Alabamaâs best meat-and-three: Readers dish about great places we missed
Meat-and-three restaurants abound in Alabama, serving hearty fare that fills the tummy and is reminiscent of a Southern mom’s home cooking.
People in our state know exactly where to find the best meat-and-three restaurants, and they’re skillful pros at filling their plates with a daily choice of meats (chicken, beef, pork, fish) and a range of side dishes (collectively known as “vegetables”).
Readers were happy to point to their favorite meat-and-three spots, when asked to do so by AL.com on social media. And they were quick to tell us about the great places we neglected to mention in our lists of the best meat-and-threes in Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile and statewide.
There was plenty of agreement, too, as people praised legendary meat-and-threes that we also lauded as Bama’s Best. This entire discussion made us hungry, of course, and we’ve got a long list of restaurants to visit on our next statewide road trip.
Now, on to your flavorful picks.
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Ted’s Restaurant, which opened in 1973, is at 328 12th St. South in Birmingham, Ala.(Bob Carlton/[email protected])
TOP SPOT WE MISSED
Lots of meat-and-three devotees chimed in — some cheerfully, some indignantly — to remind us that Ted’s Restaurant in Birmingham was worthy of recognition on our city and/or statewide lists. The meat-and-three at 328 12th St. South recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, and Ted’s fans praised the satisfying food, friendly service and welcoming presence of owner Tasos Touloupis.
“Tasos Touloupis migrated from Greece. He and his wife, Beba (from the Bahamas) are a true, hard-working, American success story,” said Glenn Murdock. Others kept their reactions short and simple: “No Ted’s?”
Although it didn’t make our list of top spots on this go-round, Bob Carlton of AL.com has offered kudos to Ted’s in the past, calling the restaurant “a Southside breakfast and lunch institution that has been dishing out Southern favorites (meatloaf, collard greens and fried green tomatoes) along with a taste of Greece (souvlakia, pastitsio, Greek potatoes).”
The fried chicken at Ted’s is not to be missed, readers said, and the baked Greek chicken earned high marks, too. Another favorite: Peach cobbler for dessert.
This familiar sign with cartoon red snapper in a top hat points diners in the direction of Niki’s West Steak & Seafood Restaurant at 233 Finley Ave. West in Birmingham, Ala. (Bob Carlton/[email protected])
FAMILIAR FAVORITES
It’s nice to get things right, and readers said we did just that with most of our picks for the best meat-and-threes. Case in point: Niki’s West Steak & Seafood Restaurant in Birmingham — which took the No. 1 spot on our Birmingham list and No. 2 on AL.com’s statewide list — is an overwhelming favorite among folks here. “I’ve been going since I was a baby,” said Michelle Ellison Kozlowski. “Nikki’s West no doubt about it!,” said @pinxy. “Nikis West duh,” said Justin Mcculley.
Tons of readers were united in their enthusiasm for City Cafe in Northport and the Blue Plate Cafe in Huntsville. Lots of folks agreed with our picks for Pannie-George’s Kitchen in Auburn and Montgomery, Claunch Cafe in Tuscumbia, G’s Country Kitchen in Huntsville, Johnny’s Restaurant in Homewood, Walton’s Southern Table in Homewood, Eagle’s Restaurant in Birmingham, Dot’s Soul Food in Hillsboro, Martin’s Restaurant in Montgomery, Betty Mae’s in Huntsville, Big Time Diner in Mobile and Mary’s Southern Cooking in Mobile.
READ: Alabama’s best meat-and-three: Our Top 10
NORTH ALABAMA
Readers really liked our meat-and-three picks for Huntsville, but also offered significant praise for Kelly’s Kitchen in Rainsville, Friday’s Restaurant in Stevenson and the Boaz Cafe. (”Everything always tastes fresh and homemade,” Kelly Cross Walker said of the restaurant in Boaz.)
MORE: Huntsville’s best meat-and-three: Our top 5
Lloyd’s Restaurant off Hwy. 280 in Birmingham, AL, is shown on April 10, 2012. The onion rings at Lloyd’s made the Alabama Tourism’s list of 100 Things to Eat in Alabama Before You Die. (AL.com file photo/Beverly Taylor)bn
CENTRAL ALABAMA
Readers heaped praise on several meat-and-threes in Central Alabama, including Fife’s Restaurant and Lloyd’s Restaurant in Birmingham, The Paw Paw Patch in Homewood, Victoria’s Restaurant and Bakery in Jasper and O’Taste & See in Birmingham.
Also, plenty of enthusiasm was shared for The Front Porch Restaurant of Cussetta, a homey joint north of Opelika near the Alabama-Georgia border. “We stumbled upon this place on a recent road trip,” Abby Brady said. “Would totally drive two hours just to eat there again.”
Fans also pointed to The Bright Star as a wonderful place for meat-and-three at lunchtime. We’re jazzed about that, although the famous restaurant in Bessemer strikes us as more of a fine dining spot, renowned for steaks, snapper throats, seafood gumbo and other specialties.
MORE: Birmingham’s best meat-and-three: Our top 5
SOUTH ALABAMA
Reader favorites for meat-and-three in South Alabama lined up pretty well with our picks for Mobile. However, kudos also came in for other spots, such as the Roadkill Cafe in Elberta, Cutt’s Restaurant in Enterprise, Stagecoach Cafe in Stockton and Barb’s Country Kitchen in Eufaula.
MORE: Mobile’s best meat-and-threes: Our top 5
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