Great local spot. Food menu is eclectic. Just a fun place to hang out with friends and enjoy some gumbo.

We got the pasta with spicy sausage and veggie chili dog with cajun fries & vegan cheesecake for dessert. Everything was hot, fresh, and delicious. Generous portions. Great beers list. Fast & friendly service. Gorgeous patio and flowers. Highly recommend! read more

Allyn's Cafe - Vegan cheesecake - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

This place was okay. I'm glad there's vegan options but I thought the options were pretty mid. I got a burger but couldn't get fries because they use a shared fryer with meat. They have a cheesecake which I was also excited about but it tastes just okay. read more

Allyn's Cafe - Vegan cheesecake - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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This was my first time at Allyn's. As a vegetarian I was very excited about their inclusive menu. I ordered the Jackfruit BBQ sandwich which came with vegan coleslaw and your choice of a side. They had many different sides to choose from, I ended up getting the dinner salad with vegan chipotle ranch dressing. All of my food came out fantastic, I especially loved the coleslaw. Their prices are very reasonable - not cheap, but not expensive. There's something for everyone here! The atmosphere here was friendly and eclectic, welcoming of everyone. Our waiter was very kind and attentive. I will most definitely be coming back, support this local business! read more

In an area where you could get an amazing steak ( Precinct) or a really good pizza (Taglio), this little place can stand on its own with its French quarter cuisine. I tried the fried alligator platter as an appetizer and the gator was actually fried perfect and was extremely light. The shrimp and hush puppies associated with the platter were small and quite nice. I ordered a shrimp po boy sandwich and a Kerrikan to compliment my lunch and was pleasantly surprised. I used the cocktail sauce from my platter ( which tasted house made)to dip my fries in and could barely walk out after the gigantic sandwich I gorged myself on. The prices are a little higher than most would want to pay for lunch fare, but the service was excellent and with that I can't be upset too much. If you want something left of center for a meal definitely give this place a shot read more

Allyn's Cafe - Fried alligator - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

It's hard to find good Cajun food but this place has a bunch of options and an AMAZING VEGAN/VEGETARIAN MENU! The service was great, just kind of slow. The patio seating was awesome for the nice weather, the food wasn't the best I've ever had but it was good. read more

The food was excellent! We got take out but I would love to dine in next time. I am so excited that they have such a nice vegan menu! I got the BBQ jackfruit sandwich with vegan coleslaw and Cajun fries. I thought it was excellent. The sandwich was sweet with a little bit of tang. The Cajun fries are good too. They were still crispy after our 25 minute drive home. I would definitely order this again! The vegan cheesecake was the icing on the cake! Omg I loved it and can't wait to get it again. There are so many other things I want to try too. My bf got the chicken salad and he said the chicken had great flavor and he would order it again. He also got the turkey burger, Cajun fries and his puppies. He said the hush puppies were one of his favorite things. We got a ton of food haha but there was so much we wanted to try! It looked like they had a really nice patio area for outdoor dining so we want to go back and eat on the patio next time. Thank you Allyn's for a wonderful dinner! read more

Cajun cuisine in Columbia Tosculum. Food was actually better than I had expected and surprisingly authenic, however, the service level was only average. Dropped in for a Sunday brunch after passing this place multiple times. They do have a brunch menu available traditional American breakfast offerings - but as this was our first time visiting this restaurant - I knew i had to try out the more specialized menu items. Ordered the chicken wings as an appetizer and the house etouffee as the main entree. Chicken wings were nice and crispy and the garlic sauce was a nice pairing. The house etouffee was very good. Personally I ordered it with the shrimp. The key to a good etouffee is the sauce - there was a great mix of spices and the sauce was just buttery enough and was perfect over the bed of rice. Full size dinner order was just the right amount of food. Unfortunately, in terms of service, this did not meet our expectations. For Sunday brunch, there was only one waitress staffed for the entire restaurant - both inside and outside (waitress was obviously not pleased). Due to that it took 10-15 minutes for us to be greeted and drink orders placed. Food also took longer than expected. Good good, will be back to try out their famous Margherita, but suggest them look at their staff scheduling for both staff and customer satisfaction. read more

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Finally stopped into Allyn's after years of meaning to try their extensive vegan menu. I was not disappointed! The vegan Mardi Gras pasta was delicious, the vegan quesadilla was tasty (though I wish they'd had a faux chicken or perhaps chorizo for it), and the Cajun fries were a hit with the vegans and non-vegans alike at the table. Started everything off with an excellent peach sangria. Reasonable prices and a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. I'll definitely be back the next time I'm in town to work my way through the menu. (I'll be getting that vegan cheesecake next time!) read more

