Constantine’s restaurant in the 1950s. The Alec and Roy Thigpen Photography Collection, the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama.
Constantine’s | The Sea Ranch | Winslow’s | Bayley’s Seafood | Rebel Queen | Korbet’s | The Pillars | Tiny Diny
Nan Sea’s | Palmer’s | Max’s | John Word’s on the Causeway | Bonus: Honorable Mentions
Restaurants offer more than just food. The decor and ambiance matter, of course, as do the waitstaff and the clientele. But all of that combined still doesn’t add up to the whole picture of what we experience when we dine out. It’s the memories we forge at those meals that are truly important. The dining experiences we remember for decades are the ones which mark a big event or celebrate a milestone. The occasions that feel special with people we love are the meals that stick with us until our dying day. The flavors linger only because the moment was important, and we will never forget it.
MB readers share some of their special moments at the restaurants that are now but a memory. This quick trip down memory lane made us hungry — and nostalgic — to think of all the places that have come and gone. But since taste is a powerful memory builder, these institutions are certainly not forgotten. Grab a seat at the table.
Constantine’s
Greek immigrant Constantine Panayiotou worked his way up the ladder of restaurant life from dishwasher to successful owner. Constantine’s Restaurant, opened in 1934 on Royal Street, was known as “Mobile’s Finest Restaurant.” According to local historian Tom McGehee, “Within a dozen years, a staff of 110 was serving an estimated 2,000 meals a day. Constantine’s had its own butcher shop and bakery; even the salad dressings were made from scratch. It was one of Mobile’s first fully air-conditioned businesses and Joe, his head waiter, had a gift for remembering countless customers and their favorite tables. And, the doors remained open 24 hours a day.” The restaurant was famous for its post-Mardi Gras ball gatherings but fell victim to the city’s ever-westward expansion of the 20th century. After several moves, it closed its doors for the last time at Azalea Road and Airport Boulevard in 1984.
“As a child, Constantine’s was the place you got dressed up and went to eat for special occasions. I remember going there with my dad for my etiquette class graduation dinner and my mom would always take me there before we would go the Junior Miss pageant. Lots of wonderful memories of special childhood times and great meals at Constantine’s.”
—Melissa Morrissette
“There is definitely more than one restaurant that I miss! But one of my fondest memories is of Constantine’s when it was in the hotel on the corner of Government and Catherine streets. I was in elementary school and taking piano lessons. Every year our recital was held in the spring at Bernheim Hall (in the Ben May Library). The best part of that evening was stopping by Constantine’s for dessert. For me, it was always Boston cream pie, which is still a favorite of mine!” —Julie Hoagland
“Constantine’s was the best restaurant in Mobile for years at the Royal Street address. It was fine dining at its best! Since they were open 24 hours a day, no one had a key to the place. It sure is missed today.”
—James Davis
“When I was a young boy, my father owned a business downtown. He took me to Constantine’s and told us it was the most expensive restaurant in the USA! We were so nervous and ate every bite, even the things we didn’t like!”
—Ron Balzli
“The dining room behind the bar at Constantine’s was my favorite place to eat when I was four until they moved to Government Street. Favorite dinner included a Shirley Temple drink and Veal cutlet with spaghetti and for dessert the cup custard, cold so I didn’t have to taste the caramel sauce which stayed cold in the bottom of the cup. At about age ten my order changed with the seasons. In warm weather I had the lump crab salad with blue cheese dressing for lunch and shrimp and crab Au Gratin for dinner. In cooler weather the choices were steak, medium rare with the fried onion ring on top, and spinach Au Gratin and French bread for dinner. Winter lunch was seafood gumbo.”
—Jayne Galliard
“Constantine’s—my grandmother took me there in 1969. I was 7 years old. I ordered scamp and it was so delicious I can almost taste it today!”
