First time visiting and this is old school southern breakfast and lunch cafe with counter. Staff is friendly and certainly a locals favorite. Friend took me there (bama alum) and great find. Food is as expected for southern food. Menu has daily mix of the choice of "meat" and "vegetables" with a special on the board. Food was hot and served timely. Friend had hamburger fried steak w mash potatoes and greens. He left nothing on the plate I had the lemon pepper chicken - daily special and fried okra, Lima beans and coleslaw. It was delicious Ambiance hasn't changed in decades. Don't expect more than that and appreciate the nostalgia read more

City Cafe - Lunch is served! - American Near Me - Northport, Alabama

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While visiting Tuscaloosa for my graduation, we were looking for southern cuisine and stumbled across this gem. Out of our entire trip in Alabama, this ended up being our favorite restaurant based on our experience with their lunch meat and three options. We were here on a Friday and selected from an array of choices for this day. We went with chicken strips, hamburger steak with onions and gravy, fried catfish fingers, fried okra, candied yams, turnip greens, mac & cheese, stuffed eggs, and peach cobbler. Although I would like to rank each option, I find it difficult to do so as each was very tasty and unique. The hamburger steak was very savory accompanied by turnip greens with their earthy flavor, a side of corn bread, concluded with peach cobbler, and washed down with sweet, iced tea. It was three of us and we were tasting all our endless selections such as fried catfish with mac & cheese, fried okra, and candied yams. The list goes on. Next time I am visiting my alma mater, I will return to City Cafe specifically on either Tuesday or Thursday lunch to try out their fried green tomatoes. I am a novice at best when it comes to southern food, but you must trust me in this. City Cafe is the best meat and three in the whole region. read more

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Food was amazing as always. Called in an order. It was ready fast, fresh and hot. Service is always top notch. read more

City Cafe - Hamburger Steak W/ Onions & Gravy, fried green tomatoes, field peas, fried okra, and cornbread - American Near Me - Northport, Alabama

Food was horrible. Food was from cans and it tasted exactly like that. Nothing was hot. Place was filthy. Definitely need to be torn down and rebuilt! Service was dry and not friendly. read more

Very good and affordable breakfast. I wish I worked close enough to get lunch! Luckily they open very early so breakfast is available. Lots of to-go orders, just call ahead and they'll have it waiting on you. read more

Simple, inexpensive, southern comfort food. Very friendly staff. Was visiting Alabama for the first time and this place was fantastic. (Order the beef tips and rice!) read more

County cooking, meat and three, great price! Breakfast and lunch only Downtown Northport, Alabama

This is a perfect 'meat & three" cafe! Good grub. Great choices and well made food. Veggies are fresh. They didn't get 5 stars because their sweet tea was weak! Otherwise it's a fun little dive with rib-sticking good food. read more

Staff is exceptionally nice. Food is good and reasonable. Nice quaint friendly atmosphere.

Any time we are in the Tuscaloosa area, City Cafe is a must. With good homestyle cooking and incredibly reasonable prices, you'll leave feeling full and your wallet won't be hurting. This trip we arrived an hour before closing and I think that hurt our overall service experience. It took a bit to be seated, which was to be expected. Seating is first come first serve and you stand in line and wait for a table to open up. Once seated, our server took our order and we pretty much did not see her again. Another server took care of drink refills while another actually brought our food. The food itself was good and I have no complaints, I just would not order the mac and cheese again. Our toddler was a big fan of the cornbread! Overall, we had a good experience and I'm sure we'll be back the next time we come to town. read more

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This is a city staple. Can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Go early or order takeout. You won't be disappointed. read more

City Cafe - American Near Me - Northport, Alabama

For anyone visiting from out of state, like I did coming from Chicago, City Cafe is a perfect taste of Alabama's comfort food. The prices are more than reasonable, especially given the portion sizes with all the staples of classic, homestyle cooking. Its a nostalgic, no frills experience that feels "stuck in time" in the best way possible. read more

City Cafe - American Near Me - Northport, Alabama

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As classic as in gets. Came to town for a football game and came here and it did not disappoint. Basic menu but everything was great. The fried chicken was amazing. I tried my buddies catfish and it was really good too. Very friendly staff who explained all the food options. The ambiance is an old southern cafe read more

City Cafe - Fried Chicken - American Near Me - Northport, Alabama

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phenomenal old spot, classic olde southern cooking; amazingly tasty food; wonderful people

The vegetables are excellent! I have going there for years. The sweet tea and that good ice makes for a cool refreshing drink. Awesome experience. read more

We decided to stop here for a quick lunch. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was. It was a bit of a wait for a table but it wasn't too bad, and ended up being worth it. Great portions sizes and prices. read more

