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Al the Wop's
Category: Restaurants American (Traditional) American (Traditional) [Edit]
13936 Main StLocke, CA 95690
(916) 776-1800
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
61 reviews for Al the Wop's
Review Highlights
"awesome Delta atmosphere in historic Locke, CA."
(in 12 reviews)
"The highly recommended stinky fries were only available as..."
(in 3 reviews)
"...rustic look but perfect for this little town on the river."
(in 5 reviews)
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61 reviews in English
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Review from joe p.
Sacramento, CA
11/7/2011
Very fun place.They have both a bar/music area and a dinning area.Very old and rustic look but perfect for this little town on the river.I would say the food is 3 stars at best and very basic.Had the steak sand which which is served as a steak on a platter by itself and the bread is seperate.Not a big deal just that it could be so much more ! Recommend just staying in the bar area and drinking.couple beers on tap and some hard stuff too !
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Review from Rory H.
West Sacramento, CA
2/5/2012
Been here many times over the years and my visit last night was my least favorite but I will still go back, its just not as good as it used to be.
Service was fine, in a typical small town joint kinda way. Food was not spectacular, nothing really stood out. Steak was not seasoned, mushrooms were plain, pasta and sauce were fine, salad was a little small. All n all food was just plain and simple like maybe what you would throw together at your own home if you were in too much of a hurry to make it rock!
Of course my review might be a little more lenient if the steak dinner wasn't $25.00, at that price I just expect a little more than unseasoned beef and basic sides.
Drinks from the bar were good. Looks like a fun place to party. Digital jukebox was nice and loud. Next time I will have the chicken or pasta! -
Review from Lynn H.
5/23/2011
First off, I love Locke! It's a little ghost town that close to home. I love little places like this. I bought their town book called Bitter Melon while I was there. It is a book about the history and the residents that used to live there. Pretty interesting stuff.
Drinks were very good and food was great! I got the shrimp and fries and my boyfriend got the burger. Both came with salad. The dressing was a sweet-ish wine vinaigrette. It was pretty tasty. The locals seemed pretty fun and the atmosphere is great. I was going to try my hand at launching a dollar at the ceiling, but the bartender seemed pretty busy and I didn't really wanna do it without his permission, hehe.
I'll be back to leave my mark! -
Review from Sarah x.
Cupertino, CA
8/29/2011
Located in a really small town with a really nice small town vibe. The bartender was super friendly and it has a total family feel. Drinks were good and the prawns here are so good! I don't normally like shrimp or prawns but these were really good. And then they give you toast as a side too. I can't wait to go back again!
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Review from Cam Y.
Vallejo, CA
Visited this place because I seen it on TV. I've got my dollar on the ceiling. Food and service was just okay.
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Review from Deb M.
Stockton, CA
1/4/2011
OMG had a blast here! 1st time!
it was a Sunday afternoon after brunch at The Ryde... Gotta come back tho! had a freakn blast. SOOOO??? what night is the hoppin' night to bring the girls and party? friday or Sat?? hmmm ??? -
Review from Barbara S.
Discovery Bay, CA
9/9/2011
Love the town of Locke! The food at Al's was awful. Did not finish the shrimp and fries that was recommended so highly and my sister did not finish the burger either. The highly recommended stinky fries were only available as a side dish for $5.95! Should have gone to Gusties!
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Review from Jack H.
Santa Monica, CA
9/5/2011 6 photos
Stopped at this old favorite spot on the road less traveled. Was just showing the place off to my friend but we settled in for a beer and then a quarter in the jukebox. It turned in to multiple beers and quarters, a lot of fun and a late arrival to a wedding in Tahoe ;) That's my friend in the pics; she doesn't come with the place ;)
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Review from Forrest G.
Sacramento, CA
3/29/2011
I'm hosting my mother's birthday gathering here. Since many of my crazy-ass family members are in Sacramento and Stockton, this is the perfect spot in the middle.
We can't wait to be served by a gum smacking, cigarette smelling, crusty waitress with a uber-phat juicy steak and an ice cold beer. Life doesn't get better than this.