—Clark Kelly
The Sea Ranch
A 1953 postcard calls The Sea Ranch “Mobile’s newest and most modern restaurant.” Located on the Causeway, it served fresh seafood, Southern fried chicken and sizzling steaks indoors or on the large, screened-in porch overlooking Mobile Bay. Operated by Gus and Nick Gulas, the restaurant endured hurricanes and the changing decades, offering dancing nightly to the Jens Jenson Trio in the Windjammer Supper Club or featuring Dusty Rhoades “at the Console of the Hammond Electric Organ.” Hurricane Frederick sadly wiped away the last building with its orange vinyl chairs and iconic fish aquarium.
“One of my very favorite restaurants was Sea Ranch and one of the owners, Mr. Gus Gulas. And that guy who played the piano! My grandmother remarked every time we were there that there wasn’t a song he couldn’t play. I think Dusty was his name! One year on my birthday, 5th I think, Mr. Gus had Dusty play ‘Happy Birthday’ and he danced with me! Another time, Mr. Gus gave me a small pin made out of shells. I kept that little pin for many years. I am now 75, but remember Mr. Gus and the Sea Ranch like it was yesterday!”
—Carroll “Corky” Fernandez Sloan
Winslow’s
Before Fairhope exploded with retirees and city folk looking for a slice of paradise, it was a small town with almost nowhere to eat. That’s when Harry Johnson opened Winslow’s in a small strip off Highway 98 in 1980. He claims to have taken the dark bead-board paneling idea from Judge Roy Beans, and added old front porch columns to hold up the bar. It was casual, family dining and drinks, and it made baked potatoes, Mexican dishes and spiral chips every day-faire for Fairhope. It moved to Downtown at one point, but the location was short-lived, closing its doors in 1997.
“Winslow’s was in Fairhope on Highway 98. They had the best crabmeat-stuffed baked potatoes, burgers and, of course, Mexican food. Rosie was the creator of the authentic Mexican dishes! Harry Johnson was the owner and the ‘king’ of local Eastern Shore restaurants!”
—Susan Stein
“Now I’m hungry for the grilled chicken and broccoli sandwich at Winslow’s with a side of ranch. I don’t know how that sandwich was so, so good, but it was!”
—Leslie Buckley
Bayley’s Seafood
In 1947, Bill Bayley opened a one-room restaurant on Dauphin Island Parkway serving fresh local seafood. In no time, the little place expanded to seat more than 200 people. They claimed to have cleaned more than 150 pounds of flounder a week for eager customers and to have invented fried crab claws, to boot! But the West Indies Salad is what made Bayley’s famous. Bill Bayley Jr. remembers that with such a big dining room, it took a while for patrons to get their food. That’s where the West Indies salad came into play. A bowl of marinated crabmeat and a basket of saltines was all it took to keep customers happy while they waited on the main attractions. The establishment finally closed its doors in 2022 after more than 50 years in business.
“Bayley’s Seafood was a regular Friday night eat-out restaurant for our Bosarge family and it was so good. I remember when they first came out with West Indies Salad. Most areas on the Gulf Coast don’t know what West Indies Salad is.”
—Lee Bosarge
“My first memory of Bayley’s was stopping on Sunday afternoon after a day at the beach. Daddy had a ‘membership card’ to sit in the back and enjoy a beer with his meal.”
—Carolyn Jeffers
“I loved Bayley’s seafood gumbo! In fact, I took my granddaughter there the second to last day they were open. We got one of the last cups of gumbo they had. My granddaughter is from Michigan and had never tried gumbo. I asked her if she wanted a bite. She said no, it was too brown looking but then changed her mind. Needless to say, I never got my gumbo back…”
—Cynthia Tallant
“So many memories from our special local restaurants — from family outings at Bayley’s to high school after senior prom dinner [Julius T. Wright in 1964]!”
—Dale Kyle Head
“We had a house and boat at Pier A Dauphin Island. Bayley’s was the go-to restaurant. I still make the original West Indies Salad. I will not tell you the ‘secret’ ingredient. My other modification is to place ice (not ice water), vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and the secret ingredient in a mixer to make a slurry.”
