O’Carr’s

I’ve been coming here for almost twenty years, and I still make sure to come back whenever I’m in town. I love the whole O’Carr’s experience – the understated but good service, the atmosphere, and the delicious food. Their chicken salad is actually the best ever (and probably one of the best dishes in the area) and their milkshakes are to die for. My only quibble is with several recent menu choices. They took a huge number of cold cuts off their menu several years ago. This probably wasn’t a huge loss to most customers – not even to me, really – but it’s sad to lose another place in Birmingham that makes real deli sandwiches, complete with all kinds of odd meats. More recently, they stopped making the cream cheese and crab spread, which was amazing. Nonetheless, this place is definitely worth a stop if you’re in the area – understated, homey, classy, not flashy, not sterile (ahem, Soho in Homewood and most new eateries around here). The kind of place where the staff will remember you even though you only came back once a year for the last ten years, and where you’ll get something unavailable in any other region of the country (it is very Southern in its own way).

We just had milkshakes and drinks. All the employees in the dining area were seriously sour faced and stern looking– not happy AT ALL.

I now live in south Florida but when I come back home I try to get to O’Carr’s because I love their food. It is really good — anything you order.
Yesterday I made it in before they closed — got there at 2 and they close at 3. The service was horrendously horrible. The worst service I’ve ever received anywhere. We walk in and wait to be seated. The waiter just stands there and looks at us and then walks off. Another waiter — a woman with a horrible scowl — shows us where to sit.
Our order is taken normally. After food is brought we don’t see the waiter again until we physically have to find him and tell him we want coffee and cheesecake. He brings coffee but no spoons. We have to add cream and sugar stirring w the fork from our meal.
There were other service issues but enough of discussing it. Great food. Bad service — I won’t be back.

I had the chicken salad/​fruit plate to go. I’ve been here before the chicken salad is really good. Unfortunately this go round the fruit wasn’t that fresh. The banana shouldn’t have been put on the plate at all it was seriously gross and was brown all the way around. The crackers were stale this time around too :(
This won’t be the last time I go here but was super disappointed in the fruit and crackers especially when I paid 8.35 plus tax for this.

I LOVE THIS PLACE! every time i come home i try to get lunch here. their chicken salad and fruit plate is my favorite. my mom knows the family that owns the restaurant and they are very kind and sweet. they are a very hospitable restaurant and love their customers. they have killer milkshakes and cheesecake as well. definitely a lovely lunch place and something you need to try out if you are in the homewood area!

Two words: Chicken Salad.
Everything on the menu at O’carrs is delicious, but if you don’t have the chicken salad at least once, you’re missing out. My personal favorite is the Chicken Salad with greens… It’s ¼lb chicken salad on greens (actual salad greens. Not iceberg or romaine!), with tomatoes, carrots, fresh green peas and lots of fancy crackers.
Of course, one can also have the chicken salad on a sandwich, with fruit and crackers, or to go! O’carrs also has great soups and desserts… If you’re still hungry after all that chicken salad.
They’re only open until 2 or 3pm most days, so keep an eye out for that. The restaurant is also small, so if you’re dining in, be prepared to wait (especially if you’re trying to seat more than 2 or 4 people). If you’re getting food to go though, they are super speedy with your order.

Came here with my husband after looking at all the good reviews. We decided to order a meal that another customer had ordered. The waiter pointed out the meal on yhe menu. The waiter brought my food and knocked food off my plate onto the table. No apologies, no offer to clean up or anything. Instead I got an extra blank plate and a «oh you can put that on the plate.» He didnt even offer to replace the food, but rather expected me to eat what had fallen on the table. The waiter didn’t even bother coming back to our table.
Food overall was nothing special. I ordered the turkey pasta, and it was basically cold bland pasta with a chunk of deli turkey slices. To top it off, the waiter didnt bother telling us that there were extra costs for the turkey in our meal (despite the fact that the menu clearly noted turkey in the dish) so we ended up having to pay an extra $ 3 each. Awful awful awful service. The poor service alone is enough for me to not recommend anyone to come here. After eating at restaurants all over the world, I can honestly say this was the worst dining experience I have ever had.

O’Carrs how I miss you so often my Mom and I plotted opening a franchise in Charlotte (or can you deliver?).
I’ve been coming to this place for the better half of my life and everything I’ve ever had is fabulous!
Pasta with lemon/​oil dressing is a classic to-​go. Chicken salad & fruit plate is what I get 80% of the time. The other 20 is for that Asparagus Turkey salad.

The chicken salad is best I’ve had and with a plate full of fruit is one of most flavorful and healthy lunches around. Great food, great location.

Bad news first — the place is crowded… but then again, if people didn’t like it…
I liked the obligatory chicken salad, which I had in sandwich form. It was well ground up, flavorful, and contained surprisingly large chunks of grapes. Quite a large meal. I also ordered a bowl of fruit — which pushed the meal size over the top. My wife had the chicken salad salad. My son and daughter-​in-​law repeated our order so I can’t pontificate on other dishes; except to say that this 8 year old kid near us ordered the thickest chocolate shake that I have ever seen. He seemed to REALLY enjoy it.
The place has some 50’s atmosphere.
I would go back.

