The Back Alley Gourmet

I ordered the #17, Turkey, Jarlsberg, and honey mustard. For a sandwich with very few ingredients, it was delightful. The bread was crispy and buttery, and there was just the right amount of mustard.
Though it could have been warmed longer, the warm bites I took really were worth $ 9.
A full sandwich is enough food for a hungry 6′ 2″ man with an appetite.
I can see how the meal would get pricey if you added sides, as they are $ 2-​$ 3 each.
4 stars for excellent service and great food. The remaining star could be earned by thoroughly heating the food and reorganizing the menu board (the numbers are out of order, so if you ask for a recommendation, you’ll take some time sorting through their 60 menu items).

Stopped in Ann Arbor to finally check out the campus and town and so glad I used Unilocal to guide me to this small, albeit marvelous, deli. I mean I love food and I love unpretentious places and this is it. They have three chalkboards covered with combinations — grilled, stacked and cold salad sandwiches — and I ordered the #33 (chicken, hot pepperjack, green peppers, Dijon mustard and angel dust (or something that made it awesome). Oh and I thought the «half sandwich» would be exactly that — half of a sandwich to just give me enough to get me to Dearborn. A «half» order here is actually a full sandwich anywhere else, so you can imagine how fucking big the full sandwich is! And it was so tasty and filling. If I went to UM, I would eat here constantly.

Super yummy sandwiches and really friendly staff. My husband and I split the Reuben and the Cuban connection. Both were awesome. Definitely coming back.

Best Hole in the Wall in Ann Arbor. Nice, clean tiny deli style place on S. Main. Soon glad I wandered into this place after my run one day. It’s connected to By the Pound. Home made food (yummy spinach frittata), great desserts, fresh salad bar (w/​spinach, and spring greens) and delicious lobster bisque! The staff and chefs are super friendly and make you feel right at home.
They have a section of 400 calorie made from scratch dinners to go. $ 7 each, the selection changes from day to day– and they come in microwaveable containers (how did I not know about this place?)
I live near Ebel field. I’m sooo happy that I can walk to this place and get grilled salmon and veggies w/​pasta for dinner rather than ordering Jimmy Johns or Pizza AGAIN. (My friends in Ross and Ford tried it recently and they are hooked too).
They also have free wifi and plenty of seating, and I’ve worked there peacefully for hours (seriously, how did I not know about this place?). Seems to be a family run place that doesn’t get major traffic– looks like mostly locals that stop in for lunch and other grad students grabbing dinner to go. Food is good! :)

Wow! I randomly stumbled upon this café when I was waiting for my car to get detailed today. I tried the chicken quesadilla, some veggies, and the quiche Lorraine. WOW! I was blown away! Best quiche ever! Best quesadilla ever! I will def be back! The guy was so nice and friendly, the food was amazing and it was also affordable! Super excited to find a fun little café deli!

Have come here several times. Most recently, it was with a Groupon. The Groupon is generally for two sandwiches and two bottled drinks. Both times I have purchased the half sandwiches, they have been more than substantial for my husband and myself. There is plenty of meat, vegetables and dressing on a half sandwich. Yes, the Groupon also comes with two drinks. Both times I have selected a regular soda for my husband, and a diet for myself. They have multiple types of sodas to choose from in addition to bottled water.
In regards to the sandwiches, there are tons of options to choose from. Everything from meals for carnivores to meals for vegetarians (sorry, not sure about vegans, I’m still trying to figure them out).
In addition to sandwiches, they have a large salad bar. I have never tried it, but during my last visit there I ordered a half pound of their cold sesame noodle salad. It was delicious! This compliments the many other types of salads, quiches, soups and desserts they have.
I have no complaints about this establishment other than it is not on my way home, BUT I do make a special trip for a great meal… Worth the visit!!!

Wasn’t so impressed with their sandwiches. We came with a Groupon, and the deal was something like $ 10 for two half-​sandwiches plus a drink. Each of the half-​sandwiches were quite small! And the drink included was a small bottled water.
Taste-​wise, it was pretty good. Sorry, probably won’t be coming back … and definitely won’t be coming back without the Groupon.

This place is great! I’ve had quite a few of the items that they serve — the sandwiches and sesame noodle salad are wonderful! There are lots of both vegetarian and carnivore options so everyone is easily pleased. They also make a lot of things in-​house so that is an added bonus.

I’ve only had the sandwiches here, but they are delicious. I usually end up getting one of the advertised specials of the day — there are usually 3 every day and it seems to change on a daily basis.
I’ve had the tuna salad nicoise and the pulled pork sandwiches. I am definitely a fan of both. It’s an above average sized sandwich, grilled and hot to perfection, and the special price + a coke come out to less than $ 10 every time. There are a bunch of food offerings here — soups, other main dishes (chicken, shepherd’s pie, etc.), desserts, and a salad bar. Everything looks good, but usually one sandwich is more than enough for me at lunch.
The customer service is great — the employees and the couple who seem to own the place always engage with the customers. Even though this was my second time here, the staff recognized me from my last visit. I’ll be sure to stop by every so often and get a solid sandwich.

