Aly’s on Main

Three of the four of us arrived at Aly’s at 5:30 pm, our reservation time, the fourth person joined us at 5:35, and we all placed our orders for hamburgers by 5:40. One of us added lettuce salad to his order. We informed the host that we have theater tickets for 6:30 pm, and he said that it’s up to them to make sure we’ll make it on time and that we shouldn’t worry. The theater is 5 minutes away by foot. Water and bread were served, the salad arrived by 6:00 pm, and that’s the ONLY ordered item that made it to the table! Our concerns were shrugged away while other customers were served. By 6:20 pm we had to ask to box the orders when ready. We made it to the theater just as the show began and had our dinner on a cardboard tray. Earlier in our visit we discussed with the host their open hours and declared our wish to return for thorough menu exploration. That would not happen, and we’ll make sure our friends will avoid this joint. We expected the host to offer some kind of compensation, but it didn’t even occur to anyone to apologize. We frequent Redwood City regularly for a combination of theaters and restaurants, and never have we been met with such attitude and conduct. Our visit was prompted by the positive PBS review. Unfortunately, it looks like it led someone to assume that service is negligible. On the contrary! Ah, the burgers? They were OK, but the fries were utterly soggy. «Five Guys» will serve you decent fare promptly for less. It won’t be «organic grass-​fed beef» but you won’t feel like you were treated as such yourself…

Ordered the chickpea stew lunch entrée which is $ 13 and got a pathetic tiny bowl of white beans with no bread or salad or anything to accompany it. This looked more like a side dish than an «entrée» and way too overpriced for the quantity of food received.

I was really excited to try this place after seeing it reviewed on Check Please Bay Area. The menu is interesting yet accessible and I really appreciate that they support local farms.
My boyfriend, his daughter and I drove down from Burlingame. As we approached the restaurant and I saw that a football game was on, my heart sank. Luckily, the sound was not being broadcast. Still, it did set the stage (no pun intended) for a lacking atmosphere. With its high ceilings and open floor, this place really needs a decorator to warm things up.
The cocktails and food are good (we had the agridolce cauliflower, burger, branzino and pasta carbonara) and it’s a good value.

My wife and I walked over here after seeing Revenant (I hated it). We ordered the Grilled Medjool Dates, Caramelized Brussels Sprouts, Charred Cauliflower Agro Dolce, Grass Fed Beef and Heritage Pork Meatballs. Each dish was off the charts. Then we met Michael, the chef/​owner. His passion for local sources non-​GMO food is amazing. We decided to try the Pork belly Burger when we learned that he makes everything from scratch — ketchup, mustard, pickles — everything. Drinks are fabulous, very comfortable, inviting and relaxing setting for an wonderful meal.

We were looking for a special early dinner to celebrate my husbands birthday after a afternoon movie.
We had heard of Aly’s from local news coverage so decided to give it a try. They weren’t open for 15 minutes so we made online reservations and walked the neighborhood. Once they opened the service and food was Devine.
We started with the roasted Brussels sprouts with Meyer lemon… Amazing. And then I had the brazini over forbidden rice and vegetables that made my mouth simply water. He had the porkbelly hamburger with blue cheese and was very happy.
We would go back and try even more choices. And the service was friendly and helpful!

Whatever you order will be delicious. The umami will knock you out!

Husband and I had the opportunity to get out of the house for a birthday dinner last weekend and Aly’s was my choice. We made reservations through Open Table and, after searching for parking for near an eternity, we made our way to Aly’s. All in all it was a peculiar, but delicious experience. The Pro’s — the food was really quite delicious. We had the avocado bruschetta (YUM), the roasted brussels sprouts, the burger and the pasta bolognese. Everything was fresh and very flavorful — we would come back for the food, no question.
Now for the oddities of the evening. When we arrived and shared that we had reservations, it didn’t seem they actually had a table reserved for us. We ended up sitting by the door, which, let me tell you, makes for a chilly meal. We ordered our drinks, and our food, and then waited. The drinks came pretty quickly, but the food… that was another story. We waited, and waited and waited. At first I thought it was just because the place was so crazy busy (they had to turn a few walk-​ins away), but then the table next to us, which had ordered just a few minutes before us, got their appetizers and meals before our apps even came out. We hadn’t seen our waitress in a while, so had to flag her down to ask what was going on with our food. She apologized profusely, went back to have a talk with the kitchen, and then a few minutes later our apps arrived. I don’t know if our ticket was lost, or our order wasn’t put in, but something had clearly gone a little sideways. By the time we got our appetizers it was more than 45 minutes after we had originally been seated. That said, she comped our appetizers entirely and was really sweet and apologetic about the wait.
I get the impression that they aren’t accustomed to being that busy (I can’t be the only one that got the brilliant idea from Check Please) and might have some service kinks to work out. Hopefully they are able to adjust so that the service matches the quality of their food — which is definitely worth coming back for.

