Tuscaloosa’s Oasis Bar & Grill Celebrates 75 Years of Burgers, Music & Pool

An icon of good food and good times in the Tuscaloosa area is celebrating its 75th year in business, making it one of the area's longest-running restaurants and bars.

Most long-term residents are already familiar with the Oasis Bar & Grill just outside Tuscaloosa city limits on University Boulevard in Cottondale. It's half diner, half dive bar, and home to one of the most popular cheeseburgers in the state.

Ginger Kizziah, a manager at the Oasis, invited the Thread there last week to share their story so far and invite old friends and new to visit for a bite, a beer, a round of pool, or some karaoke.

"I've been told it used to be called Highway 11 Barbeque, and in 1951, it became the Oasis and was owned by Ms. Mary Sue Booth and her family," Kizziah recalled. "I don't know a lot about them, but I worked for their daughter, Ms. Vicky, who owned it until she passed away seven or eight years ago. Her husband, Junior Hall, had it and kept it going, then remarried to Lindy Hall, who owns it now after he died three years ago."

Some things have changed with new ownership, but much has stayed the same, including house policy allowing smoking inside the Oasis, which was old enough to be grandfathered out of laws prohibiting it elsewhere in the area.

Kizziah said the ashtrays are there to stay, and you either love them or hate them. A modern smoke-eater fan system keeps the clouds from hanging in the air, and the little bar is one of the last places in the city where smokers can still light up inside - an oasis of their own, though all are welcome.

"When you walk in the door, we want to greet you like you're walking in at home to have a seat," Kizziah said. "We want folks to come in and just get a good old cheeseburger and fries and some homemade ranch. We have good music and fellowship at this watering hole where the regulars get together. Everyone's welcome to come in, hang out, and just spend your time here, play some pool, listen to the jukebox, or have some live music on Friday nights, or karaoke on Thursdays."

The burger is a local legend, and Kizziah said it's nothing too fancy, but it's consistent and has been beloved by customers for decades.

"We have an eight-ounce patty, so it's a thick burger that we cook up on the same flat top grill we've cooked on for years and years," Kizziah said. "Of course we'll put all the fixings on it, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, all that good stuff. There are really no big secrets about it. It's just a good old burger on that same flat top."

Combos include house fries, crinkle cut fries, or onion rings, and Kizziah said they've got a homemade buttermilk ranch that customers treat "like gold."

In their 2014 quest to find the best hamburger in the state of Alabama, AL.com had the Oasis in their list of 15 finalists. Writer David Holloway praised it for the same reasons Kizziah did after trying a double.

"I loved this burger. It is a massive, double slab of goodness that is a testament to the way things used to be," he wrote. "A true old-school, roadhouse burger that draws locals and travelers alike for a taste of true Americana."

Kizziah said the Oasis is open Tuesday through Saturday, and there's always something to do - free games of pool on Thursday, karaoke on Thursdays, live music on Fridays, and TVs showing whatever game is on that night.

Find or revisit the Oasis Bar & Grill at 6720 University Blvd East in Cottondale, and for more exclusive coverage of restaurant and retail development in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.