Alison's Restaurant

Not much to look at but the food more than compensates!  What appears to be an old drive-in restaurant/diner contains some tasty dishes and excellent service.

My first visit was a couple days ago and I enjoyed a fantastic crabcake sandwich.  The breading was light and appeared to be made of cornmeal.  The contents were very heavily weighted toward the crabmeat and not full of other less desirable things.  Good seasoning, well cooked - only slightly greasy.  The roll was awesome (toasted, buttered) as was the tartar sauce.  All housemade sauces, soups, and the crabcake, by the way.  

Now the soup:  I've heard for weeks now about the potato soup at Alison's.  Yes it was rich, yes it was flavorful, but I also had the distinct sensation of Velveeta somewhere in the mid.  It was good, I'd order it again and I'd recommend it - but I still can't quite put my finger on the "odd" element.

Service was quite attentive - almost overly.  It's a welcome change from absentee service, however.  

All in all I'd say go.  Enjoy yourself - it's not quite a gastropub, but it's definitely what I'd call a "fine diner".

This place is hit or miss when it comes to service.But I just can't help the fact that I absolutely love the chicken tenders here. Plump,juicy and just the right amout of breading,fried to a perfect crisp. I have now opted for take out when I have the hankering for some Alison's tenders.That way I avoid the stress and won't require anger mgmt class.Lol :)

My husband and I were spending a couple nights in Abingdon (heading down the Creeper Trail) wanted some local cuisine, so I was hoping there would be something on Yelp. Up popped Alison's and we were right there. Not much impressed with the outside. But, the food was fantastic! and the service was top notch. I had the Grilled Shrimp and veg medley..superb. My husband had the Idaho trout stuffed with crab. He raved..we were so pleased to have fallen onto this "gem"..thanks Yelp!