—Stephen Parden
“Bailey’s – As a kid, I remember entering through the “back door” leading directly into the busy, noisy kitchen. Just inside was a large scale to weigh boxes or crates of food. My sister and I could not pass without jumping on. Once seated in the back room (ranch room?), we enjoyed a Shirley Temple and the aquariums. Several years later the West Indies Salad, the crabmeat omelet and the Bailey’s Special drink were the highlights of a trip to Bailey’s.’
—Gale Gibbons
The Rebel Queen in the 1950s. The Alec and Roy Thigpen Photography Collection, the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama.
Rebel Queen
There wasn’t a life experience for teenage Mobile that The Rebel Queen didn’t witness. First dates. Breakups. Gatherings after football or Delta. If you got in a beef at recess, you met behind the Rebel Queen. Once located at the corner of Old Shell Road and Florida Street, it was founded by Lester Rushing in 1951 and later run by Mr. and Mrs. La Fleur, serving steamed hamburgers to the sock hop set through the 1970s. The building later became Queen G’s, beloved in its own right, until it was demolished in 2016 to make way for the new Publix.
“The Rebel Queen was the place to sneak to from school. I remember having a giant spearmint slush after football practice at UMS. Danny and I would walk there to get the slush until Eric got through with varsity practice. Someone always had a smoke. The steamed burger was special.”
—Stephen Parden
“We lived around the corner from the Rebel Queen. Anytime we deserved a treat, Daddy would pile us into the 1959 Chevrolet station wagon and head to the Rebel Queen for the ultimate root beer float. I can still feel the icy root beer against the creamy ice cream on my tongue.”
—Jan Bell
“There was nothing better than walking to the Rebel Queen from UMS when I was in middle school for a burger cooked on the griddle right in front of you.”
—Jonathan Barlow
“The hamburgers at Rebel Queen — 50 years later, I can still taste ‘em.”
—Richard Prolsdorfer
Korbet’s
Kate and George Kordomenos opened Korbet’s in 1949 at what is known as The Loop: the edge of the city of Mobile where the street cars turned around to head back Downtown. As the city spread westward around it, Korbet’s became a Midtown mainstay in the lives of Mobilians until closing its doors at the very end of 1994. It was described as a meat and three with Greek flair, and the owners would let you run a tab and get billed at the end of the month! The site of the former restaurant is now Korbet’s shopping center between Airport Boulevard and Government Street.
“Going to dinner at Korbet’s was a treat. We all ordered the same thing every time. My brother loved the veal cutlet in mushroom gravy and I was all about the ‘Flied Falay of Flounder!’”
—Jan Bell
“Korbet’s tops my list of memorable restaurants. I worked with Tom Pocase in local community theater productions in the 1980s, and Korbet’s stayed open late on opening nights so the cast and crew could gather for drinks and dinner while waiting on the newspaper review to arrive. The food and service were excellent and the Korbet’s staff working late for us was going above and beyond.”
—Linda Winn Grill
“Korbet’s was hands down the best restaurant ever for lunch in Mobile. Short ribs on Fridays with those rolls and Italian dressing salad. I used to get out half days my senior year in high school and speedily met my dad for lunch! It’s a memory I cherish and wish I could experience one more time. Simply great food and service! Truly missed!”
—Richard Hartley
“When we were younger, families didn’t go out to eat like we do these days. So going to Korbet’s with my Aunt Margaret and Uncle Ole were special nights! The food was delicious!”
—Debbie Meador
“We always ended Mardi Gras with a trip to Korbet’s for its beef tips. That’s when I miss it the most.”
—Carolyn Jeffers
The Pillars
The 7,000-square-foot grande dame of a building on Government Street was built in the 1910s and has served as everything from a private home to a boarding house to a hotel. But nothing was as beloved as the restaurant known as The Pillars, owned and operated by Filippo Milone from 1976 to 2002. Considered one of the best restaurants in Alabama, the menu of steaks and seafood was featured in the New York Times, Southern Living and more. The building later underwent extensive restorations and became a well-known wedding venue.
