Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails

Restaurant · Tuscaloosa

Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails

Restaurant · Tuscaloosa
2410 University Blvd, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

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Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null
Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails by null

Highlights

Nestled within the Embassy Suites, this airy spot flaunts modern decor and serves up contemporary French delights, making it a chic choice for food lovers.  

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2410 University Blvd, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 Get directions

sidebysidekitchen.com
@sidebysidekitchen

$$$ · Menu

Reserve

Information

Static Map

2410 University Blvd, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 Get directions

+1 205 561 5509
sidebysidekitchen.com
@sidebysidekitchen

$$$ · Menu

Reserve

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outdoor seating

Last updated

Jul 11, 2025

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faithfulgalme

Google
01/25/2025: It was my first time there. You have to enter through Embassy Suites hotel. I made a reservation but it wasn't needed, there was only one couple when I arrived. The jazz music was perfect. I was looking for "fine dining," but this wasn't a bad choice. The dining area is large, but the bar seats 10 people at best. There was a bathroom inside the restaurant and it was clean. But the lock on the accessible bathroom needs repair. I had to lean on the door and jiggle the lock to engage it. Maitlon was my server. He was patient and worked with the bartender (a lady) to find a drink I would like. She ended up creating something and it was tasty. Maitlon helped me choose between different menu items. I had the flank steak w/mashed potatoes and asparagus. My steak was medium and tender. Maitlon delivered my meal with a steak knife. Which is rare because most restaurants don't serve your food with a proper steak knife. I had lemon cheesecake with vanilla bean ice cream for dessert. There was a solid lemon flavor to the cheesecake. The berry compote had a good texture and was not thin. The whipped cream was fluffy and the pistachios were ground to a good texture. Overall, it was a good experience. The meal was just under $70 for one person. The staff (Maitlon and the bartender) were friendly and patient with all of the guests. One suggestion would be to add a bread basket while you wait for your entree. I'll slip in to try a burger next time.

Katie Cates

Google
We’re new to town and this place looked yummy! So glad we stopped in! I’m not one for pimento cheese, but this one KNOCKS IT OUT OF THE PARK 🎉🎉. The bacon jam and sausage is also great! The Roll Tide shrimp are delicious as well!!! Also go by and see Laggarrius at the bar, he’s AWESOME!

Il-Gyu Cho

Google
Good place to get quality food if living or visiting Tuscaloosa area. It is inside of the Marriott. Great service as well. Price is a tad on the expensive side, however.

Kyrsten Larson

Google
Five stars because I can’t give 4.5 and only the extra .5 because our SERVER made it a good experience. Initially the bread that came with the baked pimento cheese was old and chewy so we told our sever and he brought out fresh baked bread. It tasted delicious! I had the Joyce Farms chicken and my husband had the tuna special. It was well cooked and we enjoyed the flavor of the food. I specially liked that mine had a lot of good veggies with it. We also had dessert. They were out of the sorbet that my husband wanted because he can’t have dairy but they brought us a different flavor and didn’t charge him for it. I had the chocolate mousse which was delicious. We will probably go back some day.

KJ T.

Google
Overall, their food is delicious, but the quality of the food and the variety on the menu has varied a lot over the years. The current menu has removed many of their most delicious items, and narrowed down the menu options, which is disappointing. We especially miss the fried green tomatoes and the crab cakes. I recommend the the gumbo and any of the pastas!! For more reviews, follow my Instagram @taste.of.the.towne

Hanna Martinez

Google
The short rib is the best dish I’ve ever had! So fall apart tender, savory, and the sauce on it really makes it pop! The roasted carrots and parsnips that are paired with are my absolute favorite! 😍 Will definitely be back for more! 🥰

Monique Harris

Google
TAKE CAUTION. After a long day of running around the city with the kids, we decided to eat here for dinner. We arrived a few minutes after opening with some excitement for being the first guests of the day. I aways like to check the children’s orders before they dive in. This particular day, our little person downed a chicken tender while the food inspection was happening. To my shock, the remaining chicken fingers were not fully cooked. I informed the onsite supervisor (no manager on site at the time) who apologized, reordered the meal, and comped the ticket for only the children’s meals. At that point, the fear of having a sick child post consuming raw chicken turned our experience sour.

