OMG is all I can say. This restaurant is absolutely wonderful! The food and service is exceptional! This was my first time eating here and I left there wondering why I didn't know about this restaurant sooner. Needless to say I will definitely be back. read more

Metro Diner - Diners Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

We have been sitting at our table for 45 min and we still have no food. And we're waiting... Once we got our meals our waiter apologized several times! But happy to see the cook staff in masks and gloves. Friendly place Like seeing the young chap who cleaned the tables had a fresh rag every time he came out of the back to clean the tables. Not reusing the same cloth! Oh and the food was delicious. read more

Brought the family out for brunch and we were not impressed at all. The food was cold; when told, they kindly microwaved it for us. It took a long time to receive the meal. The coffee was watered down. The service was EXTREMELY lacking (I had to continually get up to get things for the table). The bathroom was a mess. The ambiance was dark and unwelcoming (like the staff). No GM or ANY management to be seen or heard from. I fell bad for owner Mark Davoli who worked hard to create good product but fails to show that at this unit. read more

They were phenomenal when they first opened but the last two times Ive been there it just hasn't been as good. The food is fine, but only in the sense that Burger King is fine when it's close and not busy and you just need to eat before going back to work. This location has gone from being very busy to being not so busy. The staff is very friendly and the food is always hot, if not particularly delicious. I'm pretty sure the biscuit I was served had been reheated from yesterday's fresh batch: extra dark and overly crunchy on top, stale and crumbly elsewhere. I make a lotta biscuits myself, I know my subject here. It's a pity really, because I used to crave Metro diner. Maybe the one in Homewood is still good? read more

Great food and service. Can't go wrong with anything on the menu. The biscuits are really good too.

I had no idea this joint was a chain! It's a very good chain. Places like this used to be everywhere. Kinda sad they're not still. Meatloaf? Out of this world. Get the meatloaf. Simple food executed well. Real American food. They pull off the diner thing without whacking you over the head with fake nostalgia like so many other wannabe diner joints. (Chrome, neon, fake jukebox, etc.) They are very busy so be prepared to wait for a seat. Once you're seated the service is fast and attentive. read more

I guess this is how Metro Diner is serving their waffles now...RIDICULOUS!!!! I expected more from this restaurant I guess I was wrong. Will never go there again. read more

Metro Diner - Waffle - Diners Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

This place makes me happy each time I eat it. Nothing I wouldn't be happy ordering from the menu. I particularly like the roasted Turkey dinner and Hamburger options. Their fried chicken is always perfect too. read more

Finally made it to this place and they did not disappoint! We were greeted with smiles and seated immediately even though we visited during peak time on a Saturday. I've been dying to try the chicken and waffles! It was delicious! The chicken was hot, crispy and seasoned perfectly. The waffle with the strawberry butter topping was a hit as well! My mimosa was nice as well! Can't wait to go back! read more

Metro Diner - Diners Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

A top fave for southern cuisine! Wonderful chicken biscuits and gravy. Shrimp and grit cakes amazing! Chicken fried steak and gravy...oh my! Chicken and waffles with fresh strawberry butter...lord Jesus!!! Great service! Great variety and e erythkng is AWESOME!!! read more

I love eating at Metro diner. It's a very relaxed casual atmosphere. The food is very comfy if you know what I mean just like diner food should be. The staff is very friendly and fast and I always have a good experience there read more

Wife and I went to Metro Diner this last Friday night and could not of had a better experience. For only being open for a week the service was tremendous. From the moment we walked in the door we were pleasantly greeted and even while we waited we're able to speak to the manager about how the restaurant was started as well as his favorite items on the menu. We were seated quickly and we knew exactly what we both wanted. My wife ordered the shrimp and grits which she said were some of the best she has ever had and I ordered the pork tenderloin sandwich. Being from Indiana where pork tenderloin sandwiches are extremely popular this one did not disappoint. The fried jalapeños with the garlic aioli and spinach were pleasant surprises and all the flavors worked well together. You will definitely not go hungry and my wife and I look forward to returning to try out their breakfast. read more

