Page and Palette Bookstore: This is a local bookstore downtown that also has a coffee shop and bar. The coffee is very good, the bar has a good selection of Alabama-crafted beers.

Locals: Small restaurant with great burgers. They often have wild game burgers on the menu (The two that stood out were the boar burger and kangaroo burger)

If you make it to the beach (about 45 mins away), check out the new brewery in Gulf Shores, Lulu's in Gulf Shores, and The Gulf in Orange Beach. Lulu's is large and touristy, but get a seat by the bar that overlooks the canal and watch the expensive boats sail by while you drink beer and eat pork nachos. The Gulf is constructed of re-purposed shipping containers and has a great outdoor seating area overlooking the water.

Also, check out the Fairhope History Museum while you're there. It is small, but well curated, with a number of good exhibits on the local history.
Good list, I'd also add Oyster House on the causeway, Manci's bar in Daphne for good drinks, poboys and music, Busters Brick Oven Pizza next to Manci's.
 
Panini Pete's in downtown Fairhope is pretty good.
Used to be a place called Guy's Gumbo that was decent.
Roadkill Cafe in Elberta (about an hour away) is a OK local buffet, but
the name makes it worth the trip!!
Stacey's Drugstore in downtown Foley has an old fashioned soda fountain, ice cream shop.
Manci's Antique Club in Daphne has decent food, but also is home to the 2nd largest collection of Jim Beam Decanters in the world, or at least it used to be.
Burris Farm Market in Loxley has some great peach and pecan cobbler, as well as a good assortment of homemade breads, and produce.
 
No alcohol, but it's down-home comfort food on roids.
Its in Foley anyway and a tourist trap! Abort. Abort.
Market by the Bay and Big Daddy's for fresh seafood. Agave for Mexican food. California Dreamin up in Spanish Fort. The Marriott's Sweet Water Cafe is tasty. So is the food.The Wash House in Pt. Clear. Boudreaux's for any Ragin Cajuns! Bring you wallet! Taco Bell is a clear 2nd alternative to the Waffle House.Leroy's Poke Chops is a distant third. The Fairhope Brewery is on my way home from work and its become a problem...... ;)
 
Its in Foley anyway and a tourist trap! Abort. Abort.
Market by the Bay and Big Daddy's for fresh seafood. Agave for Mexican food. California Dreamin up in Spanish Fort. The Marriott's Sweet Water Cafe is tasty. So is the food.The Wash House in Pt. Clear. Boudreaux's for any Ragin Cajuns! Bring you wallet! Taco Bell is a clear 2nd alternative to the Waffle House.Leroy's Poke Chops is a distant third. The Fairhope Brewery is on my way home from work and its become a problem...... ;)

It didn’t dawn on me as I’ve only been to the original Lambert’s in Missouri within driving distance of Branson, but yeah I did NOT care for it. The throwed roll schtick is amusing but our table got a grand total of one roll for the entire table the whole dinner. The only things I liked about it was the hog jowl (basically super thick bacon just from the head and not the belly) and the ultra thick sorghum syrup. The rest was basically a Cracker Barrel.
 
If you are a Cigar fan I highly recommend Bouch's Premium Cigars. The owner Gene is a great guy. Nice courtyard in the back to enjoy your smoke. He provides free beer and wine to those who buy from his shop.
 
Married my wife in Fairhope Alabama 28 yrs ago.

I can’t add anything more than what’s been said above about places to go...if you happen to go to the end of the Fairhope Pier...that’s where we got engaged.
 
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