Big Spring Cafe
Encyclopedia
Big Spring Cafe is a greasy spoon
restaurant located in Huntsville, Alabama
. It opened in 1928, and is the oldest restaurant in the city. It is often noted as a landmark in the city and as one of Huntsville's "signature" restaurants. The original Big Spring Cafe opened in 1928 at 119 Jefferson Street. It was in a railroad boxcar near the Big Spring Canal
. It then moved to 115 Gallatin Street, and then to its current location on Governors Drive in 1970. This location provides 16 bar stool
s at the counter and two long tables for customers.
Troy Baucom opened the original location in downtown Huntsville in Spring 1928. The restaurant was sold to Hazel Beene in 1946 and, as business left the downtown core for the Memorial Parkway
corridor, joined the exodus in 1970. Two years later, Beene turned the restaurant over to her sister and brother-in-law, Doris and Howard Cowley. The Cowleys operated Big Spring Cafe until selling it to their daughter, Pam Milam, in 1992. Citing the age and condition of the current building, Milam announced in March 2008 that she planned to relocate Big Spring Cafe just west on Governors Drive, in "a year or so", taking care to replicate the interior of the cafe in the new location. , that move has yet to take place.
s consisting of ground beef, salt, mustard, and onions on a roll. The current location, tucked between a meat market
and a bait shop, offers both breakfast and lunch six days a week and is closed on Sundays. The menu now includes diner staples including hamburgers, hot dogs, and no-bean chili
plus Southern specialties like Brunswick stew
, slaw dogs
, and fried bologna biscuits
. The diner has its own special language for ordering some items. For example, a "hamburger with cheese" is a ground beef patty with mustard and onions on a square bun while a "cheeseburger" is a ground beef patty plus lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on a round bun. A bowl with equal portions of chili and Brunswick stew is ordered as "half and half" while that mix with slightly more chili is a "60–40".
ranked Big Spring Cafe's "hamburger with cheese" at #5 on its list of "Huntsville's 20 most distinctive dishes".
Greasy spoon
Greasy spoon is a colloquial or slang term originating in the United States to mean a small, especially cheap, archetypal working class restaurant or diner. The term is now used in many English speaking countries to mean the same thing...
restaurant located in Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
. It opened in 1928, and is the oldest restaurant in the city. It is often noted as a landmark in the city and as one of Huntsville's "signature" restaurants. The original Big Spring Cafe opened in 1928 at 119 Jefferson Street. It was in a railroad boxcar near the Big Spring Canal
Big Spring Park (Huntsville, Alabama)
Big Spring International Park is located in downtown Huntsville, Alabama. The park is built around its namesake "Big Spring", the original water source that the city of Huntsville was built around...
. It then moved to 115 Gallatin Street, and then to its current location on Governors Drive in 1970. This location provides 16 bar stool
Bar stool
Bar stools are a type of tall stool, often with a foot rest, which because of their height and narrowness are designed for seating in a public house or bar...
s at the counter and two long tables for customers.
Troy Baucom opened the original location in downtown Huntsville in Spring 1928. The restaurant was sold to Hazel Beene in 1946 and, as business left the downtown core for the Memorial Parkway
Memorial Parkway (Huntsville)
Memorial Parkway is a major thoroughfare in Huntsville, Alabama. It, in whole or in part, follows U.S. Route 231, U.S. Route 431, U.S. Route 72, and State Route 53 through the Huntsville city limits...
corridor, joined the exodus in 1970. Two years later, Beene turned the restaurant over to her sister and brother-in-law, Doris and Howard Cowley. The Cowleys operated Big Spring Cafe until selling it to their daughter, Pam Milam, in 1992. Citing the age and condition of the current building, Milam announced in March 2008 that she planned to relocate Big Spring Cafe just west on Governors Drive, in "a year or so", taking care to replicate the interior of the cafe in the new location. , that move has yet to take place.
Cuisine
When the original location opened in 1928, it served only hamburgerHamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
s consisting of ground beef, salt, mustard, and onions on a roll. The current location, tucked between a meat market
Meat market
A meat market is, traditionally, a marketplace where meat is sold, often by a butcher.It may also refer to:* Meat packing industry* As an alternative spelling for meet market, a singles event or location with many single people, especially one where attendees are rapidly sizing up members of the...
and a bait shop, offers both breakfast and lunch six days a week and is closed on Sundays. The menu now includes diner staples including hamburgers, hot dogs, and no-bean chili
Chili con carne
Chili con carne is a spicy stew. The name of the dish derives from the Spanish chile con carne, "chili pepper with meat". Traditional versions are made, minimally, from chili peppers, garlic, onions, and cumin, along with chopped or ground beef. Beans and tomatoes are frequently included...
plus Southern specialties like Brunswick stew
Brunswick stew
Brunswick stew is a traditional dish, popular in the American South. The origin of the dish is uncertain, and there are two competing claims as to the place in the South where it originated, in addition to some claim to a German origin...
, slaw dogs
Hot dog variations
This is a listing of regional variations on the hot dog. Different areas of the world have local variations on the type of meat used, condiments and means of preparation, which are enumerated below.-Alabama:...
, and fried bologna biscuits
Bologna sandwich
The bologna sandwich or baloney sandwich is a common and inexpensive lunch choice in the United States and Canada. It is traditionally made from pre-sliced bologna sausage between slices of white bread, along with various condiments, such as ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise...
. The diner has its own special language for ordering some items. For example, a "hamburger with cheese" is a ground beef patty with mustard and onions on a square bun while a "cheeseburger" is a ground beef patty plus lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on a round bun. A bowl with equal portions of chili and Brunswick stew is ordered as "half and half" while that mix with slightly more chili is a "60–40".
Awards and honors
In February 2010, the Alabama Department of Tourism added the Big Spring Cafe's "chili burger & slaw dog" to their list of "100 dishes to eat in Alabama before you die". In July 2010, The Huntsville TimesThe Huntsville Times
The Huntsville Times is the daily morning newspaper published in Huntsville, Alabama, and also serves the surrounding areas of north Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The Times formerly operated as an afternoon paper, but moved to mornings after The Huntsville News ceased publication...
ranked Big Spring Cafe's "hamburger with cheese" at #5 on its list of "Huntsville's 20 most distinctive dishes".