Metro Diner - Shrimp and Grits. Delicious! - Diners Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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Nice service, good food and one of our favorites! The fish and chips, pot pie and chili are our standbys. But, my favorite is the waffle with fresh fruit. Add a mimosa, and it's a good day! read more

Hate being Covid police but primary final pass to window in cook area huge guy sweating with mask completely under chin wiping face for entire 15 min I was there. Other cook had hers just over mouth. Supervisor same. Food in go box literally had 3 of his greasy finger prints I guess from my food and others food on the box. It eventually went in trash. I told them directly their irresponsibility to public is what puts other establishments at risk. They have definitely gone downhill since before pandemic. read more

We've been eating there since the place opened and the food was always excellent. Since covid we have only been ordering pickup. My wife orders and clearly they don't really care what they are turning out. The last 5 times she has ordered for me (classic burger, medium, NO cheese, No pickle, Mayo, Onions, Lettuce and Tomato and French Fries) they ignore what was ordered and send the order out with cheese or with pickle and pickle juice soaked in bun, or no onion, etc. After the 2nd time of sending the order out incorrectly she made sure to order in person, asking they please put Onion, Tomato and lettuce, explaining how the order is always wrong when she gets home with the food. It was as if because she explained the order was wrong that now they were putting a half of a piece of Tomato, one ring of Onion and the end of a Tomato, just messing with the food because she complained. After that time she went in, placed the order asking for extra Onion, Tomato and Lettuce explaining she had no problem paying for the extra condiments. They put extra Onions (the tough outer layer that was partially dry and non editable). The management should care enough not to retaliate and harass customers when their orders were sent out incorrectly but clearly they are. Tonight I stopped by with a family member after church who is paralyzed to eat dinner and feed him. Our waitress' name was Whitney. I had called to make sure there was no wait, explaining I needed a table and room for his power chair. She was nice and told me she was the person I talked with before coming. I told her of the problems my wife had with my order and how we felt they were messing with our orders because my wife had complained, asking for the order to be made correctly. She said she remembered my wife and had made sure to ask the cook to make the last order correctly. There were, I believe, 11 people on staff. A man in a back corner booth (which had a couple of kids and a couple of adults) came up to the counter and clearly looked high and was very loud, cutting up with the cook and several other staff members. THEY (the man and a couple of the cooks) were very loud, laughing and some bad language being used as if was a normal talk, which it should not be in a family restaurant, and the man kept loudly telling the cook with the glasses to tell another employee that he used to work there. All I could think of was a manager should have intervened and told this man he was clearly way too loud and not to use language. I finally finished feeding my family member and when Whitney came to ask if we needed anything else I asked if there was a manager on duty. SHE POINTED TO THE MAIN COOK, THE ONE WITH GLASSES, and I told her the language was not appreciated. She asked if I wanted her to get him. I said I would rather notify corporate. I didn't feel comfortable after all of the loud cutting up, language and a former employee clearly either high or just oblivious that his actions and language was in appropriate in a family restaurant and after finding out the manager was the cook and didn't try to keep the family atmosphere in the place. read more

Great food selection and huge portion sizes. You will have two meals in one I promise. Always have friendly staffing. I really enjoy their chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, or their biscuits and white sawmill gravy. read more

I recently brought a group of 25 people to Metro Diner in the Birmingham, Alabama location and I want to share about the great service that we received. I needed to get my group in and out in a short amount of time (We arrived at 10:50, and we needed to leave by 12:10 at the latest) and the team there provided us with great (and fun) customer service JJ was EXCEPTIONALLY AWESOME and was a delight to work with from the moment I spoke to him on the phone to make the reservation many weeks ago, to the time that we got there. Everyone in my group was commenting afterward how contagious his joyful spirit was ... Their manager, Sharifah Abubaker, Karen and one other lady also took such great care of us, and I just wanted to express how grateful we were for their help I came to their restaurant with my group sight unseen (I had never been there before) and I was so pleased not just with their food, but with my overall experience. I will definitely be back in the future :-) Ask for JJ the next time you're there. He's exceptional! :-) read more