Carol Agomo

Google
A group of us enjoyed a nice, quiet evening at Side by Side. No line, no wait on a Wednesday night. We visited before and noticed the menu is quite different BUT they still have nice options. I ordered shrimp and grits-- every bite was delicious. My plate was full and I could not eat it all. Not pictured: the fried green tomatoes and calamari were tasty starters. I recommend a visit for anyone who has not dined here in a while.

Xiang Z.

Yelp
The dishes are not well cooked or presented. Still expensive though- Disappointed. It was a used-to-be nice restaurant. I wonder what happened this place went down like this.

David J.

Yelp
Side by Side used to be one of our favorite spots in Tuscaloosa but is is now terrible. We dined there Friday evening, excited to share our experience with our family. The booth we sat in needed repair with the back moving every time the people on the other side leaned back. The Menu used to be one of the best in Tuscaloosa and now reads more like an upscale sports bar. It is completely different than the menu posted online. When we asked about that the server said corporate could not change the menu online. Really?!? The server also had zero knowledge of the menu. He had to go ask about three things we had questions about. When we ordered cocktails, it took forever and they all came out at different time with the last one arriving 10 minutes after the first was delivered. The food had a decent presentation but was all bland and improperly cooked. The pork chop was over cooked and has no flavor. The salmon was undercooked, arriving rare to medium rare instead of medium as described. The beef short rib was also lacking flavor. I was terrible disappointed and will not return.

Steve D.

Yelp
We've stayed at the Embassy Suites (connected to this place) here in Tuscaloosa for years and have always enjoyed the hotel and the service. And yet, all it takes is one person to blemish all the good. Incredibly rude bartender this evening at Side by Side, attempting to take care of the restaurant and the hotel's happy hour. She couldn't do both and displayed no professionalism...despite there being just four customers at the bar. See ya. Off to another place to eat.

Blake S.

Yelp
Side by Side is a very popular restaurant in downtown Tuscaloosa and on game weekends it can be impossible to get reservations. We have had reservations for months. Located on the ground floor of the Embassy Suites downtown Tuscaloosa, it is a great way to end your day of driving by eating a good meal, having a few drinks and then heading upstairs to your room. We had 8pm reservations and it was super crowded when we arrived. Our server Kiersten was very pleasant and worked hard to get our cocktails to us in a timely manner. We didn't want food right away but ordered it soon after we sat since the kitchen was pretty backed up. It did take a long time to get our meal but that was just fine with us. About an hour in our food arrived at the table (again just fine with us, we just drove for hours and wanted a drink and time to wind down) piping hot and freshly prepared. Helen ordered the Southern Garden Plate and I ordered the Side by Side burger. I didn't try Helen's veggies but she was not overly impressed. Me on the other hand really enjoyed my burger with all the smokey char on it. It was moderately over temperature but that is not a deal breaker. I ordered medium rare and got medium well. I opted for regular fries instead of the sweet potato fries that come standard with the burger. The pickles are bread and butter and not my thing. I think dill pickles belong on a burger. I was worried about the aioli being too sweet so I had it placed on the side. It was very tasty and smoky with only a slight amount of sweetness. I put it on the burger and dipped my fries in it. Yum! On a whim we ordered the Creamed Collard Greens. Kiersten warned us that they weren't really creamed, and she was right. If you expect collards in something creamy, these aren't them. At the end of a long day, we had good food and good drinks. Our server was fabulous. If I could have put her in my pocket I would have. We didn't mind the kitchen being backed up. We had good company. Now it's time for bed.

Matthew L.

Yelp
Service was very disappointing. Waited 25 minutes at the bar for the only bartender to take our order. Then we get seated and another 15- 20 minutes on water and another drink order. Food was prepared very well. They needed more staff.

Dana J.

Yelp
Disappointed tonight. Only one bartender at the bar. They are very short staffed. Took long time at the bar as well as when we got seated. Only thing was that the food was great! They need to do better!

Megan W.

