I'm a court reporter who travels a lot to cover depositions. Recently, I had to go to Columbus, GA from Nashville and wanted to avoid both Atlanta (traffic nightmare) and Hwy 280 (hateful red lights) so I went through Montgomery, AL. And holy crap, am I glad I went through at lunch time and chose this place to eat!!! The cafe is easy to get to and has plenty of parking- the interior is not flashy or modern, but it is comfortable and homey. And honestly, after eating the food, I wouldn't care if they were in a tent, as long as they brought me this amazing food!! Their menu changes weekly- there are a few meats and vegetables that you can get everyday, and then there's a different selection for each day- which makes me wish I lived closer so I could eat here every freaking day. You can find the current menu on their Facebook page! If you go here though, and do NOT get the fried chicken, then you are seriously doing yourself a disservice. It. Is. Delicious. And as a lifelong southerner, I've eaten a butt load of fried chicken. This is some of the best I've ever had. The mashed potatoes, Lima beans, creamed corn and fried green tomatoes were all awesome as well- seasoned perfectly, were homemade and fresh. Seriously, after my first couple of bites, I had to just close my eyes and do my happy food dance. And the CORNBREAD!!! In true southern fashion, it is NOT sweet, thank god, and is cooked in a muffin form, which usually means that the cornbread is dry. I almost didn't taste it- I wish I hadn't, because this cornbread haunts me. It was light, delicate, savory and (I hate this word) moist. It was the perfect cornbread. They have also perfected sweet tea- I wish I could have gotten a gallon to take home. The women who were working the days I went (twice in six days!) were super sweet, quick and efficient, attentive without hovering- they're really awesome. They all work together and it seems like a well oiled machine. The prices are ridiculous for as much food as you get- a meat and three plus tea for $13.00?? I'd pay way more- but I appreciate not having to go over my allotted per diem for lunch! If you're in Montgomery between the hours of 11-2pm, and you're hungry- do yourself a favor and go to Gail's, tell the girls you're hungry, and eat what they bring you- because it's going to be delicious and your tummy will be very happy. read more

Gail's Down the Street Cafe - Fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy and creamed corn - Cafes Near Me - Montgomery, Alabama

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People are friendly, food is good fish great ... Xxxxxxxxxxccxxxxxxxx c c c. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Dxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx read more

Food was good. Wait time... not so much. Felt like the A/C was barely running but it was pretty packed. Would recommend trying out if you've got some time on your lunch break. read more

I found this in my hamburger steak. Found three more after opening it. I didn't complain. I won't be back.

Thursdays chicken livers can't be beat! My sister and I try to go at least once a month. Highly recommend this classic meat and three - great service too. read more

Gail's Down the Street Cafe - Chicken livers, greens, pineapple cheese casserole, cornbread muffins, field peas, fried green tomatoes, chicken fingers. - Cafes Near Me - Montgomery, Alabama

I love you Gail, thank you for this spot!! Prices are amazing and portions are *chefs kiss. My partner and I have been here a handful of times and have enjoyed trying different things off the menu on different days. The interior is just so cute and the staff are always friendly. read more

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If you're wanting a variety of food options for a meat and three lunch, then Gail's is where you need to visit. Conveniently located in the west Montgomery area off I-85. We have been there dozens of times and never been disappointed with the food or service. read more

Man what a find. When they say meat and three just be ready for some FOOD! We had the fried chicken and it was terrific. All of the sides were really good but the creamed corn was fantastic. And THE. BEST. COFFEE. EVER. Seriously - we both always take creamer and sweetener but this coffee was so good it didn't need a thing. Family friendly atmosphere, lots of locals chatting with each other as well as the staff. We were clearly just passing through but they made us feel like we'd been coming there for years. Highly recommend! Can't wait to stop here again next time we travel. read more

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Good meat & 3. Some of the best cornbread you'll ever eat. Great service also. Busy at lunch read more

Gail's Down the Street Cafe - Fried chicken dark meat, squash casserole, field peas, mashed potatoes and gravy - Cafes Near Me - Montgomery, Alabama

Love the food, love the people and it is just down the street!! Been going there for many years and plan on going many more

1 min from Exit 3, Ann Street, I85 Montgomery AL. Great local, meat and 3 restaurant. Very covid clean. Has lots of outdoor seating. See menu I posted. All made on premises. If you like Cracker Barrel, you will love Gail's Down the Street. Do not let full parking lot trick you, lots of seating inside. Great spot for travellers because it is faster than fast food, but far healthier with many vegetable choices. Meat and 3 $8-9, Stawberry Shortcake or Banana Pudding $2.50. read more