My husband and I made the trek over from NKY because I heard that they had good vegan and plant based options. We got chips and salsa as an appetizer, we wanted to get guacamole, but they were out. I decided to go with the jackfruit bbq with no bun and broccoli and a cup of the Vegan jambalaya. The BBQ tasted just like regular bbq. The jambalaya was very flavorful. My husband got the Cajun seafood platter and said it was really good. I'd definitely like to come back and try some of the other plant based options. read more

Allyn's Cafe - Chips and salsa - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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BEWARE OF ONLINE ORDERING PENDING TRANSACTIONS ON MY CARD WITH NO ORDER PLACED I was so excited to try this restaurant as a vegan new to Cincinnati. I tried placing an order online. I went to edit the order and add more items and I get a two notifications that my card was charged. No order placed. No confirmation number. No email. Two pending transactions. I called the restaurant Basically told me there's nothing they can do and wait 48 hours. They had the nerve to ask if i wanted to place an order. I hoping the charges fall off my card but if not that's a separate issue. This has completely tainted what I was really hoping would be an enjoyable experience. Fix the flaw in your online ordering. Two charges out no order is just plain unprofessional. read more

Allyn's Cafe - BEWARE OF ONLINE ORDERING PENDING TRANSACTIONS ON MY CARD WITH NO ORDER PLACED - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

My husband recently called me a "restaurant fame whore" because once I see a restaurant featured on the news or some other venue, chances are it migrates to the top of my list of places I want to check out stat! I saw Allyn's on the Fox19 morning show not too long ago, and they had mentioned some of their vegan options. Shout out to Fox19 for helping me find this place - not sure how long it would have taken me otherwise! Boasting a bold, colorful exterior, Allyn's is clean and comfortable inside. We started with an order of of the Black Bean and Cheddar Quesadilla Rolls, a hearty and tasty appetizer. I ordered the Vegan Chili Dog with a side of Mac N' Cheese, and my husband had a Garden Burger with a side of Hushpuppies. We were able to substitute our sides at no additional cost, which was pleasantly unexpected! My mac n' cheese was a tad bit on the cold side but still incredibly tasty. My hot dog (which was actually a vegan sausage) was very tasty as well, but definitely was on the spicy side. My husband really enjoyed his hushpuppies, but was underwhelmed by the black bean burger. I thought it was tasty, but he didn't really dig all the black beans. Food presentation was great, portion sizes were hearty, and the prices were just right. I'd love to see Allyn's get even more creative with their vegetarian options! read more

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Tasty food, tolerable prices, but I ate there before all the inflation kicked in, so I don't know what the prices are now. Service was friendly, and they checked back for refills, etc. The menu is quite eclectic and different. Hope I can get back there to try some of the other dishes. read more

Allyn's does so many things right! The service today was spot on as always. We ate in the bar area and chose to pick a bottle of wine from the shop inside the restaurant. Nice to find such a great bottle! For lunch I ordered the soup sampler (you pick 3) and still can't decided which one I enjoyed most. Probably the vegan chili which is a shock to this non vegan. My husband got the blackened grouper Caesar salad, and it is fantastic. The grouper was today's fish special, highly recommend! We love supporting local restaurants and Allyn's makes that a pleasure. Indoor and outdoor (heated) seating, FYI. read more

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Cool atmosphere, good drink list, gumbo was amazing and some of the best cornbread I've ever had. Can't wait to come back! read more

Allyn's Cafe - Cup of gumbo, amazing - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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UPDATE: Tried to eat at Allyn's last night with my wife only to be told at 9:15pm that the kitchen closed at 9. No where on your Google page does it state the kitchen closes earlier than the bar. In fact it has a disclaimer for "Late Night Food." Don't know what your definition of late night is but it surely isn't 9pm. And to top it off, the staff seemed unconcerned about not being able to accommodate us. Train the staff to care about customer concerns, state your kitchen hours separate from the bar on your page or get ready for repeat customers, like me, to find other options in which to spend their money. Not a good 2nd visit. read more

Allyn's Cafe - Here is your page on Google Maps which states Late Night Food. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Great beer list, excellent service and Very Large food portions. Great place to hang out and enjoy good bar food w friends.

Food was Fantastic. Food don't keep customers coming 100% my server Kailey was amazing and I will be back for the service hands down.

