I used to live in the neighborhood and had many great lunches and dinners here - whether it was for drinks or dinner. Â I no longer live in the neighborhood, but will still go out of my way to stop in. Â You know what I especially love? Â That I can get something healthy (think steamed veggies, awesome blacked fish or grilled chicken) or something more in the spirit of New Orleans and a little bit unhealthy. Â Stick with the basics, and you have some solid food way above and beyond your typical bar food.
Atmosphere is awesome - eat outside during the summer, at a high top in the bar for casual late night dining, or in the booths in the dining room for lunch. Â Huge beer variety, and awesome margaritas.
Finally, it's a great venue for live music. Â Come here with your friends...again and again.
I have been to Allyn's twice and the first time was a pretty cool experience. We had the popocorn shrimp & gator appetizer was pretty tasty and my creole chicken & shrimp pasta was great (a little spicy). The second time, I had the blackened chicken sandwich, which was supposed to be a "famous" item. I was far from impressed. It was a large chicken breast that had not been marinated/seasoned well enough. I was disappointed, especially since the dish was somewhat 'renowned'. It was certainly lackluster and I took 2 bites before calling it quits. My fiance had the shrimp etouffe, and that had a little more flavor, but it seemed abnormally buttery & saucey. It overpowered the rice accompanying it.
Also, a friend recommended us trying the FatHead beer, he raved about it, so we tried to order it. The waitress said they were out & that half of the full-page beer menu was out. That too was disappointing.
Last, we asked to be seated at a different table because ours was incredibly sticky. Turns out they're all like that... not a sour rag, but the tables are in horrible shape- the laquer is detiriorated and all tables need to be re-finished. Not the best experience.
The inside (bar side) has been redone and has really made it more open feeling. Â Menu has concentrated on the Cajun items (lots of gator, shrimp, crawfish, as well as the burgers, phillies, etc.). Â Pretty darn good beer selection, bottle and draft, and as before, there is the wine take-away store. Â My inner nerd got excited recently as they have added NTN Trivia now.
Review Source:A three-star review obviously isn't a ringing endorsement, but I want to tip my hat to the folks at Allyn's for a positive makeover. Â
It's a nice upgrade. Â
I'm about 99.999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 percent sure my prior review below had less than 0.00000000000000000000000000000001 percent of the influence on these changes, but it's almost as though the owner was taking a few notes from it:
The interior now has a more sophisticated and lowlit feel, almost a bit like a speakeasy. Â And it feels like the 21st century. Â The menu has been pared down a bit: Â Thankfully gone are almost all of the dreadful Mexican items, leaving behind most of the "Cajun" (read: Â Louisiana-influenced) fare, along with a long and varied list of sandwiches and appetizers. Â Since Allyn's did a better job with that stuff, this was a good idea. Â The "blackened" tilapia I ordered wasn't bad at all: Â cooked properly, and, if not actually blackened Prudhomme-style, it was nicely seasoned. Â It'd be nice, though, if Allyn's offered more non-starches as sides with its entrees. Â (And a burger at the table was pretty badly overcooked.) Â
Allyn's has added several draft beers, with some decent choices, to complement its long list of bottled beers. Â Good move.
I don't know if this makeover involved an overhaul of the staff, but service, while polite and pleasant, seemed a little unsure of itself.
The little wine shop is still there, too.
We'll almost certainly be back, which isn't something I'd have said prior to the changes.
Allyn's has always been a consistent restaurant. Â I liked their food before they changed their menu and their new menu is pretty decent as well. Â I must say I prefer the old menu because there were a lot of options but the new one is fine too. Â They have a large beer list with some interesting selections and their margaritas are delicious. Â I recently decided to go back since I had not sampled their new menu yet and was pleased overall. Â I had their fish of the day (mahi mahi), blackened served with black beans and steamed veggies. Â The fish was cooked perfectly and seasoned really well. Â The whole plate was tasty and a pretty healthy option too. Â I haven't ever had anything I have not liked at Allyns. Â It's a good neighborhood spot.
Review Source:This is an interesting place. The staff and service are great, but the food is a bit funky. I don't have a lot of experience with Cajun food, nor is it one of my favorites. There aren't a lot of options if that isn't your favorite type of food. They have a lot of tables, but the place is a bit sketch. I can't speak to the wine shop part of things, which I've heard great things about.
