Service was some of the best I've had. It's a great local place with genuine people. I ordered the famous Philly cheesesteak, but I was disappointed. It pains me to say this because the experience and people were so great. I've had a better philly in Birmingham, but I'll be back to try the burger and the breakfast I've heard so much about. read more

Rushed to get here and loved it instantly. Full of Bama/Auburn decor, place could fit maybe 16 people total. Got the Trash Can with Lid (hash brown scramble with sunny side eggs) and it was perfect. Can't wait to visit here again. read more

Salem's Diner - Trash Can with Lid at Salems Diner - Diners Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Great mom and pop style diner with all the flat-top cooked goodies. The "trash can with lid" skillet breakfast and phillys are great. Service is kind and fast. Seating is limited, but turns over quickly. read more

Atmosphere is great. Food is great. Order the Trashcan Hasbrown Plate -Topped. You won't need to eat again for days. They are know for their Philly Cheesesteak, but I haven't left the Breakfast menu yet. read more

This place is what I call the ultimate downhome-style American diner...staff and owner Wayne Salem are as warm and welcoming as can be...the coffee is strong and hot...the food is everything you would expect for a great breakfast. I had the Trash - can for breakfast...two fried eggs served over a pile of hash browns, green peppers, spicy sausage, cheddar cheese...totally decadent and delicious. To top things off, halfway through the meal Wayne brought over some homemade pear preserves for my biscuit side that was AMAZING. The next time we're in town, this place is guaranteed to get our business. read more

My wife and I have been there twice. The first time I had pancakes and bacon--very good. The second time I had eggs, biscuit, hash-browns, and SAUSAGE! This is the best sausage I have had in about 20 years (referring back to a little breakfast place, no longer open, in Oglethorpe, GA). It was deliciously spicy, but not too hot. The staff are friendly. The service is quick. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is the limited seating. Neither time did we have to wait for a booth or sit at the counter, but I could imagine that happening. read more

This place is AWESOME. Super friendly staff, awesome food, great atmosphere, and some of the best coffee I've had in a long time. Super reasonable prices for a ton of food. Definitely coming again. read more

I love this place. This is one of my go to restaurant for good breakfast. The staff are really nice! Great service! Great food! What more can I say! read more

Awesome place. They have a great breakfast. The philly cheese steak and burgers are also fantastic.

NO WAY HOSEA! After looking all over for a decent breakfast we ended up here, Thanks Yelp! It is super tiny with very limited seating. I was ready to go as soon as I entered but we were given the option of sitting at the counter so we did. As you are sitting here, you are staring directly at the cooks and can see it all. The place was not very clean. The cook kept touching and adjusting his hat (while cooking), which was absolutely FILTHY! I couldn't take it and actually left. My husband stayed because he was really hungry and he is more accepting of dives than I am. I simply walked around until I thought he was done and then returned. The fact that we drove in silence and did not address his breakfast, (even hours later), spoke volumes because when we have a good meal, we like to discuss it at length. I simply cannot recommend this restaurant. read more

This is the best restaurant in town and maybe all of Birmingham! Great prices great service great food great atmosphere and fantastic people. Chicken philly is to die for and every morning breakfast is a must. Can't get enough of this fantastic place. Wayne Salem is a restaurant owning God. read more

