Like most tourist destinations, coastal Alabama has its share of themed chain restaurants, including Sunliner Diner, outfitted with a jukebox and Formica countertops, and Lambert’s Café, where they throw dinner rolls.
Officially, Big Mike’s Steakhouse doesn’t belong on that list. Founded in Thomasville, Alabama in 2013, the idea behind Big Mike’s was to bring woodfired beef to “people who were tired of having to drive hours to the big city to enjoy a great steak.” But the restaurant was so adored by Alabamians—including members of the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association, which named Big Mike’s home to the best steak in the state—that its owners started opening locations in places with full-fledged public transit systems and high-rise apartment buildings, such as Baldwin County.
