Allyn’s Cafe

The food was good but the service was terrible. Our waitress, Rachel, was rude and paid little attention to our table. She was never at our table long enough for us to ask for anything and rarely checked on us. It wasn’t even very busy in the restaurant so I’m not sure why this is. Pretty bummed because I heard how great the food is (and it is delicious!) so I was excited to try it. Most likely won’t be back now that I know the service is so bad.

Our experience here was not an enjoyable one.
We came later on a Friday night and the service was very slow. The server said they had a big party in the back. Well, I don’t know where «the back» was but the main dining room was not near full. I felt like they should’ve had enough staff to cover it.
I finished my margarita (which, in fairness, was pretty good) by the time the appetizer came out. It was lukewarm on the outside and really hot in the middle, which led me to believe that it had been cooked, sat a long time, and then microwaved.
The table next to us that had arrived after us received their entrée before we did. I understand this happens sometimes, but after waiting so long I was a little annoyed.
We never received any apologies from the staff or management. We waited over an hour for food.

Great place.
Great food with huge portions.
Great beer and wine selection.
The staff is always friendly.
Only negative is the beers on tap run out quick:(. Need more beer!

This place really is like NOLA. We were in the area yesterday and looking for cajun, that’s what we got here. Even down to the unisex bathroom which I hated in NOLA too. There is a parking lot, but it only has about five spots, so I assume it’s employee parking. We easily found street parking though. We approached the back patio area first, but it didn’t look like an entrance, so we walked around to the front. I pulled on the door and then noticed the sign that said something like «enter through the back» or something like that. So we walked back and entered through the back, which is also where the wine selection is. They sell wine by the bottles and I even noticed that they had a line of their own wines. I didn’t try them though.
It’s a seat yourself kind of place. After we sat, we waited for what seemed like ten minutes and then finally we approached someone to let them know that we were there. Which was weird because when I tried the front door, two employees looked up at us, so it wasn’t like they weren’t aware that new guests were there.
We ordered the seafood sampler, added a dinner salad, and cup of gumbeaux. The dinner salad as they called it, was $ 2.95 to add to the meal. It wasn’t anything more than a simple side salad. It did come with mushrooms. Honestly, the greens and the mushrooms were less than fresh, but I’ve had worse. The gumbeaux was excellent and came with excellent cornbread. The seafood sampler came with one scallop which was the star of the show, a seasoned catfish filet that was so dry that it was the worst piece of fish that I’ve ever had, fried shrimp, and two small hush puppies. My friend had a pasta dish that I tried and it was excellent, it was a bit pricey, but the portion was huge.
Side note: bison burgers were not on the menu. I don’t know if that was just for the lunch menu, or if the menu is the same for both lunch and dinner.

First time ordering, decided to carryout. Ordered the catfish platter, wings and chili. The fish was undercooked. The hushpuppies undercooked as well, still had batter inside. Wings made with dry rub, very salty. The chili was sweet. Overall food was horrible. Don’t plan on going back.

They have some good veggie items, like the chili dog. I think something had soy in it, probably the chili. It tasted amazing, though. Like if soy doesn’t make you break out with big welts all over your face, then you’ll love it. I probably will go back, but not as often as I would if it were soy free. The hummus is good, though.

Average. It will fill you up, but nothing was great.
We ordered off the kids menu. It was okay.
I tried the chicken philly. It was huge. And flavorful, but a little dry.
My husband got the chicken soft taco — which was the same size as my philly, but for some reason, it was $ 4 more. Really?
For two adults and one kid, the prices are a little steep.

I have been to Allyn’s four times and have tried different items on their menu. I want to say they have the BEST quesadilla I have ever had in my life. It is not common to get good quesadilla though it is a very common dish in many restaurants. This is what I think why Allyn’s quesadilla is good: the nicely crispy (but not hard) tortilla shell and the warm, balanced ratio of meat and cheese inside as the filling. Yum! The quesadilla I usually had in other places had way too much cheese in it, and it just overwhelmed the meat or veggies inside. Allyn’s quesadilla is listed as an «appetizer» on their menu. However, it can easily be served as an «entrée» since it is big enough to fill you up. I love their quesadilla with marinated beef, and I totally tasted the chunky beef. The cheese and beef created a nice combination. Next time I am going to try other fillings. :)
Allyn’s is also specialized at Cajon foods. I tried their Cajun ahi tuna before, and it was well-​seasoned and well-​executed. Tuna was nicely seared and the serving is generous as well. I am not impressed with their Cajon fries, though.
The only complaint I have about this restaurant is, it is way too crowded and noisy on Friday and Saturday night. You will have to wait to get a table. Maybe I should not complain about this because a crowded restaurant means it is a popular and successful restaurant. I guess when I go out for dinner, I prefer a relaxing ambience. If you and your significant other want to have a quiet, relaxing dinner on weekends, Allyn’s might not be ideal for you. But, if you come with friends, you might find it fun. It depends. Some reviewers complained about the services at Allyn’s, but I have never had problems with the service. In spite of being very busy, our servers did their best to check on us and made sure things were fine with us.
The last thing I like about this restaurant is that their foods are reasonably priced. Most entrees are around or under $ 15. My quesadilla is around $ 12, and I ordered it as my entrée.