Gail's Down the Street Cafe - menu - Cafes Near Me - Montgomery, Alabama

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My husband and I stopped here on our way back from the beach. Maybe I just ordered the wrong things but this was one of the worst restaurant meals I have ever had. I had the meat and three with chicken and dumplings, fried okra, purple hull peas and carrot raisin salad. The salad was strange-very little carrot in it-but okay. The peas tasted like they were warmed up straight from a can. The fried okra seemed to have been frozen already breaded and warmed up. I initially thought they had messed up my order because there was what looked like a clump of potatoes mashed with the skin on my plate. It turned out to be the alleged chicken and dumplings-all one solid gooey mess with tiny bits of dark meat chicken mixed in. I couldn't eat it. On the good side, the hostess and server were very nice and efficient, the small cornbread muffin was good, and it was served very quickly. I'm a born southerner and have eaten these items my entire life so it isn't like I don't know how they should be prepared. read more

Best southern food in the area. Everything is always fresh and delicious. The prices are great. No other restaurant around can compare.

Gail's is a jewel of a cafe! Driving home from SC to LA at lunch time I checked Yelp for a place for lunch. My request was home cooked meals. When Gail's came up and I saw the photos of the food I knew that was where we'd have lunch. I had chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, sliced tomatoes, and a side of fried green tomatoes. Dessert was banana pudding. All of this food was amazing! The staff was friendly and fast. My daughter had Brunswick stew (Camp Stew), macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, sliced tomatoes, and Bread Pudding for dessert. We both tasted each other's food and agreed it was all amazing! These two meals were $26, we pay that much for fast food! To top it all off, Miss Gail came and sat down with us. She is a sweet, marvelous woman. We enjoyed talking to her so much. Lovely, cozy restaurant! read more

Not impressed with the ambience or Decor, staff okay, not what I expected but I'm cool with it. Food looks good, smells good, appears to be fresh. Just tasted squash and onions and my deviled eggs and cornbread is off the hook... O M G. IM IMPRESSED, this food is so good and fresh, deviled eggs taste like someone in my family made them lol, and the fish taste like it was just caught, and the bread pudding was out of this world, I've never tasted bread pudding like this. A little skeptical at first but I'd highly recommend this place that's why I gave it five stars, keep up the good work guys. read more

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We eat at Gail's EVERY time we come to Montgomery and we love it! We always take our daughter out with us because she works nearby. She loves it. too! There is no better place in Montgomery to eat in our opinion! We are headed there right NOW! read more

Outstanding meat and three. I used to come a lot when work pulled me close to area. Work has changed, but I was close by and snuck in today. Just like I remembered and loved ! read more

Southern food at its best - the cornbread was just amazing! The collards were yummy, and the country fried steak was great. The service (Adam) was fantastic - he was friendly, knowledgeable, and quick! I will be back. read more

Gail's Down the Street Cafe - a plate of food - Cafes Near Me - Montgomery, Alabama

Great food, service and value. Been going here for years and it's consistent year in and out. If your looking for home cooking, this is the place. All the staff are attentive, cheerful and treat you like family. The menu offers a wide variety of southern foods. I would have given it five stars for the most important factor which is the food. I deducted a point for the dining area. It could use a makeover but that doesn't seem to matter to regulars who simply want a good meal. Portion sizes could be larger but that is a personal preference. read more

We were driving through Montgomery on the way to Atlanta and stopped for lunch. Great food. Good prices. Nice service. Have the fried green tomatoes. read more

The best fried green tomatoes in Montgomery AL. Deliciousness of the creamed spinach and pineapple and cheese casserole. I will find a way to be in this area for the Thursday chicken livers-- my vice! They were cooked to perfection. A little on the $$-ey side at near 10.00 for meat and 3 but I'm not complaining. I'm nearly full after half of it eaten! read more

Gail's Down the Street Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Montgomery, Alabama

The best!!!! Ms Gail's is our go to for out of town guests- especially those who want to experience some good down home cooking like fried green tomatoes, banana pudding and greens. They are consistent quality and sooo delicious! You can't go wrong here with anything you order. Usual mean is a meat and 3 veggies but they have a sandwich menu and cater too! read more

