Dreamland BBQ — Restaurant in Birmingham

My husband and I went to Dreamland on Southside this past weekend, like we have done on many occasions, and expected to walk in, sit at our regular bank of tables manned by THE MOST AMAZING CUSTOMER ORIENTED, POSITIVE SPEAKING, AND ON AND ON words I could use to describe Robert. Robert was from Nigeria, but had been a staple at Dreamland for at least 30 years, maybe more. We celebrated birthdays and family events with Robert, and he became acquainted with each family member and always asked about them every time we were in. I was “Mama”. We would walk in and he would smile, yes you could even tell under the mask he wore as soon as Covid started and continued to wear, and he would always say Heyyyyyy Mama! We didn’t have to order, he knew. He knew our drinks, he knew the type of ribs we preferred, he just knew. He never saw the bad side in life, always the positive, always. He shared some of what life was like in his home country and he was very grateful to be in the US. He was proud to be in the US.

Well this past weekend was heartbreaking to learn that our staple, our rock is no longer there. We were told that Robert went back to Nigeria. If that is the case it has to be a family matter of urgency. Robert would never leave the job that he loved, the people who would go in and always ask for Robert, seek his section just to chat for a moment and catch up from the last time you were in.

Dreamland will still have amazing ribs, the best fried okra, the best sauce and bread appetizer (who would eat this under any other circumstance, but here it is soooo delish!) but it won’t quite be the same for us anymore when we come in. I will miss Robert. I will miss his smile, his laughter, his friendship. I tried and tried to dig through photos to find a photo of Robert. Of all the photos we have made there, Robert was usually the photographer, and not in the photo. This is one I found searching through, zoomed in and it gives an idea. If you ever went more than once you would have had to see him there. Thanks for the friendship and thanks for the memories Robert! You...

TRUST ISSUES!!! First, before opening the door, there's a sign that says "short handed, please be patient"-ish. LIES LIES LIES! Fern [my heroine today] was blazing fast... I barely shoved the entire slice of sauce soaked bread into my mouth. (don't judge, I was hungry).

Let's go back to the beginning. I love my bbq sandwiches 'doc style. But I am a cheap floozy for Tips & Chips. I am torn but simultaneously greeted by a young lady shorter than her smile is wide. (Honestly, I couldn't recognize her right now if it weren't for her smile!) I explained my dilemma... not to worry, she says.... she's dealt with "my kind" (lover of all foods: Dreamland). She made her suggestion. I swear to you, for a moment the clouds parted and a beam of sunlight surrounded her as angels sang in the distance. I fell in love.. with her idea. But this isn't the fairy tale that you thought it would be... you see, she lied to me!!! TRUST ISSUES!!! She said my sandwich could be crafted in such a way for me to have my cake and eat it too. (I'm searching for cake now) She said they could combine both and it would be the tips nestled "neatly" in a sandwich. Since moving to Alabama in 2007 and falling in love with Dreamland... I've never considered a trip successful unless I wore half of my meal down my shirt, mostly sauce... But on my shirt. (You know you do the same... we see each other leaving with messy shirts) Today... clean shirt. If I weren't stuffed and very happily so, I would be second guessing all of my values. But, maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks... as Fern swept in, on this gloomy day, and made my inner (and outer) fat boy happy. Dreamland, you've never taken your eye off the ball... with your entire staff and entire menu. Thank you for an amazing meal. Fern, never stop smiling.

** All photos taken today were blurred as I wanted to eat more than take pix. You know what...

My family was so excited to try Dreamland BBQ after hearing so many great things. We’re visiting from out of town and placed a large order in advance, then drove an hour there and an hour back just to pick it up. When we arrived at 2PM on the 4th of July, we expected a wait since they were busy—but standing in line for two hours to pick up a prepaid order is already frustrating. Still, we were patient.

What happened next was inexcusable.

After finally getting our food and bringing it to the car, we checked it and realized THREE entrees and SEVERAL sides were missing. We went back inside to explain, and were met with rude, eye-rolling staff who acted like we were trying to scam them. One employee literally followed us back to our car to “check” the bags himself. Once he realized we were telling the truth, he admitted we were the third family in 30 minutes with missing items—yet the kitchen staff shrugged it off, rolled their eyes again, and walked away like it was no big deal.

We were finally given our missing items and told that the fries, bread, and sauce were inside the individual boxes. Spoiler: they weren’t. When we got home (an hour later), only 2 out of 8 meals had any bread or sauce. There were zero fries. Our quart of coleslaw was missing, and so was an entire entrée.

In the end, we had to go to Woodchip BBQ in Clanton just to make sure our entire family had something to eat. They were phenomenal, both in service and flavor—everything Dreamland was not. Even after the chaos, we still tried the Dreamland food and it was a huge letdown: bland meat, no sauce, missing components, and not worth the money or hassle.

Moral of the story: If you’re visiting Birmingham, skip Dreamland BBQ at 1427 14th Ave S and support local gems like Woodchip instead. They actually value their customers—and know how to serve...