Hate to hear that Red’s Little Schoolhouse, a restaurant in Grady, Alabama, 25 miles south of Montgomery, is going to close early next month.
Hills Chapel Community School was built in 1910 for black students, from grades 1-6. It sat empty for 25 years until 1985, when it was purchased (for $3500 at auction the year before) to become a restaurant. Four generations of the owner’s family have worked here — just really good people (seriously, read their FB posts).
We last ate here last year, and because of Covid reasons, just masked up, got a go-plate, and ate in the car. Love this place.
Pie safe, baybeeeee
You *know* you’re in the south if they’ve got camp stew by the quart
Thinking of other restaurants in Alabama with similarities to Red’s — White House in Warrior also lines their walls with portraits of the presidents, and I wish I had taken pictures but we’ll have to settle for this pic of chicken, greens, and green beans:
Also: Mossy Grove Schoolhouse Restaurant in Troy, Alabama.
A few other schoolhouse restaurants: The Old Schoolhouse Inn and Restaurant in NY // Behham Inn in KY // Schoolhouse Restaurant and General Store in OH // Schoolhouse Lunch Room in MI // Dorset Valley Schoolhouse Restaurant in WI
PS: Red’s recipe for their frozen cucumber pickles is here.