A small, unremarkable diner which happens to serve some very remarkable dishes for breakfast or lunch every day of the week, the Whistle Stop is a mainstay on the Birmingham scene. A large menu features an array of traditional items ranging from omelets to hot turkey sandwiches and foot tall meringue pies. Weekend breakfast specials, served all day, are a little more outside the box like crab cakes and eggs or French banana pancakes. Everything is made on sight from scratch including the thick, chicken noodle soup and the fluffy pancake batter. Their claim to fame is an on-site bakery, which produces the white and wheat breads served in the restaurant. --Erin Branstner

See more: Birmingham restaurants, American restaurants