Yelp
I visited because my friends were staying at the hotel that is connected to this restaurant. Immediately upon walking in, we were quickly seated and served. The interior is beautiful and feels very luxurious. Our waiter was also very kind in sharing his recommendations and letting us know if they were out of any items. I ended up getting a generic pasta entree that they had. Overall, the food isn't bad, but it also isn't amazing. You're primarily paying for the ambience and convenience of having a restaurant in the hotel. Especially with Tuscaloosa's growing number of restaurants, I think the food here doesn't amaze me.

Dana P.

Yelp
They are just now opened up for brunch again since Covid, and you can tell they have some quirks to work out. But other than that, the food was good and the service was perfect. I did find the shrimp cocktail appetizer a little strange though. Didn't have the touch that I was expecting. I had the pork belly Benny which was good. Could have used some greenery or more hollandaise as it comes on a cornbread roll and was a little on the dry side. My egg was over cooked too. My s.o. had the side by side breakfast which was mostly a giant biscuit. I hoped and expected more from the menu, but it wasn't bad. Just not something I'd put my name on if I was Chris Hastings. The manager did ask for our opinion on what they could improve when we were leaving and that in itself showed me at least that they cared.

Adrienne C.

Yelp
Was there to attend a patient education program. The room was quite nice. The servers were very pleasant. The menu selection was considerate of the various food issues of many of the attendees. My salad was very fresh & delicious. I love cold water. And the salmon was grilled to perfection. And although I am not a fan of beets i ate those too. Overall the food was worth the drive.

Samantha H.

Yelp
Side by Side used to be a great restaurant. I ate there a few years ago, and the meal was fantastic. However, I ate there again recently, and the quality has really fallen off. The food was marginal, and the service wasn't good. The bill was almost $100 for two people for breakfast. I won't be returning.

Robert H.

Yelp
Ate here as part of a business meeting with a group. I had been wanting to try Side by Side for a while. The staff were all very friendly and fast to refill our drinks. I got the steak and eggs. It was a nice brunch. My steak was ordered medium rare and it was cooked more than what I had asked for. That was my only issue with the meal. I ordered the bread pudding for desert and it was the highlight of the meal. Very tasty and a great flavor. I would come back again to eat, but would probably order a different entree next time.

Kalyn T.

Yelp
This place recently came under new management and they have hired a new chef. The new menu is amazing, and has a variety of great food to pick from. My family went and experienced speedy and attentive service and a great atmosphere. Our particular favorites were the pork belly appetizer, fried okra, fried green tomatoes, and the mushroom carbonara.

Anthony J.

Yelp
This was a very enjoyable meal for my wife and I. There needs to be a 5+ rating reserved for the place that really delivers. On the night I was there everybody got it right We made early reservations and were immediately seated after a pleasant valet. The restaurant had a great ambiance. I imagine if a celebrity was in town this is where they would eat. I really can't say enough about this meal. Our server Cat was excellent and made us feel like we were her only table ( we weren't) The manager came by the table twice and also helped with our wine selection. I honestly have not one complaint. Now to the food. We ordered two appetizers the pimento cheese and the pork belly. Both were great. The pimento cheese and conecuh could be its own meal. For entree I ordered the special which was Destin snapper with a cheese sauce on a bed of rice and shrimp. Way more shrimp than I expected. My wife ordered the braised beef short ribs. Also very good. For dessert we had the bread pudding . The meal was pricey but we ordered several drinks and the experience was worth it. I will definitely go back.

Jacob P.

Yelp
This was so good! I loved the s'mores lava cake!! Definitely recommend I will be coming back soon!!

Megan R.

Yelp
Great experience here & will be back! Food was superb, & so was our waiter. Docking a star because even though I had an 8:30 reservation, we weren't seated until closer to 9:00. However the food came fairly quickly, especially the Mac n cheese appetizer. Highly recommend!

Niyah J.

