Terrence King

One of the most reliable restaurants in town. You will never be disappointed, this is the ultimate meat and three. Something for even the most pickiest eaters.

T. Dallas

Simply put...it's cafeteria-style dining, and I like it. It's just a distance away from me. I convinced my two aunts to get out for lunch on a Monday. Well...there isn't much to convince for one of them 🤣. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I love the "sitters". It's one individual with no seating chart, no host stand, no tablet, no paperb just eyes and skills. He/she scours the restaurant for tables. They remind me of the church usher. It's a system that works! They're not open on Sundays. If they were... they'd probably never get home. The parking lot is always full of diners rotating through for lunch and dinner. The staff keep the line moving. If you've never been before, it would be wise of you to actually pay attention to the food selections as you slowly walk the line because once you are at the counter, there's no pondering. I have not found a single restaurant that cooks whole, boiled okra. Yes, I love boiled okra. They season it to my liking and I can eat it with or without my greens. This time around, I had a side of diced, stewed tomatoes, a side of cabbage and a side of boiled okra. I think I had meat as well with cornbread. I have that type of aunt that thinks she can get rolls and still ask me for some of my cornbread 😂. I can't make my life up guys. I don't think I've ever taken pictures.

A Means

So this is an old family favorite since I was a child, and I've been away from Birmingham for 20 years now . When we dined here yesterday everything was just as I remembered including a hearty and delicious homemade meal!! Hallelujah Happy! I went with my husband and in-laws and we were all pleased. To make it better most of the staff I remember are still there, serving up smiles, love and good food! Thankful for Niki's West to making coming home a treat!

Stuart Ashworth

Best restaurant in Birmingham! +UPDATE+ I just ate here again and got the lemon pepper catfish with extra filet, spinach and Mac. Everything is perfect.

Sravan A

Such a wonderful place. Takes you back to the olden days. I like how they kept the same old tradition, lovely to see people working there, very happy and content with their jobs. You don't see people working their whole life at the same job, unless they are very very happy. I see that here with multiple employees. This place can be added to a list of things to do in Birmingham to experience history of Birmingham. Always, delicious food. They keep it interesting with rotating menus and takes you back in time. Not many places like this exist anymore. I would do anything to keep this open if it's near where I live.

+10

Kathryn Gladden

We had a wonderful time. The food was delicious. I recommend I recommend I recommend this is a must stop, we shall go back.

+4

Renee H

My colleague recommended this spot for lunch as we were working nearby. She stated it’s always packed and boy was it! The parking lot has lots of spaces and an addition parking lot across the side street. Still, you may have a challenge finding a spot. For those of you familiar with K&W, this is very much like that. Cafeteria style, grab a tray and utensils then walk down the food displays and pick your meat, veggies, breads and desserts. You’ll get a ticket at the end of the line but you won’t pay until you leave. There was a gentleman that escorted us to a table. I didn’t experience that at K&W but it seemed to be helpful to keep the flow of things going smoothly. Servers will bring you your drink and anything else you may by way of condiments. I had the Greek chicken, which I thought would be more like chicken souvlaki in a skewer. In a rush, I didn’t look and it was baked chicken in Greek seasonings. I also got the fried green tomatoes and a side of rutabaga. Did I know what rutabaga was? No. But I liked the bright orange color of it and I’m adventurous. It was delicious and light. It’s a cross between turnips and cabbage. I enjoyed it! A little pricey for a lunch, in my opinion. But it’s fast and the food is fresh and tasty. I also had enough left over to take it home, so considering that’d the price wasn’t bad at all. I realized while making this review that there is a discounted price if you pay cash.

Robert Coveny

What can be said that has not already been said? Outstanding service, solid food offerings, reasonable prices. If you want classic southern meat and 3 (plus plus plus), you owe it to yourself and your family to spend 2 hours at Niki’s. You will not be disappointed!

James Hicks

I really liked this restaurant. Really busy at this time of day, line was long but quick! The food was really good, I usually take pics before I eat, but I could not wait, so the pic shows how good the food was. One thing, it is on the expensive side, so be prepared. I had Greek baked chicken, okra, butter beans, boiled potatoes and a side salad with ranch. I ate every bite! The food was delicious and the server was very attentive. I can't eat here often, but when I can, I will! Nuff said...

