The Only Restaurant In Alabama Where You Can Eat A 2-Pound Burger Inside A Cave

There's something deeply fascinating about caves. You see an opening leading into darkness, and you can't help but wonder where it leads. An underground city? Even if you just end up seeing a bunch of eyeless fish, it's still a pretty cool experience. And what could be a more quintessentially American thing to do than to take one of these portals of wonder and turn it into a restaurant that serves a 2-pound hamburger? Welcome to the Rattlesnake Saloon.

Located outside Tuscumbia, Alabama, better known as the hometown of Helen Keller, Rattlesnake Saloon is not exactly in a deep, dark abyss — so you don't need to worry about bumping into a clan of cave-dwelling Scottish cannibals while you are eating there. It's actually located in a sort of cave-adjacent bluff people have historically used for shelter; it's open enough that you can still see the sky but with enough rock overhead to protect you from the elements, allowing you to enjoy your meal in peace. The restaurant came about to complement the Seven Springs Lodge which was opened on the property by the Foster family. (To complete a dining experience here all you need is that Slovenian wine that's made, poured, and drank in total darkness.)

If you only ever attempt one food challenge, let it be the Gigantor. The Rattlesnake Saloon offers a range of classic American fare, including a number of sandwiches and burgers, but the Gigantor looms over them all. It's a meal large enough to feed a family of four — a 2-pound beef burger that is made with five separate patties, each topped with a slice of American cheese. (That's one more patty than the biggest burger you can order at In-N-Out contains.) The Gigantor also comes with 1 pound of fries and ½ a pound of onion rings. All told, it comes out to $60.

If you manage to defeat the Gigantor by yourself in under 45 minutes, you get a free meal, a t-shirt, and a spot on the restaurant's Wall of Fame. All you have to do is eat all that food, and the glory will be yours to savor. As food challenges go, it's fairly standard — but how many other challenges take place in a cave? The eternal struggle between man and food takes on a certain mythic dimension in the depths of the Earth, don't you think?