That Hot New Spot Called Metro Diner

If you're looking for a restaurant that has it all, Birmingham's Metro Diner is tailored for you. 
Known for their great breakfast and even more amazing lunch & dinner menus, Metro offer an outstanding variety of just about everything to suit every appetite. 

After hearing rave reviews and having many people recommend this place, I decided to see what all the fuss was about and decided to journey down to Metro Diner for lunch. 

I arrived during the peak of the lunch rush and was greeted & seated within seconds. My drink order was taken pretty quickly. It was a challenge to be starving and having to watch all of the other customers receive plates piled high with different menu items such as burgers, chicken & waffles and other mouth watering dishes. 

Atmosphere: Metro Diner has the ultimate "retro" diner feel. The decor is old school yet modern. There is booth & table seating. The restaurant is spacious enough to accommodate a moderate crowd.  

Staff: The server on my first visit was very attentive. The orders are taken table side with an electronic tablet style device. I studied the menu before arriving so the ordering process went like lightening.

What I/ We had: On my first visit I went solo. I had the Meatloaf Plate. If you order this, please warn your taste buds. The flavor is MIGHTY! You'll get 2 thick slices of their famous meatloaf, a warm baguette and a helping of deliciously seasoned grilled veggies & red skinned mashed potatoes that ARE better than your mom used to make. Thank goodness for the baguette bread, I needed something to wipe my plate!
 

On my second visit I went with a lunch mate. 
I wanted to try something different so I opted for the Chicken Salad-Salad, an extra large scoop of their home-made chicken salad made with grapes, celery, mayo & pecans on a bed of garden salad w/ a vinaigrette dressing. 

My companion had their home-style pot roast, a generous helping of beef roast & slow cooked vegetables with red skinned mashed potatoes and gravy & a baguette. 
 

Both dishes were extremely delicious, but extremely filling. 

Overall experience: Impressive. Metro Diner is a great place to dine. The atmosphere was good, the food was good and it's definitely a great place to go with a group with different appetites. I definitely plan to go back. The only issue that I had was that they were out of the salted caramel cheesecake on my first visit. I was, however, able to eat a slice on the 2nd trip. I scarfed it down before I could take photos. (Sorry) It's a popular seller and I recommend ordering it when you place your food order just so you don't miss out. 

For more information on Metro Diner visit https://metrodiner.com/
https://www.facebook.com/metrodiner
Twitter @metrodiner
Instagram @metrodiner 


180 Inverness Plaza
Birmingham, AL 35242




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~The Birmingham Restaurant Raider
"Anonymously Raiding A Restaurant Near You"
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http://birminghamrestaurantraider.blogspot.com/

Review: Relish Cafe Hits The Bullseye

 If I were to tell you that one of the BEST meat & three restaurants is located right in the middle of a gun store would you believe me? Unbelievable, right? Well, that's what I said. After reading an article on-line about this new spot, I decided to grab a fellow food (and gun) enthusiast and travel to the Hoover Tactical Firearms & gun-range. The entire facility is located off of Lorna Road in Hoover in the old Bruno's grocery store location. Relish Cafe has taken over the cafe located inside of the gun store. It's an interesting place for a restaurant, but if you are in search of a meat & three with great options, this may just be your place.

Atmosphere: Quite nice for the location. The cafe set up very nice. There are several tables available for a moderate sized crowd. If parking is ever an issue during your lunch break, don't worry. They have a huge parking lot with lots of space. The cafe is next to the gun range, but the secure, enclosed gun range is relatively sound proof and will not disturb your lunch time chat.

The Meal: Relish had a great selection on their meat & three steam table upon our arrival. I had the chicken n' biscuits: a savory mixture of white meat & veggies with golden, buttermilk flavored biscuits baked on top, a side of fresh collard greens and (real) whipped sweet potatoes. My lunch mate had the hamburger steak with a side of fresh collards and some of the best mac & cheese in Birmingham. Our moist cornbread rolls were complimented with a serving of melted peach butter made with Chilton County peaches.According to the Relish website, they use local, fresh ingredients.

The Prices: Our meat & two veggies came to $8.00 per person. They also offer other variations of meat & veggies. For instance a meat and one veggie is only $6.00. They also offer a snack bar menu consisting of such dishes as hamburgers, grilled cheese, chicken fingers and cooked to order pork rinds. There are also salads available for the lighter appetite. The kids meals are only $5 bucks.

Overall Experience: I absolutely cannot wait to go back. Meat and three restaurants are far & few between.
Relish also offers food catering cervices, corporate catering & private chef services.
*Note* Meats & veggies are available from 11-2 Monday-Friday. The snack bar menu is available from 2-7 Monday-Friday, Saturdays from 11-7 and Sundays from 1-5. I have a feeling that whenever you go, you will enjoy it.  

For more information on Relish Cafe visit http://www.relish205.com/
Follow them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Relish205?fref=ts
Follow & tweet with them on Twitter at  @Relish205

 *Click photos for larger view

Hamburger steak, Mac & cheese w/ collards

Chicken n' biscuits w, sweet potatoes & collards