Metro Diner - Me, with the amazing JJ and Karen at Metro Diner in Birmingham, AL. - Diners Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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I've never been to this location before but I really like Metro Diner. I actually traveled over an hour to come today. The food and service were fine. But being able to see the prep/kitchen area makes it clear that this place has no concern for health code. The grill cook didn't wear gloves and used his hands to put everything onto the grill. Granted that stuff will be cooked and hopefully kill any germs but then I saw him go straight from putting together hamburgers and arranging fries on the plate with his bare hands that were then put into the pickup area to be served back to picking up raw items for the grill again. But I suppose that's not any worse than the employees who did wear gloves and went from task to task with the same pair on - touching cupboard handles and cleaning rags straight to grabbing cheese all with the same pair of gloves. And the curly hair laying on top of my food was certainly from one of the 2 men working in the back who had goatees with no hair covering. I hope management takes accountability for these health violations because it would be a good place to eat otherwise. read more

The food was great. We were a group of 3 and ordered 3 meals and a French toast. The waitress warned us it was a lot of food. We said it was alright we would take it to go if we couldn't finish it. However we finished most of everything except for a pancake or 2. The chef ended up coming out and saying he couldn't believe we had actually finished so much food. It was incredibly rude and humiliating . I will NEVER return to this location. read more

Great diner food in a convenient location. Wait staff is always friendly and helpful and the food does not disappoint especially if you are looking for traditional diner faire. read more

I have gotten pick up twice in last few months. Omelet both times. Must be same cook. Small and rubbery. A lot of money for such poor representation. read more

One and done at Metro Diner. I've heard from a couple of people over the past couple of years this is a good place to eat and Monday night my son and I were looking for somewhere to have a healthy (my requirement) dinner so I pulled up the menu on Yelp and decided to give it a try. It was at 1/3 capacity, based on the number of tables, and only 2 waitresses serving them. It took longer than I'd like to be seated and my son wanted to leave as soon as we sat down. Drinks came out quickly (tea and water aren't hard to prepare) and while the waitress was attentive until we ordered, it went downhill from there. I got the salmon, asked for it to be cooked rare/Med. Rare, and rather than mash potatoes (remember, I'm trying to be healthy) I subbed for a side salad. My son wanted a kids cheese burger, cheese and ketchup only and since they serve grits all day, he chose that as his side. Our food came out relatively fast and my salad with my meal (she didn't ask if I wanted it beforehand, or I would've said "yes, please". My son's burger was absolutely plain and it took a good 5 mins to wave someone down (twice) to ask for cheese. The second time, and friendly man whom I presume was the manager was friendly and rather than bring a slice of cheese as the waitress said she would do, after asking what kind of cheese he'd like, he took my son's burger and broiled the cheese on the burger. The bun was shiny and looked really good and he ended up eating all of it...while waiting for....you guessed it if you're a Southener, more cheese for his tiny bowl of grits. Since we asked the waitress Bc the manager was MIA, he never got the slice of a cheese nor shredded cheese for the grits before he finished the 5 bite bowl. She walked by more than once and never glanced our way. After he was done and I'd finally taken a bite of my slightly overcooked salmon, she appeared and we asked for another bowl of grits with extra cheese, thinking it'd be the same small size. This time, it was double the size and pouring over with cheese (much to my 11 yr old's delight!). The salad was pretty good. Ironically, when I ordered. I asked for no cheese. Rather than croutons, They put a few broken strips of fried tortillas and they were so tasty! My son ate most of them while waiting on the dang cheese and since everything came out at once, I was having a hard time going back and fourth between my salad and meal as he was anxious about the dang cheese. lol The green beans, while not canned, lacked any flavor at all. The salmon was okay for frozen salmon but at $16.99, I can't say it was worth it. I realize their menu may be altered and staff reduced Bc of Covid, but I doubt we'll be back. I hate giving bad reviews and if it wasn't for the nice manager interaction with us for 2 minutes, it'd only be 2 stars I'd offer the place....especially after they charged us $.75 for the cheese. Ha! read more