Forrest -
Review from A T.
Sacramento, CA
8/20/2010
So the joke starts like this...a couple of lesbians walk into this bar...
ALL the locals holding up the bar turn and stare. I cooley order a bottle of imported beer and we walk back to the dining area. There ain't no peanut butter or marmalade to be seen anywhere on any of the tables. I think I wanted so much more from this joint. The promise of location, the allure of the name, it's sketchy appearance, the motorcycles parked in front, and apart from the locals, they are all wanabees n posers. Food ok, price a wee bit high, beer cold. -
Review from Jim S.
Santa Clarita, CA
7/18/2011
We were there this weekend. Been there three or four times prior, while boating on the Delta.
If you have only one opportunity to stop for lunch while boating on the Delta, make it Al's place. Sit at the slanted bar for the full effect, the floor matches the lean so you'll feel it while you eat or drink. The long Islands are marvelous. The Steak sandwich (Steak and bread) is what you want.
The bartenders are the friendliest couple of smart a_ _ es I've come across in a long time. Truly, truly great guys. If you read a bad review of this place, it's because those people do not belong or deserve the pleasure of experiencing true Americana. They belong at Starbucks (sh_thole). Al's place rocks, period. -
Review from Joe B.
Eugene, OR
10/26/2011
great burger and a toasted bread. try it with peanut butter. good food and service. belly up to the bar. awesome Delta atmosphere in historic Locke, CA.
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Review from Christina H.
Sacramento, CA
7/12/2009
Went here this weekend after doing a little wine tasting at some of the wonderful wineries that are nearby. We had had our fill of alcohol and so we came here strictly for FOOD. I'd love to come back someday and knock back a few drinks, though.
The dining area is quite possibly the diviest I've ever seen (this is a good thing!) second to Poor Red's in Placerville. I immediately felt like a little kid eating at my Grandparent's house. Every table was stocked with condiments that included, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, A-1, salt & pepper, toothpicks, Jiff creamy peanut butter and some kind or marmalade...yes, I said JIFF peanut butter. How awesome is that?!?
The menu isn't large and doesn't need to be. I had the fried prawns & fries, my boyfriend had the burger and his Mom had a grilled cheese sandwich. All of our meals came with a salad with thousand island dressing and some grilled bread. The burger was quite good! The meat was perfect and they serve it on grilled sourdough bread (the same you get with the meal). My prawns were basic and I regretted not accepting the chicken with mushrooms dish the waitress almost left at our table because it smelled really good. The grilled cheese looked perfect and simple as a grilled cheese should.
This was the perfect ending to a perfect outing and I shall be back. -
Review from Karin J.
San Diego, CA
8/21/2007
Why do I love going to Al's? It's not for the booze. It's not for the ambiance. It's for the steak.
The steak, you say? Well, let me tell you about the steak. The steak is grilled on a 30+ year-old grill, seasoned with decades of fresh beef. The beef itself is fresh, never-frozen, vacuum-sealed in its own blood, and not marinated in anything (to my knowledge) before getting slapped on that grill. Oh sweet god. The burgers are done on the same grill, from similarly prepared meat, and the excellence of the grill comes through there too.
Yeah, it's true, the salads are basic, the spaghetti nothing to write home about, and the fries are mostly eh. But I certainly don't go there for any of that (although I do enjoy the fried bread). I go there to enjoy a steak or burger made of meat that doesn't taste like dead cow, that's been grilled on a grill worthy of the title. The meat that comes off of that thing is, by and large, the best straight-up steak you will ever eat, outside of any steak you may cut straight off of a cow you raised by hand yourself from calfhood.
What I am saying is, this is a steak that doesn't need anything to be done to it in order for it to taste good. Sure, you can get a delicious filet or New York steak, all marinated in a red wine sauce, with all kinds of mango compotes or sauces or whatever, really anywhere else, but that is not the point at Al's. The point at Al's is to have a delicious steak in a REAL bar out in the nation's dang breadbasket. A delicious steak that reminds you why man decided to domesticate those dang cows in the first place.
