The official guide to meat and threes in Birmingham

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Meat and threes
Comfort food at its finest. (Niki’s West)

One meat and three sides makes for an iconic Southern meal. Whether you go with creamy mac and cheese, collard greens or fried okra, you know you’ll be eating good when you step into a meat and three restaurant. If you’re craving that classic combo, we’ve got you covered with an official guide to all of the meat and threes in Birmingham.

This guide was originally posted on October 6, 2021 by Miranda Shaffer and was last updated on April 21, 2025 by Jordyn Davis.

Ted’s Restaurant

Serving fresh veggies and meats to the Birmingham area since 1973, Ted’s combines Greek hospitality with hearty Southern dishes to create an experience full of great people and amazing food. 

Fife’s Restaurant

fife's meat and threes
Cool mural to spot outside Fife’s, one of our fave meat and threes in Birmingham. (Chaise Sanders / Bham Now)

You’ll know you’re at Fife’s when you spot this colorful mural gracing the side of the restaurant building. The pop on the outside is a great prep for the big Southern flavors you’ll be met with when you step inside the door.

Irondale Café

Irondale Cafe
Delicious-looking sides at Irondale Cafe. (Jessica Broom / Bham Now)

Irondale Cafe is famous for being the real-life inspiration behind the Whistlestop Cafe in Fannie Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes. This is one of the meat and threes in Birmingham that has been around for ages, and anyone who’s been there will tell you the food doesn’t disappoint.

Try their fried catfish, fried okra and mac and cheese combo next time you’re there.

Niki’s West

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Comfort food at its finest. (Niki’s West Steak and Seafood Restaurant / Facebook)

Niki’s West is another one of The Magic City’s classic meat and threes—having served the area since the 50s. Check their website to view their daily menu that’s filled with items like lemon pepper catfish and Greek chicken.

Johnny’s Restaurant

Johnny's
Find Johnny’s on 18th Street South smack dab in downtown Homewood. (Johnny’s Restaurant / Facebook)

Chef Timothy Hontzas keeps it local, fresh and seasonal at Johnny’s Restaurant in Homewood. Opened in 2012, Johnny’s continues a family legacy of meat and threes that originally began with Hontzas’ grandfather (that’s Johnny!) and pays homage to his Greek heritage.

Order Southern faves alongside spanakopita and keftedes (meatballs).

Fried Green Tomato’s

meat and threes
Give us a taste of this meat and three’s plate pronto. Photo via Fried Green Tomato’s

Opened in Hoover in 2015, Fried Green Tomato’s is the spinoff of the famed Irondale Cafe. With the same owners and equally yummy menus, how do you choose between the two? I suggest visiting your closest location.

The Bright Star

The Bright Star
The Bright Star. (Jacob Blankenship / Bham Now)

The Bright Star opened its doors in 1907, which makes it one of Birmingham’s oldest meat and threes. Go taste the dishes that have kept this restaurant a staple for over a century.

Eagle’s Restaurant

Eagle's
Meatloaf, mac and cheese, fried corn and cornbread from Eagle’s Restaurant. (Pat Byington / Bham Now)

If food guru Andrew Zimmern visits a restaurant twice, it’s got to be good. That’s Eagle’s. Zimmern first featured Eagle’s on his show Bizarre Foods America in 2013, and he returned for a second helping.

Only a mile from the Finley Avenue Farmers’ Market(in the same neck of the woods as Niki’s West), the vegetables are always fresh.

Alongside your fave meat and three fare, Eagle’s serves soul food dishes that other establishments tend to shy away from—oxtails, chitterlings, neckbones and pigs’ feet and ears. And they do it so well.

The Paw Paw Patch

A meal from Paw Paw Patch on Green Springs Highway
This photo screams Southern. (Cheyenne Trujillo / Bham Now)

Pop quiz! Paw Paw is (1) the tasty fruit of a Native American tree, (2) your grandfather’s nickname, or (3) part of the name of a must-try meat and three serving country cooking on Greensprings Highway? 

Answer: 1, 2 and 3.

I recommend trying the fried fish filet on Friday with the creamed corn and delectable fried green tomatoes.

Sarris Restaurant

meat and threes
A good-looking plate at one of our meat and threes. (Sarris Restaurant)

Sarris Restaurant is another spot dishing out Southern home-cooked classics with a Greek background. You’ll be welcomed into a family atmosphere with incredible food.

Bluff Park Diner

meat and threes
Delicious dishes at these meat and threes. (Bluff Park Diner)

Bluff Park Diner in Hoover will leave you feeling stuffed and satisfied with hearty menu items like chicken and dumplings and sweet potato casserole.

Sherry’s Cafe

Birmingham, Trussville, Sherry's Cafe, food, restaurants, southern food
Southern cooking at Sherry’s Cafe in Trussville. (Bham Now)

Sherry’s Cafe is all the rave in Trussville with amazing Southern eats like chicken fried steak and peach cobbler. If you’re not from the area, this one’s worth the drive for cooking that could definitely pass for grandma’s—or maybe even better. Shh! You may want to keep that part hush hush.

Green Acres Cafe

Green Acres Cafe
Crispy and fried to perfection. (Green Acres)

Green Acres has all the convenience of a quick-serve restaurant with all the flavor and love for food you’d find in a hometown diner. There are four locations around the Birmingham area, including Centerpoint, Irondale, Eastlake and Hueytown.

Makarios Ranch House

Makarios
Just look that delish meat and three plate. (Makarios Ranch House)

Makarios Ranch House is a mix of Southern home-cooking and Mediterranean fare you can find in Vestavia Hills. They have specialty Meditterranean items combined with warm southern favorites for the ultimate fusion.

Midway Diner

Not only is Midway’s Diner a great place for traditional southern comfort favorite, but they also feature great desserts such as bourbon peach cobbler, which will not disappoint!

Lena’s East of the Mississippi Diner

Birmingham Restaurants The official guide to meat and threes in Birmingham
Lena’s East of the Mississippi is near Birmingham Crossplex. (Pat Byington / Bham Now)

Looking for a place where good food and good vibes unite? Lena’s East of the Mississippi also does an interesting breakfast version of meat and three, with omelets, eggs and steak and other delicious items.

Gannie’s Kitchen

If you’re planning a day trip to Jasper, be sure to include Gannie’s on your list of must-try eateries!

This soul food kitchen made its debut in 2024 and has continued to impress Walker County and the surrounding areas.

Did we miss any of your fave meat and threes in Birmingham? Let us know by tagging us @bhamnow!

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Miranda Shaffer
Miranda Shaffer
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