Jefferson County’s oldest restaurant opened in 1891, selling barbecue pork plates to passengers on the rail line connecting Atlanta to the new industrial cities of Birmingham and Bessemer.

The city of Irondale was four when Ellene Williams’ family opened Golden Rule Bar-B-Q, one of roughly a dozen businesses in the fledgling town. As Irondale grew, so did the restaurant’s popularity.

Two generations, including Ellene and her husband Jabo Stone, ran Golden Rule for nearly eight decades before selling it in 1969 to Greek-born Michael Matsos, the Birmingham restaurateur behind the popular Michael’s Sirloin Room and related steakhouses in the 1950s.

Matsos and his son, Charles, built Golden Rule into a multi-state chain before selling it in 2009, keeping the original and a few others. (The family also has since revived the Michael’s steakhouse brand and will open its most recent iteration downtown at the Negro Southern League Museum.)

Over the years, Golden Rule has adapated to a changing world. As cars became the primary transportation, the restaurant moved closer to the traffic, first beside the “Atlanta Highway,” U.S. 78, and again when Interstate 20 was built.

Its menu has modernized to include burgers, poultry, salads, and stuffed potatoes. But tradition is strong—today’s “original” sauce, owners have said, is pretty close to what the Williams family served 129 years ago.

Irondale’s Golden Rule also is Alabama’s longest-operating restaurant, and ranks among the 20 oldest eateries still open in the United States.

Since the 1980s, Birmingham has steadily built a national reputation among gastronomes for its restaurants. The most-lauded have been open for a quarter-century or more. But more than a dozen county restaurants have remained in business for six decades or more. Golden Rule and the Bright Star in Bessemer are centenarians.

These restaurants reflect our history—both the positive and the negative. Six were owned at some point by Greek immigrants, a group that has dominated local restaurants since Birmingham’s birth. Three are African

American-owned businesses predating Birmingham’s civil rights movement.

Both fancy and downhome, the old-timers specialize in barbecue, hot dogs, seafood, fried green tomatoes, and other Southern cooking.

“Farm-to-table” is today’s buzzword among local chefs. But their predecessors in the 1950s—the extended Hontzas family at Niki’s West and Smoke House, the Banks-Rucker family at Eagle’s, and the Sarris-Touloupis link behind Ted’s—are the modern movement’s patriarchs and matriarchs.

Their histories also parallel those of nationwide restaurants, which gained steam in the late 1800s and early 1900s as an emerging middle class of educated professionals honed an appetite for eating out. Multiple shifts of factory workers created even more demand.

Mines, mills, and related businesses that followed the founding of Birmingham (1871), Bessemer (1886), and Irondale (1887) plowed fertile ground for entrepreneurs whose impact reverberates today.

From a restaurant standpoint, Birmingham was born in the right place at the right time.

ALL GREEK TO ME

Tom Bonduris was 19 when he opened The Bright Star in 1907. The Greek immigrant figured city residents and workers at Bessemer’s new mills needed a good place to eat.

European and Middle Eastern immigrants had a significant impact on this area’s near-magical growth. In the 1890 Census—Birmingham’s first—some 13 percent of residents were immigrants. By 1920, that rate was up to 15 percent.

Greek newcomers—not just here but also in New York City, Detroit, and Chicago—gravitated toward restaurants. The year is disputed, but Birmingham’s first Greek-owned eatery opened around the turn of the 20th century.

Soon after, The Bright Star opened and was an immediate hit. It moved twice to larger spaces before settling in 1915 into its current location on 19th Street North, which eventually was expanded too.

Bonduris employed brothers, uncles, nephews, and cousins from Greece. Two were grandnephews Bill and Pete Koikos, who became co-owners when Bonduris returned to Greece in 1924. Gus Sarris (an uncle of beloved Fish Market Southside owner George C. Sarris) was a third partner, running the kitchen from 1915 until he retired in 1969.

