Until the location in The Villages opened, we made the trip to Ocala just to eat at McAlister’s Deli. We enjoyed the food so much the trip was always worth it, so needless to say, when the Brownwood Paddock Square location opened, we were ecstatic!
The Brownwood restaurant, located at 3630 Kiessel Road, is just as fabulous. The eatery is clean, can accommodate a large crowd of friends and there’s plenty of parking on the street or in the back of the building.
The outdoor dining area also is spacious, the restrooms are pristine and the staff is young, friendly and willing to make your order as special as you request – without the eyerolling and sighing.
As you enter the front door, you walk through what I call the corral (fitting right in with the Western theme of downtown Brownwood) and wait in the chute to be next in line to order at the counter. The menu offers a lot of choices and you can browse it while waiting. And after you place your order at the counter, they’ll give you a number to put into a stand on your table and your food will be delivered to you.
Through the years, we’ve tried just about everything on McAlister’s menu, but the recent trip was a real treat because they offered a soup special of Corn and Crab Chowder. Order up!
My dining companion and I both ordered the “Choose 2” of soup and half sandwich combo but upsized the soup to a larger bowl. It was fabulous! The soup was hot, thick and creamy, loaded with just the right amount of corn and crab so that you got a spoonful with every bite. Although it certainly didn’t need any fixin’ up, we added a nice dash of hot sauce to kick it up a notch to our liking.
I had a half sandwich of the New Yorker, and believe me when I tell you, that half sandwich had enough corned beef, pastrami and swiss cheese on it to make one whole sandwich! It had just the right amount of delicious spicy brown mustard on the marbled rye bread, too. It’s served warm and it actually stayed warm throughout my entire meal.
Since I don’t normally drink sweet tea – theirs is marvelous – I opted for the unsweet version and it tasted freshly brewed.
My dining companion accompanied the soup with a half sandwich of French Dip. That sandwich was equally as large, stuffed with Black Angus roast beef and melted swiss. It was hot and tasty and served with a side of warm au jus for dipping. He ordered the famous sweet tea and was pleased as usual with that Southern classic made with pure cane sugar. And, not only are your tea refills free, a server walks the restaurant to check on you during your meal and will get drink refills for you.
If that wasn’t enough food, we shared one of their famous spuds – we just couldn’t resist! Since they are very large and we wanted to split it, we asked for each end to have different toppings. Our server was very happy to oblige and made one end with broccoli and cheese and the other with butter and sour cream. No problem! The giant baked potato arrived hot and stuffed as ordered.
With all of this deliciousness, we couldn’t possibly fit dessert – there – so we got a couple of chocolate chip cookies to go. They were still a bit warm because they had just come out of the oven. Our late-night cup of coffee was just begging for a side of cookie! And yes, they were soft, gooey and sweet, just like a good homemade cookie should be.
As I mentioned earlier, we’ve been regular customers of McAlister’s Deli for many years. I can tell you that you won’t be disappointed with anything you order from there. The salads are fresh and huge, the Four Cheese Griller is deliciously cheesy and hot, all the Club Sandwiches are stuffed and very difficult to eat a whole one (so be prepared to take half home), and the Orange Cranberry Club is especially a treat.
There’s a varied assortment of sides to go along with your meal, and it’s your choice, not theirs! Oh yeah, and there’s a kid’s menu, too!
To me, a really good deli sandwich is worth its weight in meat (pun intended). The prices are reasonable for the large amount of food that you get. There’s no skimping on deli meats here! And they even cater – right to your door!
We also love to support establishments that give back to their communities. McAlister’s website says they “are not only committed to being better neighbors, but also to bettering our neighborhoods.”
Along those lines, McAlister’s often reaches out to local schools, churches, non-profits and other organizations to get involved however they can.
“We value generosity and are proud to employ managers and team members who embrace our culture of giving,” the website says. “From volunteering to running in charity 5Ks or working at fundraisers, our team is dedicated to doing all that we can to support local initiatives in ways both big and small. And when disaster strikes, our restaurant groups have been some of the first to donate food, drink and money to help the victims.”
McAlister’s also provides nutrition information on everything they sell, so you can check it out before you go by clicking HERE.
Enjoy!
