As you can see from my prior review and rating I really like this place. Tonight's dinner was extremely disappointing. What was more disappointing was managements response. I'm at St. Vincent's tonight. My wife had to have surgery. It wasn't emergency surgery, but they did not waste any time in scheduling it immediately. She finally snapped out of the sedative/morphine haze and said she was really hungry but needed something soft. I scanned menus in the surrounding area and well paw paw patch happened to have one of her favs this evening chicken n dumplings. Done I'll drive. I run through the drive thru and place our orders. For her the aforementioned chicken n dumplings, squash casserole, Mac and cheese w a roll and an order of peach cobbler. I went with the grilled chicken and rice with okra, Mac and cheese and their awesome Mexican cornbread. The young woman at the window could not have been nicer. Very polite and friendly. She checked our order took the appropriate action to correct a mistake explained it all to me and apologized for the delay... what? Who does that anymore kudos to that girl. My wife's food was a huge portion. It was way more than she could eat but it was hot a good variety and soft. She loved the dumplings and the cobbler. My meal on the other had was hugely disappointing. The Mac and okra were spot on as normal the Mexican corn bread tasted awesome what I got of it. I had the ugly piece they barely got out of the pan. It was a small crumbled pile. It shouldn't have been served. The grilled chicken and rice wasn't much more than a single small chicken finger and a teaspoon of rice. The rice was cold and old and the chicken was not very good either. I never do this but my wife insisted I call and voice my disappoint. So I call. I ask for the manager. I think his name was John. The manager answers I explain first and foremost how awesome the lady in the drive thru was. I further explained that I love this place and that I've been dining here for years. I then proceed to my problem. I say that my meal was not up to the standard I've come to expect. I explain that I received a single chicken finger and a teaspoon of rice. He immediately said well the rice is more of a garnish... with chicken and rice? He then says all of our chicken and rice meals are served with 4 oz -6 oz of chicken. I explain I received more like 1- 2 oz portion. He immediately suggests I'm exaggeration and huffs and says well how about if I just buy you a chicken meal when you come back. Not once did he apologize or acknowledge the misstep. He tried to talk over me the whole time. Then annoyed or frustrated he just threw out a well I'll buy you one in a will that shut you up type tone. I said actually no it will not work for me... instead I'll make sure everyone I can reach out to knows how management handles these type situations. I was polite I wasn't hostile. I complimented the place 3 times in 3 different ways before explaining my disappointment. Had he listened and apologized I would have accepted and moved on. The managers lack of an interpersonal skill set drops their rating significantly in my book. Had he been half way decent to me I would have likely accepted this situation as an anomaly and not reported it. Given the manager rather elected to patronize me and assume I was seeking a free meal I feel compelled to report inadequate management. The manager could learn a few things from the lady working the drive thru serving customers. read more

Paw Paw Patch - $7.00- meat, 2 sides and bread - New American Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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Four words. Fried Green Toe Maters. Great place for quick eats. Personally my favorite meat and three in town. read more

Good fast Meat and Two/Three. Great service and calm atmosphere. read more

Paw Paw Patch - Ground Steak with gravy and onions, fried okra, yellow squash casserole, salad and jalapeno corn bread. - New American Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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Good food. Definitely not the highest quality, but it's an enjoyable outing with some good Southern coworkers. It's always busy for lunch during the week. I'd really give it a 3.7 or so, but I'll round up. Meats and veggies. read more

Good, basic Southern food. A speedy choice for lunch.

I visited Paw Paw Patch for the first time a few weeks ago with my brother and father. We got there right at 11am and there were already people lined up. The line was MUCH worse when we left around noon - so get there early! Interestingly enough, they also have a drive-thru. There was a constant stream of cars as we ate our meal. I think that's a nice addition to the place as I've not seen another meat and three that has a drive-thru. It's reminiscent of a school cafeteria line. You take your tray and utensils and tell the workers what you want and they fill up your plate. What's great is that you can get as many or as few items as you want, so it's very customizable. The selection is large as well. There's pretty much something for everyone. (Hint - check out their website before you go to see the special and their general menu). My dad and I chose to get the meatloaf, which was VERY good. The red sauce on it was almost more of a marinara than a straight ketchup sauce (which seems to be the most typical kind of sauce on meatloaf in the south). I could actually see pieces of bay leaf on top of some of it. Very yummy. I also got sides of some squash casserole and mac and cheese. Both of them were very good as well. My brother got the fried catfish and said it was really good. The portion sizes are very generous, so I had enough food left over for dinner too! After you get your food, you pick a table and have a seat and a waiter/waitress will come and get your drink order and take care of you. Our waitress was attentive without being overbearing. Price-wise it was pretty standard - the three of us ate for about $30 tax, tip and all. I think this is probably the best food I've had at any meat and three places in the Birmingham area. I don't work over near it anymore, so I probably won't eat there as often, but I'm going to have to try to get back for that meatloaf! read more

