Our daughter took us here this morning. I am very picky on what I eat but I loved the place. We were lucky and were seated in less than 10 minutes. I absolutely loves the environment and drag flowers at each table. The grits were the best that I have ever tasted in my life, and I have eaten a lot of grits. I also ate one biscuit. (when in Rome!!) Everything was really good!! I could not believe the amount of people that were there when we were leaving at 11am I would recommend going at least one time. read more

The best breakfast in town by far!! Once you have had one of their biscuits, you won't want anyone else's! Great southern style ham and eggs. Go early, they only have twelve tables and people will wait hours to get in on the weekends!! read more

After being convinced that this was a must see breakfast place, I visited with my friends and it was meh! The biscuits were fresh and very good but the rest of my food was disappointing for the cost, both in amount in quality. The atmosphere is cool and unique, but I don't think I'll be back. read more

Was staying at a friend's place for the Alabama-Tennessee "middle finger" seen around the world game and she raved about the Waysider so we gave it a try for breakfast. After a twenty minute wait we were finally seated by a slightly forgetful waiter. I was taken back by the "Old farm" feel and the countless UofA memorabilia on the walls. Ordered breakfast, two eggs over easy with sugar ham, biscuits and grits. My eggs came out slightly overcooked, but edible but the ham tasted more like country ham than sugar ham, was way too salty; mentioned it to our waiter and he gave me an excuse, not a solution but things happen beyond control and I totally understood. I will admit, my breakfast was far better than what I probably would have gotten at Crackerbarrel or IHOP, I hope this Tuscaloosa landmark stays around for many years to come. read more

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Small, hole in the wall place. Super busy on the weekend mornings for breakfast/brunch. Has small tables for couples and a large one in the center for a big family. Food is delicious and worth the wait if you do have to be in a queue. Definitely try it once if you're in Tuscaloosa read more

This was a nice stop with really good food. Friendly staff and great atmosphere. I highly recommend it. It was in an old historical home so some might see it differently but I love old homes so I really enjoyed it. read more

Waysider Restaurant - Southern Near Me - Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Was on my places to go list after the 2018 Iron Bowl. Group of five went Sunday morning and we were all pleased. We were seated very fast despite the small crowd waiting on a table. Some in the group ordered Elephant shaped pancakes and had no complaints. I had a tomato and cheese omelet with sausage and a side of hash browns and sweet tea. Meals came with hot biscuits. I will definitely make a plan to go back next time I'm in Tuscaloosa to try a lunch. Just my opinion but o not judge the outer condition of this little restaurant, it is rough and old. The inside shows years of wear and tear but nothing takes away from the excellent food that comes out of their kitchen. An added benefit to the eating experience is the huge collection of Alabama football memorabilia that decorates every inch of the walls. read more

Waysider Restaurant - Tomato and cheese omelet, sausage, hash browns and bicuits - Southern Near Me - Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Our favorite spot for breakfast in Tuscaloosa...can't beat the food or the service. Always friendly and taking care of us!

Very disappointing! I'm giving it one star because this restaurant doesn't deserve more than a 3 star average. We ordered 2 Diet Cokes, assuming that they were normal fountain Cokes like every other restaurant has. NOPE! They sent a waitress to the store to pick up CANS OF COKE. The best part is, they wanted to charge us $3 PER CAN OF COKE. WHY WOULD I PAY $3 FOR A WARM CAN OF COKE??! That wouldn't have been so bad, though, if they just told us that from the beginning. Instead, they kept telling us "the Cokes are coming". We were done with our food before they got back with the Cokes. That being said, the food isn't awful but it's not good either. The pancakes are decent, and the ham is okay, but the hash browns were SEVERELY undercooked. Not a good experience at all. Tuscaloosa, you can do better!!!!! read more

Obviously The Waysider should be anyone's favorite breakfast spot in Tuscaloosa. The meal is second to none, but so are the people. They are always so genuinely kind to us and our kiddos. We make great memories at the Waysider! read more