(Note to poseurs: Unless you are an actual biker person, you will probably not want to wear your "biker" gear inside, unless you feel like looking like a twat is an integral part of your day. This is one place I would not dare wear my italian biker-style jacket because holy jeez I do not want to sully the biker ethos by being a poseur in that bar. They are real bikers there and it is their bar, not yours. This is an okay thing, too. Not that anything bad will happen, it's just common courtesy and also not wanting to look like an ass.) -
Review from Ken F.
Berkeley, CA
9/3/2009
When I was a little kid, I got in trouble because of this place. "How is saying Wop a bad thing, when the restaurant is so awesome?" Little, naive Ken wasn't aware of race-relations or dirty words: all he knew about was the delicious steaks, a whacky bar, and a creepy ghost town on the San Joaquin Delta.
Al the Wop's is (by Californian standards) an ancient establishment. The bar/steakhouse was started by an Italian man in the middle of a Chinese-American hamlet, buried deep in The Delta. The original owner is long dead, but the business continues to operate just as it did ages ago. The interior looks like it was cobbled together out of spare parts and I suspect is sorely in need of a seismic retrofit. The walls are all splattered with relics from the bar's history and an amusing assortment of taxidermy. If you look real carefully, you might spot some dollar bills stuck to the ceiling that date back to before there was a Federal Reserve. The dinning room is a makeshift cavern with some rugged benches from your grandparents' high school cafeteria.
Just as it looks like time left this restaurant behind, the food too is from another era: simple meals, large servings, and cheap prices. The real draw for my family has always been the biggest, juiciest, and best cooked steaks in the area. For us, it was the next best thing to being in the Midwest. We learned long ago to worship my mother's eye for steaks, and this was her favorite place to go.
These days, prices have gone up and the quality has taken a small hit from management shifting over the years. But snaking along a narrow, scenic, levee road to eat at Al the Wop's on a hot summer's night continues to be a priceless experience - an experience that continues to help define the natural majesty of the central valley. -
Review from Dale N.
Stockton, CA
10/12/2009
Al the Wop's... now called Al's Place, to be politically correct.
Kinda like saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas!! :(
Lots of history and character....yeah, it is a dive, but that's what
makes it so cool.
Great steaks..served with salad and cheese bread.
(Tip: go during lunch time.. the same steak is
like $5 cheaper!)
Plain, good food!
Check out the dollar bills stuck to the ceiling....
And it is a great summer outing driving along the river.Listed in: Great Food!
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Review from Amber W.
Honolulu, HI
5/2/2008
Best place in the world to eat some mediocre meat, drink a Bud, get sexually harrassed by some bikers, and read some deep bathroom-door graffiti ("If you want it, you'll find a way; if you don't, you'll find an excuse") all before noon on a Sunday.
Sure beats church! -
Review from Rae'esah N.
Antioch, CA
10/15/2009
My husband and I had a blast here!!
After a brief walk thru of the old chinese museum and the old chinese boarding school we headed over to Al the Wop's - its in its 73rd ( i believe ) year of operation.
We sat at the bar and ordered our drinks and our food. My husband got the steak sandwich - but its just this huge steak served on a plate by itself! Then they include these thick individual pieces of texas toast - you can add marmalade and peanut butter to them - I guess that is the "popular" or "local" way of doing it.
I had a cheeseburger that was served on the same bread. It was jam'n!
I thought our lunch was pretty good, my hubbie's steak was a little tough in places but I think that is because it was so damn big?!
The drinks are good and to the stocky white boy that bought us a round when you asked if we had a cigarette and I said "i don't smoke , but i'm sure my husband will give you one" (even tho it was his last one) my 4th star goes to you!
There are some darling little shops/galleries in this old town of Locke that you must walk down wooden sidewalks to get to.
The people were all very friendly and if I lived closer i'd be a regular!
There are hundreds upon hundreds of 1.00 bills stuck in the ceiling - i asked how they got them up that high since the ceiling is 15 feet high and I was told a 'good aim and a poker chip" - I told the bartender I needed a poker chip cuz i wanted to do it but that never happened.