I love my meat and veggies and this place didn't disappoint. It's a cafeteria style restaurant with great food for a reasonable price.. Get in line Get a tray and choose from many fresh meats , veggies and desserts. So hard to decide what I wanted with such a variety. I had the meatloaf , black eyed peas, squash casserole , fried okra. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Great place for lunch or dinner. Open Monday through Friday 11-8. To bad their not open on the weekend. read more

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I've passed this place a few times and I would always see a crowd. I went by on a Wednesday, I think, ordered the baked chicken and rice and to my surprise, trash!!! Now most places will give you a ton of starch and little to no meat, but this place set a new low for me! I think people don't know what good food is, yeah I said it! read more

This meat and three is a great option on the Homewood side. If you like the old cafeteria meat and three style this is it. Just plain and simple good country food. read more

Pretty decent meat and 3, with a drive thru at that! Inside is very plain and simple, and employees were pretty kind. I had three veggies with jalapeño cornbread. Cornbread was not very moist, but still was good and cheesy with a kick. Squash casserole was delish, not with chunks of squash in it (which I dislike) with cheese on top. Fried green tomatoes have panko breading, and were decent, but not the best (they had no homemade sauce like ranch or remoulade to with them). The steamed cabbage was perfectly cooked and seasoned. Hubby had hamburger steak, which was good and brown on the outside (how we like it) with brown gravy. A cheaper meat and three in the area, with average food. Would go back!! read more

This is by far my favorite meat & 3 place to go to! My wife picks up to go plates once or twice a week.... Fried catfish Friday or meatloaf & broiled fish Wednesday you can't go wrong! And if your in the mood for just veggies they have a wide selection to the everyday veg to veg of the day..... If you want home cooking away from home give this place a try! You'll be back!! read more

The food was great! Very delicious soul food and at a great price. Definitely will come back

3.5 stars Pros-great service, move thru line quickly, ability to see food on steam table,most entrees a shade under 7$ (unheard of today) generous portions, nice variety for selection. Cons-fried chicken tasted like grease was old and was greasy, bland decor, bathroom needed cleaned. Our okra, fried green tomatoes and collards were terrific. I am 60 and i felt very young here. Lots of 80plus crowd eating and parking was full of buicks. read more

Favorite meat and three/ mom-pop restaurant! The staff is always so sweet and the Mac and cheese and banana pudding are to die for! My friends and I have been coming here for years, absolutely love! read more

The meatloaf and mac and cheese are yummy. I always get mashed potatoes as one of my sides. Looking forward to trying their desserts one day! read more

We like the food. But we often get takeout, and they make mistakes every so often. That happens. But the Paw Paw manager doesn't make it right, and complains about having to make it right. We call when something is wrong, and they say just tell them next time we order. So we did that, and the manager wanted to know who we talked to, when they screwed up. We don't keep takeout records. After being an asshole, the manager gave us one (not two) of the items we were missing (we were missing two). And that one item was about half full. I can't recommend this place because they don't make their wrongs right. read more

This is one of my go to meat and threes in Birmingham and been going there for years. Give it a try if you are wanting some southern veggies. read more

Pretty good for a cafeteria style place. Very nice staff. Welcoming and friendly. I'm a sucker for banana pudding and theirs hit the spot.

Great experience! Great food served with Southern hospitality and for an amazing price! read more

Paw Paw Patch - Greens, black-eyed pea's, casserole, corn bread, mashed potatoes... - New American Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

My mother use to actually work here when it was the original Dairy Snack. She was a manager there when we were kids. I use to do my homework there in a corner both everyday. I grew up helping out and I guess that is where my love of food and service started. Watching my mom serve up some good food and watching the expressions on the customers faces as they ate. (Most all were very complimentary and completely satisfied when they left). I had many talks with Mr. Pagent (the owner aka Paw-Paw) when he came in and enjoyed a meal. I am very attached to this place. I learned a lot there and I have cherished memories that will last a lifetime. Funny how our reflections into our childhood will almost certainly involve a meal or the memory of preparing one. Food is not only nourishment for our bodies but when it served with care it also feeds the soul. Note: The food is still good but most items are canned now and it lacks a little luster now in service. read more

Really good, no-nonsense country cooking. Their warm banana pudding is awesome!

