Golden Rule Barbecue of Hoover

Golden Rule in Hoover is the best BBQ & Hamburger restaurant in the Birmingham area. Friendly people, delicious food, old times ambiance.
Nick L. & Barry L.

Great timing for great bbq & cheese burgers. I fed the office during inventory and the Golden Rule Hoover is always consistently serving good bbq. I will be going back soon.

3.5 on the food, 4 on the service, and a 5 for nostalgia since it was one of my favorite lunch spots in high school! The burgers are good as well as the pulled pork. I’ve had better BBQ and I’ve had much worse! (I currently live in a BBQ desert 6 hours north!)
I had lunch here over the holidays and was pleased. My parents live by Full Moon and Jim and Nick’s and I love them both. However, I wanted to take a trip down memory lane and I’m glad I did. The service and food were good. The food came out fast and we were in and out in no time. It was also cheap! It was busy but since they move quick, tables opened up fast. Would go back again for a cheap, quick, BBQ meal.

Limited wait to be seated at counter.
Order was taken quickly and food arrived promptly.
Chopped Pork Sandwich was average.
Service was good but I doubt I will be back. Too many other choices in the area.

Love this place. Locals are abundant here. Lines seem long but they move fast. Great fries and terrific chopped bbq sandwich.

Birmingham is a BBQ mecca, so I see this cute place from the 50’s that has to have a great pit right? Wrong! They might have a good pit, but the management of this place doesn’t have a clue what they’re doing. The pork is served either chopped or sliced, pulled is not an option. When your cue is this bad thats what you do… you chop it or slice it, sort of like Sonny’s.
Anyway, I had the chopped sandwich, the meat was extremely dry, I’m talking Saharalike here, it was overcooked and overchopped. Actually what they do is mince the pork which makes it dry out faster. I had one bite of the sandwich before giving up and moving on to the baked beans. Have you ever taken a heaping spoonful of brown sugar in one bite? Thats what those beans taste like, they are horrible. But even worse than the beans and the pork itself is the sauce these clowns claim to be so famous for. Are you kidding me? The sauce is nothing but glorified ketchup. In fact, the ketchup they serve which I saw waitresses pouring out of plastic bags (yes, plastic bags) has more flavor and tastes better on the crappy bbq than the sauce does.
There was an 8 top next to where I was sitting, they all but one got hamburgers or hamburger steak. I guess they already learned their lesson the hard way. I wont go back, and I implore you to stay away from any of the dozen Golden Rule chain stores in Birmingham. This location is the original, and if its this bad… That extra star up there is for the nostalgia, décor, and the hamburger I should have eaten.

You should try this once for a tried and true, somewhat nostalgic barbecue lunch; also get the fried pie.

This is my son’s favorite BBQ spot. He doesn’t eat BBQ. He comes here for the hamburgers.
Atmosphere —
Diner setting, Could be cleaner. Sticky tables
Staff —
Some are super friendly, some are indifferent to your presence.
Food —
Average BBQ, Just like all the other BBQ in B’ham it is sweat based. It isn’t bad but it isn’t any better then the 50 million other BBQ places around.

Get a fried pie!
I am a stickler when it comes to BBQ restaurants! This one is always crowded so there are plenty of people who like it and go here often. I have never had a bad meal here and I would give the service 4 stars for the hospitality and attentiveness. This time I got a bacon cheeseburger and fries. They are good but nothing I would be wanting to go back for. What they do well, and why Im even giving a review of it, is the fried pies! They are really good. I say try as many BBQ places as you can. Who knows, maybe this will be one of your favorites. As for me, it beats some but others beat it so it is right in the middle. I did pass by another well known BBQ establishment to go to to Golden Rule on this day so know that it definitely beats some. But know that I have driven by this location to go to my favorites on many occasions and will do so on many more.

We found Golden Rule during our first weekend living in Birmingham and go the rest least once a week ever since. Lots of local regulars with table, booth or counter seating. Friendly staff and long term employees. While the menu is limited, everything is really good. Great vinegar based Coke slaw and perfect French fries. Baked beans are also outstanding. Smoked pork sliced or chopped is their main BBQ staple which is excellent. If Tawonda is on the grill try the hamburger steak or burgers, both awesome! Also, best tea in town!

The service is great here on Hwy 31 and come with a simile all the time. Golden rule in hoover always great food hot off the grill never cold. The dessert is the one of main attraction of the menu. You should try the experience of a great place called Golden Rule in hoover, al.

In the magic city about once a month. Do my best to go to GR BBQ. I have one agenda and that is the fried pies. It doesnt matter peach or apple they both will melt in your mouth.
On this trip I took my 92 year old mother. My mothers mother or my grandmother was fantastic at making fried pies. My Moms comment after one bite was they are as good as her Mothers. It has been years since she has eaten one of her mothers and she’s thinking this will be like MacDonalds. Boy was she surprised.
Im giving a four based on fried pies. On return trip I will work thru a hamburger or the hamburger steak based on reviews and surveying the dining room they are both favorites. Perhaps a five will be in order.

While as a rule I love golden rule, this location on Montgomery hwy bent me the wrong way. On July 4^th I wanted to call in a few ponds of meat. The woman on the phone refused to take my order. I repeat. She outright refused to take my order and asked me to just come in. When I got there, there was a line and they did not have what my family wanted to order (chicken).
If she would have taken my order she could have told me that thy have no chicken instead I drove across town for the pleasure of her being unapologetic.
And no… Golden rule does not provide an official online menu and many franchises offer chicken.

Great pulled pork, LOVE the sauce.

I don’t get to travel to the south very often and when I do I always try to get barbecue. Golden Rule was near my hotel and got good enough reviews on Unilocal so I decided to go for it.
I’m not sure about the other reviews expressing bad service, the service was just fine and my waitress was very attentive. I ordered the pork plate and the meat was tender and had great bark, but the sauce left a little something to be desired — it was almost too tangy.
I would definitely eat here again, but I was not blown away to the point that I feel the place deserves four stars.

Food is ok, but they treat their customers like cattle. Herd you in, herd you out, very poor customer service. Refuse to allow you to select where you sit. Very rude. I’ll not go back.

Been going to Golden Rule original restaurant on and off for 60 years, but this one in Hoover was disappointing, won’t stop there again… food was not bad, just not great :)

You get the sense that this place is going to be good from the «hole in the wall» look of the place to the fact that it is always packed. So naturally this was one of the first places that I wanted to eat since my move here (transplant from Los Angeles). The menu was fairly simple, which I appreciated. I ordered the BBQ pork sandwich, shredded, some fries an the home made pie pocket thingy. The BBQ was… Not bad. But neither did it have me overwhelmed with its tastiness. The fries were fine. But the pie… That thing was awesome. Definitely get the pie.

Good barbecue, great sweet and sour slaw, French fries are good, too. Order inside or outside meat for your sandwich or platter. Diner atmosphere, fast service. We usually order sauce on the side for sandwiches so that they do not get soggy with too much since. Sauce is delicious also. Not too tomatoey. Just the right amount of spice. Good sweet tea. Even the ice is good!

Hands down my favorite BBQ sandwich ANYWHERE. (the fried apple pies work too)