Review Source:I love everything about Allyn's!  I am from California....... and when I visit Cincinnati  - I go to Allyn's!  ---- It feels good, looks good and has fabulous fresh food.  Everything is delicious!  Thank you Allyn!  -----  You have a great restuarant with awesome service and yummy food.  I love the casual fun atmosphere with a short nice drive from downtown --- and the huge selection of food, wine, beer and cocktails... everything tastes great.  5 Stars to You!
Review Source:Went here yesterday (1/7/12) after the bearcats game and my friends and I wanted to watch the Bengals game. Â We sat in the bar area and asked for a drink menu, I will give them that they have a very extensive beer selection and the prices are somewhat reasonable.
Onto the food, as several fellow yelpers have stated what kind of restaurant is place trying to be? They have Cajun, Mexican and American food. My advice stick to a theme like Cajun and roll with it. Â I ordered the shrimp po'boy and I was disappointed in it. The shrimp were little shrimp like a long john silvers has plus the tartar sauce tasted like it came from a jar. Plus a po'boy always gets served with remoulade sauce, and on french bread not a bakery bun. The Cajun fries were cold and tasted like just out of freezer and fried and sprinkled with Cajun seasoning.
My buddy got a plate of nachos and said they were just OK and he also ordered the chicken wings with a garlic bourbon sauce and said the sauce was really good.
Service was OK.
I really like the feel of this place. Â It is cool, casual, kitchy.
Other than that, the place is pretty mediocre. Â The food is only ok. Â It doesn't seem to know what kind of menu it wants to have... Mexican, American, Cajun. Â No one can do everything well. Â Prices are a little high for a hole in the wall bar/restaurant.
I do like that you can buy a bottle of wine from their wine store and open it in house for only a small fee. Â It does make drinking slightly cheaper. Â
The first time we were here they had a band playing. Â The band was good, but the place is so small that the noise overwhelmed the whole place. Â
Parking can be an issue here. Â Their parking lot is tiny and street parking can be at a minimum. Â
Overall, there are far too many great restaurant/ bars in the area to bother with this one.
My wife and I went to Allyn's Café because I had heard they had a good beer selection, and she had driven by and liked the fact they had a giant gator on their building.
First off I really enjoyed the ambiance. Â I automatically felt comfortable and welcome, pretentious free.
We sat around the corner and down a small flight of stairs by the bar. Â The beer list was indeed pretty good. Â They had quite a few beers I had never tried. Â I drank both an organic IPA which was ok (probably why I don't remember the name) and a Steelhead Pale Ale, which I was pretty impressed with.
For dinner I had a chicken chimichanga and my wife had "Al's Cajun Seafood Platter." Â
My chicken chimi was perfectly mediocre. Â I liked that it was not actually deep fried but rather just browned on the grill, but the chicken wasn't real choice, a little dry. Â What I would expect from any two-bit tex-mex joint.
But the side dishes actually made up for it. Â I had two different types of beans, black and refried, and they were absolutely amazing. Â Great flavor. Â They claim to have an herb garden on the roof and these two recipes certainly tasted like they had some fresh herbs in them.
My wife's seafood platter was actually pretty good. Â It came with blackened catfish, popcorn shrimp, blackened scallops, and hush puppies. Â Once again, the seasoning on the catfish was fantastic, and it was blackened to perfection, adding a delicious saltiness/crispness.
However the scallops weren't very good. Â They were large sea scallops and didn't taste very blackened or, for that matter, very done. Â And I love some scallops.
Again, I'm not sure why Yelp shuns the .5 rating, because I would love to give this place a 3.5, but have to lean more towards 4 in the end. Â Great ambiance and service, better than average beer list, hit or miss on the food. Â I will definitely take at least one more trip there.
Allyn's seems to still be deciding what kind of restaurant it wants to be: is it Cajun or Mexican? The menu reflects many options of both. One Yelper commented they even have stramboli here!
