MacAllisters Grill & Tavern

They changed hands, and you can tell. Watered down well drinks, ahi tuna still partially frozen, poor grammar and inappropriate entrees on very frayed menus. Downhill fast.

This establishment is top notch. The service (Brent took care of us) was on point. He was attentive and answered all of our menu questions with enthusiasm and honesty. The manager stopped by at least 3x to check on us and was very personable. We sat outside and the ambience was very nice. Our drinks (golden margarita and blood orange Moscow mule) were strong, tasty, and quickly delivered. The bacon burger, cooked just a bit over the requested medium, was still juicy, perfectly spiced, and big! I had the tuna and avocado tower app as my dinner and it was very fresh. The two sauces that came with it were so friggin good I had to request extra. All in all, this is the best dining experience we’ve had in a long time. This was worth our little trek from up north!

MacAllisters Grill & Tavern was a very nice change of pace for our small group. We were looking for a change from a eatery that was adjacent to our Fairfield Inn on University. The quick check of Unilocal* showed MacAllisters would be a good visit. IT WAS! I’ll begin by saying if another restaurant serves a spinach & artichoke dish as delicious as MacAllisters, I’ve never found it. The mix of veggies and cream cheesy base was a chart topper. As was the calamari. Our entrees ran the gamut of Sheppards Pie, parmesan-​crusted fish, pasta shrimp, and a few other things. To a man and woman, our plates would have been «licked clean» if we’d all been in our own homes and not in public. As far as atmosphere, MacAllisters is spacious, almost to a fault. We were seated immediately and served quickly. Don’t look for intimacy as it’s not there. Outside was a small café seating area and the patrons were being entertained by a live trio. All in all, if in the Lakewood Ranch main street area and you’re seeking warm, tasty comfort food… YES! MacAllisters wins the day.

Had been years since we tried MacAllisters and thought we would try again. So this rating is for service only — never got to try the food. Came in @ 6:25 and placed order explaining we had a movie @ 7. We ordered 2 waters, 1 french onion soup, 1 house salad and a rare hamburger. A party of 6 came in and ordered with another server. They got their drinks, salad and bread. Us? Water only. At 7:00 our server came to us and «said your food would be out in a few minutes». I said «We told you we had a movie to go to at 7». Server «Well our printer went down in the kitchen and they didn’t know it»! Me «That’s funny cause you see that party behind us? They ordered after us and they are eating». Server, «It’s 100% my fault, want me to make it to go»? Me, «No thanks, we can’t take it into the movies and I don’t want it to sit in my car for the next 2 hours»! Server «Sorry its my fault»! No Manager appearance!?!

Ok, their french fries are excellent and the service can be good sometimes and other times slow. I think the food overall is average. I have liked going to trivia night in the past but the lead guy (?) commenter, whatever you call him, is just awful. He mumbles over the questions and seems very unenthusiastic about his job. Sometimes there is so much noise in the restaurant you cannot hear. So I will skip Tuesday nights in the future. i have been happy with lunches and will keep my business to that. Don’t expect too much and you’ll be ok.

Just loved the food and service. Casual, but warm and inviting. Will definitely return

We were really disappointed in our food and service today. There were four couples total in the restaurant at the same time as we were with a couple different waiters. Service was slow. I noticed the quality of the food has went downhill over the past year or two. I don’t know what’s changed but it’s not nearly as good as it was when we first moved to LWR in 2014. We won’t be dining there again, as the past 3 times were strike outs.

The description for award winning ribs is spot on. Fairly new to the Bradenton area, best I’ve found so far. Check in for a free glass of wine

My wife and I have been to MacAllister’s numerous times in the last few years and have never had any complaints until today We sat outside with good friends and our puppy. Armando our server seemed friendly and competent, food was good as we expected. Our problem arose when Armando, while serving two glasses of wine spilled both glasses on me and saturated my shorts down to my shoes. Hey accidents happen, but to receive an apology and a stack of napkins certainly doesn’t seem like adequate compensation. A gesture of comp’d dessert, drink, etc would have been appropriate. There are many choices on Main St we will try in the future

Love this place. Great scotch eggs. Drinking some Scottish lager. Delicious. Waiting for my Shepard pie.

Enjoyed the fish tacos: sauce had a little kick and I appreciated the ability to get a side salad i, stead of chips. Met a manager when there was a mix up over one meal but they made good by bringing the right item right away. Take advantage of the outdoor di, ing as long as possible.

