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Allyson's Kitchen
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Fri. 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
8 reviews for Allyson's Kitchen
Tried Allyson's for lunch today with my family. Four sandwiches, two bags of chips, two cookies and two drinks: $45. Ouch! If you're on a budget and just want a simple sandwich, this isn't the place. Here, you get "gourmet" sandwiches with fancy cheese that is sliced really thick.
Don't be confused by the sandwich names (see the pic provided by JO H), they're named after Shakespearean characters like Macbeth (roast beef) and Cornwall (corned beef and sauerkraut), etc. That's kinda cute, if not unexpected for a sandwich shop across the street from the OSF rehearsal building, The Black Swan, and one block from the three theaters.
There's a little warning posted next to the menu board about certain sandwiches taking longer to prepare. We didn't have that problem, but there wasn't a long line either at Sunday 1:30pm. If you're in a hurry, order a cold sandwich or, better yet, don't expect to grab a sandwich 15 minutes before curtain!
My wife has trouble with stairs and, as you can see from the photo provided by JO H, there are a lot of stairs to descend to get to the deli and wine racks. If there's a lift, I didn't look hard enough.
I'm a sandwich guy, but not a "gourmet" sandwich guy, so the fancy cheese doesn't impress me. On these sandwiches, however, the cheese is very noticeable because it's got such a major presence in the sandwich. Bea n. noticed the lettuce, well, I couldn't get past the two thick slices of brie cheese in my son's Macbeth (roast beef), well-placed on each half of the halved sandwich. Unwieldy at best, overpowering and distracting at worst. Probably could have gotten by with half the cheese (and cut $5 from my bill).
I wandered around the area, including the wine racks and found a wide selection of just about everything related to fine cooking, of which I am no connoisseur by any measure. Again, you'll pay a premium here for everything, including the food, because of the locale. Most of this stuff you'll find online and for a whole lot less money if you'll just wait until you get back to your home computer or your laptop in your hotel room.
If your budget allows and you find Allyson's is a place you like to frequent, experiment a little and choose a different cheese, ask for less or no lettuce, complement your sandwich with a glass of wine or a Dead Guy Ale, get a bag of Kettle Chips, take a picture with a friend in front of the chalkboard menu of Macbeth, Cornwall and other character sandwiches!
Enjoy!
I'm actually really surprised with the two and three star ratings.
I loved this place. It has an absolutely amazing selection of gourmet items. I was blown away by the 30 year old balsamic vinegar (!!) they had on offer and then that was followed up with a 40 year old balsamic! Amazing. They had a great selection of pastas, vinegars, oils, etc. Also, they have a decent wine selection. The young gentleman that helped us last year seemed quite knowledgeable and we bought a couple bottles of Italian red based on his recommendations. They also have a great cheese selection.
I actually didn't eat any of their prepared food, but the store itself is incredibly impressive.
I highly recommend this to anyone with a passion for cooking and/or high-end, quality ingredients.
Unbelievably good sandwiches. But I'm not crazy about their new check out system. The old one worked fine. Now there's a line no matter what. :(
This place is actually called Allyson's Kitchen. I couldn't find it.
I love the history behind this building. It was actually my favorite part of wandering down the steps into Allyson's Kitchen (basement). The cuisine in the restaurant might be leagues above their deli counter, but the sandwiches that I received were not only mediocre in flavor, but grossly overpriced. For a tuna sandwich, which I will admit was well flavored, containing pretty much lettuce and tuna on whole wheat, and a capresse (which did have tasty balsamic adorned), I paid $18. Now, that's all I bought. Those two sandwiches, coming with nothing else, with nothing fancy to speak of about them, cost $18. For a place whose patronage rave about their sandwiches, I can positively say I was disappointed. The service was amazingly kind, which was lovely.
Tucked away in the basement, the Allyson's cafe turns out amazing sandwiches left and right. A great choice for lunch, to go or not.
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I went to Allyson's of Ashland for their Friday wine tasting. It was the perfect thing to do before heading off to see Taming of the Shrew at the OSF. I sampled 5 different red wines and cheese pairings for only $10 and got to browse their wine selection. The glasses were filled about 1/3 of the way up, so I think it was well worth the price. I found the staff is very knowledgeable about the wines and cheeses they offer.
In reading their newsletter, it looks as though they do a tasting every Friday.
You can tell the quality of a place by how much your lettuce sticks out of your sandwich. At Allyson's your bushel of lettuce (bushel!! mind you, not just a leaf) is perfectly placed in between the slices of bread; your tomatoes are sandwiched on the mayo side of the bread (versus the mustard); and the sandwich does not fall apart when you're at your last bites. Quality.
Allyson's basement is a great little lunch place, with well-made fresh sandwiches and a great place to hang around and talk.