Another reviewer said to go on a Tuesday night in hopes of getting better service. So, we did. We (two adults and a child) enter an EMPTY restaurant at 6pm and are promptly greeted by a server/​hostess. Given the restaurant is clearly empty, we ask to be seated at a booth. A man, who I assume is the owner, approaches from the kitchen and asks if we have a reservation. We advise we do not. He then whispers to the server/​hostess within our earshot that all of the booths are reserved. Really?
I usually give restaurant owners and employees the benefit of the doubt because it’s a brutal business — but that behavior without so much as a congenial explanation is just classic asshole. After equivocating for 30 seconds I told the server/​hostess I was really bothered by the man’s attitude and we left.
How sad. I want to support local, sustainable business. It’s the reason I choose the farmers market to the chain grocery. But these people have some work to do in the hospitable part of the hospitality industry in which they are employed.

Waited 15 minutes at our table before we were even offered to order drinks. The food took so long that I had to order a secod drink from the bartender because our waiter never checked back with us. Our food was very good once we got it. And the waiter comped my second drink after realizing his lapse in service. Upon leaving, the manager told us that they have been crazy busy ever since being featured on the Check Please Bay Area TV show.

We come here often as it is kid friendly and the food is great. Service is good and the drink selection suits the food menu nicely.
Their seasonally adjusted menu is always nicely balanced and both kids and adults will find suitable fare for most tastes.
This place is in our top 5 list for Redwood City.

The ByrrhBon cocktail is really good: Bourbon, Byrrh Grand Quinquina, lemon, coffee liqueur. Byrrh is a fortified wine like Dubonet Rouge. The drink is like a manhattan, with notes of cinnamon syrup and sherry.

UUUUHHHmazing food. Placed a weeknight Eat24 dinner order for pickup! Trying a place for he first time with a to-​go order typically isn’t ideal, however I arrived before my order was ready and had a tasty glass of wine in the company of lots of patrons while I waited. The service was superb! Which is truly a rarity these days. Ordered the Avocado bruschetta… Ta diiiiie for! Followed that with the pasta carbonara and the spaghetti bolognese. They were both deeeeelish! Making this my new weekly takeout spot!

I tried Aly’s on Main with a friend on a Friday night and I had heard so much good stuff about this place, so I wanted to check out the hype.
My friend and I tried a 2 – 3 of the cocktails on the menu and they were all phenomenally yummy!
The menu was full of many options, I saw it as a little bit of Italian, America, Californian, and Middle Eastern fusion options.
My friend has the dates and meatballs for appetizer and for entrees we had beef cheek gnocchi the spaghetti — which were all amazing.
All in all I would recommend this restaurant to friends and family if they want to eat fresh and foods that are in season for a fresh farm to table experience!

I went for dinner on a Saturday night with a group of 4. 2 of us are vegetarian. We had selected Aly’s since they had a few entrees on their sample menu online. They only had one vegetarian entrée on the menu when we were there. One of us ended up ordering a starter and a salad so we didn’t end up with 2 of the same thing. They were out of one of the entrees (thankfully, not the vegetarian one) as well the beer and the wine we ordered.
The server was nice enough, but seemed a little off his game. The salads didn’t have any of the toppings listed on the menu. We explicitly asked for the persimmon that was listed. We got it, but none of the other items. We did end up with a free dessert.
Everyone was happy with the quality of their meals. I really wanted to like this place more, since I’m a big supporter of local and sustainable. However, they could use a couple more vegetarian options and they need improve their server quality and make sure they are not out of so many things at 8pm on a Saturday night.

