Cook Out Birmingham AL — 2 Locations, Addresses & Late-Night Hours (2026)

How Many Cook Out Locations Are in Birmingham, AL?

Birmingham has 2 open Cook Out restaurants as of October 2026, according to Cook Out’s store locator: 301 24th St S (35233) on the Southside near UAB and 281 Lakeshore Pkwy (35209) on the south side by I-65. They are the only two Cook Outs in the Birmingham metro; the next-closest store is in Tuscaloosa, about 46 miles away.

The two stores are about 5 miles apart in straight-line terms. The 24th Street store is the in-town choice for UAB, downtown, Five Points South, the Southside bars and breweries, Avondale and anyone coming off I-20/59. The Lakeshore Parkway store is the south-side choice for Homewood, Samford University, Hoover, Vestavia Hills and drivers on I-65.

• Birmingham – 24th St: 301 24th St S, Birmingham, AL 35233, at 24th St S and 3rd Ave S on the Southside, a few blocks from the UAB campus. Some listings give the same corner as 2411 3rd Ave S.
• Birmingham – Lakeshore Pkwy: 281 Lakeshore Pkwy, Birmingham, AL 35209, at the Wildwood Centre, about 0.75 mile from I-65 exit 255 (Lakeshore Dr).
• Typical hours: 10:30 AM to about 3 AM Sunday–Thursday and about 4 AM Friday–Saturday; hours vary by store.
• Next-closest store: 100 15th St E in Tuscaloosa, about 46 miles southwest in straight-line terms and roughly an hour’s drive down I-20/59.
• Coming soon: Cook Out’s locator lists no coming-soon stores within 30 miles of Birmingham as of October 2026.

Searching for a Cook Out in Hoover, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Bessemer, Trussville or Gardendale? None of those cities has its own store in the locator. Homewood, Hoover, Vestavia and Bessemer drivers are closest to Lakeshore Pkwy; Trussville, Gardendale, Center Point and the airport side of town are closer to 24th St S.

Where Are the Cook Out Locations in Birmingham, AL?

Looking beyond Birmingham? Every store is on our Cook Out locations map.

Birmingham’s two stores are listed first, followed by the nearest store outside the metro, in Tuscaloosa about 46 miles southwest. Addresses come from Cook Out’s own store locator (October 2026). Each card has a Google Maps directions button. Distances are approximate straight-line miles from central Birmingham, so actual drives run longer.

Which Cook Out Is Closest to My Part of Birmingham?

Use 24th St S for UAB, downtown, the Southside, Avondale, the airport and anyone north or east of the city; use Lakeshore Pkwy for Homewood, Samford, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Bessemer and the I-65 corridor south. The two stores sit on opposite sides of Red Mountain, so picking the right one can save a crosstown drive.

A tip for visitors: neither store has the feel of a sit-down restaurant, and both are built around the drive-thru and walk-up window. The 24th Street store is close enough to the Southside bars and breweries that some people walk over, but most guests drive.

When Did Cook Out Come to Birmingham?

Cook Out confirmed its first Birmingham store in January 2019, at 281 Lakeshore Pkwy on the former Outback Steakhouse site, and it opened around the turn of 2020; the second store, near UAB on the Southside, was slated to open on January 6, 2021. Before that, Birmingham drivers had to go to Tuscaloosa or other Alabama cities for a tray.

Birmingham was a notable gap in Cook Out’s Southern map for years, and the push for a store became something of a civic story, with the mayor among the loudest voices. When the Lakeshore Parkway store was announced, Patch noted the chain already had Alabama stores in Tuscaloosa, Jacksonville, Huntsville and Montgomery.

Alabama has no statewide guide on this site yet, so for the full map use the Cook Out locations finder, or see the Decatur, AL guide for north Alabama.

How Do I Get to Cook Out From I-65, I-20/59 or Lakeshore Parkway?

From I-65 on the south side, take exit 255 (Lakeshore Dr) and head west; the Lakeshore Pkwy store is about 0.75 mile from the exit. From I-20/59 downtown, exit 126A (Carraway Blvd) puts you about 0.8 mile from the 24th St S store. From I-65 near downtown, exit 260B (3rd Ave N) is about 1.3 miles from the 24th Street store.

