McAlister's Deli

One of our employees was adamant about stopping by this McAlister's during our travel week (I'd never tried McAlister's before)! As a self-proclaimed vegetarian & salad connoisseur, the first question I asked her was whether they have good veggies?! She is a veggie-lover too, & she said they're way better than Chic Fil A salads, so I accepted this taste-test challenge 🧐🫣. I picked the Southwest Avacado Salad due to my love of spice/black beans (without chicken, though, for me). I was impressed with the freshness of the tomatoes, avacados, & lettuce. All veggie-eaters know the STRUGGLE of finding fresh veggies! The tomatoes were so big, ripe, & sweet 😍🤤. Dakota Baker made my salad. On top of the quality, she was so considerate & accommodating, asking about my diet restrictions as I am also a Type 1 Diabetic (T1D). With special diets, we all know how hard it is to find that type of exceptional service that cares about your health. If you are a vegetarian, or T1D, or gluten-free diet, ASK for Dakota Baker!!!! She didn't judge me and she also let me choose two dressings to try, because I had never tried them before and I couldn't decide!!!! I went with both Chipotle Ranch as well as the Chili-Lime Balsamic, as I always struggle between the healthy balsamic or a spicy ranch 🤦‍♀️😂. I tried each with a little bite of salad, and I loved them both so much that I decided to mix them together. This was the best salad I have had in a very long time. Wayyyyy better quality and taste than my local Chick Fil A, or Golden Chic, and then better than the Italian restaurants. I will be going with McAlister's salads for the rest of time!

GO HERE! Highly recommend! Jake (the GM) and his staff could not be kinder. I have a severe gluten allergy and they are so patient with me. Emily has been helping me a lot lately. They take allergies very seriously, I could not be happier eating here. Have never gotten sick. If you are gluten free, you can eat a lot. The veggie chili (no saltines) is gluten free. Get the ultimate nachos with the veggie chili (gluten free). All sandwiches (check individual ingredients) can be made with GF bread. I have had the 4 cheese melt, the Ruben, the club, and the new yorker. All good. Most if not all the potatoes are gluten free. The salads (I think all of them) are gluten free with no croutons. I usually get a choose 2. A sandwich and the ultimate nachos with the veggie chili. I can not say enough good things about this location – Athens TX.