We were greeted at the front door by a host and also someone who immediately asked our drink order. That's a nice touch. I think they have a great bar to sit at for lunch, plus an outside patio and plenty of seating inside. Our server, Traci, was really friendly and helpful with the menu which was important since it was our first time to stop here while on a road trip. This is definitely a popular place among locals and you can see why. Hubby had the lunch special which was chicken and dumplings with 3 veggies. He thought the chicken and dumplings were excellent! He thought the sides were good, but a little salty for his taste (that could be because of how little salt he gets with my cooking!). I had the half chef's salad. The portion was plenty big and the salad was really fresh. Apparently, the chef added a special touch to it by including grilled chicken, ham and pickles. Sounded odd to me, but it all worked well together. Hubby finished off his lunch with the banana pudding and said it really hit the spot. read more

If you're looking for delicious southern "home cooked" food, this is the place! I love coming back from California to have an authentic country cooked lunch/ dinner! Yummmm!! read more

Great home style cooking, great price. Don't expect a large menu, they don't have it. It's like eating at mom's. There is a limited menu for lunch. Choice of one of meats and three sides. Everything served is country, from fried green tomatos to lima beans. Fried Chicken Breast is always on the menu as is Salt Water fish. (During the afternoon, you can get fried Grouper for a little more.) The price is very reasonable and the food fills you up. Great for after church (have to compete with other 'after church' diners), during the week if you work near there or just an afternoon bumming around for a meal. read more

"What can I get you sweetie?" was the first question I was asked when I stopped in the Down the Street Cafe. It's a nice diner adorned with photos of Coach Bear Bryant (of course) and has several TVs with news, weather, and I'm certain on fall Saturday afternoons....Bama football. The staff is friendly and the food is fine southern cooking. read more

Gail's Down the Street Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Montgomery, Alabama

They claim to have a full bar but there's zero alcohol here. You don't get to claim you have a full bar just because there's a bar top inside. read more

My wife and I had grilled catfish it is always great like the fried green tomatoes are the best in town always lots of home cooking vegetables. The servers work really hard to serve you. read more

Great stop for lunch today. Thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the special visit with Gail. She's delightful! Definitely worth the stop. Delicious comfort food and super friendly staff. Christina was our waitress and she was excellent. Do yourself a favor and save room for the bread pudding. read more

GREAT!!! I eat here all the time & it is a perfect place for southern cooking. I loved it so much I had them cater an event for me and it was reasonably priced and everyone enjoyed it! read more

Great southern soul food! We both got the meat and three. I got the smothered pork chop with creamed corn, fried green tomatoes, and mashed potatoes and gravy. Then got peach cobbler with ice cream for dessert. So good!!! read more

I like Gail's. Heck, I like Gail! I like almost everything they make. fried tomatoes, chicken, crab cakes, and they have a very hearty chili I am slightly envious of. If I have any complaint about Gail's is their salads, while well portioned, lack a punch that could be easily fixed by using some mixed greens instead of the standard iceberg lettuce. read more

Quick service, friendly staff, delicious home cooking. Definitely will return on my next trip to Montgomery!

Very good home cooking. Staff was friendly and attative. Lunch is crowded but handled well. Will happily eat here again.

This was my third time here. I try to give a place three times before I give up on it. Today, I had terrible service. I could not get seated, once seated, my drink and order were taken immediately, but after my food was delivered, I could not find waitress. When she did come by, she waited on the other tables and did not glance my way. I take clients out to eat on a regular basis, but this is one place that I will not be taking them. read more

We were looking for somewhere to eat and happened to see this place off the road, so we decided to give it a try because there were a lot of cars there! Worth every single penny. Everything was homemade and delicious. The staff was all super friendly and the food was really awesome!!! Prices couldn't really be beat for the quality of food!!! Can't wait to go back and try something else. This was the best eating we have found in Montgomery in the year we have lived here!!! read more

Great food, great staff. The people were very friendly - especially the lady at the table next to us doing the silverware (who turned out to be Gail the owner.) It is southern style cooking and it is good. We were traveling thru to Savannah and the restaurant is not far from the interstate and easy to get to. We struck it rich when we found Gails for lunch. read more

Grilled "grouper" (I don't think it was grouper - looked exactly like a filet of tilapia) was nearly raw, the hash brown casserole was more like hash brown soup, and the Brussels sprouts were WAY over salted (and mushy). The only redeeming factor was the friendliness of the staff. If you like southern food, you may like it, but, for me, NO. For $9, I would rather go to almost anywhere else. The chicken fingers portion that was brought out to replace my raw fish was tiny, and had a burned smell to them, but tasted "ok" - nothing worth writing home over. Another member of our party got the "hamburger steak", and it was smaller than any McDonald's Hamburger. read more