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I love their fried green tomato's and I really like what I usually order on Tues. & Thurs. I like their home style cooking and they always give plenty of food. read more

A must visit whenever you're in the Tuscaloosa area. Delicious vegetables and home cooked dishes. The service is prompt and friendly. The atmosphere is nostalgic especially to anyone who attended or regularly visits the University. They keep students fed with home cooked meat and threes! Everyone should visit this local icon of a diner. read more

All you fans visiting Tuscaloosa from the North. Don't stop here. They will call you "sweetie", "honey", "baby". This establishment has some good southern food that is priced right. A classic meat and three. Take your choice of seating and your waitress will quickly take your order and the food will arrive very quickly. I recommend the hamburger steak. Cornbread is a must here so make sure you ask. It had been 30 years since my last visit and I will ensure this is a stop when I am in Tuscaloosa. read more

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This is best place for vegetables and hot lunch in Tuscaloosa and Northport highly recommend

If you want the classic diner experience head on down to city cafe. No frills just solid breakfast/lunch. I ordered the 3 eggs plus meat (bacon) and the sausage egg sandwich with tomato Total cost $10.62. I left stuffed and planning my lunch visit. I went at 4am so they weren't busy but there were a few of us gathered outside waiting for the door to open-that says a lot. You can call ahead for pick up, order to go or eat in. Just a good classic all American diner. They do not accept Apple Pay at this time. read more

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great atmosphere of course, and service (even at a very busy friday lunch hour). i got the hamburger steak, greens, mashed potatoes, and peach cobbler. classic order, had a tough time deciding off of the loaded menu. everything was lovely, but the hamburger steak was a touch dry. felt like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for a touch too long. gravy helped and all the sides were great. read more

Visited from Arizona, and for the entire 1500 miles or so to get here, City Cafe has been on my "gotta do it!" list I honestly don't know how many times we've been here, but the story has been the same EVERY visit! Excellent, homey, old-style food with very generous portions and honest, fair prices. In all of our visits, we've NEVER encountered a member of the staff who was anything other than friendly, efficient, and genuinely a pleasure to meet. Our server today, Paige, was no exception. What a delightful young lady! My grandson, having listened to a really customized version of "The Three Little Pigs" asked for wolf stew for his breakfast. Paige never missed a beat, politely and graciously explaining that "It's not on the breakfast menu. I'm sorry!" His omelette was excellent! read more

I love this place! Crowded, rustic, delicious food. What else is there? Like the sign says, "it ain't food if it ain't fried!"

You want good southern grandma cooking ? Go here for breakfast or lunch. They aren't open for supper or weekends!

Great food at a reasonable price. They always have that down home friendly service that welcomes you.

We were visiting our niece who's attending U of A in Tuscaloosa. This small cafe was recommended for good food at low prices. It's late morning and the place is packed, though we managed to get a table fairly quickly. We ordered a plate of biscuits, served warm and with honey. Delicious! Damn near the best I've ever eaten. The service was good . . . though it took over 40 minutes for our food to arrive. My Western Omelet was runny (under cooked) but the grits were on point. There is a lot of U of A athletic memorabilia on the walls. The building is old but the prices were reasonable. It's only open for breakfast and lunch. read more

Good food and even better prices! (We fed 4 adults and 2 kids and got 3 desserts for $50). The service was quick and the servers were VERY friendly. The ambiance was very much like a small town. I highly recommend City Café! All I can say is, "Geaux Tigers!" read more

The food is amazing. Truly southern cooking. Miss Dean was so sweet and attentive. As crowded as they were with the lunch rush, our food came out quickly. read more

Best breakfast in town. Great service for the great price. Love the country feel!!! It just feels like Alabama. Has a true country kitchen feeling. read more

City Cafe - 2 Pancakes and eggs and good ole sausage - American Near Me - Northport, Alabama

Had breakfast here everything was very good ! eggs cooked perfectly, gravy was delicious, grits excellent, biscuits fantastic , plenty of bacon , took too long to get coffee, waitress was nice but took a while it was busy but .... Anyway only three things I would change , first off we get a gallon glass of water , it's heavy glasses huge waste of time , I'm not a horse I don't need a gallon of water before my coffee , serve small glasses so you can get coffee on the same tray , seemed like 15 bowls for each person way too many , I'd hate to pay your dish washing labor and soap, last but not least , how in the hell can you serve margarine,? real butter would definitely be better just ask Nikis west or Bright Star , remember cut out the gallon of water , ten dishes for each person and butter . read more