My first time to dine here was very pleasing. The atmosphere is wonderful, service excellent and the food outstanding. Our server went over the menu and told us her favorites. It was hard to decide on what to eat. I had the chicken salad wrap with onion rings. My onion rings were cold and hard. I only ate a few. I requested the chicken salad to be made on toast instead of a wrap. This chicken salad was made with white meat, mayo, walnuts, grapes, apples and purple onion. I must say I don't remember having better. My husband ordered Al's Cajun Seafood Platter. Blackened Catfish, blackened shrimp and popcorn shrimp. His side was cajun french fries. It was served with hush puppies. He said 4 Stars for his meal. It was served cold. There is outside patio dining for warm weather. A full bar. Craft beer. Decent wine list. Happy Hour with some discounted appitizers. The parking lot only has about 5 spots so you park on the street. I am posting some pictures. read more

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Husband and I along with our pupper Wento Allyn's on my birthday and we instantly fell in love. They are very pet friendly and even brought out a bowl of water for our dog. The patio is a cute setting and the only issue was the strong stench coming from a gutter may be. About the food, the veggie pasta in cajun spices with the beyond sausage was amazing and the cheesecake was a cherry on the top. We also ordered the jackfruit sandwich but we really did not like it as much. Just too sweet for our tastebuds. Their vegan dips are too die for! Definitely coming back again read more

I called them 4 days in a row trying to get vegan cheesecake because I heard it was the best in town and my girlfriend was trying to go off of dairy. It took four days because they literally sold out every single day as soon as they would make one it'd be gone by 6 pm. when I finally did hit one, and ask them to hold it on the side for me they did it happily, I came in the next day, picked it up, and surprise my girlfriend with it. Her verdict, which I can't verify because I didn't try it oh, it was good enough that it would have fooled her. Had I not told her that it was vegan cheesecake she would have thought it was the real thing, if a little different than what she normally has. When you consider this is a homemade recipe, and baked fresh and clean seemingly everyday then I got to tell you to check it out for the cheesecake alone. The other side of my review is coming from the customer service, where every time I'd call the person that answered, typically a different person, was helpful and cool and understanding, and then typically apologetic that they couldn't help me out. Eventually when they did it was all good! read more

Allyn's Cafe - A slice of vegan cheesecake for a friend, I had to call every day for a week to get a slice. Gf; "it could definitely fool me." Worth it. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Tried it last week on a girl's night. The Cajun fries and I are now in a relationship. The cheese steak is there too.

Ever since visiting New Orleans with kids earlier this year, I've been seeking a NOLA fix in town and I found it at Allyn's! I'm sad to say that I've driven past this bright and cheery restaurant in Columbia Tusculum but only just stopped in for the first time today. My husband and I went in for lunch and were so pleasantly surprised. This is a neighborhood place that looks, sound and smells great. From the tin-stamped ceiling and exposed brick walls to the great blues soundtrack and tempting food smells, we were smiling before we even ordered. On the server's very strong recommendation, I had the gumbo bowl. Full of savory sausage, chicken, okra and peppers and flavorful roux topped with Allyn's homemade habanero chipotle hot sauce, the gumbo was great. It came with two generous sizes of cornbread, too. The bowl was more than enough for lunch and is also available in a cup and in an entree size. My husband order the Wagyu beef burger, substituting fries for onion rings. He said his burger was really good, which is high praise, coming from him. Our server Nikki was very good and I thought the paper straws in our water were a thoughtful touch. There's a strong selection of beers and drinks, too. I'm excited to introduce my kids to Allyn's. They are all vegetarian and Allyn is vegan, so the menu has a number of strong veggie options. So glad we finally made it to Allyn's! read more

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Great food and good service. Love their wing sauces. Was my go to restaurant when I lived closer to it.