“I still remember celebrating my 12th or 13th birthday at The Pillars. The Baked Alaska was the highlight for me!”
—Mary Stowe Rigrish
“Who could forget The Pillars! The Pillars at The Loop was a staple when it came to fine dining in the city of Mobile. The head chef, Fillipe, made everyone feel welcome. I have very fond memories there for sure.”
—Varion Walton
Tiny Diny Restaurant, 1960s. Julius E. Marx Collection, The Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama.
Tiny Diny
Opened in 1939 by Julius Perez on Holcombe Avenue in the Woodlawn community, the Tiny Diny truly was tiny. It was the place to go after high school dances to let car hops bring you hot dogs and hot food to go — curb service! Trudy Shackelford, better known as Miss Trudy, ran the restaurant from 1980 onward, serving meat and sides and mile-high pies. The restaurant moved to a larger location on Halls Mill Road in 1984, and Mrs. Trudy retired in 2010, after which the diner lived on for a few more years.
“At the Tiny Diny, hands down the biscuits and the cornbread were to die for! Of course, the pies were amazing! Also, at election time it was one of those ‘must do’ stops for all the politicos. You’d see anybody and everybody in there.”
—Ken McElhaney
“We ate our team meals at Tiny Diny when I played Football for Murphy High School in 1984-88.”
—Wendell Bolton
“No one could ever be invited to Tiny Diny, breakfast or lunch, without responding with the silly ditty, ‘Take your hiney to the Tiny Diny.’ It was worth the silliness for Monday’s smothered chicken or Friday’s salmon croquette or every day-offered fried chicken and mile-high meringue on the lemon ice box pie.”
—Linda Ingram
Nan Seas
Originally opened by Joe McGovern on Bay Front Road just north of the Dog River bridge after World War II, the restaurant was bought by Nancy and Robert Rodgers in 1988 and renamed Nan Seas. Known for stuffed flounder and fried seafood, patrons loved to sit outside until the buildings were washed away by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“I grew up on the DIP side of Dog River. We went to Nan Seas (which was McGovern’s before that) regularly. I remember clear, windy, fall days having cocktails watching the Bay. Good food.”
—Stephen Parden
Palmer’s
Palmer’s opened on the north side of the Causeway in 1950 with its seafood platters, hamburger steaks and half a fried chicken for $1.25. Nancy Palmer had been running a small fishing camp there for almost a decade, but the restaurant is what made her famous. The “Queen of the Causeway” closed its doors in 1973.
“I know I’m dating myself, but Palmer’s on the Causeway was amazing. Their seafood platter was wonderful. It had a whole small fried flounder on it. Each plate was garnished with fresh green onion. A trip to Mobile from ‘across the Bay’ always included a meal at Palmer’s.”
—Susan Stein
“We would always stop on Sunday night on our way back from Gulf Shores. My Dad would have one draft beer and a seafood platter. Mrs. Palmer was a lovely hostess every time. I think it burned down and did not return. It gave us something to look forward to after a great weekend at the beach.”
—Jim McGregor
“Palmer’s on the Causeway! I’m 92 and by far many will agree that Palmer’s is the most missed! Standing in line outside the restaurant was an unforgettable time.”
—Benny McDaniel
“I loved the fried seafood platter at Palmer’s, complete with a whole green onion. That was a great childhood memory! And it was only 99 cents, which was a lot back then! Those were the days!”
— Cynthia Tallant
Max’s
In a tiny building in Battles Wharf, Max’s served greasy burgers and good times for Eastern Shore residents and Mobilians heading “over the Bay” for the summer. It closed its doors in the early 90s, and the building went on to be many things, including The Last Nacho, a Lartigue’s Market, and most recently, Supper Club, before burning down earlier this year.
“Max’s in Fairhope (Maxine was the owner) had great burgers that fell apart while eating one! If you came back from your lunch break smelling like french fries, your co-workers would know where you went for lunch!”