You can spot Allyn's brightly colored bungalow right along Columbia Parkway as you enter Columbia-Tusculum. Inside, you'll view a vast variety of beer, wine, and an extensive menu with dozens of entrees. The decor lends a New Orleans bayou theme. I took a chance and pick some random things off the menu:
- Jambalaya with shrimp appetizer
- Polo Asado Genghis Khan: teriyaki glazed chicken with onions, peppers, tomatoes in a tortilla. Comes with two sides of beans and creamed rice.
The Jambalaya was excellent; a cup piled high with spicy rice and topped with shrimp. It also included sausage, which I didn't care for. It would be great if they had a strictly shrimp variety. My main ate; it wasn't bad, but I would try something else next time. The portion was massive, so I picked the meat out of the tortilla. The black beans were tasty, with a ranch seasoning. The refried beans and creamed rice went untouched.
My friends ordered popcorn shrimp and 10 buffalo wings with spicy tequila sauce. This is their go-to meal when they visit Allyn's. I tasted the popcorn shrimp, which were delicious. The wings were also the first to be devoured. If you're a first timer, definitely stick with the Cajun meals; Allyn's can cook them splendid. As for the Mexican, it's hit or miss.
I was more impressed by the decor here than I was the food. I was excited to try the blackened alligator, but it was overcooked and tough, and prepared in more of an étouffée style drowning in a heavy red sauce. They have no beers on tap, and while they do have a fairly good selection of bottles, that's pretty much only acceptable to me at Madonna's.
Also, we were stuck with a greenhorn server-in-training, and I was brought the wrong kind of Moerlein (ordered Helles, got OTR, which is not a problem per se, just not what I ordered) and I was never able to ask for a replacement since she and her trainer kind of wandered off and mostly ignored us, despite the fact that it was early and the place was not super busy.
I may give Allyn's another go in the future, but I won't be the one suggesting (or paying for) it.
Before this past weekend I dined at Allyn's Cafe one time before, but as it was years ago I don't remember much about the visit. My wife and I headed to Allyn's for diner after a busy day spent mostly in the surrounding area. She actually noticed the restaurant much earlier in the day and commented that we should try it again. I knew that Allyn's had a good beer selection and that was exactly what I was looking for to help unwind.
While looking over the menu I enjoyed a Bell's Two Hearted Ale. The menu is a mix of mostly Mexican and Cajun choices with a few other "thangs" thrown in. I was in the mood for Mexican food, so I quickly decided on the chimichanga with chicken. Once that decision was made, my wife and I agreed that she should order something from the Cajun side so we could share both meals. Eventually we settled on the chicken and sausage jambalaya. This was served with a house dinner salad and we wisely chose the creamy jalapeno, which turned out to be delicious!
As far as the entrees go, I was really happy with our choices. First the chimichanga was served with tasty sides of vegetarian black beans, Mexican rice, and refried beans. Though the sides weren't large, I appreciated having a variety of good tasting items that were much better than the Don Pablo's sides that I recently had. The chimichanga itself wasn't as fried as I've had in other restaurants, but still good. Â It was filled with plenty of pulled chicken and there was a nice sauce occupying the bottom of the entire plate. Â I did not use the included salsa at all.
After eating my half of the chimichanga plate, my wife and I switched platters. The chicken and sausage jambalaya was equally as good as the chimichanga. The spicy mix of shredded chicken and sliced sausage was mixed with rice and served in a wide rimmed bowl. Also served on the side of this dish was a large slice of corn bread, which we also liked. The serving sizes were large and we could not finish either plate. Our service was great, constantly refilling all the water we were using to put out the fire in our mouths. The restaurant itself was a little dark, but for dinner that isn't a problem. If you are there during lunch, I would request the outdoor patio to take advantage of the bright summer days.
I only perused their menu but was pretty impressed with the wide array of food to choose from. Our experience here, albeit short, was a good one. The staff was very friendly-everyone (including kitchen staff!) interacting with what were obviously regulars. They have quite an extensive beer and wine list -- that's all we had time to explore and we were rather impressed. The bartender even made suggestions and everything was really inexpensive (I think I've grown to accustomed to CA prices by now), which I'm finding to be a common theme in Ohio. I can get a mixed drink for under $4?? Unheard of! It seems Allyn's is a great local hangout and next time we're in town we will definitely be trying some of their authentic New Orleans fare.
