My order every time: Custom Salad -- Spring Mix & Arugula, Feta, Red Onion, Bacon, Toasted Almonds,…read moreRoasted Bell Peppers, Tomatoes and Lime Cilantro Jalapeño Vinaigrette (on side-medium) I'm honestly so stuck on this 1 that I haven't even tried any other salads here, but I bet they're just as good! I love love love this place and the bread that comes with the salad is so good, I wish I could have a little loaf lol and they give you a really good amount of bacon. This is my go-to salad place every time I am craving one, I don't even make salads at home anymore.

We were walking around the Lane Parke area and happened upon Chop N Fresh. It is a create your own…read moresalad or quinoa or rice bowl type of place. I liked the assortment of toppings they had particularly the apples, raisins, peppers and toasted almonds. I was disappointed that the strawberries were $2. You can also add a protein if you want. There is outside and inside seating. Their beverages are not Pepsi or Coke products instead they are from Maine Root.

I placed my order through the app, and within approximately five minutes, I received a notification…read morethat my food was ready. That was certainly convenient, especially since I was already in the parking lot, hungry, and ready to get home! I went inside, where an employee named Pamela assisted me and handed me my order. Unfortunately, when I got home, I noticed that while the food had been prepared quickly, the presentation was somewhat sloppy, and the portions seemed a little smaller than expected. In addition, the side of eggplant I ordered was missing entirely. While I certainly appreciate fast service, I would much rather wait a few extra minutes to receive an order that is prepared with care, includes everything I paid for, and meets the restaurant's usual standards. On a positive note, the food I did receive was absolutely delicious! I just wish the attention to detail had matched the quality of the food. Speed is appreciated, but accuracy and consistency are just as important to a great customer experience.

I have been vegetarian for almost 13 years and this spot gets it right every time. They are very…read moreconsiderate to military families and military members. You can point out the obvious cause almost every weekend you will see a camouflage outfit or some sort of military uniform. I always try a new combination of a meal when I come there and I switch up what I drink from the dispensers from time to time, and I can always say I enjoy the taste of the food and the experience of the ambience.

I ordered the BLT Salad with applewood-smoked bacon and tomatoes, but instead of the roasted garlic…read moreranch dressing, I get mine tossed in balsamic. It was delicious, and of course, I made a happy plate! They also provide bread while you wait for your food, and they'll bring you more upon request--a nice touch! My friend got the Fish Tacos with cabbage, charred corn salsa, and spicy sriracha sour cream, along with a side of fried spinach from their secret menu. The secret menu consists of about five items that are no longer on the regular menu, but they'll still prepare them if you ask. She said the fish was perfectly charred around the edges and absolutely delicious. Just make sure you check your teeth after eating the spinach! Our server, Kayleigh, did a great job taking care of us and made the experience even better. And congratulations to her--she graduates from cosmetology school next month! ‍ Wishing her all the best in her next chapter! Two great meals, great service, and another good experience!

Consistent 5-Star Excellence! Outstanding Food, Massive Portions, and Great Value…read more ​Every single time we visit this spot, they absolutely knock it out of the park. If you want a flawlessly executed steakhouse dinner in the Birmingham area without the pretentious price tag, this is your place. ​I ordered the 12oz ribeye with a baked potato, and both were cooked exactly to order. My wife started with their huge, fresh house salad before tackling the massive 16oz ribeye and a fully loaded baked potato. Honestly, the 16oz cut looked like something straight out of The Flintstones--it was beautifully charred, incredibly juicy, and absolutely massive. ​The service matched the stellar quality of the kitchen. Our waitress was incredibly attentive and kept my sweet tea topped off the entire night (which is no easy task!). ​We wrapped up the evening with a slice of chocolate cake. It was literally the size of a diner-style napkin dispenser--decadent, moist, and downright delicious. ​Budget-wise, it's a high-end steakhouse experience, so expect to spend a little money. However, compared to other premium steakhouses around Birmingham, their pricing is incredibly fair and easily on the lower end of the fine-dining spectrum. You get amazing portions, top-tier quality, and fantastic service. Highly recommended!

