McAlister’s Deli

The service was friendly and the cheery décor created a nice place for an interstate traveler to sit down for a meal.
However, in spite of this amicable atmosphere I couldn’t help but feel as though I was being lied to; that I was dining in a chamber of lies and sweet nothings. My chipotle chicken sandwich and side of steamed veggies were what I would call: «Factory Food.»
The bread was perfectly proportioned and void of blemishes. It looked as though it had been designed on a computer and printed out of an oven. It tasted like that too (i.e. fake).
The rest of the sandwich was just as unimpressive and bland. The chicken could have been fake too, who knows? I couldn’t taste it. The same could be said of the veggies. The carrots tastes the same as the cauliflower. The entire ensemble was a soulless, flavorless collective of mass produced ingredients.
If you’re traveling on the interstate, then just go to McDonald’s. The quality is similar but you’ll pay less. However, I want to reiterate that the service was the best part of my experience.

I got the French Dip and applesauce. The best French Dip I’ve ever had hands down. My boyfriend got the Cobb Club and he enjoyed his thoroughly too. The macaroni and cheese is creamy and hot. Very good and we’ll be returning

This place is hit and miss, the food is good but the service is not always good. I’ve stood and waited to order for over 5 mom’s with no one at the counter or I have been there and ordered and recieved you food in 10 mins. It’s a good spot for lunch and their tea is fantastic

Disappointing salad to go! Liquid in bottom of bowl probably from chopped tomato & cucumber or squishy, cold thawing chicken. Sad salad in deed. Very nice register staff.

Great deli and had their signature club sandwich. It was delicious. The restaurant is large and clean and the staff is very attractive and polite. It’s right on and off route 66 and made it very convenient

Good sandwiches and salads. Prices are good. Shop is in a convenient place when traveling along 66 to 81 or the other way around.

love this place it feels more like the places in Pa where I came from. Its not downhome its modern and it has salads and light choices. Love their tomato soup and half sandwich combo. My only complaint would be: «I get the Italian sandwich and Italian subs should never ever be served «hot or warm they should always be cold» but since its not their «Norm» I will next time have to remember to tell them I want mine served cold.

After waiting 28 minutes for our lunch, we were hoping it would be worth it, but were disappointed. I had the Premium Italian sandwich, which should not be cut in half since the bread on one half was 3″ and the other only a short 2−½″ long. There was enough meat on the sandwich, along with a lettuce leaf, and thinly sliced tomato. But still, not a great value for $ 7.69, since the taste was nothing special. Also tried the bowl of chili for $ 4.89, which consisted of finely ground meat and an unremarkable chili sauce. I ate about half of it and decided that was enough. I probably should have returned the meat chili for the vegetable chili that I had originally ordered, but I didn’t want to take a chance of having to wait long for it, so I decided to try it. My wife had the Southwest Griller which was warm on arrival and average tasting. The waitress should have delivered the two sandwiches and chili on a tray instead of carrying them, to avoid the one sandwich touching her blouse during the delivery balancing act.

We pass through the area almost weekly. We were looking for a different place to eat at exit 6. Decided to give it a try.
This place is so-​so…
I had the New Yorker — 9.99. It was half pastrami and half corned beef. There was plenty of meat on the sandwich — so that was a good point. However, the sandwich itself was dry and not very flavorful. I even tried dipping it in the mustard. Nope… They don’t serve French fries so I ordered Mac and cheese for my side. Bland! Even with a healthy dose of salt and Tabasco sauce.
My wife had the French dip (7.69). When it arrived her comment was «what a chincey sandwich. It was about 6 inches or so (didn’t measure — so don’t flame me). When I asked how it was she replied «it’s ok.» Her side was the cole slaw. I tried it — meh…
The best part of the meal was the strawberry lemonade (2.99). Large glass and pretty tart.
We won’t be back.

