Newks Express Cafe

There are so many options here. I love the spicy shrimp pizza, any salad, lobster bisque, loaded potato soup, Newks Q, chocolate cake, & the sweet tea. Any of these are great!

I ate here for lunch and ordered the Pesto Chicken. It was horrible. The chicken was dry, burnt and in tiny little pieces. Savannah immediately noticed that there was a problem. She went and got the manager Trevor, who said they used the wrong chicken, and he brought me a new one. It was ten times better. Great customer awareness by Savannah and Trevor.

It’s always really crowded in here but there always seems to be an available table somehow. This place may get a lot of hate because it feels incredibly commercialized and the staff don’t even seem to want to be here. Whatever the issue is, I liked the endless amount of options and their pizza. I ordered the kids’ pepperoni pizza despite being in my 20’s. With four small pieces, I was left satisfied. With a drink, my total for lunch amounted to $ 8. The salad bowls were pretty to look at.

Frankly, if you park near the medical offices in the parking lot and see the staff smoking, cursing etc among bio-​haz bags spilled by the dumpsters, you might reconsider.

The prices were higher than I expected. My greek salad was huge and delicious. My husband’s chicken sandwich was bready and puny. I’d probably go back for the salad, but my husband was pretty much «one and done» here.
It was not crowded, but they kept trying to clear our table WHILE we were eating, and we felt like they were rushing us out. The busser told us to have a «blessed day,» which I guess is innocuous aside from the assumption that everyone else is Christian, but we’re also just really tired of hearing it…

Solid, convenient choice for café food – salads, pizzas, sandwiches, etc. where you make most of the decisions about what to include and they make it for you. I saw a number of large salads (generous portions, fresh looking ingredients) made for others and they looked very good. Chose the Toasted Italian sandwich myself, and was very pleased. Excellent chewy Italian bread with just the right amount of delicate crunch and a gratifying selection I meats and cheese, with a modest kick to the sauce. Super fresh creamy coleslaw on the side and an excellent tomato bisque soup to round out the meal. While not gourmet quality, definitely one of the better and more reliable choices of franchise quasi-​boutique food I’ve experienced in a while.

We were pleased to find a healthy place to eat in Tuscaloosa. I got the Ultimate Salad, which was delicious. They are generous with the dressing which is great if that is what you are looking for. If I went back I would def ask for the dressing on the side though.
The restaurant was very clean, and the staff was polite.

This place has great food, HUGE portions and everything is so fresh! Service is courteous, and quick. I had a great experience. Next time I find myself in Tuscaloosa, AL, I will make a point of coming back.

I was quite shocked that such a restaurant is located in Alabama, as the I consider Alabama one of the fried states. Which means there are very few choices if you are a person who likes to keep it healthy.
I love the variety of the menu. I got a salad and soup and both were very flavorful. I really had a difficult time deciding on what to eat. I hope to come back again to try other items on the menu.

Newks has been a great addition to Tuscaloosa. The «Express» in their name may give the impression that it is just another fast food chain, but it is not. The freshness and quality of the food/​ingredients is something like you would find at an upscale restaurant. Newks has many options-​something for everyone. The prices on some items are a bit steep, but not expensive. You can eat for under $ 10.
After studying the menu over and over because of all their great options, I usually settle on one of their gourmet sandwiches (around $ 6). My personal favorite is the Newks-​Q. It is smoked, pulled chicken breast that has great flavor, smothered in their outstanding white sauce, and is served on a toasted baguette. Their fresh bread is delicious, and adds tremendously to the overall taste experience of the sandwiches. Another great choice is their pimento cheese. It is also served on the toasted baguette, and is an explosion of different cheeses mixed together. It’s not just your ordinary one-​cheese pimento spread. It also comes with sliced tomato and mayonnaise.
Sometimes I venture out a bit and order one of their pizzas. For an «express café» they do pizzas very well. All fresh ingredients. My favorite is the BBQ chicken pizza. With a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce as its base, it builds from there. Topped with grilled chicken slabs (not the ordinary chicken strips, its thick slices of chicken like thanksgiving turkey-​style slices), red onions, tomato, cilantro, and cheese, it’s about as good as you can get around town. The Debra (grilled chicken and pesto) is also a great choice.
Their salads and soups are like their staple items. Both are extremely good. The salads are enormous. More than one person can/​should eat. I suggest ordering a half salad. And they’re piled with excellent accents. Their soups are better than Mom’s, especially their fire roasted tomato.
This is a café you don’t want to miss. If you’re in town visiting, here for a game, or whatever, drive down University to Newk’s. It’s always a great choice.