Al’s Tavern

Huge menu and really good food.
Seating was kind of a mess. No hostess just seat yourself but what do you expect from a bar with a dining room.
The baked hoagies are the same type I miss from south west PA. I had the hit italian but added the hot sausage to it as well. An ode to the fireman from Michaels back in the old Cal U days.

Stopped in for lunch on a Monday afternoon.
No beers on draft as they were revamping the system to add more beers.
My wife and I ordered burgers.
They were delicious. Cooked to perfection and very fresh tasting. The buns were delicious. More like a roll than a bland hamburger bun.
Would not sub fries for the chips or discount them. It was a huge order of fries though.
They have a large and varied menu.

If it wasn’t for Unilocal I never ever would have stopped here. It doesn’t look like much on the outside… but inside it’s truly a hidden gem.
They have a large selection of foods from salads and subs, to wings and stromboli. Bar foods… but definitely above average.
I ordered the Sriracha Mayo Burger and it was delicious! Served on a ciabatta roll w/​chips.
I’d stop here again.

The food is good. The wings are good, and spicy! The homemade salad dressing is very good! But I have a few complaints, it’s expensive here, this is probably the most expensive restaurant in Altoona. It’s loud and crowded, and it takes a longtime for your food. The last time I was here, I waited an hour and half from the time I sat down until I got my food.

It’s getting three stars because they were closed early on a Sunday evening. ??? If I’m ever back in Altoona, I’ll try this again based on reviews I read on Unilocal.The guys at Beer World recommended this as a good «neighborhood tavern» — we can only guess and hope to see the next time we are there!

This place has been around for 35 years. The recipes have stood the test of time! My Bada Boom burger was incredible.
About 16 beers on tap!

This place is a bit pricey but food is great! Wings are fabulous tho expensive very good stromboli’s i recomend the verde or Cali boli!

What can I say. It is one of the most popular bar food restaurants in the area. Everything is cooked to order and there is plenty of it. Pizza, subs, salads, sandwiches, soups, are all excellent. It is a friendly place with friendly servers. Reasonable, drinks and fun also. Great for small gatherings and families.

Food is always amazing, love the cheesesteaks and wings and fresh cut fries. Wing sauce is tasty the hot really clears out the sinuses and guaranteed to make you sweat! Burgers are huge and delicious. Bottom line can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. It’s a great local bar with personality that is kid friendly. Recommend a stop at Al’s for those who never been, it’s a must stop in Altoona

Had Al’s Hooter sandwich which was very good. Also had the Mexican fries which were awesome. Worth getting.

Good stuff. They make their own rolls and the Philly Cheese Steak is actually shaves steak, not a steak-​um. I’d you’re down for tavern style food, this is the place.

Found this place on Unilocal
Went on a Sunday afternoon about 5
Ordered the cheese balls, bacon cheeseburger and garlic Parmesan wings
The cheese balls looked totally different than the picture I saw on the Unilocal page but they were still good
The bacon cheeseburger was VERY good. Bun and patty were the stars. Thought that since the French fries were highly rated for this place and one of their signature dishes they would have thrown a few on the burger plate but instead got plain old ruffled potato chips.
Wings were decent and generous but not great.
½ order was 12 wings. I was a newbie and didn’t understand their particular ordering with the wings and so the first order brought out was wrong but the waiter (reluctantly) took them back and brought me what I thought I was ordering the first time. I have had better wings
2 beers and a margarita came to $ 47.85

Stopped for lunch on tips from friends. Party of 4 on a very quiet Saturday afternoon to an almost empty restaurant. Friendly and prompt service was not stellar but friendly enough for a neighborhood bar.
I had a meatball grinder. Decent homemade meatballs with good sauce and nice roll. Served with potato chips that I didn’t eat as dining partners had really nice fresh cut fries. Wife had Italian grinder that came topped with a massive salad. House dressing was a good sub vinaigrette made with beef base. Parents had hot roast beef with fries and gravy and Cajun chicken salad and ham and bean soup. All good.
Will definitely return

Great home made food. Portions entirely too big, excellent bar and Waite staff. A real throw back location. Cajun chicken salad very well done, grinders, hogies all excellent

In from out of town for a few days and decided to check this place out… Really enjoyed the food and liked the atmosphere. I got cheese balls and a Stromboli and they were just awesome.

This is great mom and pop place in Altoona where you can hang out with friends and family and eat great food.

I’m new to town & checked Unilocal for ¾ star restaurants. I wanted small mom & pop type Resturaunts not chain. I went with my kids. We got there around 5pm & it quickly filled up on a Thurs night. It was clean, good service, seems to be smoke free which was a huge bonus. The wings were great. Super happy we checked it out, will go again.

First time at Al’s tavern, met a couple of friends for beer and a late lunch. they have a great selection of draft and bottled beer to make any beer drinker happy, served in an ice cold mug (the way beer should be served). we sat at the bar and the two guys that waited on us were the owners, I think from looking at the web site. they were friendly and attentive. the food was great the sandwich I had was a big Al, I think. it was very good. we also had some wings that were some of the best I have had. we will definitely be stopping back when in altoona

I ended up here because one of my best friends had just had a baby in Altoona Regional Hospital, and I was researching a good spot to eat. This seemed to get high reviews on here, so I gave it a try.
First impression was that it was really clean, and I loved all the old signs on the walls. It’d be a good place to watch a game, lots of TV’s. This is a non-​smoking place, which was a surprise. Our waitress was great. She gave us her suggestions, because I could have looked at that menu for a half hour. It’s HUGE.
We decided to spilt the mexican fries. They were good, but not really as hot (both temperature and spice) as I was hoping. I ordered the baked italian sub for dinner. Like the menu — this thing was HUGE. It literally had an entire salad on the top of it. I started by using my fork to eat the salad off the top, and evetually got to the sandwich, which was just okay. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but it just wasn’t anything special.
If I’m back in the area, I’d give this place another try, solely because of the awesome service we got. Also, my friend got wings which looked pretty tasty. Overall, it was a nice, fast spot to grab dinner.

I live three hours away and will routinely make the trip north to hit up Al’s. Okay, my parents live in Altoona, but sometimes visiting them is a good excuse to satisfy my Al’s craving.
The Baked Subs are some of the best damn sandwiches I’ve ever had, which spans a long life of hunting down sandwiches. I’ve drug people to Altoona for the Baked Philly and Italian, and they are never disappointed.
The two alarm wings buffalo wings are top-​notch, just the right level of heat. Sometimes you have distribute the sauce a little, but there’s nowhere I’d rather have wings in a town that seems to subsist on them.
Also love: the tray of fries. This is for sick, sick people. I don’t want to know how many calories are covered, but my friends and I maul these. I personally like to revisit my hick roots with the gravy fries, but the Louisiana (cayenne and garlic) are also tasty.
Atmosphere is great at both the bar and dining area, and they have plenty of inexpensive beer options. My biggest complaint is that they never seem to have any Al’s Tavern t-​shirts so I can promote them… have a nice day, dammit!