So, tried it again on way to cabin, this is my second review. The service was good and friendly and the restaurant was clean and neat. Daughters’s turkey and cheese was fine, wife’s salad and soup was good. I had the New Yorker, corned beef and pastrami. It was stacked high and was tasty, except for the fact it was just corned beef, no pastrami on the sandwich. Sigh.

Stopped here on a road trip back to DC. Wanted fast and easy and a lady in the parking lot recommended this. Similar to Panera — bright, slick menu boards, soup/​salad/​sandwiches. Got up to the counter where 2 girls were working. One was on the phone taking an order. The other had her back to us and was assembling an order. Several minutes went by without either being concerned, calling to the back for help, or even apologizing or acknowledging us. By the time I got to order, there were 4 others waiting behind me. Unbelievable.
Some of the food was a terrible value. My bowl of soup came in a huge but shallow bowl and wasn’t filled — probably no more that 12oz for $ 4.89. The kids spud meal doesn’t come with applesauce or anything except butter. The turkey cranberry salad was OK and reasonable at $ 7.49.
Like other reviewers, I think the service will sink this place.

We are always happy with this place. It’s kid friendly and everything I’ve gotten has been tasty. Quick service without being a typical «fast food» joint. The southwestern Cobb salad is very good. We normally go on Tuesday nights and the place is clean and the service is quick.

Stopped here for a pit stop and was pleasantly surprised! I can not have gluten, so typically «Deli» worries me. However, I found out online (
) that I was able to get gluten free bread. I stayed simple and had them make me the ChickenCaesar wrap as a sandwich and it was really good! The gluten free bread tasted like normal bread. Really enjoyed my lunch there and would definitely stop there again when in the area!

Decent food, fast service. Like a fancier fast food joint.

Heather of McAlister’s (in my mind) is trying to make a difference in this business… for that I commend her!!! I’m a general fan of McAlister’s Deli and as a member of a small town (typically afforded the luxury of many restaurants), I want to see them make it. Since my previous review, Heather has reached out to me to gain my support. I’ve been back… and while there is still room for improvement, there’s has been a noticeable positive change; check them out!
My previous review: I’ve officially decided to never come back to this particular McAlister’s. In spite of repeated attempts, this place (and its management) continue to FAIL! The total customer capacity of this place is about 10. Anymore than that and there’s a total breakdown in service. Sad because this place has good food and potential to be great, but management doesn’t seem to CARE; it’s an easy concept.

We are not from the area but met family here for a quick bite. This was my first visit at a McAlister’s Deli location and the experience was very good! The staff were friendly and attentive and the food selection was quite nice. McAlister’s offers some surprisingly unique food options that I wouldn’t expect from a chain restaurant and the overall ambiance was clean and comfortable.
One of the real nice options offered on the menu is the «Choose 2» option (similar to Panera Bread) which includes things like half sandwiches, half salads, cup of soup, or a spud.
My wife opted for the Choose 2 of half a Sweet Chipotle Chicken sandwich and a bacon spud. I tasted the sandwich and it had a nice sweet and mellowed flavor. I chose the Choose 2 of a Muffuletta (this sandwich comes in quarter size for choose two due to it’s size) and the spud max. This was my very first time trying a Muffuletta and the bread was good and the olive salad on the sandwich gave the interesting taste and texture that really «makes» a Muffuletta. Would it be better getting one in New Orleans? Probably, but it was pretty great to get this in Virginia. The spud max was loaded with goodies and the baked potato itself was a nice quality and not overdone as is so common with restaurant baked potatoes. We chose the PB&J kids option for our toddler and not only was it a legitimate PB&J on wheat bread, it was actually plated quite nice as well!
McAlister’s Deli seems to promote two main signature items. 1. Their spuds which were excellent and 2. McAlister’s Famous Iced Tea
I love iced tea but opted to skip it as too many times I’ve been let down by iced tea bravado.
At McAlister’s Deli food is delivered to your table after ordering at the counter and plates will be picked up once you leave. If you aren’t sure if this limited table service requires tipping, they have a sign out that says the following:
About Tipping:
McAlister’s Deli pays it’s employees well to provide outstanding service to it’s customers. Tipping is not necessary. Any tips received will be donated to a designated charity.
Is McAlister’s Deli a destination location? No, but if you are in the area and need a quick bite with quite a few healthy options, give them a try!