I have eaten at the PawPaw Patch for MANY years but recently food quality, portions, and service has become less than satisfactory. An order of fried green tomatoes is ONLY 3 even is one of the 3 is the size of a half dollar. My visit last night consisted of very unfriendly and poor service. And as I was eating my ham I begin chewing a long human hair. I stopped the waitress as she was passing my table (since she hadn't been back since delivering my water) and showed her what I had found. She grabbed up my plate and fork and I never saw her or anyone else again. No visit from the manager, no apology or anything. So, I paid my bill and left. This will forever be my LAST visit to the PawPaw Patch. Too many other choices for good food and service. read more

The food is great but every time I order a drink in the drive through they say they didn't get it then they want to charge me again at the window! read more

It's my second time in Alabama for business and my second time eating here. It'll forever be my go to restaurant for delicious southern food whenever I'm back in Homewood. This California girl is hooked! Forget about the CA diets because the fried green tomatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, fried okra, country fried steak, biscuits, jalapeño cornbread, pecan pie, etc., etc., etc., is all worth the guilty indulgence! read more

Best meat and three in Birmingham. Grandma couldn't cook it up much better!

Not a very good meat and three. Many better options in Birmingham and even in Homewood, try johnnys. Parking can be a nightmare when they are busy. read more

This an essential meat & 3. The food is good the vegetables are not just canned vegetables thrown on a steam table is definitely worth the try also very good fried green tomatoes read more

Cafeteria style restaurant. My wife and I went during the lunch rush. The restaurant is spacious with plenty of seating but getting to the serving line was a bit confusing for us first timers. There were several selections at each station and each time I made a choice I saw something else that looked just as good, which left me with buyer's remorse. The options can be a bit overwhelming for a new customer when you are ordering in line as opposed to a menu where you have time to think. Service was very friendly and attentive. Pricing was reasonable as well. read more

Eww... The big black lady at the window is soooo freaking rude. Her attitude is horrendous. She always has this mean scwol on her face. And she is very unpleasant. And she has the most long and disgusting looking nails. I hate going through the drive thru because of her nasty rude behind. Now the food. It's your standard meat and three. A little bland I'm guessing it's because they have a lot of elderly patrons so some people may be on a sodium restriction or something of that nature. But a few salt and pepper packets and you're good to go. Fried green tomatoes are good so is the fried chicken. The squash casserole is good too. read more

My husband had been here a while back so we decided to try. Good country cooking! The price was good also! I had the liver and onions and cooked perfectly! Chocolate pie was good too! read more

The fried chicken was good as well as the vegetables. However the "country fried steak " was just a frozen dried out hockey puck. I don't know why a restaurant that makes "homemade " food would serve this crap. The deserts were good. Waitress wasn't all that friendly. She Spilled tea on the table and just left it for us to clean up. read more

Glad that my first meat and three experience was here. Since it's cafeteria style I was able to see all the choices and point to what I wanted. I went with the country ham, mashed potatoes, fried green tomatoes and fried okra. The good is that food was really good... for cafeteria style and steam trays. The bad is that not everything seemed to be optimal for steam tray service. Only the meats smothered in gravy looked appetizing. The fried tomatoes were excellent, but the corn bread was a bit dry and flavorless. Overall, I was happy with the price and quick service. Wait staff is super friendly as well. read more

I love the food, everything taste great and they have a good variety. I especially like the drive-thru very convenient and fast

The best turnip greens I've ever had in a restaurant and I've ordered them too many times to mention. And the only meat and three I've found anywhere with a drive through! Fried green tomatoes and okra everyday. read more

Yum! If you want some good country cooking- this is the place. It's cafeteria style with a waiter or waitress to help you find a table and get your drinks. Come hungry!! read more

Food is good, but the women that work here are unprofessional. Bad way to run business.

Cheap, Great Service, Good Food = Excellent Restaurant!

I really enjoyed their grilled chicken over a bed of rice. Very clean and very easy to get in and out on a lunch break. I would recommend to anyone interested in a "meat and three"! read more

Not the best Chicken and Dumplings. I saw a small amount of celery in the meal, but flavor-wise, it didn't add much. The dumplings were nice and thin, but not flavored. I understand restaurants want to be cautious of using too much seasoning so they can appeal to a variety of tastes, but at some point salt is a basic you can't do without. read more

This is a family style restaurant with good food. Meat and 2 cafeteria type with friendly staff. It has long lines during lunch but they move quickly! read more