Pull over for great food

These three Birmingham-area restaurants are sure to please.

A good local restaurant is a welcome relief from fast foods, especially when you're traveling. But oftentimes the dining classics of a city are tucked far away from an interstate or main road. Not so in the Magic City.

The Birmingham area boasts three such restaurants, all of which serve excellent food and lie close to major thoroughfares.

For the freshest hot vegetables in the city, try Niki's West. This Greek family establishment cooks everything from scratch, and the tasty result is Southern-style food with a Mediterranean touch. They are noted for their Greek-baked chicken, fresh fish, and for serving more than 40 veggies and salads daily. Also, their homemade, classic cobblers and pies make a delightful end to the meal. A good piece of pecan pie costs only $2.70 (tax included), and you can manage a meat and three for less than $9, cornbread and schoolhouse roll included. If you stop at night, Niki's offers a full menu of fresh seafood and steaks. And, yes, they are open for breakfast too.

Another Greek family restaurant that serves both outstanding lunch and dinner fare is The Bright Star Restaurant (officially in Bessemer). Meat and veggies are the main choice at lunch, but most locals like to visit at night. The restaurant's shrimp remoulade is the best I've had outside of New Orleans, and the Friday and Saturday night Bananas Foster Shortcake is killer. Highlights of The Bright Star's dinner menu include fresh seafood, grilled Greek beef tenderloin, and several all-American favorites. Their gumbo is the real thing, considered some of the best in the South. Expect to pay around $10 for lunch, while evening meals range from the mid-teens to the mid-twenties for an entree.

Lloyd's Restaurant has been a Birmingham landmark since 1937. Fried chicken, hamburger steak, and barbecue dominate the menu here. In fact, baked potatoes weren't even added to Lloyd's offerings until the 1980s. Most noteworthy, though, are the onion rings. They are tiny, crisp, and delight-fully crunchy. Again, a big meal here can be had for less than $10.

Dining at these three classics is easy for travelers driving through Birmingham. They are still going strong, and you can't say, "The food is not as good as it used to be."

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Jul 2003
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