Don't believe the hype. One star is far too generous, but I guess it's for the 1/2 cup of coffee I wish I hadn't drank. Having been a regular cheesesteak eater on the East coast, and everywhere in between..... This place is below average and wayyyyy overpriced. I'm in town for business, and as with all my trips I love to check out the local, fresh, beloved restaurants. Let's start with walking in. Barely a good morning, the waitress looked miserable and was totally phoning it in. Granted, we can all have "the Mondays", but when you tout your place as a welcoming down-home joint, be welcoming to ALL, not just a few. The waitress NEVER came back to my table, and stands to the side on the phone. Meanwhile, the owner is fawning over a business man asking all about his job, how long he's done it, yada, yada. Then two other ladies come in and he fawns all over them too, asking them all about their day, what's on the menu, etc. the couple behind me? Same thing. As for me? The owner just tosses my "philly" omelet on the table and says "is this yours?" Did I mention there was a centimeter of warm, old cream in a little cream jug. Yuck. After my silverware was tossed on the table I started to dig in. First bite? Just ok. The "steak" was very tough and flavorless, perhaps food service chopped meat? Next bite.....RAW EGG. I mean the raw egg white membrane all through the middle of the omelet. Gnar. The hash browns? Tasted like flat top grease and nothing else. I had to season the whole plate beyond comprehension, and the super old bottle with a few drops of Texas Pete in it (the only redeeming quality of this joint) couldn't even save this mess. No one bothered to ask how my food was, so I assume they know it was pretty much garbage. And they knew that I was onto their sad excuse for a diner. I saw nasty Cobblestone Mills "Philly steak rolls" up on a shelf (NOT what you want a cheesesteak on), and watched the owner mix up some generic food service "white gravy mix" in a coffee cup to make the next customers biscuits and gravy. I took my check that was tossed down on the table, left 3/4 of the food on a plate, and went up to pay my 9.81 check which I wish I could have kept. Not a thank you, not a "How was it?", NOTHING. And guess what? No TIP either. then I had to come back to my hotel room and get sick from the nastiness. Thanks so much!!!! Pathetic. Homewood should be embarrassed by this place. It reflects badly on the city that has shown me such welcoming behavior all over town this week. If Jack in the Box would just bring their cheesesteak...... Hahaha! read more

Found this little nugget on Yelp. Stopped in after a visit to UAB Highlands. Only a 1 mile drive and absolutely worth it! Great dive, awesome patty melts, outrageously inviting owner and Johnny is on POINT with that griddle. Best breakfast sausage EVAH! Go! Just go. read more

Great breakfast! Love the owner Wayne's sarcastic humor " Just Eat the d*** Philly Cheesteak!!"

A true American diner. Had the Philly cheese steak omelette along with biscuit and cheese grits. The staff is friendly and attentive. They serve breakfast till 10:45. read more

When I was a kid, my dad and I would venture out every Saturday morning in the Vette, and enjoy breakfast followed by an activity of some kind. A lot of these were when we were living in Franklin, TN. The place we went for breakfast was called "the smack". It's long gone, but it's where I learned to love breakfast and the time with dad was priceless. All of that was YEARS ago of course, but the memories came flooding back when I stepped in Salem's this past weekend. Walked in at about 7 am and was greeted by the owner. He introduced himself and welcomed me to town when I told him I had just moved to bham. There were lots of regulars there and all were engaging and friendly. Got some coffee and biscuits and gravy. It was delectable. Chopped up crispy, spicy sausage on top. Perfect. Pour your own coffee in a good way. I'll for sure be a regular there real soon. Can't wait to try the cheese steak. I immediately called my dad when I left and can't wait to take him. No frills. Just tasty, cheap food and good people. Perfect read more

Best philly sandwich I have ever eaten! Everyone friendly and a real treat.

I have now been to this diner many times not yet for lunch. They serve the usual diner breakfast fare but they do it well. They also have some specialty/unique items such as a phili cheesesteak omelet that is out of this world good. I think any bham foodie should try it out. read more

Classic greasy spoon. Cheese grits were good and the service was great. Pancakes are nice and fluffy.

10/10 would recommend to anyone!! The food was amazing and so were the workers, makes you feel right at home. We had the philly omelette and the trash can, both were outstanding. read more

Best breakfast in Birmingham! Omelettes, French Toast, pancakes, family friendly environment. Lots of regulars so walk in grab some coffee and say hello. My family goes 5-6 mornings a week. read more

Says they close at 2:00. I went there at 1:25. They locked the door and told me they were closed. They were still cooking and people were still in there eating! read more

Best breakfast I've had in a long time. Had the two egg breakfast with spicy sausage. Thoroughly enjoyed my meal! My wife had the biscuits and gravy and I don't know which I liked more. read more

So glad I listened to fellow Yelpers! Amazing place, yes it is tiny but when we walked in the door the owner greeted us from across the store calling cheerfully "Cmon, I have a table right here for yall!" What a fantastic local find, we had breakfast and when I couldn't decide between the anything you could ever want to find in an omelet omelets and the French toast the owner just brought us tastes of things like his moms homemade peach preserves (wow delicious!) and their cheese grits. I recommend everything because all the other diners looked just as happy as we were! Look forward to my next visit for this philly cheesesteak sandwich...if it is half as good as the philly cheesesteak omelet I am in for a treat! read more