Melt is a reasonably priced 'order at the register and they'll bring your food' restaurant. They…read morehave mostly sandwiches based on the idea of grilled cheese sandwiches with some added flair. I had the Old Smokey, which is smoked turkey, cheese, and Smokey mayo (also Tomato and bacon which I skipped). That and a side of Mac and cheese was a satisfying meal! The sandwich was crispy bread and soft turkey slices mixed with cheese - the Smokey mayo is very pleasant too. The Mac and Cheese was thick and gooey with larger-than-typical pasta shells. I also had the sweet tea which was sweet without being overpoweringly so, that's a plus in my book. With a tip (they clear the table for you after bringing your food so a tip seems fair here), I spent $25.

My family and me came here for Saturday lunch. It's been a number of years since we came here so I…read morewas looking forward to the visit. We ordered at the counter and our food didn't take long to arrive at our table for a party of 6. I had the old Smokey / no mayo and it was a well made sandwich. Nice flavor. I was looking forward to trying this sandwich , since I didn't get to try it during the Birmingham Restaurant Week preview party. I really enjoyed the beer battered fries as well. Others in my party had chicken finger plate, Cuban melt, chicken Parmesan melt and chicken salad melt. Everyone enjoyed their selections and had leftovers! I chatted with I'm assuming the manager and he was very nice. We enjoyed our recent experience here at Melt. The service , food and environment all made me want to come back soon.

Don't underestimate this popular chain! They offer great sandwiches, soups, and a fabulous salad…read morebar. I'm especially impressed with this location in Hoover. The staff is always friendly and helpful, and the dining area is consistently clean. They also do an excellent job keeping the salad bar, drink station, and soft-serve area clean and well maintained. I'm a big fan of ordering the combo with a half sandwich and either soup or salad. The portions are generous enough that I can usually bring home leftovers. One of my favorite combinations is the half muffaletta with the spicy seafood gumbo. Yum! And the salad bar is awesome. The staff does an excellent job keeping it clean, well stocked, and filled with fresh ingredients. There's a great variety of toppings, so it's easy to put together a salad exactly the way you like it. Overall, this is a reliable choice for a good meal, generous portions, and consistently friendly service. Don't overlook it just because it's a chain!

Haven't been able to come for lunch like I used to as much. Recently came by for dinner…read more It's not nearly as busy for dinner as it is for lunch, but the staff was just as friendly and attentive as usual. I almost always get the Reuben the Great, and my wife gets the lighter Reuben. You can really tell the difference between the two side by side. Sometimes I can eat the entire thing, but even a half a sandwich saved for later is a satisfying portion.

I was really excited to try this place because of the good reviews but it was such a letdown…read more When we walked in, there were maybe two other customers. We were seated pretty quickly but waited about 30 minutes before the server came back to give us menus. He appeared to be the only person working so I tried to cut him some slack but it was another 20-30 minutes before we were even able to place our order. They brought out salad appetizers, which were essentially just fresh-cut lettuce with no dressing or flavor. Our food finally came out after about 45 minutes of waiting. I ordered the Beef Kebob and my husband got the Lamb Mandi. The beef itself was flavorful and tender, but there were only about 4-5 small pieces sitting on top of a huge portion of rice. The rice was bland and dry. The lamb mandi also lacked flavor, and the lamb was very dry and bland as well. Overall, it was a pretty underwhelming experience.

I decided to try something completely new to me while on Green Springs, and I ended up at…read moreBirmingham's first and only Yemeni restaurant. Mandi Oasis is unassuming with a small sign right on Green Springs. I had no idea what to order, so I played it safe with Chicken Mandi and a side of naan bread. I had to get back to the office so I ordered to-go. Not even 10 minutes passed before I was walking out with a massive grocery bag of food. What a MASSIVE amount of food. I got a half chicken and a massive pile of rice with the chicken Mandi order. It also came with reshly ground house hot sauce that was spicy but not unbearable. Mostly fresh tomato with a slight jalapeno flavor. The chicken was very tender and juicy. Very lightly spiced, like a super mild baked chicken. It was really delicious. Salad didn't have any dressing and I wasn't sure what to do with it. I didn't eat it. It looked like it was iceberg and cucumbers. Maybe I was supposed to mix it into the rice? The RICE!!! OMG. Perfectly cooked very long grains of basmati were so flavorful with lots of exotic herbs and spices. I pulled out bay leaves and a cinnamon stick- like this is so good. Some of the best rice I've ever had!

Really enjoyed the chicken here! Very crispy. Large fries are absolutely massive. Love the…read moreunlimited sauce bar! The original and ranch were my favorite. Line goes quick, and there is plenty of free parking out front and around back.

