McAlister’s Deli

I eat here no less than 3 times a month. Some visits better than others.
Pros: speed of service, .99 kid meals, the sweet tea is amazingly good every time; manager Chris, he is seriously the best
Cons: sometimes food quality and quantity is lacking; workers and managers generally don’t come back around to check on you, which would be really nice if they did.
Last time I was in dirty dishes were on tables for at least an hour. Didn’t get picked up while we were there. This was the first I have seen this happen, though still gross.
I also want to add when I did have an issue Amy from corporate was soo great to work with. She went above and beyond to make things right.

Disclosure: I am from Louisiana so I am partial to McAlister’s. What’s the connection, you might ask? McAlister’s is owned by Deuce McAlister who played football for the New Orleans Saints. Leaning slightly in favor before I even walked into the place. Who DAT?
I have dined here many times and I have enjoyed my dining experiences very much. The sandwiches are top rate and loaded. You won’t leave here hungry, that’s for sure. The staff does not seem to mind special requests, either. No eye rolling or low keyed groaning if I make one of my «on the side» requests. Everything is prepared well and very tasty.
My favorite has to be the salads. I am a salad junkie. I love a pile of green, purple, yellow munchy stuff. McAlister’s does not disappoint, either. Big, fluffy, yummy salads. I have worked my way through most of them and I have liked them all. I am partial to the chicken Caesar salad. Generous portions, fresh ingredients… life is so good.
The baked potatoes have escaped my plate, so far. I have every intention of digging into those soon. I usually get so filled up on salad and sandwich there is little room for a baked potato. My friends have raved about them, though.
The restaurant is clean, well lit and sparkly. The staff is super friendly and even acknowledged me by name when I went to pick up my online order. It made me feel very special. While I was waiting, they chatted with me and shared their personal favorites. I thoroughly enjoyed my wait, my conversation and everything associated with my visits here.

I am updating my last review because the regional management made incredible efforts to make up for our previous bad experience. Hopefully those efforts will carryover to their customer service and food preparation at the Lawrence location.
At our most recent visit, their new Banh Mi sandwich was seriously great. I had to ask for a new tea because they gave me the wrong kind. They were quick to replace it.

I don’t know if I’m just tired of McAlister’s or if this one is worse than the one I always went to in a different town. I’ve been to the one in Lawrence on 4 occasions plus one carry out. The food just isn’t that great. I’ve had two baked potatoes and I don’t eat the peel because it is very dry and tough. Yesterday I noticed that the floor in the kitchen part that I could see needed to be swept. Their tea however is 5 star.

I go here at least once a month. One of my favorite places to eat. I love their Caesar wrap with a side of Mac and cheese. And if you’re not full after that their cheese cake with strawberry sauce is to die for. I also recommend their strawberry lemonade.

eh, it was okay but not for the price. I have a free lunch coupon to use, but that will probably be the last visit.

Love the menu, so happy to see salad as an option on the kids menu. My family enjoyed the food. Service was quick, accurate & friendly :)

Consistently good. You know you’ll always get a good, well prepared meal in a timely manner. Best tea anywhere and a great punch program to earn free tea and lunches!

The Chicken Caesar Wrap was surprisingly good. I recommend adding avocado for a little extra but of deliciousness. The Macaroni and Cheese had that great comfort food quality. It was actually amazing. The staff was super friendly and my order (which I placed online) was prepared fast.
It was a little odd that my potato was nearly double the size of my wrap. Don’t think these are tiny potatoes!
The sweet tea is delicious, but it’s sweet tea. It’s not anything life changing.

Always great service and great food. I love their club sandwich, and my wife likes the «Big Nasty». Good sandwich, horrible name.

I decided to have lunch here with a friend just to try something new. I was kind of disappointed by the loaded baked potato, but the rest of the food was pretty good. They also have some marvelous tea.

Doesn’t live up the other ones I’ve been to. My Mcallister club had meat on one half of the triple decker, and just lettuce, tomato, and copious amounts of sickeningly sweet honey mustard on other half. They still have the retarded 2′ long metal rods on the table to hold your order number that I hate though. Have to dodge the stupid thing whole time you’re trying to eat. You really can’t see the cards laying on the table? My fondness of this chain has officially waned.

The redeeming quality of this place is the bottomless sweet tea. The food is okay but certainly not newsworthy.

