Dally in the Alley

We arrived at 8:30pm and as the restaurant was closing at 9pm, I asked whether or not there was time for us to get a meal. The server insisted there was no problem with us eating there. We sat down and proceeded to receive terrible service. At one point, the server, cook, and another employee were all on their cell phones. On my plate, the polenta was cold and the chicken was overcooked, on my wife’s plate, her lentils were under cooked. Certainly not worth the $ 70 we spent. Perhaps this was an off night as we had an enjoyable meal a few weeks earlier. However, the combination of poor service and mediocre food means we will not be back any time soon.

I have been to Dally in the Alley twice now. Enjoyed the food both times. Both times we had great, fresh food –tasted amazing. Both times, we had very friendly service. My only small gripe with this place is that when they get very busy it’s hard to get a server back to your table. On our dinner visit, it took an extremely long time to get our food. I noticed people who got there after us were being served. This may have been an oversight on a busy night. I wouldn’t have minded our server checking in a little more, and an update on food since it was so delayed during our dinner visit. Other than those minor things, this place is a must try! Very cute, very good food!

This was a fantastic restaurant. Fantastic service and standout food. There is a small bar at which you can eat and there is free Wi-​Fi for the solo traveler.

One of my favorite gems of DeLand! I do not have one single complaint about this place. The staff is very unique and informative. The continuously changing menu never disappoints. It’s a from farm to table business to not only is the food as fresh as it can get, it helps support our local farmers and community. Keep up the good work, guys!

I absolutely love this gem in Deland. The quality and craftsmanship of the food is as good as it gets. The menu is creative and ever evolving. The food is unique, amazing and many times locally sourced. If you are looking for a nice gastro pub /​American flair restaurant — try this place! If you live in Deland — try this place! It is a welcome surprise from what you may typically find in the area. LOVE TO DALLY :)

Great restaurant. Got the tabbouleh which was great. Courteous staff and great food. Good location and ambiance. They have local craft beer from persimmon.

I came to Deland to see about building a house and Dally may have sold me. This is farm to table, with great beers and wine! The look is casual and comfortable.
The Food: My wife and I each had a the seafood chowder. This was fantastic, shrimp and wahoo with an amazing broth. You could taste the fresh herbs and layers of flavors.
My meal was the Cuban empanada. It was picadillo in a pastry. So much flavor and fresh ingredients. My wife had a shrimp and mushroom salad. Shrimp with the head and wow were they good. I had a persimmon Hollow beach hippy and my wife had wine. The table next to me raved over the dessert, but we were stuffed.

Where do I begin? The chef is unbelievable nice, intelligent, and such an amazing, tasteful food creator! The food is always different when we go in and my god it is always the most flavorful thing. The dishes are creative, and offer a wide variety of options, and always a vegetarian option as well. I have been at least 5 times. I would even order a bowl of soup for dinner here because I know it’s going to be packed with ingredients, delicious, and leave me feeling satisfied with a pleasant aftertaste of the rest of the evening.
This is my favorite restaurant, everyone knows.

This remains one of our favorite bistros in the area. The food is fresh and delicious and the decadent selections change with what is available from local farms. The atmosphere lends itself to a friendly space where you want to sit and stay for a while along with the impeccable service. Make sure to have a delightful sweet offering. They are the best!

Went in for the first time this week after finding this great place in Unilocal.So glad we came! The atmosphere, service & food were fabulous. I loved it so much I made a party reservation for my bday dinner tonight. I can’t wait for round 2!

This is excellent regional food served in a tiny and cozy space. It’s inexpensive for the quality, though some may prefer a more formal setting. This is pretty much the direction that modern restaurants are going, though. This place eschews formality and puts its efforts into fresh ingredients, with an emphasis on local when possible. It’s by far the best meal I’ve had in DeLand, and my three dining companions were all impressed as well. Bonus points for serving great stuff from the brewery next door. I’m looking forward to my next visit.