This is the kind of place that can scrimp on service because they've built up such a line out the door that it doesn't really matter if the occasional seated customer has a less than stellar experience. The staff is rushed, the food presentation is lacking, the eggs aren't cooked maybe exactly as you ordered, and you have to wait for a while to pay your check at the register. It's all about table turnover at this place, and it shows. Also, tiny creepy bathrooms! read more

This is the best breakfast place in Tuscaloosa!! Amazing people and the best food. They always take such good care of us and I've never gotten a bad order! Sometimes we'll even get beignets or biscuits, it's the best place to go. Their pancakes are so fluffy and warm it beats everything! read more

If you have the time and energy and wallet to waste your time becoming a regular go for it, I bet this place rocks at that point. Otherwise avoid it. The food takes forever the waitstaff focus exclusively on regulars and the "endless biscuits" they promise don't appear for non-regulars. Plus the amount of t.v.'s is pathetic. I know this town loves football but come on. Also it's so cramped you can't move. If you're looking to hang with a bunch of old white people and young privileged white students then this is your place. It really does have that old-time Southern feel when all the kitchen staff is non-white and everyone else in the place acts like entitled lilies. I guess that is honestly the best thing I can say about this place. It really does embody the stereotype of the South so if that's what you are looking for...come on down. Oh, the biscuits are good though that's the only other good thing I can say. read more

I came here after a recommendation from a friend who graduated from the University of Alabama and I'm so glad I took her advice. Since it was a Sunday at 12:30pm, I expected the line to be long. However, once we arrived, it appeared to be closed (it also said that it was closed on Yelp). We saw a few folks open the door though, so we decided to try it. To our surprise, it was open. We ordered the country ham, grits, scrambled eggs, hot cakes, steak and biscuits. It was AWESOME. This was the absolute best country style breakfast I've had in my 11 years in Alabama. I imagine it tastes like it would have tasted 100 years ago. Lol. In addition to the food, the staff was awesome. Since we ordered our food to go (we had dogs in the car) we were repeatedly reassured that we were welcome to eat in (and I tell you, this was especially welcome since we were the only Black folks in the place - with the exception of a gentleman in the back). We let them know that we had dogs in the car, and we began to chat about that. Overall, it was a great experience. If I ever find myself in Tuscaloosa again, I'll definitely come back. read more

Waysider has one of the best breakfasts in Tuscaloosa. It is a mom and pop operation which is evident in the staff and the building itself. The atmosphere is friendly and inviting, and you will be called sweetie more than once. The food is traditional, southern breakfast fair so do not expect anything fancy or unusual. That begin said if you are looking for a traditional breakfast, this is the place to go.The food is wonderful and tastes just as down home cooking should. Be sure to order some biscuits and honey to go with your breakfast. Since the restaurant is small, expect a wait on game day weekends and limited parking. The staff will be extremely accommodating and do their best to get your food fast. It is a must visit if you find yourself in Tuscaloosa wanting a home-cooked, traditional, southern breakfast. read more

Just popped in here for brunch on a whim. Had an omelette and my son had hot cakes. Atmosphere was pretty cool with all the Daniel Moore prints. Excellent biscuits!!! Food was excellent. Service was good. Will be back. read more

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This house-style diner is an awesome traditional institution of Tuscaloosa. Parking is confusing for visitors. You have to wrap around to the back street in order to walk around to the front. Seating is limited, and the clientele is pretty much all local. The inside provides good service, a low-key atmosphere, and yes, plenty of football paraphernalia. Prices are low, as expected, and the coffee comes to you hot. Fruit is also provided for those looking for produce instead of stick-to-your-bones meat and potatoes or eggs. The hashbrowns had a bit of give, and some pieces had the desirable crisp crust. As expected, the Country ham was salty. The pancakes were fluffy and well seasoned. I ordered the famous biscuit, but my server forgot to put it on the ticket. Good thing she forgot; I was also stuffed. The 6:30AM opening on a Sunday definitely gives this one a leg-up for opening up my road trip. I really wanted to eat at this joint before leaving Tuscaloosa, so getting a chance to stuff my face here made my day. read more