If you miss your moms good home southern cooking you can't go wrong with City Cafe. Same of the best dishes that I remember grandma making. A little history from way back I think about 1952 if not mistaken my Dad worked there while in the National Guards. Mr.Hoyt ran the place at the time. While not having drills my dad worked there cooking and washing dishes. He actually made enough to buy some land in Samantha Al. and at that time built a country house for He and My mother which is still on the property. He was 19 from what I gather, he worked there until he was called to B.f goodrich. He worked in final finish. My Dad continued to work at BFG for 42 years. Then he enjoyed his retirement until he passed in 2001. So we go back many years and it's the best home cooked food you can get away from home. When all the college students miss moms cooking hit City Cafe up. It will not disappoint. Nice portions and great quality food and reasonably priced. MaRsHa H. NORTHPORT Al My dad James M. Dennis read more

City Cafe - American Near Me - Northport, Alabama

Best fried chicken I have ever eaten! Sometimes the line is long, but it is always worth it! The chicken and dumplings is also amazing!

Okay so the food is very basic meat and 3 but OMG the prices and service are the best you'll get in all of Alabama. The waitresses all call you honey and dear and are so friendly. Tip them well like you would your momma! This place is like coming home. Please just go and bring cash! Not sure if they take cards now but as a college student I remember always forgetting to bring cash lol. Luckily a good friend wouldn't mind paying $5 yes $5 for my meal. read more

The food was amazing, incredible home cooked style breakfast! The service was slow which is fine considering they were busy, but they staff didn't seem too attentive to their tables. Overall good place to eat with incredible food, just be prepared to wait a while because they will most likely be busy. read more

Happened upon this gem for lunch today (thanks to Yelp). It was great. Friendly staff, delicious food, and wonderful prices. Our family does not eat pork so we were pleasantly surprised to learn that the vegetables didn't have lard in them. My husband was so excited to get peas (that were great btw). We usually can only eat peas at home. Ha! Waitress said the cabbage is the only side dish that has sausage, the rest even vegan or vegetarians could eat if need be. We will definitely recommend this place to others!! read more

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Best meat and 3 around. Their breakfast is outstanding as well if you go early enough in the day. It's a ton of food for a very low price and it's excellent. You are going to get out of their for under 10 dollars with tax and tip. Never had a bad meal here either. If you are going for lunch, go before 11:45 or after 12:45 otherwise you'll stand in line for 5 to 10 minutes for a seat on most days. Biggest downside is that they are closed on the weekends. read more

City Cafe - American Near Me - Northport, Alabama

Every Friday morning, my little family has breakfast to start our weekends! The food and service never disappoints! The staff are so nice and kind to us and never make us feel unwelcome. We love them!! read more

A great place to grab breakfast and lunch without feeling ripped off afterwards. A fixture in old downtown Northport. Try it once and you won't regret it. read more

For me, City Cafe is serviceable but not impressive. It was extremely busy around lunch time on a Tuesday, with only one table left for us to settle. Our waitress was very pleasant but could NOT get our drink orders right. Two of us asked for Pepsi. One was brought Pepsi, but the other (who happens to get migraines from fake sugar) was brought Diet Pepsi THREE times in a row. She gave up and ordered sweet tea after that. The first, who originally got a regular Pepsi, was given a Diet for a refill. Not sure if they got their tanks switched or what, but it was frustrating. Our orders were as follows: Chicken fried steak, slaw, mashed potatoes; Country fried steak, mashed potatoes, and dry lima beans; And a fried chicken breast fillet with mac and cheese and dry lima beans. The chicken fried steak was probably the best of the meats. The country fried steak was adequate. For some reason, I misunderstood and expected my fried chicken to be an actual fried chicken breast rather than a fillet, which was closer to chicken schnitzel (thin cutlet, no bone, crispy breading). My mistake, as it says what it is on the menu...but it also seems a little weird that a down home restaurant doesn't have REAL fried chicken. The slaw was disappointing and lacking flavor, the mashed potatoes were fine but unremarkable, and the mac and cheese was pretty good - probably the best side item. Be aware that dry lima beans are different from lima beans. Dry are very light brown in coloration, rather than green/yellow, and tend to blow up in size and get a starchy, almost mealy texture. Not as good as regular limas, in my opinion, and I didn't like that they were thrown on the plate with the chicken rather than in a small cup or bowl. The juices seeped all over the chicken fillet, which meddled with the otherwise crispy breading. We split a piece of chocolate pie for dessert after the waitress raved about it. It might be a decent piece of pie if one had never had my mother's chocolate pie, but since I have...it was disappointing. The chocolate filling was very sweet and closer to a mousse, and the graham cracker crust was far too gritty. I sound very critical, but there was nothing BAD about City Cafe. The prices are very good and the menu is quite varied. Just not sure I'd come back when I'm so accustomed to really outstanding home cooking! read more