We went here for our second Valentines Day dinner this evening. As usual Dallys did not disappoint, their food was excellent the service was superb and the ambience was excellent. This is by far the best place to eat in Deland and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for food thar is prepared in the highest quality and direct from farm to table.

OMG– this place is yummo delicious! Highly talented chef with refined flavors. Farm to table with all sources available. Beer on tap from the brewery next door. We had sweet potato puffs, shrimp salad apps which were fantastic. My date enjoyed Beer braised Chicken with bacon and it was good but didn’t knock our socks off. I ordered scallops and they were incredible. Dessert was chocolate cake and we swooned with every bite. CANT WAIT to go back!

Today we stumbled upon a gem. Dalley in the Alley was AWESOME!!! The ambiance was really cool… an old brick building that was retrofitted. We had fried okra, fried green tomatoes with goat cheese, whilte bean chili and a whitebean /​mushroom burger. The fried okra was the best I ever tasted. The fried green tomatoes and the soup were also delicious. Not crazy about the «burger» but it was tasty. The presentation of the food was very fun. Caroline was our server. She was wonderful!!! All in all a great experience!!!

This was an incredible meal. Fried green tomatoes were perfect. The Snapper and Duck were both on point. All the deserts were magnificent.

Nothing on the menu that 4 of us wanted to eat! Fried Green Tomatoes, although presented nicely in a stack, where just fried green tomatoes with a little Crème Fresh. Fried Cauliflower was nothing special and was served with Catsup dipping sauce — really?
Main course was a case of pick the least objectionable thing on the menu. One of us defaulted to a steak that was full of grissel and tough to cut and chew. My pasta could have ben a frozen dinner from Publix with a lot of fresh parmesan cheese on top.
The wine menu was very limited and nothing we were familiar with. We took the waiters recommendation of a Malbec. It was over dry, acidic, and barely drinkable. We left 20% in the bottle and in all our glasses. Anybody who follows me knows I almost never leave any wine, so this was pretty bad.
To make matters worse, the service was very slow all around.
in short, nothing to recommend here, except go elsewhere. «Natural», «organic», locally sourced is nice, but the food has to be good!

As someone who doesn’t live in DeLand I am skeptical of eating downtown… it always feels a bit foreign and, though I’ve been here for over 6 months now, I heavily rely on Unilocal to tell me what places to test out first.
That being said, Dally lives up to every expectation written about it… they serve outstanding local food in an upscale but shabby chic environment. It’s a perfect location for that business lunch or first date if you’re in the area, and provides a high level of service and fresh ingredients for a fair price.
The last time I visited I enjoyed their Steak Frites (they actually change their menu every day based on what’s fresh and in-​stock) and it was out of this world. The staff is knowledgeable about their product, the food is prepared perfectly, and the atmosphere is laid back and quiet.
Whether you are looking to grab a quick lunch or dinner before a Stetson Hatters football game or take that special someone out on a nice night in DeLand, this is definitely the top spot that I would recommend.
Classy and delicious!

Always fresh, from scratch and creative. There main fare is delicious, but make sure you save room for dessert!!! They feature a different cupcake daily — and they are all to die for!!!
Great atmosphere for a date, sit at the bar for some entertainment and to see where all the magic happens. One of delands best!

114 W New York Ave
De Land Florida 32 720
Locates better than the one Unilocal lists. Nice food with an artistic presentation. My family and I have eaten here a few time and it has always been good. Don’t get used to one item though since the menu changes regularly.

This has been a must visit for lunch or dinner when I visit my parents in Deland!
Always the first place we eat and always more than once during my stay. Melanie runs a top business from taking the time walking the dining room, creating innovative dishes that always involve local farm to table ingredients and a cozy atmosphere in her restaurant.
I have to admit this is the one place I always order dessert. Her amazing cupcakes are to die for! Great wine by the glass or try one of her homemade Italian sodas.
Can I bring this place back to Los Angeles with me???