I have never written a one stair review for a restaurant but here it goes…
First time we had to bolt on a meal because the service was so bad. Waited for more than hour with no food in sight. Left the money for drinks and appetizers on the table and left, and went to a fast causal restaurant to finish our meal.
Maybe it is just an off night in terms of service? But we were not impressed by the food and cocktails either. Portions were stingy and the drinks lacked character.
Not sure if I would give this place another chance.

I cannot praise this place enough! A small locally-​owned business that uses local and ethically sourced food, and then makes incredible, original dishes that change, so that you can have something different every time you go? What more could you ask for? Oh yes! Great service? check! Great wine and beer selection-​also all local? Check! Amazing cocktails? Check! Cozy atmosphere? Check!
But back to the food… the avocado bruschetta is one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted. It is zesty and savory, with just a hint of sweetness that is unlike any bruschetta. The salads are also amazing. I am a vegetarian and have always been impressed by the creative, healthy, and delicious options here.
Thank you to the owners for giving us the opportunity to go to a restaurant where the food is amazing, we can eat with clear consciousnesses, and walk away feeling great!
Oh yeah-​also the desserts here are phenomenal.

The best Cobb salad I’ve ever had, totally five star. Fresh, flavorful greens with delicious tomato, red onion, and avocado; egg is cooked through with yolk slightly moist — OMG flavor! — bacon not too salty and a moist delicious chicken breast. Did I say flavorful? Good balance with the dressing, greens coated but not wet. A flavor explosion in my mouth! And, good iced tea. Yummy.
Service was fantastic when I was the only customer. They were unprepared for the lunch rush. No iced tea refill and I had to stand up and walk to the bar to get my bill.

I WANT to score this place higher, because the owner tries SO HARD to make it a cool place, but I’m disappointed equally every time I visit. This was my 6^th or 7^th stop over the past year. It’s a cute place, and the chef wants to be creative, but there is never a vegan choice on the menu, so I’m not interested in trying any food. This week’s new item, an $ 80 steak, which this place just can’t pull off, no matter how hard it tries to be something. The bar always disappoints too. I WANT to praise something because of their effort. Let’s say «Great, motivated, and friendly service.»

Came back just to have their burger and fries… if you’re going with one other person, sit at the bar– Lonnie is great; he’s friendly and he can suggest what’s good on the menu– which is pretty much everything.
Try the Chocolate Stout– interestingly tasty.
I feel like this can be a regular spot for the wifey and me.

(edited my bad grammar and a couple of spelling errors)
I tried this restaurant on Valentine’s Day by Unilocaling it. The quality of food did not disappoint, and I was prepared for the fine dining portions, which I actually prefer.
Everything I tried tasted wonderful. I had the caprese salad, and I had the andouille sausage. Even the coffee was a wonderful roast. Dessert was also good. The menu was tasteful, and I appreciate the care that went into the preparation of the food. All the flavours were wonderful and complementary. One of my guests was at first slightly dissatisfied with the wine she ordered, but after letting it breathe, I think she enjoyed it (it was a pinot). My guests had the pork chop and the fettucine, and I think they all enjoyed their dishes.
I honestly could rave more about the food, and wax far more poetic because all of the reviews are spot on regarding the quality of the ingredients and its preparation. I’m generally a far more long-​spoken and generous reviewer.
The only reason that I’m not giving more stars is because our reservation was for 8:30pm, which is already late. It was not particularly crowded. Even in the small space, there were perhaps four empty tables. There were at least two servers and least one bus person, plus the bartender in front.
Our food wasn’t served until 9:38pm. By that time, there was only one other table seated, and I think their plates had already been taken away and they (a group of six) were just chatting. Seriously, my guests got so restless they actually stepped outside to make phone calls and weren’t even at the table when their food arrived. My coffee cup sat empty for long periods of time, several times. I had to get someone’s attention to get the check.
I’d certainly try again on a different night, just to check. I’ll update the review with what I find out.