Yelp
First off I wanna say that this is a beautiful restaurant! The service is terrible. The waiter never asked what I wanted to drink! He just gave us water! Our reservation were made for 8pm but we didn't get sat until about 8:30/8:45. We waited a very long time for our food and we could see it sitting on the back counter and our waiter kept looking at it passing it by! Another waiter was bringing our food to the table. I'd like to think money was stolen from my card because my receipt said a whole other price then what was drafted from my account! I've called and been up there multiple times for a refund and to watch cameras but the "Manager" has no access to cameras. He also said he had no access to looking at the transactions from the night before! Which is crazy to me if you're a "manager/ supervisor." Luckily I work at a credit union so I know how to handle the situation! Charges will be pressed against them!!! Please watch your bank account when dining there!

Patricia K.

Yelp
Walked in to be put on the wait list, we were told we would not get in. Left and made a reservation on open table. Came back at that time and was told we would have to wait 15 min for a table even though there were almost 8 tables sitting open. Once we finally sat down the food was ok, definitely not worth the wait. Drinks we're good and our waiter was nice, which is why they get 2 stars

Scott R.

Yelp
Been here 2x in the last 2 weeks. We've had really good service and the food has been equally good. I know they are working on the kitchen staff and from what we have experienced the chef and staff are really doing a good job. Everything that was served was absolutely on point. We have kid #2 at U of A. I'm glad Side by Side and Embassy Suites keep delivering.

Dylon S.

Yelp
Being at the base of the embassy suites, I wasn't expecting anything to blow me away... but was pleasantly surprised. Short rib fell off the bone and their house cab was excellent for just $20 a bottle. Definitely a quick and easy option if you're staying upstairs.

Brian S.

Yelp
We got in late to this restaurant because nothing else is open Tuscaloosa is a small town but is peppered with some decent restaurants this restaurant has good food the only problem is due to being a small town we were forced to leave into the lobby before we finished eating

Quiani S.

Yelp
The food was amazing they presented it well and the taste was great. I really enjoyed thing about my experience there, I highly recommend. 10/10 from me.

Scott M.

Yelp
Alright...alright...let me start by saying that if you're looking for a very good meal, at a price that's reasonable given the meal that you're going to get, then do yourself a favor and come to this place. It's a nice open room with high ceilings, an open kitchen, some space on the patio if you want to sit outside and everything is as clean and as polished as you'd expect from a fine dining restaurant that's being appropriately managed. A really nice place to eat. I was in the area today with some time to kill and an empty stomach, so I searched, "best restaurants in Tuscaloosa" and looked over a few menus as I got hungrier. I'm glad I took that extra time because hungry is what you're going to want to be. This place has the type of menu that leaves you legitimately torn on what to order. Cheese plates, fried okra, an array of interesting salad choices, pork belly...and those are just the starters. The mains include fresh seafood, an outstanding NY strip, lamb osso bucco, stuffed quail, rabbit...you get the picture. The menu reminds me of a tapas place, but the plates aren't small. You definitely get what you pay for here. So I came in during the transition between the lunch, bar, and dinner menus and managed to order the modestly titled, "ham and cheese plate", which came out as a great example of charcuterie. Finished almost the entire thing while biding time for the dinner menu to start. The portion was generous, and the variety of items for the price was more than adequate. While allowing all that to settle, I went ahead and ordered the NY strip. About that...wow. I couldn't believe the portion. I've eaten at a number of restaurants that seem to fit this category, and I did not expect the steak to be as big as it was...not to mention that it was cooked perfectly and seasoned just right. The grilled carrots and sweet potato gratin that accompanied it simply cannot be explained. Seemingly innocuous side items that somehow managed to burst with flavor. Really good stuff. This is the kind of stuff you can keep eating even though you're getting full. I couldn't leave without desert, so I asked what the lightest one was, and I was recommended the strawberry shortcake. It did not disappoint, but I have to admit that I didn't finish it because I just ran out of space. So overall, the food here seems to be very well done, well thought out, and executed in such a way that I can't see how they could have done any better. The menu is diverse, interesting, and has a nice array of things you don't typically find at just any place on any corner. I couldn't be happier with what I had today. Now...the service. As I stated before I showed up during that odd time between shifts and therefore had 2 servers over the course of my meal. The transition was flawless. The hostess at the front who greeted me was exceptionally polite, as were both of the servers who attended to my table. Professional, polite, prompt, attentive and not overbearing. What else can you ask for? So friendly people, exceptional food, pleasant atmosphere, and prices that are more than fair if you know what you're looking at on the plate. If you haven't tried this spot, then it should be on your list. 5 stars.