Such friendly service that makes you feel right at home from your very first visit! Cute, quaint place with amazing food. Can't go wrong with anything on the menu! read more

Great breakfast & lunch. Good food, super friendly atmosphere. But small with limited seating. Groups be advised! Philly Steak. Lemon Ice Box Pie. 'Nuff said. read more

Great Philly cheese steak and fries. Friendly owner and staff. This place is great of you just want to stop and get a quick bite to eat. A Homewood favorite!! read more

Very tasty albeit small and busy. But it's one of the few places one can get lemon icebox pie!

It was very good, fast, and friendly! I highly recommend eating here! Only down side is that it's a smaller place but fore sure worth the wait. read more

Super customer service were everyone is a local. It is all about Alabama football and the cheese steak!

Absolutely delicious and one of the best hidden gems in the Birmingham area. Their bacon and egg sandwiches helped me survive law school and their Philly cheese steak is out of this world. The owner has a booming personality and knows nearly everyone by name. It's a fantastic experience all around. read more

This place has it all! From the atmosphere of a small diner, to the amazingly friendly people (including Wayne the owner), to the slamming breakfast and great service! Its southern hospitality at its finest. Everyone knows everybody! Do not come in here and order something you can get anywhere; you will regret it! Order the "Hall of Famer" omelette or the "Trashcan" topped with 2 eggs. The cheese grits were phenomenal as well. ALL is cooked made to order right behind the diner counter. This place is MUST if you are in the area. We may stop on the way home for lunch since they have great reviews on their Philly Cheesesteak! Again, if you are in the area, do not miss out on this great greasy spoon experience! read more

Never again! We got some 5 " Philly Cheese Steaks with maybe 2 oz. of unseasoned meat & a few under done onions & peppers & 5 small onion rings & a small watered down ice tea for $8.99 + tax. One of our guys got a hot dog & it had pizza sauce on it. The guy who was running things is nasty tempered & grouchy & told the guy who picked up the order that it must be for a bunch of girls (one of us wanted extra mayo & one wanted none) & he said he almost told our guy they weren't going to fill the order. Neither one of the sandwiches had any mayo on them. Obviously the people who gave this place good reviews were relatives, liars or are satisfied with substandard food & service. read more

Excellent French toast. The absolute best omelet I've EVER had.

We came here out of our way on a road trip for breakfast based on reviews. I wasn't very impressed. The best thing was the customer service. Employees were very friendly & you could tell they had a ton of regulars. My husband had the Philly cheesesteak that is raved about as the best. It was very good but the portion size was so small. They should have a small & large size option. The other food was basic diner food. My biggest disappointment was definitely portion sizes vs cost. It was a very expensive breakfast for my family. And every one of us cleaned our plate & were still hungry! I don't think as a family we've ever all cleaned our plates while eating out! Food was good but we just needed more of it. Restaurant was extremely small. And very outdated. I understand the desire for diner charm. But everything just looked very old & cheap. This restaurant has great potential I just think it has some bugs it needs to work out. read more

Being from California I had a preconceived idea of what the people of Alabama were like and I'm here to tell that I was pleasantly surprised at the friendliness of everyone in the diner. The food was Great, the employees and service were great and I will return read more

The owner is loud, obnoxious, and rude. The burger was greasy. My friend said that the gumbo had no seafood and was watery. OVERRATED!

Reminds me of eating breakfast at my grandmas!!! Owner greeted me when I opened the door! Best sausage I've had since I was a kid!! Waitress said the owner has it ground specially! Great find in neat neighborhood! read more

Wow. Best sausage and overall atmosphere! Probably one of the best places, I have ever had the pleasure of eating in. Thanks to the wonderful wonderful staff and owners! read more

Would do zero stars. Very tiny. Walked in and no seats available. We were greeted with a voice from the owner behind the counter "it's going to be awhile". That was it. No hi it's going to be a few minutes, basically it was go away we don't want or need you here. Don't worry we won't try your business again Salem's Diner! read more