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5 New(ish) Places to Eat in Huntsville, AL

  • Writer: Catherine Coffey
    Catherine Coffey
  • Aug 17, 2022
  • 9 min read

Updated: Aug 19, 2022

Huntsville, Alabama has grown so much over the past several years! From new plants, such as the Facebook Datacenter and the Mazda, to new places for friends and family to gather, like Top Golf, Stars and Strikes Bowling Alley, The Camp, Main Event, etc. Huntsville has grown so much and continues to grow! I mean, we are the largest city in the state now😉.

My favorite of all is the restaurant increase! Since 2019, Huntsville has added numerous new restaurants and food establishments to the area! Here is the list of my favorite new restaurants that Huntsville has added over the past 2 years. Also included are the links to their menu, links to socials, their address, & what I typically order at each place so you can access it all!

1. Jack Browns Beer & Burger Joint

📍123 North Side Square Ste 100, Huntsville, AL 35801

Menu: Menu Here.

Instagram: Linked Here.

- Opened September 14th, 2020

- What I order: Greg Brady, no bbq chips. Fries. Extra sauce.



Ahh, Jack Browns. There are not enough words that I can think of to describe my love for this establishment. I started going to Jack Browns in college at their Birmingham location. When I graduated and moved back to Huntsville, I thought I was going to have to make trips to Bham just to go to Jack Browns. When they announced a location in Huntsville in 2019, I literally almost died. I was so happy to be getting one in Huntsville! The location for JBs is perfect - downtown on the square in the heart of Huntsville! It stays open late, 2 am I believe, so the party crowd hitting up the bars has a spot to check out for their late-night appetite.


Jack Browns has a unique menu. None of their burgers feature the typical burger condiments such as lettuce, tomato, etc. In fact, I believe they have a sign saying something along those lines inside. Every burger is different & unique. They also have a weekly menu that features a Specialty Burger for every day of the week. I recommend coming on Sundays for The Chiflet, but with a donut for a bun. Don't knock it until you try it, I promise.


I think my favorite part of Jack Browns is whatever the heck their sauce is made of. Dipping their crinkly and perfectly seasoned fries into the Jack Browns sauce... I can't even explain how amazing that combo is. It's almost like that feeling you get when you wake up naturally with no alarm clock on a weekend morning or the taste of a fresh, cold water bottle on a hot summer's day. The feelings you get when you experience those scenarios are not even close to how I feel when I eat Jack Browns sauce. I have always said I want a fountain of it at my wedding, and as long as I marry rich, I will get it. :)

2. Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

📍1075 Balch Road, Madison, AL 35758

Instagram: Linked Here.

- Opened June 9th, 2020

-What I order: Single Steakburger, with cheese & only lettuce & mayo. Fries. Regular vanilla custard concrete with either Oreos or Reese's PB cups.



Freddy's. Now one of my top 5 favorite fast-food restaurants. Getting one in Hsv has changed me! I had passed a Freddy's before in Birmingham and the one in Tuscaloosa but never went out of my way to go there. I always wanted to try it, but I never did for some reason. I look back and wonder why I did that to myself when and that I could have had Freddy's in my life for longer. I love the atmosphere and the style behind Freddy's. It almost reminds me of a soda fountain vibe, I guess it's because of the color scheme. Every time I have gone, I have enjoyed my meal more than the last time!


First off, their steakburgers are incredible. They are thinly pressed but full of flavor! I am a pickier eater than most, so I only get lettuce and mayo on my burger. They do have more toppings for their burgers though! The buns are simple, yet satisfying. There are many burger options on their menu, but I keep going back to the single steakburger.


I am a huge fan of thin-cut fries, such as these. Steak & Shake is the only other place I have been to that does them. Freddy's fries are so so good. They are seasoned perfectly. I'm not sure what the seasoning is, but it isn't overpowering or anything. I always dip them in their Freddy's sauce. They have two different kinds, and I have tried both. One is Jalapeńo and the other is regular. The Jalapeńo has a little kick but nothing too spicy, for me anyway. I usually go for the regular sauce!


Custard has become my new favorite form of ice cream if you will. Something about the thickness of it keeps drawing me back every time. I always get their concrete, but they have a lot of different options as far as how you want your custard goes. You can get it in a cone, milkshake, sundae, cup, malt, etc! They also have a huge list of toppings that you can add to your custard. Ofc I always go for Oreo's or Reese's PB Cups. 😋

3. Crumbl Cookies 📍2750 Carl T. Jones Dr. SE Suite 1200-U Huntsville, AL 35802 Menu: Linked Here. Instagram: Linked Here. - Opened May 13, 2021 - What I order: I check the weekly menu for flavors I like & go when there is one.

(l to r: red velvet chip, funfetti, lemon)

(l to r: oreo, red velvet chip, lemon)

Crumbl is one of the coolest company ideas in this day in age, in my opinion. What better way to keep customers coming back than to rotate your menu every week! I always look forward to Sunday nights at 7 c.t. because of the Crumbl weekly lineup drop. I also love their social media presence and the content that they share daily. Whoever does their TikTok videos should get a raise! They draw you in and keep you wanting more cookies!! One thing you should know before you go is the cookies are A LOT bigger in person than what they look like on their social pages. I had no idea until I went for the first time at the Madison location (before this location opened up) how big they were. I can only eat (depending on how much I have already eaten that day) one cookie and I am full. So I usually only go and get one now.

