Saw’s BBQ

Great BBQ overall. Brisket and pork were fantastic. Best I’ve had in the Birmingham area.

In a meeting at Samford today… A co-​worker from the Pensacola area announced Saw’s was on tap for lunch. There was no discussion. He was not making a suggestion, he was telling. He had been taken there once, while working in town previously and apparently couldn’t wait to go back!
I hadn’t been in a while and agreed, as did a couple other guys. We got there early around 11:15, so the tiny interior wasn’t packed yet. We each ordered and the lady calling numbers was serving us before we were even seated. 3 of us got the smoked chicken plate with varied sides and one guy got the smoked chicken sandwich. I had the plate with mac and cheese and greens. The smoked chicken with white sauce is absolutely the best in town. What you receive on a plate is half of a chicken literally. It’s a huge portion of messy awesomeness!
As for the sides the mac and cheese is pretty good but the greens are a bit sweet which I do not care for personally. A generous dousing of pepper sauce cut the sweetness considerably. There are a number of sides available various beans, including pink eyed peas, which I’d never heard of and regretted not trying.
The dining room in this location is extremely small. Around 11:30 it started filling up and soon thereafter, was at capacity. It’s difficult to maneuver once the place fills up. Extremely tight quarters! If the possibility of your knee touching the guy at the neighboring table is bothersome to you, get yours to go or sit outside.

The white sauce and banana pudding are like a little piece of heaven on earth!
Will be back

One of those places you can never go wrong. Wish there was more seating inside but being able to go over to the brewery to enjoy makes up for it. I have not had anything on the menu I didn’t enjoy. One of the staples of Avondale.

I return to Birmingham at least once a year and each time I return I try to eat at one of the tried and true staples and someplace new. This year, I stumbled across SAWS in Homewood. I’ve had a lot of BBQ and this is some of the best I’ve eaten. I had the pulled chicken sandwich with white sauce, a rib, and green beans. I Couldn’t have been happier with my meal. SAWS will now be on the staples list!

May be best rib I’ve ever had. Small cramped place w/​fab food. Pink eye peas yumm. Hopping at lunchtime serving everyone from execs in suits to roadtripping college students.

The best hands down over any others in town. Loved my chicken– brought home half of it. The Mac is to die for… a must have.

First time here. Came here with my son after seeing this listed as a «Top 25 BBQ Joint» in the country. Small building, cramped quarters, which adds to the «dive» feel. Order (one cashier) and wait (inside or outside) for them to call your number. Ribs were almost as good as mine (lol) and the pork was juicy, delightful wonderfullness. The chicken restored my son’s faith in BBQ chicken. Potato salad was good, beans tasted like they came straight out of a can. Mac and cheese, however, was the bomb. Definitely worth checking out. Be prepared to wait. This place stays crowded.

Visiting Birmingham for work and was told if I liked bbq then I had to try this place. I was not disappointed!
I had the smoked chicken with white bbq sauce. Never had white bbq sauce but it was awesome. Split a half rack and they were delicious. Must stop by if in the area.

Great little hole in the wall. Everything is good. Must get the mac n chz and banana pudding. Perfect sweet tea with cute tiny ice cubes. Friendly service too.

This place is the joint I’ve been looking for since I left my home state of California which they say doesn’t have a bbq identity but since I’ve been in the south (South Carolina, Georgia now in Alabama) I’ve been very disappointed in the last place I went and frankly wasn’t going to eat anymore bbq or meat till I got back home to my home state. Then my beautiful wife, who also was disappointed in the last place found Saw’s. I was very pessimistic about southern bbq because of our experiences thus far but she told me to call and ask how the que was prepared. I hesitated cause of who I am to ask them how they prepare their bbq. Then I thought to myself if I owned my own bbq joint I would be proud to say I smoke my meat so I called and they answered all my questions. They smoke their meat by the way, no horrendous boiled or baked fake-​que. So we headed to Saws from the civil rights park really hungry but still optimistic about another place. On the way I read that the restaurant wad small and not good for groups which worried me a little and since I’m traveling with a group of 6 and it was lunch time but we proceeded to the joint and when we got to the place the reviews was right it’s a little cramp but we made due with what we had.
A plus is it smelled delicious like what I know bbq is supposed to smell like and not from a smoker in the front but right from the M.f. door like at my house when I bbq. Anyway we ordered four plates to share ribs and chicken, pulled pork would have ordered beef but sadly no brisket but I had brisket from Atlanta Good Work bbq I think I wrote a review look it up. Any way Saws had some good que but no beef ribs. I was really wanting ribs we ordered mac and cheese, potato salad, coleslaw, greens, green beans, beans and cornbread. When the food came, let me tell you I was happy for the second time since we’ve been down south, because it looked right and tasted wonderful. I was very happy about the ribs and chicken the pulled pork was good also but those ribs were great the potato salad and the coleslaw were not my favorites but the mac and cheese was the best I tasted on this trip and the greens were better than any I’ve tasted since I’ve been here. The beans were great the cornbread was a little dry but it was gone. Their bbq sauce was ok. It was a little looser I’m used thicker sauce. I would come back here if I was passing through. I was very happy with Saws bbq thank you for bring faith back to my favorite cuisine cause I was very disappointed until coming to Saw’s. Now we’re on thw search for soul food, my second favorite cuisine, who am I kidding I like all cuisines lol.