Review Source:Allyn's is one of those places where I know what I want before I go. Except for my beer selection.
I always get their homemade veggie burger. Actually, I once had a server put that burger down---but it's my favorite. Allyn's has my favorite veggie burger, period. It's got black beans and other veggies, with some sort of a cornmeal binder. Pour on some of their house hot sauce and you're set. Plus, they have an awesome beer selection and it's super cheap.
I like that you can buy a bottle of wine at Allyn's and their wines by the glass selection is decent. But the food just isn't very good at all. The portobello sandwich, salads, veggie burger, burrito--all fair at best. It's good for a beer on the patio or to listen to some live music, but the food isn't the star of the show.
Review Source:Allyn's wins points with me right off the bat for being kitschy. Â How could anyone resist a restaurant with a giant alligator painted on it? Â When you first walk in there is a wine shop that sells very reasonably priced bottles. Â You can enjoy it with your meal or buy it and take it home for later. Â We have often bought a bottle of wine on our way out and have always been satisfied. Â
The atmosphere is casual and fun, especially when there is live music. Â Their beer list is impressive and the servers have generally been knowledgeable. Â Their margaritas can be summed up in one word: Potent. Â They are always delicious but be warned that they are quite strong, in a good way. Â
Their patio is enjoyable but sometimes the service is less dependable out there. Â Our food has always been consistently delicious. Â Parking can be a pain but is still manageable. Â You may have to walk a short distance to Allyn's but hey, you're about to consume lots of food and drinks. Â If you're like me, you'll use that short walk as an excuse to order an extra margarita because I irrationally think I've burned off those calories!
Allyn's Cafe is home of the Bluebirds on Sunday nights. The Bluebirds are, pure and simple, a world class band-,it just doesn't get any better. All the musicians are pro, be it from years on the local music scene to teaching at local Universities. The instrumentation is trumpet, trombone, sax, guitar, drums, percussion, bass, keyboard, to give you an idea of what you'll hear, and they have that male voice organ  sound that hits you so deliciously  in the gut each time they harmonize. From Steely Dan to Stevie Wonder to the Zombies, they kick everything up 50 notches.
Eat, don't eat, drink, don't drink (yeah right). If you live in Cincinnati for any amount of time, you must go see the Bluebirds, it's as simple as that.
BTW, that guy playing trumpet is Allyn (a not so starving musician), he's a cool guy, say hello when you go.
I lived around the corner from Allyn's for nearly a decade, and it became a bit of a clubhouse for me and some pals.
The beer selection is fantastic. Â As a beer snob, this goes a long way with me. Â If you come into a place like this and order a Bud Light, you should be held up for ridicule in the town square.
The menu is somewhat NoLa influenced, though in a bar food kind of way. Â The jambalaya is serviceable but not revelatory. Â Quesadillas are fine, but who screws up a quesadilla? Â The boneless chicken wings are fan-friggin-tastic.
Service is generally friendly and efficient. Â On more than one occasion, I've engaged in a silly conversation with the server after a few rounds, which is a valid reason to go to a bar.
Parking can be a challenge.
A great choice for a casual dinner, assuming you're not looking to have your mind blown by the food.
Allyn's, a restaurant and wine/beer store is located on some prime real estate on US-50 just past Delta. Located in (at the foot of?) Columbia Tusculum, it is a short drive from my apartment and hase become a relatively frequent stop when we need a bottle of wine on the fly. I'm sure if you've driven past, you've noticed the crazy decorations.
You walk through the outdoor seating to enter Allyn's. In the entranceway, you'll be able to be seated if you're looking for a meal or pick up a bottle of wine from the racks or some beer off the extensive chalkboard list. Their wine selection is pretty darn good for the space they have. They have some amazing cheap wines if you don't want to drop a lot of dime. The last time I was there they had Wine Enthusiast's #1 Best Buy for $7.99. The beer selection is also really good, with all of the major brands covered and a pretty good selection of craft brews.
Why does Allyn's only get three stars? For one, it's location, as awesome as it is, makes parking an absolute nightmare. They have a tiny lot which I've never managed to find a spot in and the hilly residential neighborhood surrounding it can be difficult to find a spot in as well. Â Sometimes it takes me as long to find a parking spot after I get there as it takes to drive there.
