Neighborhood guide
Where to eat in Downtown Homewood
Downtown Homewood has 11 locally owned places worth a trip, ranked below by how well-loved each one is and checked by hand. Johnny's Restaurant, Savage's Bakery and Demetri's BBQ lead the list. No chains, and nobody paid to be here.
Johnny's Restaurant
Greek-and-three & keftedes. Timothy Hontzas's meat-and-three, with Greek dishes alongside the Southern ones. Lunch line moves fast.
Savage's Bakery
Smiley-face cookies & meltaways. Homewood's bakery since 1939. It closed in February 2026 when the owner retired, and the owner of O'Carr's across the street reopened it a month later.
Demetri's BBQ
Pork plate & Greek-dressed slaw. Barbecue opened by Demetri Nakos in 1961, on 28th Avenue since 1973 and run now by his son, Sam. It's in the Alabama Barbecue Hall of Fame. Opens early for breakfast.
Little Donkey
Smoked meats & fresh-pressed tortillas. Mexican food with some Southern in it. Smoked meats, tortillas made in house, long margarita list. A local group took it over in May 2026.
O'Carr's Delicatessen
Deli lunch & Memory Lane ice cream. Deli lunches on 18th Street since 1975, with a retro ice cream parlor next door.
Salice
Handmade pasta. Italian bistro in downtown Homewood, run by chef Rita Bernhardt. It used to be Luca Lagotto; same kitchen, new name and owners.
Jinsei Sushi
Creative rolls & nigiri. Sushi bar on SoHo Square with a lot of specialty rolls and a decent sake list.
Dave's Pizza
Jumbo pies & lunch slices. Family pizzeria in SoHo since 1990, near Samford.
ZOZO's Kitchen
Greek salads and chicken kabobs. The Cassimus family started the original Zoe's Kitchen in Homewood. This is them again, independent and family owned, in the same SoHo space.
SoHo Social
Patio drinks on SoHo Square. Where Homewood goes after work. Busy patio, plates to share.
Caveat Coffee
Pour-overs off the main drag. Small coffee shop a block off 18th Street, with a drive-through window if you're in a hurry.
Good to know
Where should I eat in Downtown Homewood?
Johnny's Restaurant is the best-loved spot in Downtown Homewood — greek-and-three & keftedes. Savage's Bakery and Demetri's BBQ are also worth it.
How many places are on this list?
11, all locally owned and ranked by how well-loved they are. None of them paid to be included.