Tip Top Grill in Bluff Park serves up food with a view | Business

Regular diners stop at Tip Top Grill in the Bluff Park area of Hoover not only for the old-fashioned diner fare that's served there, but also for the spectacular view.

Tip Top, which is housed in a renovated former Citgo gas station at the top of Shades Mountain, serves breakfast and lunch six days a week (closed on Sunday).

When my sons and I went last Saturday for lunch, the line was 15-people deep out the front door, and there were no empty tables to be found. On a beautiful, unseasonably warm day, this isn't unusual, so if you're going to stop by, get there early or be ready to wait.

We ordered pretty standard dishes ... two cheeseburgers, a double cheeseburger, a corndog, several orders of fries, a few cookies and four soft drinks. The meal was pleasant enough, but what you really can't beat at Tip Top is the view. On a clear day, you can see for miles in several directions, including a prime view of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Course in the Oxmoor Valley below. Trains also blow through the valley directly under the grill, a sure draw for young children.

Tip Top Grill is located at the intersection of Park Avenue and Shades Crest Road in Bluff Park at 588 Shades Crest Road, Birmingham, AL 35226. 

Katherine is a resident of Bluff Park, has three children and works full-time outside the home. You can learn more about her and her family on her blog, Grass Stains.