My favorite cookie from there might have to be the Oreo (pictured above) or the Circus Animal cookie. The Oreo cookie is a warm cookie with Oreo crumbles combined in with the dough. The frosting... oh my Lord. It is warm, soft & amazing. I only like the warm cookies from there because of the frosting. The Circus Animal cookie is another favorite. I don't know why I don't have a picture of it, but I like it as well. They put a Mother's Original Circus Animal cookie on top and it would be incomplete without it!

4. Melt 📍201 Jefferson St N Huntsville, AL 35801 Menu: Linked Here. Instagram: Linked Here. - Opened July 24, 2019 - What I order: Mac Melt with fries.

Melt is such a fun restaurant! It is in a great location downtown, on the corner of Holmes and Jefferson St. They have weekly happy hour deals, trivia night on Mondays, seasonal festivals, etc! It's the perfect spot for a first date, a GNO dinner, or lunch with the family!

Melt has mostly sandwiches on the menu, along with salads, soups & appetizers. My favorite is the Mac Melt! It is a grilled cheese sandwich with.. wait for it... MAC AND CHEESE! Something about the Mac & Cheese they have inside their grilled cheese with Texas toast makes me want to drive down there right now and order one! I have never had it under "melted" or burnt. It has always come out perfectly toasted.

I have never had beer-battered fries as good as the ones that Melt has. They are almost like the shape of steak fries, maybe that's what they are idk.. but! They are seasoned so so well. They have other side options that you can pick from such as chips, tomato soup, mac and cheese, and a few others I believe. I have tried their chips and they are really good, but I just love their fries so much I don't want anything else!

5. Jonathan's Grille

📍Clift Farm, 8184 HWY 72 W, Madison AL, 35758

Instagram: Linked Here.

-Opened October 1, 2021

-What I Order: Either the 8-inch White Pizza (pictured below) or the Chicken Platter with a baked potato & house salad.


Jonathan's Grille has been a Coffey family favorite for years now. During the travel ball days, we would go to various tournaments in and around the Franklin, TN area. Our go-to lunch spot was this amazing bar & grille called Jonathan's Grille. I have been there many times growing up. One time I was there that sticks out the most was June 6, 2015, also the date that American Pharaoh won the Triple Crown. This means that the horse won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. My whole family was at that Jonathan's Grille watching the horse win the Belmont Stakes, earning the Triple Crown. It was a pretty cool memory that I will always have!

When Huntsville announced that we were getting a Jonathan's Grille, I was ecstatic! The only thing that sucked about the opening was how far away it is from my side of town. However, it is close to the church that I attend, so I go frequently. :) Usually, I wait a few months or so to go to a restaurant before it opens. Jonathan's Grille though, I am pretty sure I went like a month after it opened. I have been at least 5 times since then, and each time I have been pleased with my experience!


The first time I went to the HSV location, I got the blackened chicken platter with fries ( b/c they were out of baked potatoes sadly) and a house salad with ranch. The blackened seasoning was SO good and the fries were great too! I love their house salads because they have the thick cheese-like Logan's or Texas Roadhouse has. That's my favorite kind of side salad at restaurants! Lately, when I have gone, I have been getting the White Pizza. On their menu, it says it contains fontina cheese, olive oil, and fresh basil. Maybe it looks weird in the picture, but I promise it is worth the try!



5. Slim Chickens

📍8168 HWY 72 W, Madison, AL 35758

📍11594 Memorial Parkway SW HSV AL 35803

Instagram: Linked Here.

-Opened October 18, 2021

-Opened August 15th, 2022

-What I Order: Chick's Meal with Cayenne Ranch sauce.


Slim Chickens surprised me! The best way to describe it is a fast-casual version of Zaxby's, but with more menu options. They have so many chicken options: sandwiches, baskets, even waffles! It's a neat place. Also, if you want to order a large drink, you will receive a take-home souvenir cup that is specific to the Madison location! I like when restaurants do that sort of thing.

Their chicken was really good! They weren't too big that I felt overwhelmed to eat them all. They are a perfect size. The fries were my favorite part, tbh. They are so simple, yet they are really good. I liked dipping them in the Cayenne Ranch sauce. I like how they have various sauces, you could just about get a new one every time you went! I will say, the toast is better at Zaxby's. This toast didn't have any kind of unique flavor to it. It might just be butter on it & they toast it lightly. It's still good, don't get me wrong. It's just not the best toast that I have had at a restaurant such as this.


6. Grimaldi's

📍2724 Carl T Jones Dr. SE HSV, AL 35802

Opened: May 10, 2022

What I Order: White pizza with meatballs (not pictured), pepperoni, and spicy chicken sausage.


Grimaldi's has become one of my top favorite pizza joints. Even though it is technically a chain, it still beats out some of the local places in Huntsville to me! The pizza slices, first of all, are HUGE. In this picture, we got a 16-inch pizza between 4 people and had plenty! Grimaldi's signature move is to ask to serve the first slice when they bring the pizza to your table. It's pretty cool! My favorite pizza topping is not pictured above, but I love getting meatballs on my pizza. I've had it since this picture, and it is amazing! You definitely get your money's worth of food here.

Other items I've tried at Grimaldi's are the caesar salad and oreo cheesecake. A small caesar salad is definitely enough for two or three people to split as an appetizer. The croutons are fresh and not too crunchy, which I like. The cheese is definitely freshly grated, you can tell. The Oreo Cheesecake for dessert was definitely a reward. The filling was super soft and the crust wasn't too hard. The flavor of it was amazing!



Well, thank you for indulging in my first blog post! I like to write what I know, & I feel I know the best places to venture to in HSV for a bite to eat. I hope my reviews push you to try these new places! Stay tuned, there are many more new places to come that I will have to check out. 😉


 
 
 

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