I would have given one star if I didn’t really enjoy the food for a reasonable price. Allyn’s had the worst service I’ve ever experienced in my life. I have served before so I can tell the difference between minimal effort and complete indifference. At Allyn’s the servers gave no effort. I will not be going back.

Overall I think the food here is really good.
The wings are fantastic, as is the jambalaya & the gumbeaux. Their sandwiches are good. If you’re really hungry I’d recommend the chicken phili.
The Mardi Gras pasta with shrimp is a personal favorite.
The one thing they do poorly are salads. They’re terrible here.

This place is a hidden gem! It doesn’t look like much from the outside but their Cajun-​style food is awesome! The Cajun fries are the best! Their menu is definitely more unique than other places, but they put a nice twist on Cajun flavor. I had the fish sandwich which I would definitely recommend and my boyfriend had the jambalaya dog which he’s been talking about ever since! We are for sure going back!

Your a joke my friend.
I’ve told so many people your restaurant is garbage.
Good luck writing more of these horrible rebuttals to bad reviews.
Won’t make your food any better…

I was very underwhelmed by my experience at Allyn’s. I met up with a friend who is great company and we had a good time. They were out of the first two beers I wanted, but the beer I got was fine. I ordered the chicken philly which was fine, but nothing special. I really wanted something to knock my socks off but it didn’t.
I had high hopes for this restaurant but it was just OK. I love food and I love a good restaurant. I don’t think I’ll be visiting Allyn’s again, there is too much GREAT food in this city to settle for fine.

Every once in a while I come across someone who has yet to experience Allyn’s and I go thinking, «unique menu, great atmosphere, and where else in the city can I get alligator that’s not a chain restaurant off of I-​275 (you know who I’m talking about)»?
The trouble is, every time I go here I get either gator, or pasta, or something Cajun and I go away thinking, «I don’t need to eat that again». For having such a unique menu, the food is only mediocre. There’s nothing that makes me want to revisit.
Crawfish etoufee and gator pasta are kind of «meh». However, I do have some items I like — namely, the gumbeaux (yes, it is spelled that way).
I’m sure I’ll be back here sometime in the next quinquennium.

Either my memory is awful, or this place has improved a *lot* in the past 20 years.
Yes, I was at this bar 20 years ago. I am that old. And apparently I’m old enough to forget things. Like that Allyn’s is actually a really nice place.
Here are things I look for in a bar/​restaurant:
* Belgian beer. And I don’t mean lambics or whites; I mean Trappists; something with a monk on the bottle (if not under the barrel). Preferably something whose recipe dates from the 1600s.
** Check. And it was local.
* Enough noise and people to remind me that I’m not at home; but not so much that I can’t hear the people I came to chat with.
** Check. And the usual happy madness seeped out of our alcohol and hovered all around our little table.
* An atmosphere with enough light to see the other patrons (and that they don’t look creepy) but not so much that I feel like I’m at the doctor’s; and spaces that feel private.
** Check, and check. I love the multi-​split-​level layout here.
* Wait staff that leave you alone enough that you can talk, but make sure that you have what you need.
** Check. And she was nice, and she recommended yummy things.
* Something to eat besides burgers. I prefer anything grown or raised by real farmer-​like people (or in the wild) to anything grown or raised in what might be called a factory. Plus it’s nice if it tastes good.
** Half check. They sell both Cajun offerings and quesadillas, of completely ambiguous origin. Who knows where that plate of fried seafood goodness came from? It looked like Long John Silver’s with a side of really yummy asparagus; but I always liked Long John Silver’s.
So, whatever happened all those years ago, I’m not going to wait another 20 years to go back.

I ordered scallops and they were extremely fishy. They must have been bad because I threw them up when I got home… Probably won’t be back. However, the guacamole was delicious!