A Birmingham staple and one of my favorites. Love coming here. It has been a few years since I've been here, and I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen again! I got the Greek chicken, fried okr…

Nikis for lunch again on a Tuesday. Hamburger steak with gravy and onions, mixed beans, fried green tomatoes and warm banana pudding. Served with a yeast roll and a corn muffin. You need that extra m…

Nikis for lunch again on a Tuesday. hamburger steak with gravy and onions, mixed beans, fried green tomatoes and warm banana pudding. Served with a yeast roll and a corn muffin. You need that…

Absolutely the best meat and vegetable restaurant in Birmingham! I eat there regularly! Such wonderful people who work there! They are truly thankful for their job! ambiance is quaint and very nice!

Absolutely the best meat and vegetable restaurant in Birmingham! I eat there regularly! Such wonderful people who work there! They are truly thankful for their job! Ambiance is quaint and very nice!

Always quick. Was discouraged when saw line was three deep. But found it moved quickly. I had chicken and mashed potatoes(real ones not instant). Husband had catfish, squash casserole and peach cob…

Food: largest meat and three options in the south. \nService: Outstanding as always \nAmbiance: plenty of parking for even the busiest of times. Inside southern hospitality.

Food: largest meat and three options in the south. \nService: Outstanding as always \nAmbiance: plenty of parking for even the busiest of times. Inside southern hospitality.

Always love eating here. The greek chicken and fried green tomatoes are to die for -- and their rolls. The interior is cool, too.

My colleague recommended this spot for lunch as we were working nearby. She stated it's always packed and boy was it! The parking lot has lots of spaces and an addition parking lot across the sid…

Food is delicious. waitress very courteous and attentive. Prices good. Only negative I can say sweet tea wasn't sweet. I guess very little sugar

Love this Restaurant!!! The service is excellent and their food is amazing!!! The atmosphere is rather pleasant as well. Enjoy

No matter how long the line it's always going to be worth the wait. Best Meat and Three/Four to be found in Birmingham. Food served cafeteria style with an almost endless daily menu of your choice …

There is something for everyone. You can pretty much pick from 50 offerings. The fried veal, collard greens and apple cobbler were my favorites. My sister loved the fried green tomatoes. There was no…

This food, service, and efficiency can not be beat. Our food was delicious and reasonably priced. The bread pudding was to die for!!!

This food, service, and efficiency can not be beat. Our food was delicious and reasonably priced. The bread pudding was to die for!!!

This food, service, and efficiency can not be beat. Our food was delicious and reasonably priced. The bread pudding was to die for!!!

This food, service, and efficiency can not be beat. Our food was delicious and reasonably priced. The bread pudding was to die for!!!

My husband and I enjoyed Greek chicken, lamb, fried okra, pinto beans, rice and gravy, and mashed potatoes. dessert was banana pudding and peach cobbler.

My husband and I enjoyed Greek chicken, lamb, fried okra, pinto beans, rice and gravy, and mashed potatoes. Dessert was banana pudding and peach cobbler.

My husband and I enjoyed Greek chicken, lamb, fried okra, pinto beans, rice and gravy, and mashed potatoes. dessert was banana pudding and peach cobbler.

First time here. Very impressed. meat, three sides and tea plus tax was about $20. Lots of choices. I had bbq pork, salad, green beans, Mac n cheese and two rolls.

Feel good Southern food. It's relatively cheap compared to up North. Three sides and meat with the bread of choice only $14. Desserts are only $4?, but the food is VERY Good . One girl came in…

Feel good Southern food. It's relatively cheap compared to up North. Three sides and meat with the bread of choice only $14. desserts are only $4?, but the food is VERY Good . One girl came in…

Feel good Southern food. It's relatively cheap compared to up North. Three sides and meat with the bread of choice only $14. Desserts are only $4?, but the food is VERY Good . One girl came in…

Just Great Fresh Food served QUICKLY thru the Buffet Line. Great parking, Even BIG trucks can park across the Street...Farmers Market Wholesale. Never have had a Bad bite. This place is a SOUTH…