Ashlie J.

Yelp
Food was good and the atmosphere was perfect. We had the pimento cheese appetizer and gumbo to start. The pimento cheese was phenomenal but the gumbo had very little flavor and an odd texture. The salmon as a main course was great but was wonderful on its own the sauce added nothing to the dish. Finished up with Creme Brûlée and coffee which was great. Overall would definitely eat here again.

David H.

Yelp
Very good environment, but more should be expected from the quality of the food especially at the steep price

Michelle S.

Yelp
This place took a 2:45 reservation for a buffet that closed at 3:00 with no availability to order off the regular menu. Obviously none of this was disclosed with the reservation. It left us with no place to eat on game day.

Amy S.

Yelp
This place was great when it first opened many years ago. Now....it's awful. Bad service and the food is just okay. Bartender John seemed great at first. Offered us a sample of a Valentine cocktail. After first drink order we were ghosted. He spent his time chatting up his coworker rather than servicing his customers. Not once did he ask us if we wanted another beverage or refill our waters. We had to interrupt his constant chatting with the coworker to order. The burger was fine, but THE RUBBER BAND IN MY SIDE DISH...... from someone's hair. Ugh. I can't even. Absolutely done with this place. Too many negative experiences. And I am here to tell you that all of the over-the-top 5 star reviews are fake. Everyone I know complains about this place....

Jay T.

Yelp
We had an absolutely amazing meal here on Saturday. They were offering a modified game day menu, not the full menu, but still had a great selection. We were so hungry that I forgot to get any pictures of the food. The beef stroganoff was amazing and the burger was excellent. Patrick was our waiter and he did a great job answering questions about the menu and was very attentive. The atmosphere here is great and this was the best meal we have had in Tuscaloosa. We are already excited to come back again!

Alex B.

Yelp
We ate at the Side by Side for Thanksgiving and it was overall a good experience. The food was very good, wasn't to impressed with the Thanksgiving day entree. The waitress was nice but service was a little slow. Our order consisted of the following Appetizers: Butternut soup- to die for! Fried green tomatoes - excellent. Butter lettuce salad - very good, loved the fresh zesty drsg but very small for $10.00 Entrees: Thanksgiving day turkey special - eh, wasn't worth it. Roasted Duck - excellent, moist with a crispy crust, it came with a pumpkin risotto which looked delicious but had absolutely NO taste. Roasted Chicken - also excellent, moist, tender and seasoned perfectly. Seared Fish of the day - also delicious. Desserts: Chocolate Lava cake and a caramel apple cheese cake - both delicious. Will definitely come back next time I'm in the area.

Richard S.

Yelp
Second time staying at Embassy Suites and eating at Side By Side.... Yes it is pricey but the location and food is SUPERB!!! Our server Kat was awesome... great insights to menu and super personality! Highly recommend this spot if you are looking for a great meal and great service!

Claudette S.

Yelp
I will definitely return to Side by Side. I went for a business luncheon today. I fully expected the chewy, dry chicken breast business meal but I was wonderfully surprised. I ENJOYED the Black Group with succotash as my entree. I took my time to enjoy my food and noticed everyone else had a clean plate. So, I guess they all enjoyed the food as well. Service was great, too. I will be back!

Heidi M.

Yelp
Our last dinner is Tuscaloosa was one of our favorites. Side by Side is a huge restaurant, with a variety of seating styles. One plus is the talented pianist playing on an acoustic piano with lots of finesse! The food and service was excellent, and we were treated like friends, particularly by our beautiful, sweet, and attentive server, Melody. Cocktails were outstanding, as well.

Christiane G.

