Alley Cat Restaurant and Bar

We came in around 8 on Sunday evening.
Place was empty except the people who work there.
The first thing that assaults you is the reek of stale cigarette smoke.
The décor is a mash up of Early Happy Halloween and thrift store cast offs.
But enough of the things that don’t matter, let’s get to the meat of the review…
We sat down at a booth close to the bar. By the way everything stuck to the tabletop, they either hadn’t wiped it down from the previous weeks clients or, they were conducting NASA test on the next generation of adhesive for Shuttle thermal tiles.
The draft beer selection was very good as long as you like only one local brewery. Not really a flaw but, I’ve never been to a bar where all of the taps were occupied by a single brewery.
My companion asked if the curry dish was available and we were told it was after they checked their supply closet. She ordered that only to find out a few minutes later that they didn’t have a key ingredient. She went with the quesadilla.
I ordered the gyro and fries.
After 15 minutes or so, our food appeared.
I must admit, this was the poorest excuse for food I’ve seen in a while.
Both plates of food were cold. My gyro didn’t have tzakki sauce and my fries were retried leftovers from earlier. The gyro came on a flour tortilla wrap instead of pita bread.
My companions quesadilla was cold and quiet greasy. How you make a greasy quesadilla is beyond me.
All in all I can see where this could be a great place to meet some friends and have a few beers.
Skip the food.

Best little bar in town. The most interesting people around. We would never hangout any place else.

I had the combo with ribs and pork, collard greens and Mac n cheese. It was truly exceptional. The best bbq I’ve had in a while, and I’m a trucker.

I visited after 5 years of living away from here-​I walked in after a beer dinner thinking I crashed a party. I sat down for a bit and just listened, watched and then asked the folks around me who was running the show. I ordered a beer, had some great conversation with the lady that plans the dinners and cooks and one of the bartenders. This is the best place to go for a not-​so-​crowded and down to earth atmosphere. Don’t go here if you are looking for $ 1 drafts!

Very strange bar.

Great friends, great owners, questionable bathrooms. Epicenter of the Carrollton weird. Also, they like good beer. There’s a working cigarette machine because fuck it. Hide-​away from the Fratty doo doos. No place like it and lots of hugs.

I love any place where I can come in dressed to the nines or in jeans and a sweatshirt and get the same reception. Friendly bartenders who remember my favorite drinks, cut up with the customers and can generally have a good time makes for a way better time than going into the (other) local bars full of the college crowd out for getting wasted and ‘being seen’. The food is always on point, too, which isn’t what most pubs/​bars are known for.

It is what it is. If you want a great beer selection and an eclectic environment you should visit. Good burgers and vegan friendly.

Customer service… eh… the place is just weird. Partied there a couple of times… its a fun crew that you see come in. It was a might to remember. drinks aren’t cheap.

Sometimes good music, good community folks in attendance, but unfathomably hostile, rude, just plain mean co-​owner/​bartender. I just don’t get it.

Local, hormone free burgers during the day (some vegan and vegetarian options are on the menu as well) and a really fun bar at night. Always have local and/​or rare beers on draft, too… definitely the best beer selection in town. Live music on a typical Friday or Saturday night and trivia on Monday nights. The bar staff is really precious and the owner is a peach.

We love to play here. Come to see live music.

I just finished the Alley Cat’s Winter Beer Tasting Dinner and if you did not already know that the Alley Cat is one of the top places to eat in Carrollton, you would after tonight’s dinner.
If you have never been to one of their Beer Tasting Dinners, you need to drop whatever else you are doing and make time to come out for these quarterly events. First and foremost, the food is excellent. Even if you don’t drink beer, you would be hard pressed to find a better example of locally sourced menu items.
From tonight’s opening artichoke bruschetta to the main course of roasted duck (or vegetarian option of paella) the menu was a tour de force of available local ingredients. For the craft beer lover the beers were also exceptionally well matched to each course. Bellhaven’s Wee Heavy and the duck were exquisitely paired. The use of the excellent local Amber Ale from Strawn Brewing (Fairburn, GA) added to the excellent regional and international beer selections.
Having been a regular attendee at comparable beer dinners in California, Arizona, and Atlanta at twice the price, the Alley Cat offers exemplary beer and food pairings without the hour drive at each end of the evening.
Another great night of locally sourced food exquisitely paired with the best of local and international beers. If you have not been to one of these dinners, clear your calendar for the Spring event now. You will not regret it.

5 stars for hosting Megan Jean and the KFB.
5 stars for the people watching.
1 star for the cigarettes, the dick bartender, the early closing kitchen, and the seedy atmosphere.

I mean. If you think of like, the hipster of hipster places in the entire universe of hipster shit, I’m positive this place will be found at the center of it, right next to skinny jeans, ray-​bans, and PBR.
My first and only time here was complete with a washboard-​playing band, sticky-​sweaty floor, and hipsters as far as the eye can see.
Don’t come here dressed in your expensive wears (unless they come from Urban Outfitters or American Apparel), DO come if you want some decently-​priced drinks and bar food, and great, dancable rockabilly music.
You WILL inhale the equivalent of 5 – 6 cigarettes per hour while here, but really, what’s a hipster joint without the tobacco and irony? I’m not a fan of smoke at all, which knocks this place down a half-​star, but, overall, its great for what it is.

I first had food from the Alley Cat donated for an Underground Academics event. The panini caprese was fresh and flavorful, the cheese quesadilla and salsa were tasty, and the hummus was good also. Then we went over there after the «show» (rock-​star quality lecture by a local professor).
We had two Magic Hat hefeweizen draft pints, one cup of heavenly beer-​cheese soup, and one order of fried mushrooms, and somehow the tab came out to only $ 16. Bar service was friendly, unisex restroom was clean and accessible, and the locals made everyone feel welcome.

Ive only been at night when it is just a bar: If ur tired of the jocks, frats, etc and just want to wear ur hair down, up, or shaved, this place does not care. It is a small town bar so expect to get to know each other by ur 5^th visit. They typically have something going on. Open mic nights are best if u want to show off ur talent in music. Some nights they have local live bands playing. Expect to see a lot of facial piercings and tattoos :) Prices of the drinks can get steep so Pre-​Game before u come.

I am new to Carrollton, and the Alley Cat has been the coolest bar I have found thus far. The regulars and staff are welcoming and inviting. The beer selection is modest but eclectic. They feature live music which has been pretty good. The restaurant has an extensive menu, however I have not tried anything other than the crawfish tails – which were offered to me by the staff on my first visit. Delicious! Great place for hanging out without the ‘meat market’ atmosphere of a college bar.