A little white and red sign on State Highway 181 North points left and says “Best lunch in Fairhope; lip smacking BBQ.” If you turn as instructed onto County Road 32, you will come to Willie’s Smokin’ Wibs, a large, unassuming building that morphs from the breakfast-serving Biscuit King to a barbecue joint at 11 a.m.

Everything at Willie’s is homemade and the lunch specials change daily. There is nothing fancy or pretentious here, the room looks just like a barbecue joint should — plastic tables and chairs, lots of napkins, a couple of couches, a few toys for the kids and a stage that showcases live country western music on weekends. Family-owned and operated, most customers are greeted by name.

“We have the best customers in the world,” said owner Nancy Foster. “We affectionately call the table to my left ‘the brat pack,’ those two guys are spoiled rotten by us and do their best to live up to their nickname,” said Foster laughing.

The so-named, brat pack, Dan Vaughn and Donnie Bray, don’t seem at all offended by the playful remark. “We must like something about this place,” they joke, “after all, we eat here every day.”

“My husband, Willie, takes great Southern pride in his smoker of the same name. The secret is that he smokes them until they are perfect, it’s a taste thing not an exact time or science,” said Foster. “My homemade sweet and spicy sauce is a pretty big hit too,” she said.

“The barbecue is fabulous, so tender and smoked just right. As far as I can tell, it is the best in the world,” said regular customer, Windi Wayne of Fairhope.

Willie’s must be doing something right as nearly everyone in the place claims to eat there daily.

“The service is warm and friendly, plus, everything is very, very good. Those ribs are just delicious, fall-off-the-bone tender,” said Carol and Pete Nelson collectively.

When it comes to barbecue, everyone has their opinion of what makes the best and Fairhopers are no different.

Bubba Lee, owner of Original Ben’s Jr., 552 N. Section St., likes to think he has the secret to fantastic barbecue.

“I smoke our meat for over 22 hours. The saying goes, ‘time will tell,’ well, we have been in business for almost 24 years, so we must be giving our customers something they like,” he said while flipping one of his equally famous burgers back in the kitchen. “Business is good. We love our regulars; they are what keep us going,” he added.

“The barbecue sandwiches are great! We always leave full and happy” said Darlene Larsen of Fairhope while finishing her sweet tea served in a mason jar. “I have been eating here all my life. I like the barbecue, but they have great burgers, too” said her daughter, Lauren.

“We love this place! The barbecue is good, but more importantly, it is a great hangout. You can see everyone in town here at lunchtime,” said Sally and John McGee while enjoying lunch and a beautiful sunny day while out on Ben Jr’s patio.” It’s fun, quick and easy,” they added.

Newcomer to Fairhope’s barbecue scene, BBQ Shack, tucked in the back corner of Baldwin Square Shopping Center off of Greeno Road, is confident they have what it takes to start building a loyal customer base like Willie and Ben. The building is named appropriately. It is a small, quaintly tattered shack, sparsely decorated with a few cool antiques. The smell of smoky goodness may be their best form of advertisement as the delicious aroma is plentiful.

In business for just about three months now, Brandon Watson, the owner’s son and employee at the Shack, claims he has the best rack of ribs in town.

“We smoke our ribs over 10 hours and make all of our own sauces from scratch” he said.

“The barbecue was good,” said Tonyia Cooley and Alesia Taylor while enjoying their lunch break on one of the picnic tables on the Shack’s front lawn. “We’ll definitely be back,” they added.

As of right now, the BBQ Shack is take-out or dine-outside only, so plan to enjoy the spring breezes on one of their festive benches like Cooley and Taylor or grab it to take back to work with you. Even better, take it down to the park for a picnic, in true finger-licking, Southern style.