Doesn't matter - we had a blast all the same and I left one dollar richer! -
Review from Robert H.
Belmont, CA
7/4/2007
Always a fun place to stop by whether traveling by boat or by car. It is located up Georgiana Slough after a short meandering cruise in the town of Lock (which is right next to Walnut Grove by car). Once you stepped into (down) the darkened saloon, you can imagine yourself teleported back in time to what it must be like back during the gold rush days.
One of the first things you will notice is the hundreds of dollar bills all sooty and old up the ceiling with a few new bills scattered and if you ask the bartender who or how they got there, he will undoubtedly ask you for a dollar to show you how. You hand him a dollar bill, he wraps it on his silver dollar coin with a thumb tack through your bill, and give it a quick toss to the ceiling. Bingo! Your dollar ends up sticking up the ceiling with the thumbtack but his dollar coin falls out of the fold and back into his hand. You lose your dollar bill, but he still has his. You feel like a chump for a second or two, but it's a must see at least once if you are not local and you are cruising or driving in the neighborhood. Or you can take my word for it and deny yourself the embarrassment of feeling like a chump.
The specialty of the house is spaghetti and steak. I've always thought that was a strange combo, but it's actually fairly tasty or maybe I was just hungrier than I had realized. But hey, you seriously didn't come here for the eats, do ya?Listed in: A touch of the sea, Up the river without a paddle
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Review from Alex W.
San Francisco, CA
5/18/2010
It looks like a great place to grab a drink, and they might even be capable of frying a burger (yes frying is what I'd expect they'd do to a burger) - but don't even think about eating here if you have any taste buds.
It was so blatantly obvious that everything served here is frozen or out of a can. That wouldn't be so bad if they weren't charging high-end San Francisco prices, but they are. The $21 steak I had here was hands down the worst piece of meat I've ever attempted to eat. 90% fat I kid you not! To compensate, it included a salad that an 8 year old would make... plain lettuce with a ketchup-and-mayo mix slopped on top. Canned mushrooms. Canned spaghetti and canned bolognese sauce (the cheap variety).
Good fries though... my advice to them is stop trying for quantity over quality, or just stop trying and stick to burgers and fries.
I liked the bar though, but I won't eat anything more than a drunken burger here. -
Review from mark s.
Santa Clara, CA
5/25/2009
As LEGIT as it gets.
Lovely Girlfriend and I came in here for One Drink and One Drink Only. But the environment here grabbed us and we stayed for Three.
Or was it Four?
Coulda been Five. I can't remember. But we did give in and split a grilled cheese sando with some "Stinky Fries", which was awesome.
I don't get it. Grilled Cheese should be the same, everywhere. Right? Not here. The grilled cheese at Al's is miles ahead. Put some Jif on it and you are WINNER. -
Review from Randy M.
Los Angeles, CA
10/11/2006
Aside from being a great biker stop on any delta-run you may be on, there's a couple of other reasons to stop. But before you do, you're going to need to do some reading. Go down to your local book store or book shop, and pick up a tome by H.P. Lovecraft: specifically any collection that contains the story 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth'. For the uninitiated, Lovecraft tends to be on the "wordy" side. But take your time reading the story. Take it all in. Read it a couple of more times. Let the images spawned sink in. Let the world of Howard Phillip Lovecraft draw you in.
Once you've done this, take a trip to Locke. Notice the buildings. Take in the local businesses.
You'll suddenly understand why you should read the story before going there.
That said, Al the Wop's is a required stop, be it for a beer, or a burger topped with peanut butter (which actually tastes better than it sounds).
Keep in mind, this is a place to stop at. the last thing you want is a warm buzz before heading down a curvy levy road, so keep the intake under control. -
Review from bruce b.
Walnut Grove, CA
Great bar and bar food. Hot place! Any time while in the delta come and party !
1 Previous Review:
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2/10/2011
Great local atmosphere Full bar and great food. Rustic and earthy but great!
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Review from Adam R.
Stockton, CA
3/15/2007
O how I long for the days when I had nothing but free time to drive around in the delta. So a fat girl, a Greek girl, and I walk into a bar...