It pains me to write a negative review, especially because I wanted to like this place. But that’s the whole point of this, right? Our reviews can help initiate improvements. I liked the options on the menu, the atmosphere was comfortable and had pictures of local establishments, and the staff seemed very friendly. HOWEVER, the food sucked. I’m sorry, I have to be honest. My husband and I ate lunch here on a Sunday around 11am — early, so not many people there. I decided to order a cup of fire-​roasted vegetable soup and a greek salad with grilled chicken. My husband ordered a french dip with potato salad.
First, the soup — a muddy red color with over-​boiled little bits of veggies with those darn carrot cubes a la Campbells. The soup could not have been homemade and lacked any freshness, interest, or roasted vegetable flavor. I could only stand a few spoonfulls. So disappointed because it was $ 3.45 for the cup!!!
Next, the salad. It looked ok but with closer inspection, the grilled chicken was not fresh (more like that rubbery pre-​sliced, pre-​cooked stuff bought in bags), there was virtually no feta cheese as promised (I was able to find a few miniscule crumbles), the canned black olives were borderline rancid (made my stomach turn), and the scant roasted red peppers were a watery, slimy, flavorless mess. At least there were fresh grape tomatoes and the lettuce seemed decent. But, alas, it did not make up for the weak greek dressing that I could barely detect. Flavorless and watery. I tried doctoring it with some salt and pepper but to no avail. I left most of it on the plate. Again, disappointed and it was $ 7.
On the other hand, my husband said his sandwich was ok — although he thought it was peculiar to have cheddar chesse on a french dip — and the potato salad was good.
I left the place angry and hungry. I feel I was ripped off. I could have made a better salad at home or have gone to Martin’s salad bar down the street for fresher ingredients and spent less money. Oh well.
And being a franchise is no excuse.

This place is still great. We’ve been several more times since the first review. One thing I wanted to add was their chili con carne. Man, this stuff is GOOD! It’s dark and rich and beefy and smoky and tastes like it’s been simmering away all day. Go try it right now. I usually get half of my trusty Reuben and a cup of chili.

We are locals to Front Royal, a town that is not known for good places to eat. However, McAlister’s Deli is an exceptional restaurant located there. There is a large selection of foods to include sandwiches, soups, and huge baked potatoes with various toppings. There are also kid foods like mac and cheese, mini pizzas, hot dogs, etc. If you are concerned about calories, fat, carbs, etc, their website clearly provides info on this. Found at
. Because I try to watch my calories, I will often get a cup of veggie chili and a plain baked potato. Or chicken tortilla soup with a spud.
We eat at McAlister’s at least once a week, usually on Tuesday night when kids eat free and there are activities like face painting, coloring contests, and even guests like firemen to talk to the kids. The staff there are attentive and helpful. Our grandkids love McCalisters and the ladies that work there!

We skipped the neighboring Quiznos and gave this place a try around 11:30 on a Saturday morning, hoping to pick up some quick lunch for the drive home. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we’d have been better off going to Quiznos.
The kid that took our order was really friendly and the place is nice and clean. Unfortunately that’s where my compliments end. It took us over 20 MINUTES to get our takeout order. It wasn’t that they were busy, it’s that there was one guy making sandwiches (there had to have been 6 – 8 people working there) and efficiency wasn’t high on his list of priorities. I’ve been that age and I didn’t give a shit either, so I can’t really fault him for that. But the sandwich sucked too. The sourdough bread was dry and didn’t taste anything like sourdough. The tuna salad was tuna and some mayo and that was about it.
It appears that this place is franchised, but I have to say I’d be pretty hard-​up to get a sandwich from a McAlister’s again regardless of where it’s located.