Normally I love McAlisters, I come here often with my cousin and we study. But for the first time, I had an awful experience. The person who took our order was rude and looked like she hated her job and everybody in general. We were in McAlisters for over four hours, and only one person came by our table to ask how everything was. We went up to get our own refills when normally they are pleasant and constantly asking to clear your table or refill your drink. The manager was even present and completely ignored it when the rude woman working was disrespectful to an elderly man and looked beyond annoyed when he came back to ask for a number because she never gave him one.
This experience makes me not want to return.

My easy choice for lunch or breakfast! Such good food and an amazing assortment of sandwiches, soups, ‘taters, and TEA! Can’t sway from my usual chicken tortilla soup, but have stolen bites of the broc/​cheese, and it’s amazing as well! Such a good spot!

I first went to a McAlister’s in Manhattan, Kansas. And my favorite sandwich there was the meatloaf sandwich. It was, unfortunately, no longer on the menu when I went to this Lawrence location. Sad. Instead, I ordered the Club Wrap — a big portion and flavorful. Also ordered pasta salad, which tasted surprisingly like those of us in my Italian family would make.
I ordered it to go, and there was a separate line for doing that, which made my experience fast to order. The waiting time, though, was almost 10 minutes — quite a long time for a wrap and pasta salad. Food tasted great, though, and I wasn’t in a hurry.

Liking this place more and more. The taco salad is always good. It’s better if served in a tortilla bowl. Sometimes they short the chili a bit. Little requests to fix this usually do the trick. My wife loves this place. Usually orders a sandwich of some kind and never walks away disappointed. The sugar cookies are the highlight for me every time. Usually order a few extra to take home and have later.

The ½ soup and panini lunch is great. The veggie chili is hearty and the chicken pesto panini is filling. Another favorite sandwich is the french dill. With not overflowing with beef, this sandwich is still hearty enough to make a meal and the au jus is pretty tasty. I like that they now offer healthy combo options with calorie counts. With outdoor seating and quick service, McAllisters is a good choice for a light lunch.
Their baked potatoes are also huge. I think they are one of the best deals on the menu. Top it with some chili or broccoli, and you’ve got a filling meal. I’d stay away from the salads though. I’ve been disappointed by their meager size.

Lawrence has a dearth of local delis; yes, we have a ton of Jimmy Johns, Subways, and other sandwich places, but since the Cheese Shop shut down, my life has been sadly lacking in delicious fillings between two slices of bread (discounting the excellent grilled cheeses made by my honey).
I was skeptical when I first ventured into McAlister’s, as I assumed it would be another Jason’s (not that there is anything wrong with Jason’s, I am just looking for a Cheese Shop replacement). Although I did not find my Cheese Shop successor, I am a fan of the various and flavorful sandwiches and soups that are available. I have tried several different variations, and have been pleased with them all. I think the sandwiches and soups are better tasting (and have better nutritional value) then Jason’s, so this is my new go-​to for soup and salad on-​the-​go. Although I have not tried them, the entrée salads and potatoes are very large, and have been reported as delicious.
You order at the counter and then your food is delivered; the service is very quick, so it is ideal for a quick lunch or dinner. The open space of the dining room, and logistics of food ordering, make this a very casual place. On thing that I really like is that all server tips are donated to a charity that changes monthly; even with this factor, the service on drink refills is very good and you can always get the attention of a server if you need something.

More varied than your average sandwich place, they offer chili, soup, baked potatoes, and all kinds of solid food. Completely customizable, they’ve got a good selected of «pre-​built» meals, but they’ll make you most anything you want.
As others have mentioned, they tend to be a bit healthier on their sides and such, but if you want to pig out on chili nachos and a side of doritos, well, we’re not gonna stop you.
Evidently, they have excellent tea, but as I’m not much of a tea guy all I can say is it looks sufficiently brown.
One minor complaint, I wish they had more booths. I get the whole bar-​height tables and chairs thing, yeah that’s cool and all, but sometimes I just want to sit in a nice comfy booth. Every time I’ve gone all 6 booths are taken, while the cool looking bar-​height tables are always vacant.
Their patio is quite nice though, and is shaded and cooled with ceiling fans. Excellent for a sunny summer day.
Not quite a fine dining experience, but good to eat better than fast-​food at not much more expensive than fast food prices.