I had the opportunity to patronize Slide Cafe this past weekend. It was Valentine's Day weekend, so…read moreI expected a longer wait time. I decided to order on-line to help minimize the wait. My order was placed 10:26 and would be ready by 10:41 a.m. The email stated to come to the pickup counter once my order was ready. I arrived at 10:40 and looked for a pick-up station but I didn't see that area to directly go to. I found an "order here" area with individual kiosks that allowed for ordering prior to sitting. I walked near the bar and was greeted, asked did I have a to-go order and my food was bagged and ready as promised. Service and speed were on point. The previous location was smaller, so I was excited to see the newer location. The popular of the business has grown in the Birmingham community so it's grand to see the business elevate upward as well! The decor was amazingly designed, with black and white colors with an accent of yellow. This instantly created a warming spirit from within. There was ample seating, some located near the window which I loved. The remaining seating areas were spaced out great and even had a seating in a separate section that could host a wedding party, baby shower or birthday celebration. The restaurant offers a different ordering vibe, as mentioned earlier with the kiosks. There was a host present to assist with menu explanations, suggestions and order processes. I think this is smart, to prevent people from order errors and skipped bills, allowing the customer to be directly in charge of what the kitchen sees. There are plenty of options like, sauce on the side, omit and add items during ordering. There are some menu items that are specifically crafted by the chef so no modifications can be made to these items. However, so many items are available that something that may be wanted may be purchase a la carte. The kitchen receives the order electronically and the guest is given a number to place on their table. There are servers to bring the food to the table as well. The owners are the final point of expediting, which is brilliantly done. They provide the final quality control before the meal reaches the guest. This remains me of Gordon Ramsey service because it doesn't meet Chef Racquel's standards, it's not going out! With a name like Slide Cafe, the menu does include different brunch or lunch slider options, like steak and eggs (steak=brisket), chicken & waffle slider and break-fast slide with bacon and Conecuh sausage! How about a burger, grilled chicken or crab cake slider if breakfast is not on your mind. Omelets, breakfast platters (small or large), seafood options like shrimp or salmon and grits, pork chop & gravy, signature hash skillets topped with various house-made sauces and vegan options as well! Bottled soda, tea and lemonade were available as well as a full bar for mimosas and mixed drinks. They even have a soul food menu on the weekend with whole fried okra, lamb chops, jerk oxtails and more. I think that is perfect to take home if you come to dine in for brunch! Now, let's take about the food. I ordered the Catfish and grits, Chicken and Gravy slider w/ a fried egg and cheese and a House Lemonade. My total was less than $30, which I feel is ok with the amount of food provide. The slider was packaged in a Styrofoam container. The Catfish & Grits were accented nicely with garnish is a plastic meal-prep container, perfect to reuse for something else. The slider, yes, amazing any day. They are called sliders, but they really are sandwiches! The chicken breast was seasoned in and out, fried beautifully, crispy and juicy. The biscuit was definitely homemade and moist, fluffy, yet firm to hold everything together. I ordered the gravy on the side, which came in a 4-6-ounce bowl and used a dunking action to indulge. The gravy is homemade, rich and peppery. 10/10! The lemonade was not just powered Country Time lemonade. There was a real tangy and not overly sweetness to it. I drink some of it down and added water and it still had a nice flavor! Now, let's talk about the main course, the Catfish and Grits. This was definitely the start of the show for me. The fish is REAL USA farm-raised catfish, not that swai fish people sale as catfish. The fish was fried to perfection, crispy, flaky, seasoned and just right. I was nervous that the Cajun roux would make the fish soggy, but it was like the fish batter was perfect to still remain its texture. The Cajun roux was fire, with the perfect balance of peppers and onions. THOSE GRITS: Smooth, silky, cheesy, perfectly salted. I did NOT have to add any salt or pepper to anything. Slide Cafe receives 10/10 for me. Don't just take my word for it, go try it yourself! They are open Wed-Sunday 9-3! -DASC