Yelp
One positive- the bar staff was super cool and attentive. That was the only good thing and the only reason I'm not leaving 1 Star. Waited 45 minute to get these three dishes. $16 for the salad that has over cooked chicken and very little dressing, $13 for the sandwich with over cooked fries, and $25 for what was supposed to be chicken and dumplings. Does this look like chicken and dumplings? And this for $25??? Won't be back. Very disappointing.

Brook B.

Yelp
My boyfriend and I are visiting from LA. We yelped restaurants in the area and this place seemed appealing. Not only was it appealing but absolutely amazing! Finished off with berry bread pudding with vanilla ice cream.

Hailey C.

Yelp
Very dissatisfied with my experience here. We decided to come here for Easter brunch and I got the brunch burger cooked medium which came out ice cold. The manager then said they would remake it, so 20 minutes later it came out semi-warm & raw. Not to mention my friend asked for medium steak and it came out well done. The server didn't know what a few things on the menu were and he forgot a few things for our table. I understand it is Easter but you have to be on top of your things.

Khondker I.

Yelp
It was the day when hurricane Michael hits the Florida panhandle. I was flying back to Alabama from Philadelphia. The sky was full of clouds and the plane ride was bumpy. I did not get enough time to have a lunch while switching plane at Midway airport at Chicago. I was pretty hungry when I landed at Birmingham. The flight was much better than I expected. It was raining and I have 2 hours to drive to come home. I was tired and hungry. I decided to take a break at Tuscaloosa and decided to have a dinner here. It is a big restaurant. Contemporary decoration. I made a phone reservation before coming here. I was greeted and seated. The menu had good number of foods to choose from. The waitress was very nice and friendly. The crudo was very refreshing. The fried oysters was great, love it. The lamb shank was tasty, full of flavor. It could be better if it was little spicier side. The noise level is below average. Parking on the street. Over all, love this place and planned to come back in future.

Liz D.

Yelp
Side by Side is located inside the Embassy suites. It's worth heading inside. Clint did a great job! The beet salad was delicious and the burger was well seasoned. We'll be back!

Amy H.

Yelp
Clint was our server and he was AMAZING! The beet salad was fabulous, as was the burger!

Joseph H.

Yelp
Side by Side has been a favorite of mine since their opening but my recent experience makes me doubt I will return. We had a table of eight and from the beginning the waiter had trouble with the orders. He also didn't announce what dishes on the menu weren't available. We were the first service of the evening, so he would be dealing all evening with no salmon available, despite the menu entry for salmon. Over the course of the meal wrong entrees were delivered and the wrong check was given to the wrong diners. that's just wrong.

Michelle W.

Yelp
Beautiful place, located in the newish upscale downtown Ttown. Decor is lovely, and the caesar with grilled shrimp was delightful. Great restaurant!

Kelly R.

Yelp
Such a little gem found inside the hotel! My daughter and I enjoyed dinner and drinks last night. The stroganoff and wedge salad were delicious as was the rum punch. The restaurant was super busy with light staff, but our waitress Romie was amazing!! This is a great stop if you're looking for a great, casual meal with excellent service. Only downside was Neil (the host) put other tables dirty dishes down on our table and walked away. Not sure he realized what he was doing since is was very busy, but it was weird.

Linda H.

Yelp
Wonderful food, staff and chef. Pleasant atmosphere. My favorite restaurant in Tuscaloosa.

Anita M.

Yelp
My husband and I loved our dining experience at Side by Side! I ordered the Shrimp and avocado salad. It was an explosion of favor with a wonderful kick I didn't expect. My husband loved the tomato salad. The main dishes did not disappoint. We ended the meal with the amazing chocolate soufflé! Highly recommend it!

Mabry G.

Yelp
We made a reservation at 9:30pm after Gameday and were anticipating it to be busy. Not only was it busy but the staff did not have a handle on the chaos. It took 45 minutes to get our appetizers and not all of them came out. We did not get our meals until 11pm and our steak was cold to the touch. We then received the bill that was incorrect for what we ordered and had to wait for the corrections. Will not eat here again.

Kat R.

Yelp
The best fine dining I've had in Tuscaloosa. Their lunch gulf catch is always amazing. Love the happy hour too.

Ee Vonn Y.