The other problem is the staffing. It seems that though they do the store/restaurant thing, it doesn't seem like they're always staffed to do both. A lot of the time, there will be no one to ring up my wine at the entryway, so I have to run over to the bar to buy the stuff. It's not a big deal, but it's weird walking through the dining room with wine bottles in both hands.
Does Allyn's do the job? Yes, especially in a pinch. Should I probably have more foresight and buy more booze when I'm at the Party Source? Of course. Luckily for Allyn's, I'm not much of a planner so they will probably continue to get my business.
*FYI: I am reviewing Allyn's as a store to purchase wine & beer, not as a restaurant. I have never eaten here, but if I do eventually, I will revisit this review.
Allyn's has a fun vibe and great drink selection. The food is always good, nothing great, but a good go-to place when everyone wants a little something different. The cod and tuna sandwichs are my personal favorites. I'm not a fan of their Mexican selection, but if you are into Cajun food then this is a great choice. They have a hearty selection of Lousiana-style cooking. Service can be slow at times, but I've never left unhappy.
Review Source:Allyn's Cafe is Old Reliable on my list of possible dining options.
I am never wowed by what I order (I've tried the portabello sandwich, the taco salad and the enchiladas, to name a few), but I always walk away from the table pretty satisfied and very full.
If you are more of a drinker and less of a diner, then you should absolutely swing by this Columbia Tusculum mainstay. They have an extensive beer list, sell wines by the bottle and reportedly pour the best margarita in town.
I've had the frozen version and it was brain freeze city, but the on-the-rocks version is dynamite, especially with a salted rim.
Allyn's is a NoLa inspired restaurant on Columbia Parkway. They have outdoor seating which is awesome in the hotter months, and so pleasant early evenings in fall. Best part PETS ARE WELCOME! The Taco Salad here and Chicken Salad are my favorite plates here. They have an awesome assortment of wine that you can buy to take home, or buy and take to your table. On weekends they have live music and random live performances on Wed. and Thurs. Perfect Sunday Funday spot!
Review Source:I had driven by Allyn's many-a time and always been curious. It's hard to miss, what with it's monster patio and red roof - oh, and a giant alligator peering you down as you cruise by. Yeah, also that.
Then I heard they had a crazy good beer selection and mighty fine food. So my girlfriend and I and two of our friends went to check it out.
Walk inside and get overwhelmed with the Louisiana decorated scene, full of blues and gators and stuff thrown up everywhere (walls, ceiling, wherever there was space). We were told to sit anywhere and were handed a menu.
Now, most of the menu is taken up with selections of beer, which was just fantastic. Microbrews and foreign creations and anything your heart could desire - all at a very reasonable price. I think I got some sort of raspberry beer, which was really good.
Yes, the waiter was kind of snippy with us when we didn't know what we wanted to drink immediately, but still, once we ordered, everything came quickly. I thought I could be very happy here ...
But then, the food. Oh, Allyn's, how could you disappoint me like this? They gave us a basket of chips and salsa to start  - both which were right out of a bag/jar. And worse, the chips were stale! Bleh.
My girlfriend and I weren't that hungry, so we then ordered some quesadillas to split. You think you can't mess up quesadillas, right? Cheese and tortilla - simple. WRONG! This was awful. The cheese was bland and worse, not even melted that long. We sent it back and it returned hotter, but really not more melted.
Even worse than that - they were filled with almost nothing! Just cheese and chicken! No vegetables, no sauces, no nothing. We actually didn't even order chicken - just quesadillas, and they still came this way. Seriously, guys, how could you screw up quesadillas that way? They're freakin' quesadillas!
This was about six months ago and I haven't been back. I would, for a beer or something because there selection is good, but every time I think about going, I remember those quesadillas ... those horrible horrible quesadillas ... and then I just can't bring myself to do it.
I was truly disappointed to not like Ally's but there wasn't a single thing to be excited about except perhaps their wine list which was surprising.