No self-respecting Southerner would treat patrons as rudely as this establishment treated us. We waited for 1.5 hours, seeing groups of 2, 4, and even 6 come, go in, and come out having been fed only to keep being told our party of 3 would have to keep waiting in the rudest and most unfriendly manner. I am grateful I got to bond for an hour with my Alabama student daughter, but honestly, I was appalled by the lack of manners exhibited by this establishment. read more

Overrated, greasy, really slow, not enough staff, bad service, and a long wait to get in. It went from "just ok, but kinda hyped" to "awful, never going back" for us over the past few years. The last straw was when they RAN OUT of grits. Ran. Out. Of. Grits. Really. And on this particular occasion it was not a busy day. It was, like, 10 in the morning on a Tuesday. Two things: 1) This is the south. You don't run out of grits.; 2) You're a restaurant that supposedly specializes in breakfast. If you run out of grits, you send someone to go buy some more. Or you apologize and offer a couple extra free biscuits to make up for it. We waited 45 minutes (on a not-busy day) for the meal, which contained wrong orders and *no grits* and then had to wait forever for the check. One day Tuscaloosa will open a decent breakfast place. In the meantime, we'll make our own or go to Cracker Barrel. read more

Yes! An Alabama grad told me about this place and how the line wraps around the bldg on game days so we went there on a biz trip. No lines at 2pm on a weekday! Even tho it was lunchtime we had breakfast and this might be the best pancakes I've ever had, and same for the country ham. Not overly salty or hard like that sometimes is, this was soft and tasty. Teeny tiny place with parking a little hard to find, behind the building, but an excellent stop. read more

Dilapidated exterior doesn't equate to charm. Waiting for a table is fine and expected. The food took ages to arrive and was mostly average. Waitress forgot several items and although apologized was overall mediocre service. Omelette arrived with cheese it shouldn't have had and without spinach it should have had. A redo and more delay. Pancakes were dry and barely warm. Grits, bacon and biscuits were all very good. Can't imagine ever coming back. Disappointed as I had hoped for an iconic T-town experience. read more

We had a great breakfast here a few weeks ago and we can't wait to go back! The food was delicious and our sweet server was covering several tables with ease and always kept the coffee hot. read more

Waysider Restaurant is deep in Alabama lore. On its crimson walls, insider their frames of wood, pictures and news clippings portraying Alabama football hang like remnants of the "Glory Days" since past. "The Bear" is said to have eaten there every morning during his tenure at the Capstone. That is a boast few restaurants can claim. I have heard talk of Waysider for several years now, but it always slipped my mind to make a trip down 15th to Greensboro to it. On Saturday I made that trip-it was A-Day weekend, so I thought it, naturally, to be a wise decision so as to see the place in its element: crawling with Bama fans. And it was. The line was out the door, but by the time I found a parking spot (which is difficult) the line had dwindled slightly. On to the food. I ordered two eggs scrambled, sausage. Every order comes with biscuits, butter, jelly, and grits (I upgraded mine to cheese grits). My food arrived quickly, giving the amount of people there; a short wait. The eggs were fair, but nothing special; like something you could find at any breakfast joint. The sausage was above average: it was well cooked and seasoned with a small kick of spice, and very crisp on the outside; worth getting. The grits were good, thick and 'gritty', but I tasted no cheese, which disappointed me. Maybe they just forgot to ladle cheese grits on to my plate, but if not, then I don't recommend you pay the extra bit for the cheese. I also ordered gravy for my biscuits because this is what I had heard ravings about. It was phenomenal. It was a white, peppered gravy with chunks of sausage folded in. I highly recommend it. This and the biscuits alone are what made me give four stars. The biscuits are like none other I have ever eaten: very fluffy and fresh; the butter melted right away. I would easily rate their biscuits the best in Tuscaloosa. My only complaint is the small portion of gravy that is given. I struggled to disperse it over two biscuits. Personally, I like my biscuits swimming in gravy, so that I can then spread the gravy along to my other items (eggs, grits). The coffee was good, but got cold fast. The service was cordial and fast. So, if you're in town for a Bama game or just hungry for some southern breakfast, go on down to Waysider on a weekend morning, you won't be disappointed. read more