No, that's not a joke, it's what really happened when I ate here. My physically abundant yet extremely picky (WTF?) friend had a problem with most of the food, since there weren't really any choices for her and the waitress obviously wasn't all about "have it your way."
Hell, who am I kidding, the food is standard American crap, meat and pasta and a sandwich. It's not that bad if that's what you're into.
But since this is the only restaurant in Locke, they don't really have to be good, do they? -
Review from Rick E.
9/14/2007
Any restaurant with a racial epithet in the name in this day and age is quite the rugged individual in a sea of sameness. Perplexingly, it repels and draws you in at the same time.
The food's only okay, but it is a really fun place to visit, and the burgers are even better when you slather on the peanut butter.
Everyone must come here at least once in their life. -
Review from Paul I.
Folsom, CA
8/10/2010
Good Steak at a landmark restaurant.
Tip: get the steak sandwich available at lunch and bring cash.
its cash only -
Review from Erinn L.
Sacramento, CA
4/25/2007
I'm a sucker for character. Like how freckles can make a face more beautiful or a scar on the chin can make a man more handsome; it's just how I see things. Al's has scars and freckles. Crooked floors, panties on the ceiling and bartenders who have probably seen (and done) everything; it's crooked and faltering and I wouldn't be surprised if the wood floor suddenly cracked open and swallowed someone. I love it. Its part of the soul of the Delta and what makes it feel like you've driven for a day instead of just 20 minutes down the 5.
The food is standard. The steak sandwich isn't so much sandwich as a "make your own" with a steak and garlic bread. It's all right, a local's tip is to always order the large because the cuts of steak for the small size aren't as good. The burger is a burger.
The drinks, the bartenders, the town of Locke are the reason to visit this place...I've spent a lot of time drinking in the Delta and I highly recommend Al's as a place to start or even end the evening.
Disclaimer: The roads are way dangerous and unless you've got a place to stay down there make sure you've got a DD. -
Review from Robert D.
Sacramento, CA
6/1/2011
I'd heard about this place for ever, it didn't match the picture in my head but the wife and I wandered in and went straight to the dining room for lunch.
We had to wait a minute for menus to arrive and a bit longer to get the salads but it was well worth it. The steak sandwich, which is just a steak on a plate and some kind of heavenly bread grilled to perfection piled high on another plate was just too good to describe. My wife had the shrimp and fries and she loved them also.
The cost is just a little more than i'd spend at mcdonalds for dinner but oh so much better.
i didn't have a drink, but I could definetly see myself sitting at the bar and having several on a hot day in the summer.
Not fancy but that was the misconception I came with and i'm glad i was wrong on what to expect. -
Review from Shiho F.
Carmel by the Sea, CA
9/28/2010
Most Memorable high school trip ever!!! Throwing dolla dolla bills y'all one by one into the roof (yes! using a pin and all)... great crew, awesome atmosphere. It's been over 11 years!!1 Cannot wait to revisit with the same crew!!!
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Review from Chris S.
San Jose, CA
7/23/2009 1 photo
Just happened to stop by for a drink on our way along the Delta. QUITE glad we did. A historic bar and restaurant which made us feel at home while we drank our beers.
The history of this place alone makes it worthwhile. Apparently Al had surprises in store for his patrons over the years. Cutting off neckties (much too dressy for Al's), throwing money to the ceiling, and stirring the ladies' drinks with his fingers are just a few. Many stories linger on about his unusual antics.
We tried to stick dollar bills to the ceiling with a tack, silver dollar, and a very careful toss. Quite fun (and quite successful eventually).
This is basically a dive - but in the best sense of the word. I highly encourage a stop at Al's if you are passing through Locke! -
Review from Mike W.