I've waited a few weeks to give this review for several reasons. I wanted to make sure I was no…read morelonger upset once I shared my experience. My girlfriends and I came to Bham for the weekend to enjoy a concert. We were all traveling. I was born and raised in Bham, lived there for 35 yrs until I married so I was looking forward to seeing what new places my hometown has now. I never visit unless it's a family situation & never get to enjoy a sit down restaurant while in town. One of my girlfriends picked this place in advance before we made it to Bham and we saw the location while grabbing dinner Friday night once we all arrived. She was very excited to try Slide Cafe. She also lived in Bham for years while attending school so it was nice for us to see new places to try. Once we arrived the hostess (JB) explained the process to us and we were seated. I ordered a Coke Zero. The hostess brought everyone drinks to the table and I noticed I didn't have a Coke Zero but a Diet Coke and every drink except the coffee was bottled. Coke Zero and Diet Coke are not the same but no problem. Just inform the buyer what they're paying for in case they rather choose something different. While the hostess is delivering our drinks + (1) coffee...he's holding the tray incorrectly, he leans with the coffee still on the tray, and the coffee falls, the lid comes off, and coffee is spilling continuously. It's now burning the hostess leg running into his socks and shoes but it's also spilling into my friend's purse that was positioned in the chair the hostess was standing over. Hot Coffee has filled her purse, ruined everything inside including her Air Pods, her wallet, and everything else inside. Here's where I become appalled....No one came to discuss this matter until 30 minutes after the incident. It was an awful feeling. We waited and waited and it only made the (4) of us more and more upset. We had not gotten our food yet because this happened as soon as we sat down, only our drinks were served. By the time the Co-Owner decided to come over, it was pointless. She showed little to no concern about how she would correct the incident nor did she show compassion to a woman just like herself. They decided to pay for her food. We wouldn't be there if we couldn't afford our food! She offered to clean her purse but did not think her air pods were damaged or her purse should be replaced. The coffee had so many grinds at the bottom of the cup as if it was the last of the coffee poured and it was also all over her things inside the purse. This experience was awful for all of us. The way we were treated is what made the incident 10 times worse. Had someone walked over to us immediately to help us understand the incident was NOT her fault and apologize on behalf of what happened and showed sensitivity to a woman who just had her things ruined, I would have shared a great experience in spite of what happened but that is not the outcome. I lived in Bham for 35 yrs and I watched places open and close often. If this management doesn't understand that this is not how you treat customers then this too will be another place that opened and closed. If I ever visit Bham again, I will never visit Slide Cafe! BTW, my Salmon was very dry. Salad was nice but after such as awful experience, none of us could enjoy our food even if it was good or bad.

The food was delicious and had great portions sizes! The service was excellent with smiles on…read moreeveryone's faces (even in this extreme heat)! We learned about their Saturday brunches so we will definitely be bringing the family with us next time.

Classic cafeteria line, ideal for a quick weekday lunch downtown. You grab a tray, go thru the line…read moreto pick out your meat and 3, and sit down. The bring you a check to pay at the end and handle your drinks for you too. The fried chicken here is great. I'm normally a creamed corn lover, alas, none today. They have any sort of soul food classic you could want: cornbread, fried okra, pies, iced tea, etc.. It's not super huge inside, but things move fast. Parking is easy, there's a lot plenty big outside. It's been here over 50 years!

Very nice little place for lunch. I have not been here since several years ago so it was nice to…read morecome in to it today for lunch. It was super packed with people and even had multiple people behind us in line as we ordered. So it shows very many like this place for sure. The food we each had was good to eat and it was comfortable to sit and speak inside. To be a super historic place this is a cool place to grab some lunch and have multiple versions to select. The servers were all nice as well and the cleaning workers were constantly cleaning every single spot constantly so it was a nice clean and setup place.

Food was amazing service was even better. It is a small little diner with amazing views just across…read morethe street. Overall a must go but the food was a bit pricy for a random Friday

Wife and I were downtown looking for place to eat after an appointment. Wife was interested in…read moresome vegetables. Went by Fife's it was about 12:15, we were expecting a wait. Only one person in line, restaurant was basically empty. Looked at menu and noticed meat and 2 was over$14.00. We decided maybe it was not the place for us, so we quietly left and went to Alpha Charlie's out by the airport which turned out to be a great experience. I've been to File's in years past and did not remember the place to be so dark and drab. Feel like this places days are numbered. Sure miss the Social Grill for the ones of you that are old enough to remember that place.