Best BBQ I have ever eaten. I visit quite often, and bring any out-​of-​town guests there. Pulled pork plate is my favorite item, but ribs are delicious as well.

This is honestly the best bbq in the area, in my opinion. Everything is delicious. I had the pork platter. They give you a generous helping of pork. Two pieces of bread and pickles are included.
You get to pick two sides and there is a lot to choose from. I got deviled eggs and potato salad. Both were great. My dad got the baked beans and I tried a little of his. They were the best I’ve ever had. I will definitely be getting those the next time.
For dessert, banana pudding.
This place is always out the door because it’s so small and popular so plan on waiting. Seating is limited so go on a nice day so you can sit outside or just do takeout.

Soooo yum!!!
Pulled pork was amazing. Meat was tender, juicy and flavorful. Sweet and tangy. I got the platter that comes with 2 sides and corn bread.
I had a lot of BBQ lately. (was in Memphis).
This place is awesome.

If you are looking for the best BBQ chicken ever with some uniqueness, go to Saw’s for the Smoked Chicken. It is a perfect trio of taste with the dry rub, juicy perfectly cooked chicken, and white BBQ sauce. But that’s not all. The potato salad is made into a real creamy version that seems like it was also made from something similar to the BBQ sauce. Lots of sides to choose from but I went with the green beans to attempt not blowing all of my diet. The green beans were fresh and had some kind of meat added to it. I will have to try the deviled eggs next time. When I saw it, I thought it was another type of potato salad. You also have a choice of slightly sweet cornbread or just plain white bread. I have also had the ribs and pork from Saw’s and both of them are worth a try. The ribs has a burnt smoky flavor to them and the pork has burnt ends and looks a lot like a perfectly cooked roast. Saw’s has a ketchup — vinegar base BBQ sauce as well that is tangy and peppery. It has some spice to it but it is that of a mild version. Saw’s is an absolute hole-​in-​the-​wall. It is a very small place and parking is not convenient to where it is located. But it is not enough to keep you away from this phenomenal BBQ place. Go with the chicken first… come back for ribs and pork.

I had to try this place out due to the tremendous reviews on both Unilocal and the word around town. I had the chicken sandwich with the white bbq sauce, coleslaw, and the homemade Mac and cheese. The sandwich wasn’t the best I have ever had, but it was good, and the chicken was really tender. The mac and cheese was phenomenal. There was a wait out the door which seemed common for this place, as it drew quite a crowd and was pretty small on the inside. I would go back next time and try something else!

First, the line was ridiculously long!
The food was great. We ordered half a rack, deviled eggs, potato salad, loaded baker and a fully loaded baker with a BBQ sandwich. Two sweet teas and banana pudding for dessert.
Everything was hot and delicious. All you could hear was the bones being cleaned…
It was decently priced.
Overall, we’d go again.

So after hearing from numerous friends how amazing Saw’s BBQ was, I was highly anticipating the visit here. It is a very cramped locale, and was constantly bumping into people or having chairs hit.
The ‘home-​made’ mac and cheese was great, but they brought out the wrong chips for my other side. The white bbq sauce on the chicken was good, but the chicken itself was pretty dry and definitely needed the sauce to compensate.
Overall, the food had promise, and maybe the other Saw’s locations are better, but for now, I think I’ll stick to other BBQ joints.