San Francisco, CA
4/6/2006 3 photos
Finding Al the Wop's is no dumb trick. Head out highway 12, and after you cross the Nth Bridge, take a right on an almost unmarked levee road. Drive for about 15 minutes with pleasant views of farmland on one side and the river on the other, then turn off the levee onto a driveway-like exit that dumps you at the foot of downtown Locke. The tricky part? Knowing where to turn off the levee. I always recognize the turnoff by a huge brown boathouse that's right across the road. For some odd reason it's always reminded me of a grain storage facility. The entry way makes a quick 90 degree-turn, and complete darkness yields to a dimly lit street lined with everything from dilapidated pickups to spanking new Mercedes.
Locke is a cool little town, even if it's all one street and barely 200 yards from start to finish. Art galleries, a general store, and a preserved schoolhouse from the turn of last century are amongst the storefronts within a stones throw of Al's.
The entrance dumps you into a relatively unadorned bar with scads of dollar bills stuck on the ceiling. There's a trick to getting them to stick. Ask the bartender....he'll explain it to you. The bar crowd varies....mostly boaters at night, and the Harley & Leather crowd during the day. Don't sweat it....these aren't the kick-ass-and-bust-heads bikers....they're the "find a babysitter and dress up in our fun leather outfits" bikers. Odd....but whatever gets you off I guess. Like most places near the water, it jumps during the warm months. Come the cold weather, the crowds of boater thin out and the tule fog along the levees gets thicker than 90-Weight gear oil. Brave the winter fog, and you'll probably have the place to yourself.
The kitchen starts where the bar ends, and the entrance to the restaurant is a painfully plain doorway on your right. Restaurant decor is a-la 7th grade cafeteria Masonite tables graced with equally spartan bench seating. The menu is sparse, and it ain't for vegetarians. Last time I was out there, it had two items: Large steak dinner and small steak dinner. The steak is good but nothing to die for and the salad is marginal. But dinner comes with (or at least it did last time I went) a side of deep fried mushrooms that I find more addictive that Marlboro Reds laced with China White.
Like a lot of restaurants, A trip to Al's is about more than food. It's the drive. It's the area. It's the crowd. If all you're after is a good piece of meat, hit the House of Prime Rib ( http://www.yelp.com/bi... ) on Van Ness or Black Angus on March Lane if you're in Stockton. But if you're up for more than just dinner, and yearn for something more along the lines of a day-long journey deep into the heart of the San Joaquin Delta, the town of Locke and Al the Wop's beckons....Listed in: Fun, Frolic, and Freakishess…
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Review from Megan L.
Galt, CA
9/2/2008
I've been coming here since I was 2 days old. Seriously, my parents took me here on the way home from the hospital.
Al's place used to have the best bartender in the whole wide world. His name was Chobby and he is one of my cherished childhood memories. Now I don't know a soul in this place, but it doesn't stop me from going here to relive time of ole.
The food is mediocre now. It used to be delicious. I will still eat here, but I yearn for the times of the flat grilled steaks done to perfection. Not to mention the old salad dressing. I believe it was mayo, ketchup and relish. Nothing like a simplistic mix of condiments to compliment your iceberg lettuce salad.
The atmosphere is still great and the drinks stiff! Bring one of your schmuck friends to be the DD and you'll have a great time. Make sure to check out the pictures on the wall and don't forget to have the tender of bar show you how to get your dollar stuck on the ceiling. -
Review from John W.
Daly City, CA
4/28/2011 1 photo
Went here on a busy Saturday. Seated fast and Menu came quickly.
We ordered the NY Steak Sandwich, Chicken W/ Mushrooms and Stinky Fries. The steak was perfectly cooked to the requested Medium. It doesn't say so on the menu, but this was Choice grade meat. Good stuff. Jars of peanut butter and a very tasty Apricot Jam were on the tables as promised. Great on the toasted bread. The chicken was good. The Stinky Fries, which are Fries cooked longer so they are crunchy and topped with lots of garlic and Parmesan cheese, were a perfect compliment to the steak. good portion size. Fooood Coma time!
The drinks we ordered from the bar were on the stiff side, so take it easy if you have to get back on the road. Or better yet, get a designated driver.
Remember, this is not a super classy joint, so don't come here expecting that.
By the way, Cash Only. They don't take credit cards, ATM cards or checks. [There is an ATM in the bar, but it charges for using it.]