We are Californians traveling through the South and tried this restaurant at the recommendation of a local. We are so glad we did! The ambience in the historic home is fun and the food fantastic. The biscuits were light and fluffy. The eggs were cooked perfectly. The sausage gravy, bacon, potatoes, and coffee were all great! The server even brought out a plate of warm beignets that we had not even ordered. Seating is limited here, but there was no problem on a Friday morning at 8:30. We will definitely be be back for a future visit. read more

Nothing spectacular. Dining area is cramped. Service can be very slow, so avoid if you are in any sort of hurry. Food itself is acceptable, but certainly not memorable. Breakfast food/southern food is hard to mess up, but can be so much better. From how elders have described it to me, would have been a lot better 25+ years ago. read more

The Big Al Pancake! What a great tradition. Fun and breakfast! Highly recommend! read more

Waysider Restaurant - The Big Al Pancake! No age restrictions! - Southern Near Me - Tuscaloosa, Alabama

I've visited Tuscaloosa many times, but this is the first time we stopped here. Delicious! I loved the Bama decor! We will definitely be coming back! read more

This treasure is a landmark in Tuscaloosa so expect a line when you go. I went on my last trip to T-town and was delighted to find it still the same as when I worked there as a teenager. If you're looking for good solid down home cooking, you won't be disappointed. The staff has always been friendly and customer-oriented so that's another plus. read more

This was our 2nd visit to this cozy, welcoming little cafe. Warm and friendly staff and the food is just what you would want and expect from a good, southern establishment. Perfect grits, best biscuits EVER and the deep southern drawl of our waiter completed our meal. Do NOT hesitate to make the 5 minute trip off the interstate to experience this GREAT southern cafe. read more

Waysider Restaurant - Bear Bryant shared our table! - Southern Near Me - Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Just left from there, price was tooo high. I got steak omelette and juice, my check was $20. They charge me 1.65 for each topping. Food was less than normal, no it was terrible. I'll never come back there. I don't know if they charge a lot because we are international or it's their normal prices. read more

Biscuits and grits were good, but everything else could have used more seasoning. I found this place somewhat disappointing. The gravy was runny and flavorless, the eggs were nothing special, and the omelet's was also bland. My advice is to look elsewhere for a breakfast better than you can make yourself. read more

If you are looking for a delicious breakfast, eat at the Waysider! This place is nostalgic with all kinds of Alabama Crimson Tide memorabilia! The food is so good and the service is friendly read more

I had breakfast at the Waysider which was excellent. I had the omelet special, peppers, sausage, onions, and cheese. The omelet came with grits and biscuits. The omelet was excellent you could taste every ingredient and if the sausages are not locally made I would love to know the brand. I have never liked grits, but always try, just in case they get better. These grits were great, I could taste the butter and did nothing to them, perfect the way they were. The biscuits like everything else was fresh and seemed to be made to order. If I lived in Tuscaloosa I would be eating many breakfasts there. Parking is in the back not easy to figure out, walls are covered in University of Alabama pictures. Local spot for older folks, like me to discuss, Saiban, and what the local high school team is going to do this year. Wait staff was great just like everything else. read more

The best homemade biscuits from scratch that I have ever tasted. A very old local crowd usually. I have made it a habit to go here whenever I wake up early enough for the biscuits. The atmosphere is friendly and has a strong deep south feel. read more