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Well well well I'm so disappointed in this place. Me and my girlfriend have been absolutely dying to try Metro. We love diners and a lot of people hyped this place up and it just didn't impress me at all. We arrived around 8:00 a.m which was perfect timing. We came in and we got to choose our own seats so this right here was the best part of my Metro experience. So, my girl ordered the infamous Chicken and Waffles and boy were we disappointed. First of all it was extremely salty I mean very extreme and it also had a very funny texture like maybe it sat in some kind of overly salted brine for way too long. The waffle was your typical continental breakfast waffle with a flavorless strawberry butter. I ordered the 2 egg breakfast with a biscuit, hasbrowns, bacon, cheese eggs and a side of grits. Let me start with the positive. The grits were A1, very creamy and I really enjoyed them. The hash browns were cooked to perfection but very bland but I'm so thankful because it balanced off the salty chicken that I ate off my girlfriends plate. The bacon very flavorless and just not impressive. Eggs nothing to talk about and the biscuit ahhh nothing. This place just made me say hey maybe I should just cook at home because I'm tired of wasting 30 plus dollars at these restaurants. Maybe I will try them again in Vestavia maybe not.. read more

Love this place!!! Love this place!!! Love this place!! The staff is friendly, the good comes out quick and it's delicious! I took my family here for brunch and my oh my!! WARNING!! The servings are bigger than normal!! read more

Metro Diner - Diners Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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We ordered delivery tonight. The two entrees we ordered were the fish and chips and shepherds pie. Both were barely edible. The fish was light and flakey and appeared to be well cooked, but something in the batter just wasn't edible for me. I am not sure if it was something in the batter or squeezed over the top, but it gave the fish a medicine like smell and taste. I ate about 1/4th of my fish before I had to stop. It was just too overpowering. The shepherds pie reminded me of Salisbury steak microwave dinners. It was heavily salted and peppered. The meat seemed to be broken pieces of the meatloaf maybe? It might have been ground at one point, but it was in larger chunks than shepherd pie normally has. Maybe we just ordered the wrong things, but nothing about this meal would ever make me want to eat here again. read more

Metro Diner is the old school Diner that i've always wanted to visit. Their menu is full of the classic American comfort food. My wife and I were in the area and wanted something good and different. I'd bookmarked Metro Diner a few weeks ago and we decided to give it a try. The staff was very friendly and helpful. we were greeted by the hostess and shown to our table immediately. Our water took our drink order and was very knowledgeable of the menu. I had the Salibury Steak with mashed potatoes and sauteed veggies. My wife had the meatloaf with potatoes and veggies. The food was very well seasoned and there were good size portions. I can't wait to visit again and try the breakfast. The omelets and waffles looked amazing. If you're ever in the area and want something good and affordable, I suggest giving Metro Diner a try. read more

My first visit to Metro and at 11 am the place was full. That was the first indicator that the food must be good. Second, they serve breakfast all day! I had a hard time trying to decide what to eat. I had the biscuits and gravy and OMG they were so GOOD! Service is exceptional! Now serving Bloody Marys and Mimosas.... yep will be coming back!! read more

Metro Diner - Diners Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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We ordered all different items on the menu. Me, myself and I, likes the breakfast 24/7 And it was so good for dinner. Other members of our party got the veggie wrap, etc and it was all good. There can be a wait to get a seat at Times, but once your rear end is in seat, service is fast as is the food. Good eats. read more

Food was delicious... they serve breakfast and lunch and dinner all day... affordable too... will be going back!

Service is always very good. The food is always good. I've had chicken and waffles, breakfast burger, and breakfast.

First off business is interesting with bright and playful decor. Food was less than exciting, pot roast just wasn't as tasty or satisfying, the turkey was plentiful but wasn't what you think of having compared to Thanksgiving turkey, beans and rice was undercooked. Service was exceptional even though place was very busy. Not as good as I remember being at another locations experience. read more