Bill’s Bessemer-born sons, Jimmy and Nicky, joined in the 1960s (Jimmy died in November). A nephew, Andreas Anastassakis, and a niece, Stacey Corcoris Craig, now play leading roles.

The restaurant, which features a 105-year-old mural, always has been known for great grouper, snapper, and other fresh Gulf seafood.

Lunch centers on meat-and-vegetable plates, including Southern fried catfish and Greek-style chicken. Dinner is fine dining; the state Cattlemen’s Association once dubbed its Greek-

marinated tenderloin Alabama’s best steak.

In 2010, the prestigious James Beard Foundation named the restaurant an “American Classic,” a lifetime achievement award for an extended immigrant family whose persistent hard work made their American Dream a reality.

CAFE CULTURE

Opened in 1928, Jefferson County’s third-oldest restaurant originally sold hot dogs. It wasn’t even called Irondale Cafe until 1932, when new owner Bess Fortenberry began transitioning toward a meat-and-vegetable menu.

Cafes and diners serving homestyle food were a national rage in the first half of the 20th century.

One of Irondale Cafe’s specialties was unripe tomatoes that were sliced, breaded, and deep-fried. Fortenberry’s great-niece, Fannie Flagg, paid tribute to the iconic dish in her 1987 novel, “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe,” inspired in part by her visits while she was growing up in Birmingham.

Billy and Mary Jo McMichael bought the cafe in 1973. After county regulations forced destruction of the original building, they rebuilt in 1980.

A 1990 expansion was just in time for the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes,” and the tourists that followed its release. Subsequently, Mary Jo penned the “Irondale Cafe Original Whistle Stop Cookbook” and the family’s batter mixes were sold nationally.

Now owned by Jim Dolan, Irondale Cafe still prepares up to 800 slices of fried green tomatoes for lunch, Sundays through Fridays.

LUNCH CROWD

Birmingham’s high-rise offices in the early 1900s helped spawn two types of restaurants now considered local icons: hot dog stands and cafeteria-style meat-and-threes.

Portable and inexpensive, hot dogs became the lunch of choice for workers. Greeks ran most stands, usually narrow spaces dominated by a griddle.

Tom Kandilas opened what’s likely Birmingham’s first Greek-owned hot dog stand in 1919. Over time, stands seemingly popped up on every block, including Pete’s Famous (1939) and Lyric Hot Dogs (1957).

Only Gus’s on Fourth Avenue North, founded in 1947 by Greek native Gus Alexander, remains from that era. Gus sold his shop in 1969 to another Greek immigrant, Aleck Choraitis. He eventually recruited a Greek immigrant from Chicago, George Nasiakos, to run Gus’s. Lee Pantazis, the grandson of an immigrant restaurateur, took over in 2017 upon Nasiakos’ retirement after 22 years.

Gus’s still serves Alexander’s take on Birmingham’s signature “special dog,” a griddled hot dog in a steamed bun with sauerkraut, onions, seasoned ground beef, and Gus’s secret sauce.

Several Birmingham meat-and-threes trace their roots to the 1950s. Jim Sarris—also from the Greek family that’s fed greater Birmingham for more than a century—ran Old Hickory Restaurant on 18th Street South. His nephew, Ted Sarris, joined after immigrating in 1955.

Mr. Ted, as he became known, bought the restaurant in 1960. After losing the lease, he moved in 1973 to a building he built on 12th Street South, calling it Ted’s Old Hickory. He and his wife, Litsa, ran it for more than a quarter century before passing the baton to Tasos and Beba Touloupis in 2000. The new owners shortened the name to honor Mr. Ted.

Today, Ted’s serves breakfast and lunch, mainly to workers, as well as to students at the nearby University of Alabama at Birmingham, and its professors and coaches. The lunchtime steamtable still offers Southern fare with a bit of Greek flair.

Another longtime popular lunch (and breakfast) spot is Bogue’s Restaurant, opened in downtown Birmingham by Pat and Mildred Bogue in 1938. Eight years later the diner moved to Clairmont Avenue.