Delicious Southern Food is served here & the service is excellent! Here in Alabama this is know as one of our very Best meat & Three. Selections are great as you go through the steam table line whe…

This restaurant has a lot of good homemade dishes - meats, veggies & desserts! Niki’s is a family owned & run business where pride in serving great food is obvious. It is large & that is important…

Debbie Parks

Niki’s is cafeteria style. The food is always very good, but the bread is always room temperature at best. They have a large variety of meats, vegetables, salads and desserts. They push you through the line a little too fast for me. I need a minute to decide what I want but they don’t give you much time even if they’re not crowded. You can easily spend $45 for two people. The wait staff is efficient and attentive. They’ve been around for many years but after Covid they reduced their days and hours. They are now closed on nights and weekends. Their bathrooms could use an update and/or a deep cleaning. We still go there occasionally because the food is good.

Thia Chambers

I was born and raised right on the Northside of Birmingham and had never been to Niki's West. I'd heard about how great the food was and so many positives. So, I had it on my bucket list to try it. I ordered steak, corn, and cabbage. And I wasn't disappointed. My son enjoyed his meal as well. And the place was huge. So, don't let a full parking lot deter you from stopping. There is plenty of room to accommodate.

+3

John

It is a unique concept to bring back high school cafeteria memories. The prices are reasonable with many side dash choices. The taste isn't too bad. This place gets really packed during lunch hours. The line moves very fast, so know your orders ahead. The meat+3 is more than enough for lunch because the portion is big. Big parking lot, so no worries, looking for a spot during rush hours.

+2

This was our first time at a "meat and 3" and it did not disappoint! We should have gotten a meat and 1 because it was a ton of food. I only got 2 sides but we both got a dessert and a bread. The…

chicken was like rubber with small tough chicken pieces. Am I wrong, but are the vegetables served in smaller bowls now? I have eaten here for many years. Deserts are still good and you can do bet…

chicken was like rubber with small tough chicken pieces. Am I wrong, but are the vegetables served in smaller bowls now? I have eaten here for many years. Deserts are still good and you can …

Jason Baldwin

Classic cafeteria line meat-and-three. Huge selection, line moves quickly, and plenty of seating. Food is reliably good. BUT, they don't have a functioning website (haven't for months), and they don't keep their hours current on Google. So I drove 20 minutes on a normal business day to find they were closed for two weeks. A friend had a similar experience recently. It's 2025 (almost 2026)! Have your hours of business accurately listed online! I definitely wouldn't drive here again without calling first.

Mindy Roy

My husband and I went to Niki's West for the first time knowing it was somewhat legendary. Honestly though, we were mildly disappointed in the food. It was ok, but nothing spectacular. For home cooking in the south, you can do much better elsewhere. The atmosphere was what you'd expect, nothing fancy but comfortable and clean. Our waitress was exceptional though. She was very attentive and we had everything we needed from ketchup to to-go drinks.

I'm on this side of town quite often these days so I decided to go to Niki's West. I haven't been here in yearsssss, but see they are still going strong with a crowded parking lot, line out the doo…

My mom and I had a late lunch here on 06/10/25. I left full but not fulfilled. The food just wasn't good as I remember. We both had veggie plates. Our server was nice but nothing overly great. Niki…

My husband raved about this place and said it was so delicious, so while it town we came. You need to make sure you get there early bc they don't have many seats and the wait is long. My husband ha…

This will more than likely be my first and last time experiencing this restaurant. Unfortunately as much as I wanted to enjoy the food overall it just wasn’t good to me. I had the fried pork chop dinner with greens, rice n gravy, butter beans and cornbread along with a slice of lemon meringue. First of all the plate was almost $20 and it only came with 1 small bland pork chop. The rice was hard and the gravy had next to no flavor. The butter beans were just ok, not great not bad just ok. The greens didn’t have much flavor either and the cornbread muffin was dry. Everything gave me the same vibes as hospital food, even the lemon meringue pie tasted like a sugar free dessert(it looked good, but it didn’t taste like what you’d expect it to taste like). My wife tried a slice of lemon cake and said it was terrible also(every bite she took had a funny taste so she just threw it away). Overall if you are going to charge almost $20 for a pork chop plate you at least need to give the customer 1 decent sized pork chop or 2 smaller ones and make sure the taste and quality of the product your putting out matches you price point. There are several other places in and around this area where you get a much better bang for your buck unfortunately and the quality is a night and day difference. Lastly I didn’t leave this review to be cruel or mean, but I believe in transparency and this just my honest opinion based on my experience. I hope that you all review this and take a few things into consideration and make a few adjustments.

