One & Only: Rama Jama’s

Rama Jama’s

Every college town has that place that everyone has to eat before they graduate. Luckily for the University of Alabama, that list is nearly never ending with all of the incredible local restaurants surrounding Tuscaloosa. Even with so many options, there’s always been one that stands above the rest and it sits in the shadow of Bryant Denny Stadium. I’ve heard numerous different suggestions on what to try, including their “National Champ Burger” which boasts 16oz of bacon, one ounce for each Alabama Football national title! Regardless, it’s national hot dog month and I’m on a mission. Before you even walk in you can tell the place is special. This is no cookie cutter, brick and mortar restaurant. The white brick building is designed like no other location in town and you would be hard pressed to find similar architecture within 500 miles!

Stepping into Rama Jama’s is like stepping into a museum that just happens to serve incredible food. There is so much Alabama memorabilia packed into the diner, the owner has had to start hanging it from the ceiling! During my 30 minutes there I saw no less than 7 people taking pictures of the awesome things they found on the walls that reminded them of a piece of Alabama history!

I walked up to the counter to read the menu, which is written on three large chalk boards hung from the ceiling behind the register. I knew what I came for, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask the lady, “What are you famous for?” Without skipping a beat, I got back an excited, “What AREN’T we famous for?!” before she dove into her spiel about the National Champ Burger, their milkshakes, and of course their memorabilia! What really caught my attention was the fact that they’ve printed the names of famous visitors to the diner on the table right where they sat!

The place was pretty busy, but I took my order ticket and went to find a table. I wanted a table with a name of one of their famous patrons printed on it; I found just that with the table that Paul Finebaum had his name on! Within minutes my two hotdogs and a fry was sitting in front of me. A man who looked eerily similar to Nick Saban himself brought it out, but I’m not sure if that was real, or just the magic surrounding the café. My food was absolutely incredible and the experience was exactly how I anticipated as I daydreamed leading up to my pilgrimage! As National Hotdog Month rolls on, I highly recommend you put this place on your list! If dogs aren’t your thing, they serve their full menu all day so there’s something for everybody! Now that I’ve experienced Rama Jama’s I understand why it’s part of the Tuscaloosa bucket list and they definitely haven’t seen the last of me.

Wrriten By: Barrett Elder, TTS Public Relations Intern