Miss Myra's Pit Bar B Q — Restaurant in Vestavia Hills

In an market that's filled with mass-produced kitsch, it is unusual to find anything that's the real deal. Miss Myrna's is exactly that. From movie poster wall hangings to a rather large collection of memorabilia, it's clear that Miss Myrna has clearly been around for a while.

As soon as you pull up and see hardwood cradled in a bin in front of the restaurant, you have a pretty good idea that some serious smokin' is going on here. Open the door, step inside, and your nose will confirm what your eyes just saw. After spending a half an hour or so there, I'd be surprised if my flesh doesn't taste a little smoked.

It's not that they couldn't improve this place a little bit. The bathrooms could certainly be cleaner. Table service would be nice. All that is unimportant, though, when facing a good-looking plate of barbecue. I ordered ribs and beef. The beef is brisket and was the weaker entry. It's a bit dry, but the flavor is excellent. It is as smoky as it should be. Tender, with most of the fat properly rendered. I don't know if the fault was in leaving it on too long, reheating it, or perhaps keeping on a steam table.

Not so for the ribs. They were tender, meaty, generously sized, and outstanding. It's significant to note that this was my first experience with white barbecue sauce, a regional phenomenon. Description. Had it not been for this unique condiment, these two items might have been a bit on the smoky side for me. However, with this strong tasting barbecue sauce, the balance was absolutely perfect.

The coleslaw is finely chopped and vinegary. Clearly homemade & a nice counterpoint to the fatty meat of the ribs. I can't say the same for the beans, as they were standard issue and seemingly out of the can. I cannot understand why a place like this wouldn't at least put their own touches on their barbecue beans. A bit of molasses, some shredded meat, maybe a little mustard, and even if they didn't want to make their own beans, they'd be pretty good. As things stand now, give them a good squirt of the white sauce and you're good to go.

In short, I highly recommend this authentic hole in the wall if you're looking for a meal that will kick you in the palate, instead of bore...

It was the 3rd of July and I expected them to be busy. My order wasn't complicated and we had phoned it in. When I got there, there was 2 other people in the restaurant waiting on their order, so NOT busy. It still took them 20 minutes to get my order ready. I check my order before I was leaving. I didn't see the chicken I had ordered. I had ordered a whole chicken. But I was digging down and things were covered in aluminum fall. I asked the server about my chicken they assured me it was in the order. So I went home to only discovered that I did not have my chicken. by this time they had closed but I called and somebody answered and they assured me they would have one waiting for me the next day.

The next day I went back to get my chicken. Of course this was the 4th of July. When I went in, the place was filled with smoke! I don't know how people could breathe! When I got home, I had to shower and wash my hair and change my clothes!Was their venting system not working? They were moderately busy. I went to the person and asked them about my chicken that I had requested from yesterday. I told them that I was assured that they would have one waiting for me. They did not. They took one that they had put in another order. When I got home the chicken was overly smoked. Almost not edible. For all my trouble and having to come back, I thought they might offer a discount off my ticket or give me the chicken for free or something of that nature. They would not. My ribs were also tough. And I don't get the deal about the white BBQ sauce! It tastes like ranch dressing! I will...

Plan on a stop here. Just simply plan a stop. Andrew Zimmern not only stopped here, but said on TV it’s one of the places he’ll fly to for lunch. This is the reason I made it a stop on my travel list. The place is an old school mom and pop style.

The decor won’t impress you, if you’re looking for fancy. It’s just functional, which is all it needs to enjoy good food.

The ambiance in general is a good one. Employees are friendly, and so are the customers, and you are all there for the common reason of good food. It’s clear by the customer/employee chatter that there are regulars that stop in. We spoke to several that said they come every day for lunch. In fact, they suggested we try the chicken salad sandwich made with their smoked chicken. While I was all for that, I also wasn’t going to give up some of the smoked chicken itself either, so we got an assortment to share, so we could try a few different things.

Neither one of us thought any of the sides stuck out much. They were decent, and nothing wrong with them, but also nothing to say “you must try these” to anyone. As for the rest, we got 1/4 smoked chicken, some pulled pork and the chicken salad sandwich. All 3 of them were very good. I’m not sure I’d place them above some spectacular ones I’ve had elsewhere, but they were certainly delicious.

This is a great and known place to stop by. Some of the workers have been there for decades. It’s an old school small town feel, with great BBQ, and a...