Bayles Catering expands menu, moves to bigger Woodlawn site
Even though Chef Tony Bayles simply moved his Woodlawn catering company down the road, he said the number of customers coming by has tripled.
“When the opportunity came for me to have a bigger location than I already had, I decided to move right away,” he said. “The same customers have been coming by, too.”
Bayles, who is the owner of Bayles Catering & Restaurant, said the increase of customers is probably largely due to the fact that his food company is now open for breakfast and lunch six hours each day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with 10 tables and a bar seating area along the wall.
Even with the change, they’re still doing catering, Bayles said.
Formerly known as Bayles Catering, the company has served food to well-known organizations and businesses including the Birmingham Museum of Art, The Botanical Gardens, the Alabama Theatre and several others, in addition to smaller venues all over the city. Bayles said it can be from 10 people minimum to a couple thousand people.
“We serve a lot of Southern cuisines with a twist,” Bayles said. “Some of our most popular items are our buffalo chicken melt and our burgers. Honestly, we pretty much have one of the best burgers in town.”
Bayles, who has been serving the Birmingham area for over 10 years, said his love for food was influenced by his family’s love for cooking, and also working part-time at his uncle’s catering business. After that, he said he spent 10 years working for Mercedes until he decided to leave and follow what he was passionate about: making food.
“[My food] is cooked to order, and it’s fresh,” he said. “The taste is awesome.”
At the new location, Bayles said he has been updating the menu and offering a larger variety of food. Lunch choices can range from classics like one of his six burgers to chicken and waffles, all the way to items with a twist like his pulled pork sliders, which come with green chili slaw, or his shrimp and deep-fried grits.
He also serves items like his specialty pimiento grilled cheese and his bacon, lettuce and cucumber sandwich. Early-morning choices are include a variety of breakfast sandwiches, with the option of bacon, sausage, bologna, ham, grilled pork chop, chicken and turkey, and several breakfast plates or omelets to choose from.
He said that Sunday has been dubbed “Soul Food Sunday.”
The menu for Sunday includes fried or baked chicken, beef tips, smothered pork chops, oxtails and grilled tilapia, with side options of rice, confetti corn, mac and cheese, grilled veggies, broccoli and cheese casserole, pinto beans, yams, black-eyed peas, collard greens, fried green tomatoes and fried okra. Peach cobbler and pound cake are served for dessert.
Bayles Catering & Restaurant “is a family-friendly place for anyone and everyone, with reasonable prices,” Bayles said, located at 5831 First Ave. N. He added that they also offer an assortment of vegetarian and vegan options. The most expensive item on the restaurant menu is $8.
A customer favorite is Cuban Cigars, Bayles said, which he makes with slow-roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese and pickles and serves with yellow mustard.
In the next few months, Bayles is building an outdoor seating area where people can also enjoy their food. He plans to eventually offer daily specials, and serve beer and wine once he gets his alcohol license request approved.
Hours of operation are Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Bayles encourages people to contact him for catering services any day of the week. His website, baylescatering.com, is currently in the process of being updated.
Call 706-2470 or check out their Facebook page at “Bayles Catering & Restaurant.”
Editor's Note: The hours of operation have been updated.