The meat-and-three is the canonical Southern cafeteria lunch: one meat (fried chicken, smothered pork chop, fried catfish) with three vegetable sides and cornbread.

The meat-and-three Southern lunch grew out of Depression-era cafeteria service in the American South, codified across Alabama and Tennessee. Niki's West opened on Finley Avenue West in 1957 with steam-table cafeteria lines and remains the canonical Birmingham version. Eagle's Restaurant in Smithfield has cooked Black soul-food meat-and-three since 1951 and Demetri's BBQ in Homewood has run a Greek-American meat-and-three since 1973. The format is a daily-rotating board of meats and a steady roster of vegetable sides cooked from scratch.

Where to eat Meat-and-three Southern lunch in Birmingham

3 editor picks for Meat-and-three Southern lunch in Birmingham, ranked by editorial score. All Birmingham signature dishes · Meat-and-three Southern lunch across every city.

Make it at home

Serves 41 hr 30 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 4 bone-in chicken thighs
  • 240ml buttermilk
  • 200g flour seasoned with 2 teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • Vegetable oil for shallow-frying
  • 500g collard greens, washed and stems removed
  • 200g salt-cured pork (ham hock or smoked pork)
  • 500g russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 120ml whole milk
  • 60g butter
  • 1 can (425g) baked beans

Method

  1. Marinate the chicken thighs in buttermilk for at least 30 minutes (overnight is better).
  2. Simmer the collard greens with the smoked pork in 1L water for 45 minutes, until tender.
  3. Boil the potatoes until fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, mash with milk and butter, salt to taste.
  4. Dredge the buttermilk-marinated chicken in the seasoned flour. Shallow-fry in 1cm of oil at 180C / 350F until golden, 6 to 8 minutes per side.
  5. Warm the baked beans in a small pot.
  6. Plate each portion with a chicken thigh, a scoop of mashed potatoes, a scoop of collards and a scoop of baked beans. Serve with cornbread and sweet tea.

Editor tip. Vary the three sides daily; classic rotations include collards, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, fried okra, butter beans and turnip greens with cornbread.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Eggs.