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    Ruth's Cafe

    4.0 (66 reviews)
    Open • 6:00 am - 7:00 pm

    Ruth's Cafe Photos

    RUTH'S CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Ruth's Cafe

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    Collard greens and yams
    Jasmine T.

    New location! I'm glad their team has a more room ro work with now. I stopped by after church for a chicken plate and it was alright, not quite like I remembered but not bad either.

    Angel G.

    Food....delicious! Staff.....awesome! It's hard to find a restaurant where everything is good. The smothered pork chop is divine. The fried chicken is seasoned to perfection. I can't wait until my next visit!

    Omlette
    T H.

    I went to Ruth's Cafe this morning for breakfast. I ordered the omlette, with ham, sausage, bacon, extra onions, salsa, and mushrooms. Unfortunately the young lady at the register was too busy on the phone to take my order correctly, even though I repeated it to her 3 times. It took 30 minutes to get my food, which was very upsetting. When I finally sat down to eat my food I opened the box to see this egg with toppings. There were bellpeppers on my omlette when I specifically said NO bell peppers and there were not any extra onions as i requested. This is not an omlette, the cheese wasn't melted, it wasn't folded like an omlette just a egg with toppings on it. As for taste, I was not impressed. No seasoning, couldn't taste any of the ingredients, very bland with a lot of grease running off of it. I gave them 3 start just because of the amount of food, and that's being generous.

    Oxtails and rice, macaroni and cheese, cabbage, cornbread

    Great food. You'll have to wait at least thirty minutes in line, but it's worth the wait. Great value for the price.

    Steam table
    Mischa J.

    Okay Ruth's! Yelp! Yelps! Bae wants them veggies, so we buzzed in after work. We got in here just in time, the line is becoming massive. Everything looks appetizing. Bae got greens, Mac and cheese and black eyed peas with cornbread. I got meatloaf, Mac and cheese and green beans. Everything was good. I have had better at Ruth's, but you good. Y'all already know, I'll be back. Some folks in here eating.

    Cake with cream cheese icing!
    DJ Micaiah M.

    Great atmosphere, great home-cooked food, great cakes, and desserts. Good selection of entrées and side dishes to choose from. Just lacks a little space in the dining area. The dining tables were pushed together made it a little difficult to sit down.

    Oxtail plate and Fried chicken plate

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    2 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    8 days ago

    Food was delicious! Real country cooking. Vegetables are tasty and not cooked to mush

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    10 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    10 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    11 months ago

    Nice ladies behind the counter and the food is always really good. Definitely one of my lunch spots when I'm in the area

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    5 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    6 months ago

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    6 months ago

    The food is good.I really like their chicken, both fried and baked,very well seasoned. Vegetables are quite tasty.

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    Photo of F A.
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    7 months ago

    Looking for southern food. Ruth's gotcha covered! Like a homecooked meal! I here theres a new location too!

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    6 months ago

    Got food poisoning a couple days after eating there. Service was good. Clean bathroom.

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    11 months ago

    Food was just ok. Wings overcooked. Greens not seasoned good. Pinto beans not seasoned good ( tasted like they came out of a can)

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    This place is AWESOME! Great food, clean, staff is amazing and you won't leave hungry. Portions are more than enough, and I'm a big boy. Lol

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Great choices, good seasoned food. I definitely would recommend if you have a taste for soul food.

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The food was good! I had the chicken dinner plate. The servers were friendly. I will definitely go back soon.

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    10 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Came through and bought 3 salmon and rice plates. Salmon was so salty everyone threw theirs away

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    3 years ago

    I love this place! Great food, great atmosphere! The best, home cooked recipes. Worth the drive.

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    2 years ago

    It was late when I went by Ruth and the food was terrible. Greens no seasoning at all.

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    4 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Ruth's Cafe

    I was told by an employee at Ruth's cafe, that they were moving to the McDonalds building, located on 24th street in North Birmingham, before Christmas of 2023. What happened?

    They did

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    June Coffee - June Coffee

    June Coffee

    4.6(96 reviews)
    3.3 mi
    •$$

    Coffee snobs, look no further. Your search is over. Go here now…read more I had the privilege of staying in Birmingham nearby this place and checked it out after looking at the photos. And I'd love to qualify this five-star review by saying I've been traveling the United States for over 10 years and I've been to countless coffee shops from Alaska to Boston to Florida to San Diego and everything in between. I can easily say this has been a top 10 experience and if you're in Birmingham you are very fortunate that this place is here. I had a hot vanilla latte and one of the finest pastries of all time but I'm not reviewing the pastries. Both days I went in here there were two different baristas some quiet dude and then some alternative tattoo girl both of them made an absolutely exceptional hot latte. Everything I look for is here: The espresso itself is a medium-dark profile with dark chocolate, toasted almond, and brown-sugar sweetness, low bitterness, and a rounded, low-acid finish that holds its shape in milk instead of washing out. The vanilla stays clean and floral on top of that, while the milk is steamed to glossy microfoam that integrates with the shot, leaving a silky body and a long caramel-cocoa aftertaste. Perfection. Some of the best in the USA. Hats off to you.

