Nashville-Based Chef Invades Birmingham with His Burger Restaurant Joyland
Nashville-based chef Sean Brock who is responsible for one of the most popular burger joints in the south, will be serving love-crafted burgers in Birmingham starting from this Thursday. His fast-food concept restaurant, Joyland, which originally had its inauguration in Nashville four years ago, is opening its new location in Birmingham at 3719 Third Ave. South.
Joyland’s Burger Menu
Joyland offers a variety of fast-food options with a touch of Brock’s signature southern charm. The menu includes cheeseburgers, buttermilk biscuits, fried chicken, hand pies, milkshakes, and soft-serve ice creams. The restaurant prides itself on sourcing its meats and dairy products from small, family-owned farms that raise their animals responsibly.
Brock describes Joyland as a place where people can enjoy fast food through the lens of an obsessive Southern chef. “Joyland has turned into a place where you can eat things like fried chicken and cheeseburgers, but they’re from the same farms that I’ve been using my entire career, farms that I’m really proud of,” Brock stated.
Aesthetics and Interior
The interior of the newly opened Joyland showcases the playful and nostalgic theme that showed its first spark in Nashville. The vibrant and inviting hues of red, yellow, and blue are enhanced by vintage diner-style chairs. The atmosphere is further amplified by the brightly colored murals painted by the local artist, Marcus Fetch.
“These colors, they make you feel good,” says Brock. “That’s why we chose them. When you come into our restaurant, if these colors don’t bring a smile to your face, something must be wrong with you.”
The Joyland Favorite Dishes
A sneak peek at the Joyland menu hints at quite a few of Brock’s favorite things. Joyland’s popular fried chicken Joystick was inspired by chef Sean Brock’s memories of eating chicken on a stick in Oxford, Miss., and Japan. Then, there is the Dipstick, a version of Joystick dipped into a North Carolina-style barbecue sauce, which Brock stumbled upon during his countless culinary explorations.
Brock’s Joyburger, a hybrid between an old-fashioned griddled burger and a smash burger, is yet another star attraction at Joyland. The biscuit sandwich on the breakfast menu is a delightful mix of chicken, bacon-egg-and-cheese, and sausage-egg-and-cheese.
Opening Event
In celebration of the grand opening, Joyland will host a Vinyl Party on Saturday, Aug. 17, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event is open to the public and features a DJ spinning records, giving visitors a chance to unwind and enjoy their favorite dishes from the Joyland menu.
The restaurant will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The thin-and-crispy CrustBurger, retro-style milkshakes, and luxurious soft-serve ice creams eagerly await the food lovers of Birmingham at the new location of Joyland.
