Miss Alabama 2024 Shares Top 10 Favorite Restaurants: ‘I Love Any Kind of Pasta’

Ask the new Miss Alabama about her favorite restaurants, and three things quickly become clear: Abbie Stockard loves carbs, she isn't afraid to indulge in them, and she balances her diet with regular workouts.

“Italian is my favorite kind of food, so I love any kind of pasta,” Stockard, 21, shared in a recent interview with AL.com. “If any restaurant has bread, I’m going to love it. I’m so serious.”

Miss Alabama 2024 emphasizes the importance of maintaining a healthy balance. Exercise and good nutrition are vital to Stockard, a nursing student at Auburn University and a member of the school's Tiger Paws dance team.

“I’ve danced all my life, so I know firsthand the benefits of a well-rounded lifestyle,” said Stockard, who grew up in Vestavia Hills. “Physical activity, but also mental wellness.”

However, Stockard doesn't shy away from her favorite treats — a juicy cheeseburger or a hearty bowl of mac and cheese. She was happy to share some of her favorite dining spots in the Birmingham metro area. Here’s what she said:

Bottega Café

Where: 2240 Highland Ave. South, Birmingham.
Menu Includes Baked feta, fried oysters, mushroom and spinach cannelloni, butcher’s pie pizza, chicken scaloppine, roasted pork loin, blueberry tiramisu, and coconut-pecan cake.
Miss Alabama Says: “My favorite Italian restaurant would be Bottega Cafe because I love their mac and cheese. The past two years, the night before Miss Alabama, I’ve gone there with my family just because of the mac and cheese. It’s kind of my good-luck place. They cook it in the oven they make their pizzas in, and you can tell it’s homemade. It’s so rich.”

Bettola

Where: 2930 Third Ave. South, Birmingham.
Menu Includes: Herb insalata, pepperoni pizza, quattro formaggi pasta, pollo pomodoro panini, antipasti board, arugula insalata, tiramisu, chocolate budino.
Miss Alabama Says: “I love Bettola. I like their Margherita pizza, and they have an appetizer, some kind of bread with melted cheese that you dip the bread in. It’s so good. An ideal night would be dinner at Bettola, followed by ice cream at Jeni’s Ice Cream across the street. It sounds like the perfect night, especially if you rent those scooters in downtown Birmingham.”

Jeni’s Ice Creams

Where: 219 29th St. South, Birmingham.
The menu includes Flavors like Double Dough, Brambleberry Crisp, Cookies in Cream, Buttercream Birthday Cake, Wildberry Lavender, Banana Cream Pudding, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, and Strawberry Buttermilk.
Miss Alabama Says: “At Jeni’s, I get two flavors. One is Coffee with Cream & Sugar, then the Gooey Butter Cake. It’s so good. Their cones are also homemade, so you’ve got to have a cone.”