Jan Bartos

Obviously, this is a very popular restaurant—the parking lot was full, and the crowd reminded me of the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld—you have to order fast! That said, my beef tips and rice were disappointing. I couldn’t have been more disappointed. I’m not sure if the meat was bad or if they just don’t know how to cook it, but it was not good. Plus the rice wasn't cooked correctly either. It tasted like it wasn't cooked long enough. Overall, it’s a nice meat-and-three spot with friendly and professional staff. I just wish the food lived up to the atmosphere.

I don't get the hype? We have lived in BHam awhile now and always heard positives about Nikki's. Went for lunch today and very disappointed. Wife got last piece of fried catfish from steam table.…

nothing!!! ... especially their staff! subject: my conservative, always-following-the rules,nephew! was turned away after driving over an hr,then waiting in line 20mins to be seated! ...tell me, wh…

nothing!!! ... especially their staff! subject: my conservative, always-following-the rules,nephew! was turned away after driving over an hr,then waiting in line 20mins to be seated! ...tell me, wh…

Their prices have really went up. $20 for a meat and two with a drink. Food is okay, but not at that price. Customer service is well below par, dues to being short staffed: the ambiance is dated fr…

We walked in the door at 4:15pm to a line of staff staring us down in an uncheerful way (they close at 5pm). We should have just left then. There was only one main left, Greek Chicken, and very f…

We walked in the door at 4:15pm to a line of staff staring us down in an uncheerful way (they close at 5pm). We should have just left then. There was only one main left, Greek chicken, and very f…

I don't get the attraction. The place was packed, the food was expensive, the staff was rude and our group of about 50 paying customers was told, "You have to leave". I had a plate of three vegeta…

I don't get the attraction. The place was packed, the food was expensive, the staff was rude and our group of about 50 paying customers was told, "You have to leave". I had a plate of three vegeta…

If you have low expectations and don’t care about the taste or texture of your food then this restaurant is totally for you. I can honestly say I’ll never return nor will I recommend this location to others unless they just want to experience the vibe. I feel gaslighted by the reviews left from others. I’ll start with the good. The bread pudding was great, very flavorful, very moist. I personally prefer bread pudding to be on the wet soft side vs dry. The rolls! Big ol fat dinner rolls. The only reason I would return here would be to buy rolls for a holiday or gathering of some sort. On to the bad. Fried catfish was tolerable, nothing I would ever think twice about. The bright orange Mac & cheese sucked. It’s very soft and mushy, lacked flavor yet had a very off putting taste. On to the mashed potatoes, sucked and had no flavor. Fried green tomatoes, bitter and lacked flavor. Corn bread = sucked. Collard greens, thumb down. No flavor, seasoning, no bacon or anything cook with it. Lots of steams and at types tasted bitter. Long story short there’s like no seasoning and the food left a lot to be desired.

Tape

I have to give them a 1 rating because I can’t trust them no more, They charge me $17.95 for a meat and two vegetables when it’s supposed to be $14.95. The food is good compared to other restaurants in the area. Everyone check your tickets because they assume you don’t look at it! This isn’t the first time it’s happened to me, I’m just reporting it now because it’s happened more than once. It’s not a mere accident. It is standard procedure for them to overcharge customers.! I see that the kids took over and are so greedy. They’re gonna overcharge everybody and treat people nasty. They won’t be in business much longer. Same thing happened when the kids took over Bessemer flea market, they shut down because of greedy kids.

Raven Dees

The food is not good. Lacks flavor . Arrived and the security guard advised a person with us he could not enter with a tank on . Wearing a nice bike set . Nothing showing or bad or revealing about the attire . The establishment is far from fine dining to even have a dress code .