Al's used to close between Lunch and Dinner. That has changed. They open at 11 AM and stay open all afternoon through dinner hours (though I am not sure when they close. They did not say). -
Review from Pippi L.
Sacramento, CA
3/23/2006
If you go to Al The Wop's, you can at least say you've been there. They are "famous" for their Steak Dinner. ~$40 for two to eat.
If you order it, you will not be pleased. It consists of a crummy little salad, a strange gummy pasta dish that has watery sauce (but I ate it all anyway) and is served family style, and a chewy fried steak. But like I said, you don't go there for the FOOD. You go there to say you Ate At Al The Wop's. And you get your budweiser, read everything on the walls, try not to lose your balance when you are walking on the floors, and imagine what Locke must've been like in it's heyday.
There's a Chinese restaurant there in Locke as well. I haven't tried it, but I mean to. It would be a shame to go to the last decrapitated Chinese town in California and not hit the Chinese restaurant.
After you have your beer, and maybe some nuts, and stare at all the crap stuck in the ceiling, you can tool on down the river to the Ride Hotel in Ride, which is purportedly haunted. And smells like cat pee and has mannikins everywhere, but I digress. -
Review from Jim M.
Minneapolis, MN
7/25/2007
Once you get past the name...
It's about 20 miles south of Sacramento, just off of I-5, next to the Sacramento River levee. They only take cash. The place is an old Chinese railroad labor camp and looks like a back lot on the Paramount lot. Amazing place! -
Review from Joey R.
Los Angeles, CA
9/25/2007
This place was awesome. Went on a day trip to check it out. The little town its in is so cool, and the service and atmosphere of the place were great.
I stuck a dollar on the cieling, one of thousands.
I'll definitly go back here whenever I get the chance. -
Review from Katie F.
Marysville, CA
4/22/2010
This is a great bar to stop into and have a cocktail or two and soak up some ambience of this great little town. Nothing better in the world than a drive down the Delta on a beautiful spring day and a stop in at Al's.
If you can be here for the chili cook off, do so!! -
Review from David G.
Union City, CA
8/30/2010
The place was run down, the bar was crowded, the waitress was obnoxious and the bathrooms were dirty.
I loved it!!!!!!
We stopped for a drink and didn't eat, but I have been there before and the food is good.
I get a kick out of people that give it one and two stars for poor service or funky Americanized food. This is what the place is all about and it is like walking into a different place and time. History surrounds the place and I could sit out in front for hours and smoke a cigar and absorb the atmosphere. If you come there expecting good greasy food and a somewhat rowdy crowd and do a little research and realize what the area/town/place is all about you wont be surprised, if you come and expect a candle light dinner with some nice red wine to go with your steak, then save yourself the trouble of posting one star and maybe perhaps go to another joint.
It had what I wanted for the day will always make a stop here. -
Review from Eating T.
Beverly Hills, CA
10/13/2009
I love this place! I had a cheeseburger and I'll say it was excellent. The meat was fresh and certainly not frozen. It was cooked perfectly and you can tell the griddle has been "seasoned" well over the years. It's always a huge plus when you're getting your burger from a griddle that's been in operation for over 30 years. The tomatoes, lettuce and onions were all fresh and just the right amount. The "bun", more of a buttered toast on the griddle, was wonderful.
The fries were fantastic too. Nice thickness and cooked just right, crispy outside but still soft inside. I didn't try the steak but it was heavily recommended by several people. Another diner down the bar from me ordered one and it was huge.
You've got to try the peanut butter & marmalade on toast. It's worth driving there solely for that. They griddle the toast same as the burger. It comes nice and hot, slather it with the PB & marmalade and it melts in your mouth. You'd think you'd had enough PB & J sandwiches before in your life but until you've had this, you'd be wrong.
I have photos and a more in depth review on my personal blog. -
Review from jesus c.
Fort Wainwright, AK
1/6/2011
Ok, but nothing that stands out... I can find a dive bar with a decent burger in just about any town. Liked the charm and still intreagued by the peanut butter at the tables. Service was just fine too. May have been better had I took more time in the bar...
