McAlister’s Deli

Ok, to be honest I am extremely bias against delis as one in the heart of Cincinnati, Ohio will forever be the ultimate deli. However, trying to be as open minded as possible, I walk in with the ol’ battle axe.
After waiting in a very long line (2 including me) I finally was greeted and asked for my order. Both myself and my wife chose the Club along with Mac & Cheese and two drinks. And we waited, and waited some more then watched two more groups of two receive their food as we waited. Normally prior to my better, much more calm half, I may have flipped my lid and went back to the kitchen and made my own, however I continued sipping my flat coca cola and stewed. Nearly 40 minutes later we were asked what we had ordered and magically received it in mere seconds. Then, the long journey of finding a table that didn’t have dirt, crumbs, dried cheese and actual people.
The Club itself was nearly there (again a bit biased) but lacked something, maybe seasoning or that extra humph. The Mac & Cheese was good, not great but it’s something I would try again. The final straw or arrow to the heart was when my wife suddenly stopped eating. With a mortified look she reached up to her mouth. I immediately stopped eating as she pulled a single strand of blonde hair, perfectly conditioned, shiny reaching the length of nearly 10″. Had this been on the head it belonged you would say, «Wow, she takes care of her hair» but once mixed with a combination of turkey, bread and mayo… it lost its luster.
These things happen in restaurants, rogue hair falls and I have realistically ate a head full in my lifetime BUT once I see a hair near, touching or in my food I instantly lose all interest in putting food in my mouth while fighting the urge of food exiting. I want to make this point though, this happens in every restaurant and in no way reflects my opinion on McAlisters however I will never be back. If the rogue hair did not exist, I still would not be back based off of service, taste and the lack luster cleanliness.
Pros:
It’s Different
Cons:
Service
Cleanliness
HAIR!!! Just kidding.

We always call for take out. The food has always been good and the order correct. I just about order something different every time and never been disappointed.

We have eaten here twice and the food has been horrendous compared to the Mcalisters in Franklin. The last time I sent back my sandwich twice because the chicken came out cold on a hot sandwich. Also the potato salad tastes terrible which is a signature at Mcalisters. Not sure what they do to it but it’s not very good compared to the others.
No management presence at all.

I’m comfortable leaving five stars because you go into this knowing you’re dealing with a sandwich place so there’s me reason to get pretentious about it. The food is really affordable (with $ 2 kids’ meals), really friendly staff, and s really clean dining room. They also have soups, salads, nachos, and baked potatoes in addition to their selection of sandwiches.

Good food, good service. Good value for the amount of food you get when getting a pick 2 selection. I usually get the pick 2 with a big nasty with a cup of chicken tortilla soup. A nice selection of roast beef topped with gravy and a very tasty cup of soup.