The chicken Philly is tremendous. Add some lettuce and tomato, side of mayo– boom.
The spice on the chicken is perfect, and reminds me of a Peruvian rotisserie a bit.
Wings are good, quesadilla is good, Mac and cheese is good.
But really what separates this place is the chicken philly. It’s our go to place when plans fall through or the meal we cooked doesn’t go as planned.
Also draft list seems to be getting better with every visit!

I love Cajun food and I was wondering if Allyn’s lived up to what I had in New Orleans. I’m a happy camper!
I’d been in before just for drinks and that didn’t seem like enough to write a review on. On our previous visit there were five of us. We were lucky to get seats at the bar late night. All five of us are self styled beer aficionados so we got the run down on the taps from the bartender. The bartender must have been a real beer aficionado because in quick order we all knew exactly what we wanted and what we got was exactly what we expected. Great beer selection.
Came back in for lunch with a friend. It was afternoon, after the lunch rush and well before dinner. I arrived before my counterpart and plied the bartender for information on the draft situation. She knew all of the beers and had an opinion on them. I really appreciate that. For some reason it’s far too rare to find a bartender that will try the beers they have on draft and have first hand knowledge of them.
Before my friend arrived it was shift change. This is the crux of the only opportunity for improvement that I saw on the service. Neither of the bartenders ever introduced themselves. I hate being referred to as «Sir» and as such take every opportunity to introduce myself. I know that one of them was named Amber because that was on the check, not sure which one. I’d love to give the other name since both gave great service and I’d like to acknowledge that here.
This food is the real deal! I had a cup of the jambalaya with a piece of the jalapeño corn bread. Awesome! Don’t let the jalapeño scare you off if you’re not a spice fan, it’s not too much. The jambalaya is fantastic! Great flavor and consistency.
I took turns trying the FIVE house made hot sauces they provide on spoonfuls to find my favorite. FIVE! Each better than the last. I don’t remember the names of all the varieties because when I ran into the Habanero Mustard sauce I fell head over heels in love. I only have taste buds for you Habanero Mustard! Good heat, not too much but it’s definitely got a kick and AMAZING flavor! It sounds weird, right? Habanero. Mustard. I never pictured those two together but it’s a marriage made in hot sauce heaven!
I followed up by getting the Black Bean and Cheddar Quesadilla Rolls. WARNING!!! This is an app for no less than four people or a BIG meal for one! My buddy didn’t want any and I suppose I could have had half or more of it packed up to go and gone on to enjoy an entrée but it was too good! Great, honest, earthy flavor. It’s more like a honking huge black bean chimichanga. It’s served with a huge dollop of sour cream and stewed tomato which happen to be the perfect accompaniment.
Bravo on the flavor, the portion size, the value for your money, the beer selection, the wines, the hot sauces, the décor and atmosphere, the knowledgeable staff just all of it. Great experience. i just had breakfast as I am writing this and I my mouth is actually watering at the prospect of going back and exploring that menu!

Awesome food & employees! We have never had a bad meal or experience. I recommend the jalapeño cornbread — so GOOD! Very accommodating to our fur babies!
We have a goal to try everything and so far everything is awesome! Also get sidetracked from our goal with their great specials! Even the side salad is good with banana peppers!

My husband recently called me a «restaurant fame whore» because once I see a restaurant featured on the news or some other venue, chances are it migrates to the top of my list of places I want to check out stat! I saw Allyn’s on the Fox19 morning show not too long ago, and they had mentioned some of their vegan options. Shout out to Fox19 for helping me find this place — not sure how long it would have taken me otherwise!
Boasting a bold, colorful exterior, Allyn’s is clean and comfortable inside. We started with an order of of the Black Bean and Cheddar Quesadilla Rolls, a hearty and tasty appetizer. I ordered the Vegan Chili Dog with a side of Mac N’ Cheese, and my husband had a Garden Burger with a side of Hushpuppies. We were able to substitute our sides at no additional cost, which was pleasantly unexpected! My mac n’ cheese was a tad bit on the cold side but still incredibly tasty. My hot dog (which was actually a vegan sausage) was very tasty as well, but definitely was on the spicy side. My husband really enjoyed his hushpuppies, but was underwhelmed by the black bean burger. I thought it was tasty, but he didn’t really dig all the black beans.
Food presentation was great, portion sizes were hearty, and the prices were just right. I’d love to see Allyn’s get even more creative with their vegetarian options!