Yelp
This might easily be the most beautiful restaurant in Tuscaloosa. During the day, it's so peaceful and quiet. The sun pours through every window, and makes you wonder why libraries couldn't be designed like this. The only noise you hear is coming from the kitchen, and it's the pleasant sound of food being prepped for the long evening ahead. I had the hamburger cooked medium rare with steamed vegetables. It was delicious and I might have finished it all in about 15 minutes. It was cooked so well and I think the vegetables even outshined the meat. There is outdoor seating, but it was sprinkling at the time I went. The service was excellent, and I was asked frequently if I enjoyed my food. I wished I had room for more.

Duane S.

Yelp
I'm not from this area and I'm not a southerner so I my not be fully versed in the culture of southern style cooking but I can tell you I ordered a side by side burger which was burnt on the out side and quite delicious in the middle but the bun was completely wet with grease and was the fries were filled with grease as well not crisp but loaded with cooking oil and soggy, I have cholesterol issues and would suggest if you do as well to avoid that burger from the bar menu. I did give it three more try's, the second time I did try to order from he dinner menu but the items offered from the bar menu we not no the dinner menu and I noticed my allotted 40.00 per night budget would not allow me to order food & drink and be under my budget limit so back to the bar again, I ordered a seafood corn chowder soup, duck wings (which was blackened and skin on) and a garden salad which was great. The third and final attempt was just a to go order I had worked late just tried the chicken wings this time an a salad entree Caesar's salad this time the wings of the chicken bones were broken not small pieces and were quite sharp I considered this to be quite dangerous if swallowed could be a hospital visit for sure, so be very careful if you get them. My salad was a surprise a tooled to be an entire Romain lettuce bushel cut exactly in half (two large pieces) with little brown balls I was sure if they were anchovies or cooked garlic when I tasted it I couldn't determine what it was so I didn't eat them, I therefore diced and sliced to get the salad into a eatable configuration and in five plus minutes I was ready to eat. Still not being convinced I was fully aware of the southern cooking style I had a beer at the bar after work I decided no eat dinner at a different location and get a little desert, I ordered strawberry short cake and I was pretty tired so I left it in my mini refrigerator and tried t the next to my surprise it wasn't strawberry shortcake but a bread pudding which I've always been my lease favorite desert needless to say I was greatly disappointed. I gave it three attempts I was let down three times and to top it all off it was a bit expensive on my allotted food expense. The staff was friendly and nice.

Steve M.

Yelp
Oh, wow, the Side by Side is one of those places where I've never had anything less than excellent! We have other favorites nearby for other reasons but this is hands-down the T-Town champion for straight-up excellence.

Mr G.

Yelp
We tried to make a reservation on open table as it showed an opening at 10:30 pm. However, when we tried to book it the reservation disappeared. We called and they said they had many open tables and we should come down. Upon entering we sat for about 10-15 minutes and no one waited on us. Place was half empty. I signaled to hostess and she realized we had not been waited on. Somehow the waiters didn't know we sat down. The wait staff was very good, hence 2 stars. The food was nothing special. Lobster bisque contained no lobster and the calamari was downright awful. It didn't taste, feel or look like any calamari we had ever eaten. The dipping sauces were inedible. My wife even said, don't eat anymore of that, you will get sick." Will not go back and our party will likely not recommend it to anyone. Do better...

Jordan A.

Yelp
If I could give this place zero stars, I would. The service was good but the food was TRASH. We had a group of sixteen and made reservations a month in advance. We had been in contact with the manager and signed a contract that they did not uphold on their part. My friend and I both ordered the same salad with shrimp added. The salad was listed as an entrée but was smaller than a side salad and didn't have any of the toppings on it that were listed on the menu, we had to ask for them to be brought out. Unfortunately this isn't the first bad experience I've had here. A month ago I went with my parents and ordered their nonas chicken gluten free, they failed to make it gluten free and instead of sending it back because their service was horrible I just switched with someone else who had ordered the salmon. Thank gosh I'm graduating and won't be back to ever eat at this horrible restaurant. Side by side is the worst restaurant in Tuscaloosa.