This was a short walk from my Airbnb and being from California. I'm not used to single digit prices…read moreon a breakfast menu. This is my idea of a perfect diner. Solid food made fresh. A bunch of regulars chatting at a table. I wanted to try the biscuits, but there weren't any. The sausage was my favorite part.

I was looking for a breakfast spot this morning after an appointment, when I found this place. This…read moreis a busy little area with shops on all the small connected streets. Thankfully free parking was available. I walked in at the perfect time, just as the breakfast grill was shutting down and the lunch grill was heating up. I was 5 minutes pass breakfast, as told by the waitress. She was so kind and told me that she would ask, if they (he) could prepare a breakfast for me. The answer was yes, but no grits. Oh well, let's try the omelette and hash brows. I'm really not into hash browns but these were delicious! Crispy and perfectly round. The omelette was also good and fluffy. The coffee was a good robust cup of coffee. This is a real old school diner. Counter seats with a few booths to the side. No frills here. Decent diner food with great friendly service. By the time I finished my breakfast, the lunch crowd was starting to come in for a seat at the counter and booths. I heard someone say, this is the best Philly cheesesteak in the area. Anyways, this was a pleasant place to have a good simple meal with some awesome service. The only reason I'm not giving 5* is because of not being able to get the grits, which was my fault for not getting there a little sooner. I will definitely come back.

I came here at 6:30am on a Wednesday because I was way too early for work and it was the closest…read moreplace that was open. I didn't know what to expect but it was quite a pleasant surprise. I walked in and sat down and was greeted quickly and brought a menu. I got 2 eggs + sausage + hash browns and a coffee and it was all very very good. The service is great and I love the ambiance, it's definitely a cozy diner and I would 100% come back

Wonderful location filled with fantastic workers. My waitress Tiffany was incredible. And the food…read morewas 5 stars. We were there spending quality time and having a great experience. Music was great and the shrimp and grits were my favorite things of the entire week. I'd recommend this for effective service and proper food handling. Glad, I was able to be there with a special group of people.

ProTip -- if possible, join the waitlist (via Yelp!) before you get there! I didn't realize that…read morewas even an option so I landed an estimated 45 minute wait upon arrival. Hostess was very pleasant. Line to get on the wait-list moved efficiently. Our waitress, Caitlin, was wonderful! She was patient as I needed more time to decide on my order & as my two-year very s l o w l y placed his order request for pancakes. I ordered the avocado toast & enjoyed it! The restaurant is bright and has modern light fixtures. I really enjoyed the music! I'm an 80s baby & heard many of the songs that were popular when I was in grade school.

We came for dinner & the food was great. Service was nice as well. We came in the afternoon on a…read moreweekday, so there was not really a long wait. Nice ambiance.

My husband and I had a great dinner here after a long day! The service was good, it didn't take…read morelong for our food to arrive, and everything was delicious! The atmosphere is really nice, it felt cozy but still upbeat. I had the fish and chips with (I think) a cranberry slaw and it was so very good!! We also had a pretzel appetizer which was very tasty. It was a very good dining experience and we will definitely be back the next time we are in the area!

My son and I came here on a Sunday morning and it was quite busy. I highly suggest getting on their…read morewaitlist before showing up on a weekend. They are only open till 2 PM. It's mostly a breakfast place but they do have some lunch options as well. I decided to get the strawberry Tres Leche French toast, which was very delicious. It looked like it was a new item on their menu. My son always gets the same thing he got the Monterey club. Summer was our server and she was very good but you could tell that they needed more staff. He used to pay your bill at the cash register but now you just pay it directly to the server. Parking can be a little difficult, especially on the weekends. Our server was very attentive. I did visit the bathrooms and they were very clean. This is definitely a place. I have on rotation for breakfast.

Food first, thoughts after... I went here for brunch with…read morefriends on a supposed "snow day". It was so busy! From the moment I arrived, to my friends trickling in, to us leaving the front door was packed. I got the frittata rustica. This is a solid choice. Delicious and one of my go tos when I go to first watch.