Andy Straynar bought it in 1969; his son Greg took over in 2000, but sold it six years later. Faced with demolition for a chain drugstore, Bogue’s new owners moved to the historic Birmingham Fire Station No. 22 building in 2012.

PLAYING WITH FIRE

Barbecue is another constant in Birmingham’s restaurant scene. Folks here develop deep loyalties to particular restaurants.

Warren and Herman Carlisle opened their barbecue spot in 1945 after serving in World War II. At enlistment, a clerk miswrote Herman’s name, leaving out the “s.” They chose that distinctive spelling for Carlile Brothers Bar-B-Q.

Carlile’s, which moved to its current location on Sixth Avenue South in 1950, is a family affair. Warren’s children eventually took over until selling to Anita Evans in 1974.

Evans, and later her daughter, Vicki, owned it another 33 years. In 2001, Carlile’s supplied ’cue to then-President George W. Bush on Air Force One during a Birmingham stop.

Now owned by the Collat family, today’s menu includes brisket, chicken, burgers, nachos, salads, and meat-and-three plates. Maureen Holt, Little Savannah Restaurant’s former co-owner who joined Carlile’s in 2018, adds a chef’s touch to this 75-year-old institution.

After opening Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q in 1957, its namesake and his wife, Margaret, soon expanded to 14 locations. But the family divested after Bob’s stroke in 1970, leaving operations to Margaret and their teenaged son, Van.

Van took over in 1976. A year later the remaining restaurant moved to its current location on Bessemer’s Ninth Avenue North. The founders’ grandson, Jason Jewell, also helps run the 63-year-old family business.

Van’s thank you for Bessemer’s enduring support is the Bob Sykes BBQ and Blues Festival, which celebrates its 11th year in April.

FARM TO STEAMTABLE

Back in the day, proximity to locally grown produce sometimes determined a restaurant’s location. The market of choice for most restaurants was run by the Jefferson County Truck Growers Association, formed in 1921 by local farmers.

When it was on 12th Street North, John and Margaret Hontzas Callas started the original Niki’s on that block.

Eventually, the market moved to today’s expansive location off Finley Avenue, prompting John and Margaret to open Niki’s West a stone’s throw away in 1957. Originally run by Margaret’s nephew, Gus Hontzas, his sons Pete and Teddy now are in charge.

Gus’ brother, Theo, helped open Smoke House Steaks and Seafood in 1958, adjacent to the market. Theo quickly became sole proprietor of Smoke House and now runs it with his son, Pete. Its lunch buffet boasts some three dozen vegetables.

Eagle’s Restaurant is a mile away near the ACIPCO (American Cast Iron and Pipe Company) plant. Established in 1951, Eagle’s predates the Finley market, but didn’t start dishing soul food until Joe Rucker bought it in 1974.

Delores Banks, who took over in 1993, has perfected her recipes for fresh market vegetables like organic collard greens, and meats that include seldom-used cuts like oxtail.

While filming a 2013 episode of “Bizarre Foods America,” host Andrew Zimmern fell in love with Eagle’s, praising its pork neck bones as “transformative.”

“LITTLE HARLEM”

A four-block stretch of Fourth Avenue North that locals nicknamed “Little Harlem” was a commercial center for African Americans during Jim Crow Birmingham. Two black-owned restaurants remain.

In 1943, Daniel and George Nelson opened Nelson Brothers Cafe, now run by a third generation. Like Eagle’s, its lunchtime specialty is soul food, featuring items such as pork chops and rice smothered in gravy, and sweet potato pie from Daniel’s old recipe.

Now on 17th Street North between Third and Fourth Avenues, Nelson Brothers serves breakfast all day, in addition to its longtime lunch favorites.

William Gratton Sr. opened the original Green Acres Cafe in 1950 on 29th Avenue North. His brother Charles started the second in the Fourth Avenue Business District in 1958. The family-owned chain now has locations around greater Birmingham.

