Burgers are the quintessential American food. It doesn’t get more basic, or tasty, than a piece of ground meat between two buns. Chefs have done riffs and deconstructions of burgers, because, at its heart, they’re a blank canvas on which to paint, or cook, Alibi Bar and Grill is doing something unique with their burgers. 

Jason and Jenny Pickard began Alibi Bar and Grill a little over a year ago in Obion, Tennessee, but have since moved to a new building Union City. They have a genuine love of food and community; that love and desire to “do things that no one is doing” differentiates Alibi from others. They display art from local artists and college students and host local musicians each weekend. The menu is varied enough that every guest has their own favorite from the menu. The combination makes it super easy to hang out there. 

That doesn’t mean that their menu is set in stone. Jason takes inspiration from food shows and he and his family like to expand the menu. “Oh, this [resturaunt] down the road is doing this kind of burger so let's do it” isn’t how Jason and Jenny roll. “I look around and say ‘they’re not doing this’ so let’s do it." 

The menu came about through experimenting and figuring out what worked and what didn’t. That created the inspired menu that diners order from today. Jason and Jenny held a friendly competition between their two favorites: the hot hamburger and grilled-cheese burger. It was a tie. 

Hot hamburgers aren’t spicy and you won’t find them many places down here. It’s a northern dish: Texas toast topped with a 10-ounce hamburger steak with mashed potatoes on top of that and dripping with gravy. Jenny’s grilled-cheese burger isn’t a patty melt. It’s a double cheeseburger (with bacon) between two grilled cheese sandwiches. It’ll make your doctor upset but it is so worth it. 

They have a breakfast burger, which has hashbrowns, bacon, and an egg; a fried green tomato burger, with hand-sliced and battered green tomatoes (it’s inspired); and a pimento cheeseburger, featuring a heaping pile of pimento cheese. A cowboy burger is also on the menu with housemade barbeque sauce, bacon, and sauteed onions. 

If you’re a little less adventurous, there are ‘normal’ single, double, and triple cheeseburgers. The fries stand on their own next to the burgers Alibi serves. It’s not often that a restaurant has good burgers and fries. Alibi somehow manages to have both. Their fries are thick, crisp, and well-seasoned. They don’t need ketchup (or mustard or mayo). 

Included in the price of the burger are fries and a drink and the patties are a third of a pound. The reasoning behind this is simple— Jenny and Jason don’t want you to leave hungry. “If we had a choice to give them more or less, we want to give them more.” And more they give. The food tastes better than a chain and less expensive. 

The real challenge is saving room for dessert. They have homemade cheesecakes in a variety of flavors. The white chocolate cheesecake and turtle are drool-worthy, but so are all of their flavors!

Alibi Bar and Grill is open Monday through Thursday 11 am to 9 pm and Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 12 am, with live music. Their address is 306 S First St, Union City, 38261. Give them a call at (731) 507-0283! They’re also on Facebook at The Alibi Bar & Grill.