Wade on Birmingham

Birmingham’s Best Eats: The best barbecue in town? Miss Myra’s in Vestavia Hills

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Miss Myra's Pit Bar-B-Q

Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q serves chicken superior
to the other joints in Birmingham.
Photos by Jason Horn.

By Jason Horn

One barbecue rule we’ve found to be universal: The more anthropomorphic the pigs on the sign or in the restaurant, the better the food. Don’t laugh, it’s true.

Birmingham's Best EatsMiss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q has shelves covered with dozens of pigs, doing all kinds of human activities. This red-roofed cathedral of smoked chicken sits just a couple blocks from the Summit shopping center, in the Cahaba Heights section of Vestavia Hills.

Inside, the place resembles all great barbecue joints: a little dingy, a little dark and featuring at least two photos of the legendary Bear.

But the food.

It’s chicken that makes Miss Myra’s the best in town. This restaurant’s version is five times smokier than anyone else’s, perfectly juicy and the reason Alabama white sauce was invented. (That’s a barbecue sauce based in mayonnaise, rather than tomato sauce.) A dark-meat plate ($6.25) consists of a leg and thigh, bread, a pickle and two side dishes.

Make sure to order a deviled egg for one side dish. They’re the absolute best we’ve ever had: nice and mustard-tangy but still creamy and dense.

And don’t forget a slice of home-style pie ($2.75). Four or five kinds are on display daily, from Key lime to coconut to a lemon meringue that’s a good 4 inches tall. All are delicious.

Miss Myra's Pit Bar-B-Q

Key lime pie is one of the handful of varieties
available at Miss Myra’s every day.

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Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q

  • 3278 Cahaba Heights Road, Vestavia Hills [map]
  • (205) 967-6004
  • Missmyrasbbq.com
  • Hours: 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday

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Jason HornJason Horn (@messyepicure) is a Birmingham writer, sometime culinary student and big fan of zombie movies who blogs at The Messy Epicure.

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Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

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