I had very high expectations for McAllister’s due to the great reviews and the Mainstreet location. However, the food experience was a bit underwhelming. Not awful but not as expected.
The Scottish theme is cool & our server was enthusiastic & knowledgable. They have tv’s & a nice outdoor sitting area.
But about the food; it’s over priced for the quality. I LOVE bread & I didn’t even eat the complimentary warm bread they offered (it wasn’t anything special). I ordered the Salmon Florentine; the salmon & the spinach w/​mushrooms were cooked perfectly & very flavorful but the rice & vegetables were awful (they both seemed to be cold, not very fresh, leftoverish). My husband ordered their most popular fish & chips; it was a huge portion & very fresh. It was also tasty but the breading kept falling off. Definitely not worth $ 16.99; maybe $ 8.99-$ 10.99.
We’ve clearly had better meals for much less. Very disappointing! We probably won’t return. If I go back it’ll be to try the chicken potpie.
Also, there was a couple that wasn’t happy with their salad & had voiced that to a manager who was very attentive & apologetic. The manager offered to replace the salad & offered a dessert. I was impressed by his desire to offer a great experience.

Stopped in after an early movie last night. Haven’t been since new owners took over. Food has significantly improved. Menu items are the same, I believe, but quality of the food was far superior. I had the autumnal salad with mixed greens, butternut squash, goat cheese and cranberries, homemade dressing, I added a blackened piece of salmon that was excellent. Hubby had bangers and mash, ate it all and said it was great (he’s a tough customer). Kids enjoyed their burger and chicken with fries, you could tell the batter was fresh on the chicken and it had the same look as the fish n chips breading. Restaurant looks a little brighter and the service was good. If you haven’t been in a while, give it another try, I think you will be pleasant, surprised!

We came to this place because our movie was sold out. We were going to go see TrainWreck.
There was plenty of outdoor seating available at 7:40 pm.
The service staff was very nice. We ordered Goat cheese Chicken, which came with various veggies and delicious mashed potatoes.
My husband got one of the salads with an interesting vinaigrette dressing plus a portion of haggis. We had ordered a scotch egg for an appetizer but it never came. When we pointed it out to the server he apologized and we said to just cancel it. Almost immediately the manager came to our table, apologized and offered one at no cost to us, to go. We accepted.
The food was really good and the service friendly. We will return.

Have you try their seafood chowder yet?! It was INSANE that I wish I ordered TWO for each of us instead of sharing! it tasted like homemade from a grandma’s house!
*soup on salty side, please adjust. Chicken pot pie is also smaller now.

In the past we always gave this place 5 stars because of the food and the great wait staff. The owners took care — especially in the bar to have friendly Servers who actually knew your name. That has changed since new-​ownership came on board. The food is still great but at the bar we would love to come early before dinner and stay after because the guy’s and gals had personality’s who — took the time to talk to the customers. That made for ‘atmosphere’ and a lot more drinks being bought… NOW — the bar is under staffed with new faces almost every week and is being ‘worked’ like a take-out-joint…order eat and leave mentality. So that’s what we do — eat have one drink (instead of 3 or 4) and leave.
Please bring back the neighbor bar we loved and got used to. …

This was my first time here, let alone in Lakewood Ranch, and I was impressed. They have a pretty good happy hour, as well as some reasonably priced regular deals on draft domestics and martinis. (Among the gross appletinis, chocolate-​tinis and insert-​extra-​sugary-​mixer-​tinis, they actually do include a regular old vodka martini on that list, which is a rarity anymore, and appreciated!)
We were there on a Monday night hardly expecting places to be busy, but it was packed! Actually, all of the restaurants around the square were crowded. It’s a huge place though with a big outdoor patio, so even with the crowd we were seated right away.
Our server was great, and the fish and chips was delicious (and a giant portion). My favorite though was the salmon chowder. I was leery of salmon chowder having never heard of it before, but I’m SO glad I tried it. By far my favorite part of the meal.

Best food and service in Main Street Lakewood Ranch. Great comfort food that uses fairly high quality ingredients and good cookery. Flavors are great. Veggies are usually slightly over cooked but I think the older clientele prefer them that way.
The staff is incredible. We have been here 3 – 4 times and are consistently impressed by the professionalism, knowledge, speed, and attentiveness of the staff. From someone who used to be a server in fine dining, I give them very high praise.

I had the lamb burger and it was so juicy and tasty. The waitress was nice and attentive too. The food came out quick even though they were really busy that night.

This may be the best restaurant in Lakewood Ranch… but competition really is not stiff in the town center. MacAllisters offers the best you can get there though: good atmosphere and good food.
They have a nice outdoor seating area which draws a good crowd. The restaurant inside is cavernous and dark, but very welcoming. Stone walls, lots of wood, good energy inside.
We’ve eaten here several times over the past few years and it’s always consistent. The kitchen cooked my salmon perfectly medium as I requested. The bar food apps and burgers are always a sure thing. Aside from the salmon, I would steer away from the other seafood. Our scallops and calamari were not the most appetizing or appealing, but then again, seafood is not their forte. It’s certainly respectable they’ve included it along with a good variety of items to please the palettes of as many diners as possible.
Service depends greatly on luck of the draw, but everyone is great for the most part. I would recommend you keep an eye on outdoor tables if you are waiting at a cocktail table outside, which by the way are for drinks only. The last time we were here our party of four waited an hour because the server and hostesses gave the four top to a two top who just walked up while a two top was open. It’s like the meme, «You only have one job!» They couldn’t do it, so beware.