Fairhope Restaurant Guide

Ken Buck and wife Deanie thought downtown Fairhope needed a diner. So they opened one, "When the old Chevrolet building came up for lease, it seemed like a good fit," says Ken. Buck's Diner, a comfortable eatery fitted with lots of booth seating and a hodgepodge of chairs, made its debut in July 2006.
The Bucks are certainly not newcomers to the food business. The family has owned and operated the beloved Battles Wharf Market for nearly three decades, dishing up breakfast items and lunch. Like the market, Buck's is busiest during lunch hours, but the bustling diner also serves breakfast and dinner.
The menu is a marvelous mix of home-cooked local favorites, with a little Louisiana flair thrown in for good measure. (Deanie is originally from New Orleans.) Meatloaf and roast beef po'boys are among the most popular picks for lunch or dinner. Other highlights; the Buck burger, grilled and fully loaded, grilled salmon, crab cakes with spicy remoulade, and the plump center cut pork chop.
They serve a slew of standard South Alabama side dishes; coleslaw, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, fried okra and the like (all terrific and tasty). Surprising sides include roasted asparagus, sautéed spinach, sweet potato casserole and, my personal favorite, fried green beans. Ken says the green beans are a creation from his college days. "My mom gave me a Fry daddy, and I started frying everything I could get my hands on. Eventually, I got around to green beans." The fried green beans are also a spectacularly good appetizer, served with spicy ranch dressing.
When it comes to the delectable desserts, they taste just like mom made them - because that is precisely who did make them. Pat Buck, Ken's mother, makes the banana pudding and Pat Boyd, Deanie's mother, makes the coconut cream cake.