I had a chili "taco salad". If you get a taco salad expecting an oversized fried flour tortilla bowl, you'll be disappointed. Instead you'll get a mound of green lettuce (+) with toppings surrounded by about 15 cheap bagged taco chips. Blech. I'll eat nearly anything Mexican. Not this.
My companion got a chicken burrito. Bland. Bland. Bland. Nothing special.
My cup of jambalaya was just ok but was the best part of the meal. Joe's OkBayou in Louisville is the best around. No contest. Make a day of it.
THIS is NOT Cajun food, folks. And they don't do Mexican well either.
I hadn't been here in years, but checked it out last night because I was in the neighborhood. It definitely has a dive-y feel both inside and out, but more of a unique/cool vibe vs. scary/dirty.
The menus (food, beer, wine) are extensive, but the food menu is exceptionally difficult to read and poorly laid out, so I didn't really appreciate the diversity of their offerings (cajun, BBQ, mexican, etc.) until after I had already ordered and was continuing to look. Service was friendly enough and relatively efficient, but there was a forgotten condiment request that didn't get filled until I was halfway through my meal and made a second request.
I'd like to try one of the cajun/blackened dishes next time, but this time I was really craving a hamburger, so I ordered one with cheddar and sauteed onions and a side of cajun fries (french fries w/ some blackening seasoning). The burger was enormous and pretty tasty; a little greasier than I prefer, but an acceptable trade-off for taste. The fries didn't quite have the kick I was hoping for--not sure they're any better than the regular fries.
Overall, if you're in the neighborhood, it's worth a visit, but I wouldn't go out of my way for dinner there.
This place has been here for a while.  It's decorated with Allyn's personal bric-a-brac . Last visit I had a blackened turkey burger that was good.  The wings are good and meaty with nice sauces.  Long and diverse beer list, but no taps  Good choices on the kids menu.  The menu is large but can be hit or miss.  What's good is good, what's not is not.  I've had good luck with the blackened items.  Mexican is OK; the burrito is good. Overall good solid pub fare.
Review Source:My wife and I have had some good times here. We used to play at the open mic that was held here a few years ago. The place hasn't changed much since then. They still occasionally have small musical acts, and the food is about as good as bar food can be, but not much better.
The decor is great with a large collection of Star Wars and other weird memorabilia lining the walls. The bar inside is easy to access on slower nights and has a great selection of local, domestic, and international brews. There is a little less to do in this part of town, so out of what's there, Allyn's is a good choice.
I didn't lose my microbrew virginity here, but I did start to learn how to make love to beer from it. Â They have a well-organized beer list, and my literary side was seduced by the Hemingway-inspired Two-Hearted Ale from Bells. Â With something like 100 beers (bottles) and 250 wines, you can go back often. Â Or you can buy them from their retail store and take them home.
But you should go back. Â They have a continual cycle of local songwriters and cover bands who might not be the most artistic of musicians but are always fun and earnest about their performances.
Allyn's is popular among certain sorts looking for good spicy food (Cajun, Tex-Mex, wings), good drinks, and good folks. Â No hipsters, no frat folks, just fine Midwesterners, from high school kids to your middle-aged neighbors. Â It's the epitome of an energetic place to chill. Â Does that contradict itself? Â Very well then, it contradicts itself. Â So does a place that combines fine drinks, unpretentious food, classic/roots rock, famous margaritas, and gaudy decor. Â It is certainly, as it claims, "more than a caf".
It might not be your first, but it will always hold a special, warm place in your heart.
Why go? Â It's fun. Â Don't look for something legendary, just go to enjoy your night simply, and you will. Â Something for everyone who isn't excessively uppity and snobby.
Why don't go? Â It's not upscale, it's not suave, and it's not especially easy/quick to get to from most parts of town.
This place is sketchy looking but it's actually pretty sweet. Â My aunt and uncle took my dad and I here on one of our visits back to Ohio. Â I searched the online menu and couldn't find it, but I swear I had a vegetarian dish, some sort of jambalaya with tofu even. Â I wasn't eating any meat at the time, so it was a nice surprise. Â The wait staff were friendly, the food was good and inside was crazy-funky to look at. Â Not necessarily what you'd expect in Cincinnati. Â They have a huge selection of beer and wine, and I think they have live music regularly.
Review Source:
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