Bootleggers Cookhouse — Restaurant in Albertville

First time visiting this place, and here's what I experienced: Coming in the door, my husband and I couldn't tell if we were supposed to seat ourselves or not. A waitress walked up after a minute, and let us pick if we wanted to sit in the front section (which was pretty crowded) or in the booths at the back of the room. No one was back there, so we picked the booths. The booths are also right next to the pizza oven area, so it was nice to have something to look at. Once we got back to the booths, there was an almost overwhelming stench of B.O. I couldn't tell where it was coming from. Either I got used to it, or it went away after a bit, but it was pretty awful at first. The waitress was attentive, and nice. We ordered the Bonnie & Clyde pizza, which is basically a Buffalo chicken pizza, and a small Greek salad, no olives. It was definitely small, which is absolutely fine. The big issue I had was the bowl it came in. It definitely needs to be put in something bigger that can be tossed and not fall all over the table. They didn't take the olives off, which again, is fine. It just sucked that they were sliced olives, so it took some work getting them all out without also losing all of the feta cheese. It was $8 for some lettuce, a couple pieces of red onion, a couple crumbles of feta, two pepperoncinis, and a small ramekin of Greek dressing. The salad itself tasted great, the dressing was delicious, but I do think the small salad shouldn't cost any more than $5. For the price they're asking, I wouldn't order it again. And that's considering that the Greek dressing is made in house, and was absolutely delicious. At the end of the day, the price just ain't right. The pizza was super delicious. The chicken was good quality chicken, no weird fatty pieces that you get with low quality chicken. The bacon bits were nice, and was a generous amount. The Buffalo sauce was flavorful, and not too spicy so I could really enjoy the taste without killing myself trying to eat it. And the ranch on top was a great addition. The crust was crispy, but not overbaked or burnt. I got some extra ranch for the crust, and the ranch was great, too. It tasted like fresh made. Definitely not tub ranch, at least it didn't taste like it. The only thing I would add to that pizza is some onions, but that's obviously personal preference. For the larger size pizza, we paid $18. Definitely more reasonable than the salad. In my opinion, still a little high, but more understandable considering you'd pay probably $25 for the same pizza at Mellow Mushroom. Overall, the food was great. I do think the price was kind of high, and that's considering how expensive everything is right now. As for the atmosphere, it's definitely an odd place. Very crowded feeling in the front, but very open in the back. The B.O. smell really threw me off, and was very unappetizing. Also, under our table, there was a big tube coming up from the ground that had a bundle of wires coming out and circling back down into the tube. That could be something that just can't be avoided, I don't know. But definitely seemed like it could be a hazard to little kids. Also, the kitchen staff had to walk food up to the counter at the pizza station for the wait staff to get and take to the tables. Every time I saw kitchen staff or the waiters take plates to the tables, they would balance everything against their bodies rather than carrying it on a tray. That just didn't seem very sanitary to me. It was out of the way to try this restaurant out, so I don't think we'll ever go back. If we lived closer, I probably would just for that pizza. The food was definitely delicious, albeit a little pricey. The ambiance was off, which would be a deterring factor for if we ever debated going...

This was my husband’s and my first visit to Bootlegger’s, and it will definitely not be our last!

We started with the garlic knots, and every bite was bursting with flavor. The marinara dipping sauce only amplified that flavor explosion. My husband ordered the stromboli with banana peppers—something I don’t usually enjoy—but it was so good that I would happily order it for myself next time.

For my entrée, I went with my usual Italian favorite: chicken parmesan. It did not disappoint. The portion was generous—I took home three-quarters of my plate for the next day’s lunch, and I wasn’t complaining! The chicken was thick, tender, and moist, paired perfectly with a side of pasta that rounded out the meal beautifully.

We couldn’t leave without dessert, so we grabbed a slice of crème brûlée cheesecake to go. Of course, we had to sneak a bite before heading home—and wow! It was divine. The caramel topping had a satisfying crunch, the fresh whipped cream added just the right touch, and the crust was perfection—still firm and not soggy even the next day.

Our server was very helpful with recommendations and very attentive. We never wanted for a thing. I can’t wait to go back and explore more...

Should have looked at reviews before we went. Honestly this place was confusing and I’m so thankful Albertville doesn’t get that many tourists. We went here on a Thursday night and the place was BUZZING people wise. I honestly think I we paid about 52$ for just the atmosphere alone because everything else but our lovely waitress was lackluster. I ordered the Cajun pasta and to be honest I didn’t taste anything Cajun in the pasta at all. My partner ordered a buffalo sandwich and the chicken wasn’t seasoned, the bread was dry and there was just a smidge of the buffalo. Honestly the best part food wise was the salad. For a place called bootleggers I was expecting a more southern type of comfort food experience but I was let down by a poorly done attempt at fast, frozen, definitely NOT Italian food. ( also I’m probably going to have to go to the doctor to get checked because my stomach has been a mess since eating there ). Hopefully the cooks and waitresses get their good grievances because that’s probably the only thing holding the place together...