al's deli & grill

great food - horrible service. love the food, but the service is always inconsistent. some days i will get great service, others (like this evening) the staff seems to hate being there. i dont know who the old black man at the register is (possibly a manager, i hope not?) but he was a complete jerk to me this evening, simply bc i asked if the gyro usually comes with feta on it (and who doesn't put feta on their standard gyro??...). somehow i was charged $12 for the meal that on the menu started out at around $6.

besides being charged a different price for the same exact meal everytime i've gone, and the horrible customer service, it's a decent place for agoodgyro. too bad you have to put up with so much before the actual food is served to you.

this is the go to place for all uab students after sunset. the owner is always so friendly, the food isgoodand the prices very reasonable. big patio for outside seating. this restaurant became a must visit place in the area.

bit seedy but very reasonably priced withgoodportion sizes. staff is less than accommodating while not really being rude. being open 24 hours makes it one of few late night options.

inexpensive great food! never disappointed. baklava is verygoodtoo!

legend. a meeting place, a place to chill after a show or skateboarding, a place to go after the bars, or on a weekend afternoon. al's is unlike any other place, as it has been all the aforementioned things to me over years. al himself is a really nice guy. what other 24 hour place has this consistency & local flavor? filling & delicious! if the grease smell, pigeons, late night lines or the casual nature of it bother you,goodriddance to ya i say.

i have eaten at al's mediterranean since i was a student at uab more than 10 years ago. it has always been agoodplace to eat and very poplar. they are open 24 hours and the food is just plain old good. the place lacks refinement and is sometimes a little skeezy but that's only because of the volume of business they do there it's that good. i've always enjoyed the gyro and their chicken fingers and fries. for fellafel stuff i prefer purple onion, that's just me.

praise al. thanks for staying open when everyone else closes down. the food is mediocre, the service is mediocre, and the environment is also, mediocre. yet, they are reliable, consistent, and agoodmodel of an honest business.

bbq chicken baker. this monstrous thing is perfect for a late night carb load. get an extra bbq and hold the cheese and it makes it perfect. this is not something you get to lose weight, but hell, the reason you go to al's is a more fattening than the this potato paradise could ever be. there are othergooditems but this is perfect when you think you can't eat enough.

great memories, great food!. i ate at al's for the entirety of my college career at uab... i miss their chicken fingers and crave them on a regular basis... and i am a vegetarian now!! (that should tell howgoodthey are)

mmmm..... the bakers will make you fat. they are huge and super tasty. everything else is wonderful @ al's also!

when i lived in south side, it was awful to live so close to this place because it tasted sogoodand was way too accessible!

it's reallygoodfood for a really low price but it's too greasy.

late-night staple -. al's - friggin' love it - mostly for the atmosphere, but the food's prettygoodtoo. my friends and i usually drop on the place during the warm months to sit outside and people-watch, shoot the shiz, grab a bite, and all-around chill. it's located in southside so the clientele is generally uab students and employees, but others from all over the city visit as well. as a result, you kinda get a college hangout-kinda feel to the joint, which is pretty cool for those of us moving well past the college years. lol the cuisine is mediterranean/american, so you can do gyros, falafel, burgers, potato bakers, chicken fingers, etc. - essentially something for everyone. and the later the better - 24/7 operation, and there's no such thing as too late. the staff is friendly, and despite some of the people looking kinda sketchy sometimes, al's is pretty safe, with the occasional policeman hanging around sometimes for a meal during shift or just hanging to talk with the workers.

long story less long - al's is a great late night spot for somegoodgrub that's not deep-fried, or only suitable after 1am (i'm looking at you, krystal's). trust a night owl. see ya out there! ;)

awesome and horrible at the same time. it's great for a "downtown" hole in the wall restaurant. you won't find a better cheap eat for after a show or after a night at the bar.

it's open 24/7. literally. christmas. thanksgiving. 3am on sundays. always open. while that makes it fun and accessible, it also brings out some sketchy characters.

the inside eating area is small and cramped. the line is usually pressed against the tables. also, the intense smoke from the kitchen leaves a foul smell on your clothes when you leave. it's definitely better to eat outside - but beware, at night, outside critters are abundant.

the food is tasty. the bbq baker is a dream for those who like to gorge. they also have extremelygoodchicken fingers.

i recommend it, but it's not somewhere to take a date.