On my way to the airport, wanted to try some good BBQ. Saw“s was near by, so I strolled on down. I ordered a slab of ribs. Always trying to find the best ribs. There ribs good, they tend to drown them with BBQ sauce. They were not tender enough to fall off the bone, but they were tender enough. Plenty of meat on the bones. I have had better ribs, however I would still come back if I am ever in town again.
There is not a lot of seating, so you might have to sit outside. Service was very friendly, and they try to stay on top of getting the table cleaned and ready for you. Again, a good place to eat.

The white sauce on the roasted chicken was all it was cracked up to be! Definitely a big thanks to Unilocal for that recommendation.
The mac & cheese was good, though I was hoping for a different kind of cheese, but it was an unique flavor and I enjoyed it. They charge an extra $.50 for mac & cheese as a side. But overall, the price for the size of the plate was more than reasonable.
The deviled eggs were awesome and overfilled with the yolk part.
The plate comes with about half a chicken and two sides and two pieces of bread for $ 12.99.

Very good BBQ!!! have eaten here a few times. Yes this does not look like a place that would have great BBQ as it reminds you of a whole in the wall joint. We had the pull pork sandwiches that were spot on, good portions for the money.
We tried the fried pickles and the banana pudding, both were really good.
All in all you cannot go wrong with Saw’s, it is by far the best BBQ in town…

Best barbecue I’ve had in Alabama. And I believe Alabama is thee BBQ Capital of the Known Universe.
Saw’s is just amazing. The sides, the pork, the chicken, the sauces… when I visit this is the first place I want to go… and that place used to be Moe’s, but sadly no longer. Saw’s is the first BBQ joint I never minded waiting in line for 45 minutes to order… my son cautioned me to stay calm and that I would be rewarded for my patience and I WAS! This place is great, put it on your Bucket List.
I was visiting my kids from Florida, and my son talked me out of going to Moe’s so we wandered down to Saw’s on Saturday for lunch. The line was out the door for over an hour, but man was it worth the wait. The pulled pork was smokiley delicious and moist and very tender… same with the chicken. And WOW, that white sauce is fantastic.
The sides were great too, especially the potato salad and beans. And the BBQ sauce is fantastic, a perfect compliment to the pork. I also got a look at the ribs and the stuffed potatoes have to be seen to be believed, they are monstrous in size!
Anyway, will have to say goodbye to Moe’s on future trips, and they are superb, but Saw’s is the King of the whole damn state IMO. And yes, I understand that is a strong statement.

I have now completed the trio of Birmingham Saw’s locations. And this one did not disappoint.
My first experience with this location was the catering side. Although, going in the location, very similar to the others. It has the charm of the Juke Joint and the size of the Avondale location (maybe slightly bigger).
But the Que, even in mass quantity, was the same quality you expect from Saw’s. And that white sauce… OH the white sauce. Good on everything. I didn’t put it on the banana pudding…
Enter the Will B inner dialogue —
Bad Conscience — Wait, should I have put it on the banana pudding?
Good Conscience — No the pudding is great by itself.
BC — But could it be better?
GC — White sauce on banana pudding is crazy.
BC — But that white sauce is crazy good.
GC –That seem excessive and unhealthy.
BC — That settles it… I’m trying it next time.
Did I mention I love Saw’s White Sauce?

I had to drive a bit to find this place near Birmingham, but I was glad to do so on my last trip to the South. Saw’s BBQ was recommended as a good place to try Alabama style BBQ with the unique white sauce. The restaurant is textbook barbecue joint on a classic Main Street in Homewood. I had to walk a bit to find a parking space, but it was fun to see the rest of the businesses on Oxmoor along the way.
I had the chicken with white sauce and a baked potato. The chicken was cooked perfectly with a great rub, but the sauce was a real treat. It tasted like the dressing for cole slaw with a kick and really complimented the chicken. The baked potato was a great side dish and is recommended. Plus, you have to have some iced tea!
I was fortunate to try several different styles of barbecue in the South, and I can definitely recommend Saw’s for anyone wanting good Alabama barbecue!

Want bbq? Bbq its what’s for lunch. While my business guest and I walked out smelling of delicious bbq it was still a great lunch spot. This was my first visit to saws so I went for the full package. The large sampler so I could get a taste of everything. This plate is not something one simply eats. This is a feast for even the most champion of eaters. Pulled pork, chicken, ribs, and two sides. Absolutely some of the best BBQ I have ever had the pleasure of eating.
Tables were a hot commodity but we didn’t have to wait long. Sound level was loud and probably not the best for a business meeting or lunch with a long lost friend. But if you want to sit there in silence and stuff your face with mouth watering BBQ this is your place.