Coming from each direction

• From Montgomery or Hoover on I-65 north: exit 255 for Lakeshore Dr is the easy stop; go west onto Lakeshore Pkwy and the store is on the Wildwood Centre side, under a mile from the ramp.
• From Huntsville or Decatur on I-65 south: stay on I-65 through downtown and use exit 260B for the 24th St S store, or keep going to exit 255 for Lakeshore Pkwy.
• From Atlanta on I-20 west: I-20 merges with I-59 east of downtown; exit 126A (Carraway Blvd) is about 0.8 mile from 24th St S.
• From Tuscaloosa on I-20/59 east: continue into downtown for 24th St S, or cut over to I-65 south for Lakeshore Pkwy.
• From Bessemer: Lakeshore Parkway runs about 9.5 miles from Highway 150 in southeast Bessemer to Lakeshore Drive in Homewood, so you can follow it all the way to the store.

A useful local detail: Lakeshore Parkway is a four-lane divided road with a wide median, and Birmingham’s development covenants push businesses onto side streets rather than direct driveways, so you reach the Cook Out through the Wildwood Centre entrances rather than straight off the parkway. Allow a minute to find the turn.

Is There a Cook Out Near UAB, Samford University or Downtown Birmingham?

Yes. The 24th St S store is a few blocks from the UAB campus and the closest Cook Out to downtown, while the Lakeshore Pkwy store is the closer one for Samford University and Homewood. Both keep the chain’s typical late hours, which helps hospital night shifts and students alike.

Students at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa have their own store on 15th Street East, so the Birmingham stores mostly serve UAB, Samford and the city’s large hospital workforce. If you are coming off a late shift on the Southside, the 24th Street store is usually only a few minutes away.

What Time Does Cook Out Close in Birmingham?

Most Cook Out stores open at 10:30 AM and close around 3 AM Sunday through Thursday and around 4 AM on Friday and Saturday, and the Birmingham stores generally follow that pattern. Hours vary by store and can change on holidays, so check the store’s Google Maps listing before a late drive.

These are chain-wide typical hours, not posted schedules for each Birmingham store. Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holidays often bring shorter hours or a closure, and staffing can occasionally close a window early.

For holiday patterns, drive-thru-only nights and how hours differ by state, see our guide to Cook Out’s opening and closing times.

Late-night tip: the 24th Street store gets busy after events downtown and on weekend nights when the Southside bars let out, while Lakeshore Parkway draws drivers off I-65. If one line is long, the other store is roughly 15 minutes away at night via the Red Mountain Expressway or I-65.

What’s on the Cook Out Birmingham Menu, and How Much Does It Cost?

The best value at either Birmingham store is the Cookout Tray, typically about $7.39–$7.99 for an entree, two sides and a drink. A Jr. Tray typically starts around $5.29 and milkshakes run about $3.99, though exact prices vary by store and can change.

Calories for popular picks

Calorie figures below come from Cook Out’s published nutrition sheet. They are per item, so add your entree, sides and drink together for a tray total.

Ordering tips for Birmingham: the drive-thru moves fastest if you order by tray (for example, “a Big Double tray, Cook Out Style, with hush puppies and onion rings, sweet tea to drink”). Shakes take longer, so order them with the meal rather than adding them at the window. Feeding a group after a game or a UAB shift? Several trays usually cost less than combo meals at the other chains around downtown and Lakeshore.

For full details see the Cookout Tray menu, the milkshake menu and the Cook Out calories guide.

How Does Cook Out Compare to Milo’s, Jack’s and Other Birmingham Favorites?

Cook Out’s edge in Birmingham is a full tray with two sides for under $8 and a drive-thru that stays open until about 3 or 4 AM, while hometown burger chains like Milo’s and Jack’s win on local loyalty.

Birmingham has deep fast-food roots of its own. Milo’s Hamburgers dates to 1946, when Milo Carlton opened Milo’s Hamburger Shop in Birmingham, and it is known for its secret-recipe burger sauce and sweet tea, which grew into the separate Milo’s Tea Company. Jack’s started on November 21, 1960, as a single walk-up stand in Homewood and is now headquartered in Birmingham. Cook Out arrived much later and competes with a broader menu, milkshakes in more than 40 flavors and late hours.

If you want ribs and white sauce, Alabama barbecue joints are the place. But for a burger, a barbecue sandwich, hush puppies and a banana pudding shake at 1 AM, Birmingham’s two Cook Outs are hard to beat.

Where Are the Other Cook Out Guides Near Birmingham?

There is no Alabama state guide on this site yet; the closest Cook Out guide is Decatur, AL, about 76 miles north up I-65. Atlanta and Columbus, Georgia, are each about two and a half hours east by car.

On a road trip through Alabama? Remember the gaps: heading southwest on I-20/59, Tuscaloosa is the next stop after Birmingham, and heading north on I-65, Decatur is the next guide we cover.

Cook Out Birmingham FAQs

Answers to the questions people ask most.