PLEASE READ IF YOU HAVE FOOD ALLERGIES While in town visiting friends we decided to try the Metro Diner. It was on Saturday at lunch time so we thought we might have a wait, but we were seated quickly at a very clean booth. The waitress was very nice and accommodating. I ordered a fried chicken sandwich(which was good) but my 8 year old daughter ordered the kid's Chicken and Waffles. 1st problem was that all of our food arrived at different times(like 5 minutes apart). 2nd but most important problem was discovered when my daughter started eating her chicken. She said she didn't like it because it tasted funny, of course being a mom I started to inspect it. Turns out it was FISH! I'm so glad she didn't have an allergy to fish or this could have been extremely bad. 3rd problem was that I asked for mayo for my sandwich, it was brought to me in a small cup, the mayo was pretty gross looking with brown and orange things in it so needless to say I didn't us it. 4Th problem was my friend ordered Corned Beef Hash but was told later that they didn't have any cooked and when we asked how long it would take they said 6 hours!! This really bothers me, it shouldn't be on the menu if you're out. read more

Who opens a diner for breakfast at 9?? Sitting here people come and try to get in one after another. Very poor management to make a decision like this read more

I went to Metro Diner for a work meeting. There is a large parking lot but during lunch it does get pretty full. We did have a short wait before we were seated. The staff was wonderful and friendly. I ordered the Bissell breakfast and all the food was wonderful but the pancakes stole the show. They were by far the best I've ever had. A+ lunch destination! read more

Metro Diner - Diners Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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Ok seriously stop playing!! Another amazing lunch spot so close to work?! Located in the old Steak n Shake location in Inverness with dedicated shared parking lot. The wait was 15 minutes at 11:30 am so this place was jumping with the early birds! The menu has breakfast, lunch, and dinner items that are served all day! So many options that there's surely something to satisfy cravings across the board! I was feeling breakfast and ordered the chicken honey biscuit with a side of cheesiest grits and hashbrowns with onions, jalapenos and peppers. The chicken was delic! Lightly battered with a hot sauce/honey flavor that worked! Order a side of that strawberry butter for the biscuit - ya'll that butter was mm mm mm with bits of strawberry in there! Add butter, salt, and pepper to those grits and you are in the game! The food had me going so I actually stopped myself from finishing my entire meal to try the dessert special - Salted Caramel Cheesecake. Dynamite!! Perfect amount of salted caramel and sweetness! I don't even eat dessert!! Don't take my word for it, Ya'll see for yourselves! Co workers ordered the lunch special - chicken salad melt and American omelet stuffed with ribeye! Both also gave rave reviews! Will be back many many more times to work through this menu!! read more

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Love this diner! The selection is great; the service is efficient. They have a patio for dining alfresco. The breakfast is fantastic!

Poor service. Poor quality food. Downhill since COVID. Cook your own meals at home or go elsewhere.

First visit, will not be my last. Excellent service and food. I got the biscuit and sausage gravy which comes with two eggs, and hash browns or grits. Got scrambled eggs and the grits with added cheese. Oh my goodness. The best breakfast I've ever had. Hands down. My daughter got the stuffed apple waffle. Mascarpone/ cream cheese mixture with sliced REAL apples and cinnamon. SO delicious. Waited approximately 30 minutes for a table, which was definitely worth it. Arrived at 11 a.m. on a Sunday. I will be back. Again and again. Kudos to you guys! read more

Overall a good experience. I ordered the Avocado Veggie Wrap and fruit as a side. The Wrap came with black beans, fried jalapeños, carrots, cheese, spinach, and onions. The Wrap was good for sure, but nothing spectacular. The atmosphere is nice and has a nice diner feel to it, as it should! The hostess was very friendly and walked us through how things work before we were greeted by our waiter who was also very informative. I still have plans to come back to try breakfast and I'll do an update with further details. read more

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Metro was awesome and ranked a 5 star when it first debuted. However, their menu changes and product degradations lowered it to 4 star rank. The to die for bacon has been replaced with run of the mill thin cheap stuff with average flavor. The inconsistency of how they cook it is like a box of chocolate's, you never know if its crispy or undercooked rubbery fat. Once upon a time they made a thanksgiving stuffing Belgian waffle with turkey and gravy. Oddly, it was superb and really worked. A pleasant surprise. That innovation seems to have left Metro for staid diner cuisine. While it's still good food, it has become a staple normal diner. A welcome addition to the area for some diversity of food but they could easily get back that flare they had when they opened. Unsure why or what changed but I miss that energy and flare. 8/10 because there is always that one off chance you could leave there with an average impression more than once. Metro, get it together and bring back that passion! read more