What We Mean When We Say "Meat 'n' Three"

The South is absolutely riddled with meat-n-three’s, and for good reason! When you can’t have your mama’s cooking, a meat-n-three is the next best thing. If you’ve never heard of a meat-and-three, bless your heart and here you go: a Southern meat-n-three is both a place and thing—traditionally a lunch spot that serves a variety of meats and vegetables.

In some places across the South (and Hawaii!) a meat-and-three is referred to as a “plate lunch.”  No matter what you call it, a meat-n-three is a magical Southern masterpiece, an often cozy, always casual, comforting place that makes you feel right at home. It’s Southern comfort food at its finest.

But here’s where a meat-an-three surpasses home cooking—the choices are nearly limitless! Nobody’s mama can be expected to cook every single dang thing you could possibly want (unless it’s Thanksgiving or you’re home from school), but at a meat-n-three, you can have just about anything your Southern heart and appetite can dream up!

If you’ve never been to a Southern meat-n-three, the choices can be overwhelming at first. Let us walk you through the process, and how to leave with the happiest plate possible.

Pick Your Meat

It's your first choice on the line and often the hardest. While the choices depend upon the establishment, popular meats include fried chicken and catfish, pot roast, chicken-fried steak, meatloaf, pork chops, and barbecue. Every now and then—especially at Greek-owned meat-n-three joints, you'll find a lemony-baked chicken (which you should totally try!). You may also encounter a spot that will allow you to pick more than one meat, for an upcharge, of course.

Pick Your "Three"

You've got the "meat," now you need the "three." In the South, we typically refer to the "three" as vegetables, but any good Southerner who remembers her food groups knows that many of the "threes" aren't exactly vegetables. Common meat 'n' three “vegetable” sides include peas, butterbeans, greens, fried okra, stewed okra, green beans, baked beans, coleslaw, hushpuppies, macaroni and cheese, cheese grits, cream corn, corn on the cob, stewed tomatoes, fried green tomatoes, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, potato salad, and squash casserole, to name a few.

On a nutritional note, Meat 'n' Threes are a great place to put together a well-balanced and nutritious meal. When selecting your '3', Carolyn O'Neil, a registered dietitian nutritionist, suggests choosing one starchy vegetable (such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, or rice), and two veggies, like green beans, collards, or sliced tomatoes.

You've Got One More Choice To Make

While the bread options at every meat-n-three are different, the odds are good that you'll be faced with one final choice: Cornbread, biscuit, or roll. Ah, the impossible choice! For me, it's usually simple—cornbread, but not if it's sweet. Roll, if the cornbread is sweet and the roll is homemade. Biscuits are for breakfast in my book, so they rarely make it onto my meat-n-three plate.

Once your plate is full and you've got your sweet tea in hand, find a seat and enjoy some of the finest home cooking you'll ever have away from home.

If you could pick just one meat, three vegetables, and 1 bread, what would YOU pick? Leave us a comment below and tell us about YOUR perfect meat-n-three plate!