This is possibly the «ladiest» lady place I’ve ever been. That’s not a bad thing, simply an observation. The menu is mostly salads, chicken, fruit, and tasty desserts. I always know that I can go to O’Carr’s for a healthy meal.
You know what’s not so lady like? The portion sizes. I usually get the ¼ pound of turkey with greens. It’s way beyond enough food for me. The plate is not only adorned with the turkey and greens, but includes crackers, fruit, nuts, and is topped with a perfect vinaigrette dressing.
The only reason I can’t give five stars, is the seating. It’s a small room, so it’s usually cramped. At my last visit, they took it a step further and just set a group at our table. Not near our table, but actually sitting with us. It really wasn’t a big deal, but totally eliminated any real conversations that might have been had.

Look, I really want you to go to O’Carr’s. Really, I do. The food is delicious, healthy and satisfying, but please heed my warning – you must go before you start feeling even the slightest twang of hunger. Plan ahead for this delicious, deli lunch, because if you don’t, your stomach will be growling with anger before you ever reach the door. O’Carr’s is located in the very popular South Homewood area. So popular that you might have to take a couple infuriating laps around the block to find a parking space. It is also a very small, café-​like dining room that might require a small wait for a table if you go during peak lunch-​time hours.
After all that, you’ll be really happy you went. They serve up a variety of different salads, fruit plates, deli sandwiches, panini sandwiches and made from scratch soups. What I get is usually what everyone else in the restaurant also has in front of them – The chicken salad and greens plate. This is a salad that takes over the plate! It’s a colorful combination of greens, carrots, tomatoes, and peas in a light olive oil and lemon dressing. On top of that is a serving of their famous chicken salad and quite a show of different crackers. This chicken salad is so good! It’s shredded chicken with just enough mayonnaise to hold it together, the perfect amount of seasoning and some fresh purple grapes. It’s pretty, pretty good stuff.

This place has great sandwiches and fresh fruit. I love going here for lunch. It’s a great place to have lunch with friends during work or on the weekends. The staff is always friendly and courteous. The only problem is that sometimes it gets really packed inside during lunch,

I really want to like O’Carr’s… It’s a small, local deli that’s been around for years. Normally, I’d be all over a place like this but I just can’t say I feel that way about O’Carr’s. It’s really cramped, smells a little funny and the food is nothing special.
We’ve now been twice. On our first trip, I had the «must have» chicken salad which I found to be dry and flavorless and bordering on cringe-​worthy. Today was a deli sandwich which was good. The roast beef was medium rare and tender, the rye was fresh and had a nice taste. Sandwiches are ala carte so chips, pasta salad, etc are an up-​charge. There was nothing wrong with the sandwich but there was nothing that made me say «wow» about it.

The ingredients are very fresh.

the hubs and i had lunch at o’carr’s today for our first anniversary. it is one of our favorite spots in town so we had to go there to celebrate.
my better half ordered a turkey sandwich on pumpernickel with a bowl of homemade vegetable soup. i had the classic chicken salad and greens plate. o’carr’s slogan is «eat by color» and they really know what they are talking about there. you eat with your eyes first, and the plates are vibrant and three dimensional. the carved carrots and crackers that look like sculptures on my plate.
the service is top notch — fast, friendly, and has a real hometown feel. the food is unbelievable and the atmosphere is unlike anything else around.
i always recommend this place to out of towners who want a genuine birmingham experience.

Wow. Just got back from lunch and had to write a review. It’s been years since I’ve eaten there and now I’m asking myself «why so long?»
The service is functional. Nothing special there. Order at the table, pay at the register.
The atmosphere is what I call tea-​room girlie. Kind of a shabbly chic flare with a nod to New York City space dynamics. The tables are very, very close together and it gets really loud in there. It’s a small place so I’m sure they’re just trying to get as much revenue as they can for the square footage.
My myself and friends each ordered the chicken salad place with crackers and fresh fruit. Lovely, lovely, lovely — such a visual display. I wish I’d had my camera with me! The chicken salad is smooth & moist (e.g. not dry, but not mayo-​laden either) with slices of red seedless grapes mixed in and just a few chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans). The consistency is very much like a creamy pâté‘, not chunky or wet. The variety of fruit they put on the plate is surprising and beautiful! I had passionfruit, honeydew, cantelope, pears, green apple, dried dates, raisins, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, dried bananas, fresh bananas sprinkled with cinneman, and a muscadine! And the crackers aren’t your standard crackers either. Sesame, wasa, toasted flatbread, and whole wheat all artfully arranged.
My best advice — go early and go often.

My Birmingham friend told me she brings all of her out-​of-​town friends here. I was no exception. I just arrived from Atlanta, and she suggested «O’Carr’s» because they have the best chicken salad. In my head, I was thinking I can get chicken salad in Atlanta …
I met my friend for lunch on Friday and the place was PACKED with mostly women. We ordered the chicken salad & fruit plate because that’s what they’re well known for. In fact, almost everyone in the restaurant ordered the same plate when I looked around.
My friend did not disappoint. Their chicken salad is probably the best I’ve had. The flavor was absolutely yummy, nutty, not mayonnaisey like most chicken salads. It has some herbs (maybe dill) & grapes, too. I’m thinking there must be some other special ingredients … something made it taste different. The presentation was nice with a variety of different crackers standing vertically in the chicken salad. They also had quite a sampling of fruit — slices of red apple, green apple, grapefruit, orange, grapes (seeded though), cherry, mango, peach, nectarine, & then some dried fruits like raisins & banana chips.
My friend said the soups & desserts are good, too. Maybe for my next trip to Birmingham.