Restaurants

Moonpie John's Mercantile is a country general store at the 1910 Gin historic venue in New Market, in the small community locals call "Hump." According to its website, the store building dates to around 1899 and was restored after the owners bought it in 2014. The site says the store carries unique gifts and local crafts, vintage candy and treats, fresh coffee, ice cream and bottled sodas. There is also a lunch spot inside called the "Full of Baloney Cafe." The 1910 Gin site lists store hours on weekends, so check before you go. The venue also hosts a MoonPie Market Day event and offers its buildings for weddings and other events.

Nick's Ristorante is an Italian restaurant on Bailey Cove Road in Huntsville. Its website describes a menu built around Northern Italian recipes handed down through the owner's family, along with Certified Angus Beef, fresh seafood and homemade desserts. The menu is organized into appetizers, soups and salads, Italian specialties, seafood, steaks and chops, and desserts. The restaurant also posts weekend specials and a separate lounge menu. Beyond the dining room, Nick's has a bar and bistro area and a cigar lounge. Its website describes the wine and cocktail list as eclectic.

The Poppy and Parliament is an English pub on the historic downtown square in Huntsville. Its website says The Poppy opened in May 2019 and the Parliament addition opened in November 2020. There is indoor seating and a patio. The menu leans toward English and Irish dishes, with fish and chips, grilled steaks, seafood, house-cured charcuterie and warm salads. The site says it rotates blackboard specials nightly. The drink list features imported draft beers, cask ales, craft cocktails, wine and a set of international coffees such as Irish coffee. Lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch are listed on the site. The pub also has a gourmet store and butcher shoppe. According to its site, steaks are cut by hand in house and custom cuts are possible with enough notice, and the store stocks English jams, marmalades, chutneys, teas and cheeses. Gift cards can be bought online or in person.

Grandmother's House is a restaurant in Owens Cross Roads, just southeast of Huntsville. Its website says the place was opened to give guests a relaxed meal where they can slow down and stay awhile, and it describes itself as not a fast food restaurant. The kitchen serves made-from-scratch lunches, sandwiches and homemade desserts. The menu changes daily, and the site highlights catfish, chicken, chicken tenders and pork chops, plus a plate lunch on set days and a special Sunday lunch menu. Breakfast is served on Saturday mornings. The site has a history page that traces the property back to the early 1800s and says a log house there is on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. Large groups can call ahead to reserve a table.

RD's Smokehouse BBQ is a barbecue restaurant on Nick Davis Road in Harvest. Its website says it catered small events before opening to the public in October 2015, and that it now serves from two locations. The site notes that menus and prices may differ by location. The menu lists smoked chicken, pulled pork, ribs, smoked sausage, smoked burgers and catfish, with brisket served on Fridays only. You can get them as plates with two sides, as sandwiches, or on loaded baked potatoes. Sides include mac and cheese, baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, green beans and hushpuppies. There is also a long list of sauces, family packs, and whole turkeys and pork butts that need a week's notice. Seasonal Brunswick stew is listed for winter months.

Tim's Cajun Kitchen is a Cajun restaurant on Jordan Lane NW in Huntsville. Its website says it has served Huntsville since 1992 and describes the food as Louisiana-style cooking in a scratch kitchen. The lunch and dinner menus include fried shrimp, oysters, catfish and crawfish tails, fried gator bites, chicken fingers, and seafood and blackened chicken salads. The site also highlights gumbo and other Cajun classics, and says portions are generous. The restaurant describes itself as family friendly and lists live music and weekly events, so check its events page before you go. The website offers online ordering and a gallery of the dining room and events.

Kobe Sushi Hibachi Express is a Japanese takeout and casual dining spot on Hughes Road in Madison. Its website describes authentic Japanese cuisine with fresh ingredients, set up for both eating in and taking out. The menu is broad. It includes poke bowls, appetizers like gyoza, edamame and tempura, soups and salads, sushi, katsu, fried rice and lo mein, yaki udon and yaki soba, and hibachi entrees. Online ordering for pickup is available through the restaurant's website.