Sports Illustrated Top 25 Best College Town meals

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First, the ground rules. These dishes must be available in a college town or the surrounding metro area. How do we define a college town? It must have a major university and a metro population lower than 500,000. Its reason for existing in its current form must be the university. (Sorry, Tallahassee. That capitol building disqualifies you.) We’ll know who didn’t read this paragraph when they start screaming about their favorite Austin or Madison restaurant being left off the list.

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He does admit his mistake of including Lincoln, NE.


1. Ribs at Archibald's in Northport, AL

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A minor controversy erupted this week when it was announced that Georgia would serve Dreamland barbecue — which originated in Tuscaloosa — in Sanford Stadium instead of something from an in-state purveyor. The locals in Tuscaloosa must be thrilled to hear this. They love when everyone talks about Dreamland, the formerly great rib joint that has turned into a pure tourist trap. Those who live in Tuscaloosa know the best ribs in America can be found in a shack next to a house on Martin Luther King Boulevard in Northport. That’s where George and Betty Archibald began serving those juicy, perfect ribs in 1962.

A few years ago, I asked George Jr. — who took over for his dad and has since given way to a third generation in the form of Woodrow Washington III — what temperature he smoked his ribs at and for how long. “I don’t know,” George Jr. said. “I just know when they’re right.” He does. And no one makes them more right than Archibald’s.

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3. Brisket at Fargo's in Bryan, TX
6. Deep dish pizza at Satchel's in Gainesville, FL
8. Sous vide pork chop at Theo's in Fayetteville, AR
12. Redneck Reuben at Pulaski Heights in Athens, GA
14. Burgers at Booches in Columbia, MO
15. Blueberry cobbler coffee at Strangebrew Coffee in Starkville, MS
17. The Big Easy at Ajax Diner in Oxford, MS
21. Hot soft shell crab appetizer at Acre in Auburn, AL
22. Pulled pork mac and cheese at The Village Idiot in Lexington, KY