Used our Groupon yesterday and it was Ok. I had the roastbeef on and onion roll and it was a good sandwich. We ordered half sandwichs and my guess is the difference between a half or full is the amount of meat (not the bread) because the price difference is only $ 1 – 2. My wife ordered a grilled turkey and that looked tasty. We also split a piece of chocolate cake and it was very large piece ($ 3.75) but was kind of dried out. (it looked better than it was). The store has much more than sandwiches to try, there’s many dishes sold by the pound and salad bar. Overall the sandwich was good but $ 7.95 (without the coupon) it should be a great sandwich. If you do try this place look at the other foods offered.

Just ordered hors d’oeuvres for 30 people and everything looked and tasted great!
We got lots of compliments from guests. I would definitely use them again.

Got take out from here with a Groupon deal. I ordered a half size corned beef and sauerkraut sandwich and was surprised by a full sandwich! Heard somewhere that sometimes the chefs will just feel like being nice and do that. What a nice surprise!
The meat and bread were that of a quality deli sandwich and my meal was hot, filling and delicious. Definitely comparable to Maize and Blue deli, yum!

Came in here today because I had a groupon. I was definitely in the mood for some quality deli sandwiches and I got that and more. The groupon entailed that I received two half sandwiches so I ordered the corned beef and sauerkraut and tuna nicoise sandwich. The corned beef was delicious and the bread was nice and thick, perfect consistency. The Tuna salad was hearty and filling as well. Someone earlier commented about how nice the people are that work here. I came home opening my bag and found two full sandwiches instead of two halves. Wow. 5 stars for value and I will definitely be coming back.

Maybe I’ve been unlucky the handful of times I’ve gotten a sandwich at the Back Alley Gourmet. Maybe if they were more Gourmet with their sandwich making and less Back Alley? The three times I’ve eaten here the sandwiches were thrown together and a complete mess. I know other people who love this place, so if you’re local give it a shot. If you’re from out of town and you’re deciding on a place, skip it.

Great catering! I especially like the asian chicken skewers!
The deli food/​sandwiches are decent. I think it is what you would expect for the price, no more, no less. I have been here a few times and I am always satisfied. A solid 3 stars!

I used to work as a cook at BAG years ago (in the early 90s) and the food was good then, and it’s remained good! I totally vouch for the fact that the current cooks are very dedicated to turning out homey, delicious food — prepared as much from scratch as possible (of course, everything loses a bit when you have to reheat it…). WARNING: almost everything that is not a dessert will give you breath-​of-​death from the garlic etc… you’ve been warned: O)
BAG is essentially a deli for take-​out pasta, grain, potato etc. salads, dips, soups, sandwiches, casseroles, desserts, etc. They serve a rotating variety of items — you’re sure to find something tasty to suit your mood.
My favorites (even though I memorized many of the recipes from preparing them so often before… I am lazy) are:
— Tuna Nicoise… garlicky, olives, eggy, deliciousness.
— Grilled salami on pump with mozzarella, green peppers, and tomato.
— Marco-​Polo Linguini… just good olive oil, olives, garlic, parmesan, tomato…
— Hungarian Mushroom soup
— Baked Mac-​n-​Cheese
— Spicy Asian Bowtie salad with fried tofu
— The curried and walnut chicken salads
Staff are nice, it can be a wait as their sandwich grill is wee… I’d call ahead if it’s about to be lunch rush.

I’m surprised nobody has written about Back Alley Gourmet yet! It’s location is a bit hidden, in the S. Main Market, which for some reason is often overlooked. However Back Alley Gourmet has been alive and kickin’ in this location for a good long while (at least 8+ years), and they do deserve some love.
Not only do they have a giant board of deli sandwiches (which are pretty darn good), but they also have about a dozen soups on any given day, as well as a lot of prepared foods. If you’re looking for items to assemble a quick dinner out of without cooking from scratch, but would like to avoid the prepared foods section at Whole Foods, they have some great options. Not as many as the Produce station or Plum Market, but still, a handful of choices.
The people working behind the counter seem friendly and helpful, and I’m guessing the have a lot of lunchtime regulars. You can order a «big» or «small» sandwich, but sometimes they are extra generous, even if you order a small. You could end up with 2 meals worth of sandwich! They also (BIG PLUS) carry Zapp’s chips. I do love Better Made, but man, there’s almost no chips that make me happier than Zapp’s!
I’m happy this place is as close by as it is. There’s no way I could eat one (or even one half) of their sandwiches for lunch every day and not become giant, but once every few weeks is a nice treat!