Its specialty is fried chicken wings, which Charles started selling to utilize byproduct from processing whole birds.

The windows at Charles’ restaurant, located then near 16th Street Baptist Church, were shattered in the racist 1963 church bombing that killed four girls. Under a second generation of ownership and now relocated, it anchors the historic Fourth Avenue Business District.

PAST AS FUTURE

The Club, a members-only dining and event space, had a futuristic look when it opened in 1951 atop Red Mountain. Even after updates, including two newer dining concepts, The Club’s frozen-in-time appearance is now part of its appeal.

Another restaurant still influenced by its past, River Fish Market has sold fresh catch and fish plates since F.M. Pointer opened it in 1936 in the Collegeville neighborhood. That year Walker Evans shot a photo of the store for a federally funded project documenting the Great Depression, titling it “Roadside stand near Birmingham, Alabama.”

Pointer built the current structure in 1940, adjacent to the original. After buying the restaurant in 1953, Ed Scott ran it for 20 years before retiring. His son Kent, who started there as a teen, took over before selling in 2005. (Kent Scott now co-owns Snapper Grabbers in Vestavia Hills.)

Over the years, the simple stone building has weathered. Wilson Crasta, who bought River Fish Market in mid-2019, is embarking on a total renovation.

His goal: Restore the look and feel of that image from 1936.

These restaurants survived by building generations of fans. Grandparents and parents introducing their kids to old favorite haunts is a rite of passage here.

They succeed by adapting to modern demands while remaining true to tradition, proving that sometimes the past becomes a portal to the future.

Birmingham’s Oldest Restaurants By Date

Golden Rule Bar-B-Q | (Irondale) 1891

The Bright Star | (Bessemer) 1907

Irondale Café | (Irondale) 1928

River Fish Market | (Birmingham) 1936

Bogue’s Restaurant | (Birmingham) 1938

Nelson Brothers Café | (Birmingham) 1943

Carlile’s Barbecue | (Birmingham) 1945

Gus’s Hot Dogs | (Birmingham) 1947

Green Acres Cafe | (Birmingham) 1950

Old Hickory/Ted’s | (Birmingham) early 1950s

Eagle’s Restaurant | (Birmingham) 1951

The Club | (Birmingham) 1951

Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q | (Bessemer) 1957

Niki’s West | (Birmingham) 1957

Smoke House | (Birmingham) 1958

Must-Eat Dishes

Jefferson County’s oldest operating restaurants are well-represented on the Alabama Tourism Department’s list of “100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die” and the Alabama Barbecue Hall of Fame.

100 Dishes

• Golden Rule: Barbecue pork and baked beans

• Bright Star: Broiled seafood platter

• Bob Sykes: Pit-cooked pork sandwich

• Niki’s West: Vegetable buffet

• Irondale Café: Fried green tomatoes

Barbecue Hall of Fame

• Golden Rule Irondale

• Bob Sykes

• Carlile’s

Honorable Mentions

Other restaurants that date back decades include:

• Gilchrist: Located in Mountain Brook Village, Gilchrist opened in 1928 as a pharmacy with a soda counter that specialized in sandwiches and shakes. The eatery remained after the pharmacy portion closed in the 1980s.

• John’s City Diner: This Birmingham institution has had two lives. John Proferis, a Greek native, opened John’s Restaurant in 1944, turning over the reins to nephews from the Hontzas family in 1973. They oversaw the restaurant’s move to its current location on 21st Street North in 1978. Two generations of the Hontzas family ran it and began marketing the restaurant‘s renowned slaw dressing. The family sold the building in 2004 to Shannon Gober, who took the restaurant in a different direction. Gober honored its founder by naming the new concept John’s City Diner. When you see “John’s Slaw” on a local menu, it’s a tribute to Proferis’ recipe.

Are there others? Let us know.

This story appears in Birmingham magazine’s March 2020 issue. Subscribe today!