    Came here after reading reviews…read more I'll start by saying the staff were decent enough. Not super friendly but not rude. Just there. I ordered an iced americano given it was a hot day around noon. I got my drink and went to add creamer and sweetener like I always do. And bam that's when I noticed this place was one of those we are going to force you to have what we believe is healthier for you. What do I mean. No Splenda no equal just that nasty truvia. I'm diabetic so I don't use sugar and truvia is just nasty. It tastes horrible and makes your drink taste horrible. Now mind you they will use all kinds of syrups with dyes and additives and sugars but nope not Splenda. That's bad for you. The 50 grams of sugar in a single vanilla latte is totally fine. We're ok with that even though that alone is over the recommended amount. But Splenda no we can't allow that. Will never be back.

    Photos
    June Coffee - Butterscotch Fall seasonal drink

    Butterscotch Fall seasonal drink

    June Coffee - Butterscotch Latte

    Butterscotch Latte

    June Coffee - Outdoor area

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    Outdoor area

    Pink Lantern - Vietnamese coffee with ube cold foam

    Pink Lantern

    4.6(44 reviews)
    3.4 mi
    •$$

    This was my first time at this location, and as a newer transplant to Birmingham, I truly…read moreappreciated getting to experience such a cool spot. The decor is so fun. The hanging clouds, the purple mirror near the restrooms, the green stools... it all feels playful and inviting. And the fresh, dainty flowers at each table are such a beautiful touch. It's those little details that make the space feel extra special. I ordered the Iced Clouds Cold Foam with Vietnamese coffee. The foam was absolutely beautiful in the cup... not quite as beautiful once my straw made contact and it jumped onto my white shirt. We had a moment. Still worth it. I also had one of their cheese danishes, and let me just say... the best I've ever had. Light, flaky, buttery, with just the right touch of sweetness and powdered sugar. It didn't stand a chance. Danny and Green were amazing and provided such friendly, welcoming service. Truly delightful humans. I also love the concept of a coffee shop by morning and cocktail lounge by night. It's creative, fresh, and just makes sense. Definitely a place I'd love to come back to.

    This is one of the few places I've been to that matches perfectly the level of trendiness /…read moreuniqueness with quality of drinks. The interior is cute and fun, the service is great, but the drinks are also way above average. Vietnamese coffee is to die for and it's so good here. I also got a matcha and was very pleasantly surprised. I'm a big matcha drinker and have NEVER had a good matcha at a cafe until I tried it here. I didn't know the latte was sweetened by default, so that would be my only change next time. Definitely will be coming back!

    Photos
    Pink Lantern - Inside

    Inside

    Pink Lantern - Uh Huh Honey (left) and Midsummer Night (right)

    Uh Huh Honey (left) and Midsummer Night (right)

    Pink Lantern - Menu 11/14/25

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    Menu 11/14/25

    Cala Coffee Downtown - Maple brown sugar iced latte time

    Cala Coffee Downtown

    4.5(42 reviews)
    3.3 mi

    First latte I had from Cala was here and it was amazing. Brown sugar vanilla iced. This place has…read morebeen my fav go-to coffee shop since. Nice baristas and it's always pretty packed inside. I frequent both locations and will most likely frequent the new one in mountain brook as well!

    3.5 but I'll round up just cause I think I got a lil unlucky…read more Came by here for some caffeine after the event at Salud in Birmingham. I was specifically super excited to try their seasonal matcha special, which was made with horchata (also from Salud!) and strawberries, if I recall correctly. Unfortunately, we walked in only to find they were out of the supplies needed to make the drink. :( I was caught off guard and didn't know what to order, but the barista recommended a latte with maple flavor so I went with that. The interior was clean and spacious and had a relaxed and calm but energetic feeling to it. Good place to hang out or work quietly. There's a self-service area to spruce up or fix your drink or grab lids or stir sticks. Service was nice and my drink came out quickly. It was pretty good but not really the "right" drink for me. I like my stuff on the sweet side and this was much more balanced and coffee-forward. That said, it held its own against my sugar-craving taste buds and I drank most of it, which is usually the hallmark of good brew, lol. I don't really blame them because I blanked on what to order and just went with what was suggested. It's probably a great suggestion for lots of other folks! Would be happy to come back and try a different beverage. Seems like a nice place overall. :)

    Photos
    Cala Coffee Downtown
    Cala Coffee Downtown
    Cala Coffee Downtown

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    The Essential - Trout

    The Essential

    4.4(512 reviews)
    3.4 mi
    •$$

    The Essential was such an unexpected find during our trip through Alabama. We weren't expecting to…read morestumble across such an elegant restaurant serving truly elevated food, but it ended up being one of our favorite meals. I ordered the seafood pasta, and you could immediately tell the pasta was homemade. It was fresh, perfectly cooked, and the seafood was beautifully prepared. My daughter had the spaghetti, and my husband ordered the Waldorf salad, which was just as thoughtfully put together. Our waitress also recommended the hummus and house pickles, and I'm so glad we listened. Both were fresh, unique, and the perfect way to start the meal. From the food to the service, everything felt polished without being pretentious. It was one of those meals where every dish was executed with care and attention to detail. Overall, The Essential was such a pleasant surprise and proof that you can find five star dining experiences in the most unexpected places. If you're anywhere near Birmingham, this place is absolutely worth the stop.

    Really cool place with a quaint atmosphere and great service. My wife and I split the chicken…read moresandwich, grits and a hash brown. All were really good. We got the sauce on the side for the sandwich just in case, but it was really good. Definitely a place I want to revisit. Saw the smash looking burger and pancakes at tables and they both looked amazing!!

    Photos
    The Essential
    The Essential - Pavlova

    Pavlova

    The Essential - Sourdough bread with French butter.

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    Sourdough bread with French butter.

    Ruth's Cafe - soulfood - Updated September 2026

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