I had Super Chix for lunch on Thursday, and it didn't disappoint. I ordered the Bacavo Chicken…read moreSandwich, and it was excellent. The sandwich features a large fried chicken breast topped with bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and buttermilk ranch dressing. All of the ingredients complemented each other nicely, making for a very tasty and satisfying meal. David L. and I shared a regular order of fries. The fries were thin, crispy, and perfect for dipping. One of my favorite things at Super Chix is trying the different sauces with the fries. There are about eight unique sauces available at the self-service condiment station. While they would be amazing on the chicken tenders, they also work really well with the fries. For dessert, I ordered the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cold Fusion--yum! I've always experienced excellent service here. The staff is friendly and attentive, and orders are prepared in a timely manner. Overall, another great visit to Super Chix.

Taziki's Cesar salad is my go to. Their salmon is absolutely delicious and pairs well with their…read moreCesar. I will always give it a 10/10. The customer service is always good, they make sure to have your order correct. I usually do pick up but the restaurant is clean. I highly recommend trying their salmon!

Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe is a quick serve (a new way of saying fast-food) restaurant that has…read morebecome a decent sized chain. This particular location is in Hoover, Alabama. The ambiance here is pleasant enough. It is bright and cheerful. You go up and order your food and they bring your order to your table. The woman behind the counter was incredible. She was friendly and professional and made some great suggestions. The food, well, it is definitely more fast-food than Mediterranean food. I had a lamb gyro and the lamb was ground lamb and not the pieces shaved off of the spit. It was also overly done with lemon. If it had not been for the great service, I would go with tops, three stars. But the service here truly was great and the pricing was fair.

Updating my review since I've been back here a couple of times since for lunch. They have a nice…read morelunch deal where you get salad, a big slice of pizza, and a drink for $10.99. Sweet! I enjoyed the pizza both times. Salad was good too. Our server was great and other staff were nice. I'll eat here again.

The pizza at Grimaldi's was great really good flavor, and well made…read more Unfortunately, the service and ordering experience were pretty concerning. We placed an online order at 2pm for an 8pm pickup since I was flying back and wanted everything timed properly. Around 5:30pm, my wife called to see if we could adjust pickup slightly earlier (~7:50pm), and they couldn't even find the order. After multiple holds spanning ~15mins on the phone, accusatory remarks of not placing the order at the right location, she was eventually told it would be ready at 8pm as scheduled and they could not accommodate the ~10min modification. No big deal, this was a Friday night, we get it. When she arrived right at 8pm, the order still wasn't ready, and staff seemed unsure what was going on. This was after we had already called to confirm it. Then we were told the system doesn't "trigger" the order until the scheduled time, which doesn't make much sense if you're offering timed pickups. In the end, the pizza didn't come out until about 30 minutes late for no clear reason. Really disappointing experience overall because the food itself was solid, but the breakdown in the ordering system and communication left a pretty sour impression.

We came here on a Tuesday night as a party of 3. For a random Tuesday night, the restaurant was…read morepretty busy. I love how cozy the dining area is. Our server was Kaylan and she was fun, gave us recommendations and provided an excellent customer service experience. She was great!!!!! We started with their delicious chicken fingers & fries ( they forgot to bring the slaw). I was kinda disappointed since I am a coleslaw fan. I got so full, so quick eating the chicken fingers & fries. We also had their spinach /queso dip- this is a really tasty appetizer. Only complaint, wish it had been a little hotter. I didn't order an entree(remember I said how full I was). I enjoyed a glass of wine instead. My friends had the salmon dish and the steak Maui. Both entrees were nicely prepared and they seemed to enjoy their meal choices. Lastly, you can't come to J Alexander without ordering their carrot cake. It's a warm slice of HEAVEN!!! It's a MUST HAVE!!!!

Continuing on my America 250 series of 20th century established businesses, we get into the 1970's…read more I want to highlight 2 places established in 1971 including J. Alexander's and then 3 places from 1976, the Bicentennial year. I lived in Birmingham in 2010, and my friend, who lived very close to the Hoover Mall told me about a cool promotion at J. Alexander's. I believe it was a Monday gambling deal. Alabama laws on gaming were strict; so this was maybe the closest to gambling I could get. It was some expensive steak, and the server would flip a coin, which I would call heads or tails. If I was correct, I'd get the steak free! I lost; so I paid the hefty bill. At least it was hefty for my underpaid job of that time. But I had fun, and I enjoyed the steak & nice service.