First time coming. Staff was great. The place could use some paint and a good scrub. The kitchen door and wall were in view from my seat. The kitchen could be kept cleaner. The carpet needed a good vac. And the legs of the chairs where ages and dirty. My ice cup for my soda had something in it. ( I'm being picky.) It's not "dirty".... but could be cleaner, updated. I was Kinda worried.... but when the food came out I was impressed. I had poached eggs, fried potatoes, sausage and toast. The poached eggs were cooked perfectly. And in a bowl without me asking! ) The fried potatoes were mostly burnet crunchies and the waitress said it was the end of the batch and they were making more. Lucky for her those are my favorite! Toast was not over buttered or soggy! But she accidentally brought my Husband grits... when he asked for potatoes. She added the potatoes to the order. Didn't replace the grits. And boy was that a hidden blessing. I HATE... HATE... grits. But they looked delicious. So I tasted.... WOW. They were AMAZING! I ate almost the whole order! And I was so confused... cause they were so good and I don't do grits! Boy do I wish I knew about their grits when I was preggo! I craved grits and I must have tried them a 100 times and gaged at their nastiness every time! So, if you go. Poached eggs and grits! Because yeh. Their good! read more

I somehow was dragged here under the recommendation of people who I thought had a nice palette for Breakfast food, but upon further review I realized that I must pick better friends. The food took 35 minutes, the grits were clumpier that a bowl of gravy that got left in the sun all day, i think that I chipped a tooth trying to eat the dirty tasting grill bacon. The only thing that I can say good about this restaurant is thankfully it's small so you can hear every single persons conversation as if they were practically eating in your ear. I'm appalled, disgusted, and just outright petrified of the thought of ever returning here to attempt to eat some of this garbage. read more

I frequently heard the lore of the Waysider Restaurant while I was in Tuscaloosa--and the breakfast there was what garnered the most praise. For a few folks I knew, it was a common practice to get up early on Sunday mornings to go to breakfast before church started. Well, I finally headed over during my senior year to see what all the fuss was about. In short, the experience was nothing short of the reputation. My first visit fell on a weekday morning with my wife--we actually walked there from the UA campus, which is a pretty good trek, so we were thoroughly ready for some breakfast. A cardboard cutout of Nick Saban greeted us as we entered, and every available space on the wall was decorated Tuscaloosa-style--University of Alabama memorabilia everywhere. I ordered a coffee and a water and then perused through the menu to see if anything jumped out at me. Despite being generally classed as a Northerner, I like grits, and have liked them since before migrating south. Biscuits and gravy are also on my list of "Good Ideas Southerners Made Into Breakfast." Both items looked good, and not recalling any specific recommendations other than "breakfast," eggs over easy, biscuits, gravy and grits were summarily ordered--and a refill on the coffee. My wife got the pancakes with blueberries added and a chocolate milk. There was a moderate crowd present, but we received our meals quickly. They were hot and smelled delicious--a double boon after a chilly walk--and we dug in eagerly. No disappointments here. The biscuits were unique--slightly sweet and toasty on the outside while soft in the middle. They melded well with the gravy, which was a good consistency and decent quantity. I tried a method I'd learned from a friend at Rama Jama's for my eggs and grits: pour the grits onto a plate, salt and pepper generously, drop the eggs on top and cut into the grits. It's a mess, but it's delicious, and this was no exception. I tried some of the pancakes--which were enormous, by the way. Fresh, whole blueberries were generously sprinkled throughout the cakes, which were heartier than your run-of-the-mill white flour/Bisquick pancakes. The flavor was a little nutty, offset well by the sweet, juicy blueberries. All in all, the atmosphere, the service, and most certainly not least, the food made for a terrific breakfasting experience. A word of warning: any morning around a GameDay weekend will bring a huge crowd, so expect wait times upwards of an hour. However, if that's the only time you're in town, either get up early to go or stick it out--it'll be worth the experience. read more

Waysider is a Tuscaloosa landmark, and for good reason. The setting is a small house loaded with Bama decor. Food is predictable Southern Breakfast fare. But, isn't that what you come to this kind of place for? The biscuits (small and delicious) and the sausage gravy were the best of the best. read more

Small menu, nothing fancy... just a good old fashioned breakfast fare in a very UA environment. Reasonably priced. Roll Tide!

This place is talked up quite a bit - Tuscaloosa must not have many breakfast places to eat. LOL! It was good food, but not great. The place is VERY cramped for seating. read more