—Susan Stein
John Word’s on the Causeway
John Word arrived in Mobile in 1975 as the new manager of the Holiday Inn downtown. He had managed major hotels across the country, including the Biltmore, but owning his own restaurant was the dream. According to his wife, Word bought the Captain’s Table on the causeway, went out and bought $300 worth of groceries, and “made a gold mine out of it.” The restaurant and its adjacent hotel were jam-packed at Mardi Gras, and always full of Word’s beloved World War II-era jazz and war memorabilia. But the expansive menu kept patrons coming back.
“My father and I loved John Word’s. The Oyster Rockefeller was the star of the menu. The servers were often work release from the local prison. One day, we sat down to lunch and two of the servers began arguing in front of us because neither one of them wanted to take our order. Dad and I laughed at the absurdity of it after they walked away. He leaned in and said ‘The food is so good here, that if the service was fantastic too, we’d never get a table.’”
—Ashlye Hix
“’John Word’s Captain’s Table always had great seafood and steaks. The wonderful West Indies Salad was the Bailey’s Seafood original by way of John’s longtime cook who learned the recipe working at Bailey’s as a teenager. Owner John Word with his one-armed appearance and dry wit was a ‘once in a lifetime’ character that nobody ever forgot after becoming a regular at the Captain’s Table. He made the Captain’s Table into one of Mobile and Baldwin County’s most popular dining and meeting places…both for the silk-stocking crowd and the good ‘ol boys and girls…and ‘ol has been jocks’ like me.”
—Scott Hunter
But wait, there’s more…
Enjoy scrolling through more memories of restaurants we miss not featured in our November 2024 issue
Cock of the Walk:
“My parents took my brother and me to the Cock of the Walk for our shared birthday. (We were born on the same day four years apart.) The cornbread came out in a cast iron skillet. Before putting it on the table, employees tossed the cornbread into the air and, most of the time, caught it with the skillet. It was an extra special treat when a waiter would catch it behind his back or when two waiters would toss it to each other.” – Renie Kennemer
Morrison’s:
“Many summer days in the late 1950s were spent with friends at the old downtown YMCA. Around lunch time we would walk over to Morrisons for some ala cart items from the serving line, take our seats, then have our trays brought to us along with much needed, hydrating sweet iced tea. The waiters were memorable in their starched white shirts and always polite. Loved the old decor and the original, huge ceiling fans whirling slowly putting out a cooling breeze.”
—Roger Christopher
Mostly Muffins:
“When I had a job downtown, I loved to going to Mostly Muffins before work. It’s the only place where I’ve had a cheddar-bacon muffin, as well as hot chocolate made with steamed milk. Before one of my rare in-office days during the pandemic, I pulled up their menu to decide what I wanted for breakfast, but I was devastated to learn that they had closed. It’s been four years, and I’m still mourning that muffin and hot chocolate.”
—Hannah Kibby
Picadilly:
“While a student at the University of South Alabama, a group would go to Picadilly for a meal. You’d get a piece of fried chicken (priced by the piece), a vegetable or side and a drink for a dollar!”
—Susan Stein
Ivory Chopsticks:
“My mother, who was a military wife and had experienced all kinds of ethnic foods, and I loved to go to get French/Vietnamese cuisine at the Ivory Chopsticks near the Loop. It was elegant and fantastic.”
— Jonathan Barlow
Solomon’s:
“As members of the St Paul’s football team, we would often have our pregame meal and a round or two of pinball at Solomons in the early 1980’s; my go to was the meatball hoagie, MAN to have that place back with those steamed sandwiches would be great.”
—Charlie Gray
Po’ Folks:
“We used to grab a picnic carryout from Po’ Folks before heading to the beach! Those biscuits were scrumptious.”
—Jeffrey Long
Pelican Point:
“Pelican Point was just down the street from my childhood home. Many great memories of eating there. They had great shrimp and was always a local hangout.”
—Shea Watta