They've got great food...usually. I wouldn't say they had bad food today, but that's because I wasn't allowed to order carry out. I checked the he website, and I called down there. At no point was there anything that said no carry out. Including whoever answered the phone. I drove from the Westside to get a carry out order. When I got there, the bartender said I couldn't get carry out until after 8. I was, and am most disappointed. That was an hour wasted. There wasn't even a sign on the door or the bar. Thanks for nothing...literally. I'll be back because they have great food, but they dropped the ball today. read more

This place really is like NOLA. We were in the area yesterday and looking for cajun, that's what we got here. Even down to the unisex bathroom which I hated in NOLA too. There is a parking lot, but it only has about five spots, so I assume it's employee parking. We easily found street parking though. We approached the back patio area first, but it didn't look like an entrance, so we walked around to the front. I pulled on the door and then noticed the sign that said something like "enter through the back" or something like that. So we walked back and entered through the back, which is also where the wine selection is. They sell wine by the bottles and I even noticed that they had a line of their own wines. I didn't try them though. It's a seat yourself kind of place. After we sat, we waited for what seemed like ten minutes and then finally we approached someone to let them know that we were there. Which was weird because when I tried the front door, two employees looked up at us, so it wasn't like they weren't aware that new guests were there. We ordered the seafood sampler, added a dinner salad, and cup of gumbeaux. The dinner salad as they called it, was $2.95 to add to the meal. It wasn't anything more than a simple side salad. It did come with mushrooms. Honestly, the greens and the mushrooms were less than fresh, but I've had worse. The gumbeaux was excellent and came with excellent cornbread. The seafood sampler came with one scallop which was the star of the show, a seasoned catfish filet that was so dry that it was the worst piece of fish that I've ever had, fried shrimp, and two small hush puppies. My friend had a pasta dish that I tried and it was excellent, it was a bit pricey, but the portion was huge. Side note: bison burgers were not on the menu. I don't know if that was just for the lunch menu, or if the menu is the same for both lunch and dinner. read more

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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. It's a nice upgrade. 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. And it feels like the 21st century. The menu has been pared down a bit: Thankfully gone are almost all of the dreadful Mexican items, leaving behind most of the "Cajun" (read: Louisiana-influenced) fare, along with a long and varied list of sandwiches and appetizers. Since Allyn's did a better job with that stuff, this was a good idea. The "blackened" tilapia I ordered wasn't bad at all: cooked properly, and, if not actually blackened Prudhomme-style, it was nicely seasoned. It'd be nice, though, if Allyn's offered more non-starches as sides with its entrees. (And a burger at the table was pretty badly overcooked.) Allyn's has added several draft beers, with some decent choices, to complement its long list of bottled beers. 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. read more

Allyn's has a variety of food options to choose from and you can't go wrong with any one of them. I recently enjoyed the soup sampler option that allows you to choose 3 different cups to try and loved it! read more

Very casual environment. Came here after hearing multiple people raving about the taco salad and decided I needed to try it too! The salad was good, but it's more of a salad to have when I'm not trying to be healthy. Said another way, I found it yummy, but slightly decadent for a salad. The salad comes with a creamy shredded chicken, but you can sub that out for steak, turkey chili, or vegan chili. I stuck with the chicken, and was quite pleased. I've also heard good things about the salad with the chilis. Bottom line: I'll be back to try other things on the menu, but likely wouldn't go out of my way to get it. read more

A group of friends and myself came here for dinner before concert last night and we were the only ones save a couple of other people in restaurant . We were seated and Han drink orders taken then waiter never came back with waters or to see if we needed anything . Took our food order eventually and it took almost an 45 minutes for part of food - we had to go get a pitcher of water for table . When the majority of group finished meal - two were still waiting on food to come out - the service was ridiculous slow or nonexistent- and they had the cajones to charge full price for meals served after everyone was finished . Food was good but beware service . read more

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. It was filled with plenty of pulled chicken and there was a nice sauce occupying the bottom of the entire plate. 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. read more

The inside (bar side) has been redone and has really made it more open feeling. Menu has concentrated on the Cajun items (lots of gator, shrimp, crawfish, as well as the burgers, phillies, etc.). Pretty darn good beer selection, bottle and draft, and as before, there is the wine take-away store. My inner nerd got excited recently as they have added NTN Trivia now. read more

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Maybe it's a sign of the times, or the fact that we didn't order any cajun/creole items. I can't speak for the cajun choices, but definitely DO NOT recommend the ahi tuna sandwich, cod sandwich, or the gator bites appetizer. The cajun fries were soggy and gross. The ahi tuna was overcooked so badly that even loaded with the louisianna sauce you couldn't choke it down (it was supposed to be cooked medium). The cod and gator bites were absolutely tasteless. 80% of this meal went down the disposal. On a positive note, the louisianna sauce was tasty! read more

Allyn's Cafe - Dry as a bone/overcooked Ahi Tuna Sandwich - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Had been to Allyns some years ago for a night out, but not since. I Stopped in for a quick catch up dinner with my friend that is expecting, so we didn't try the bar on this occasion. It was a weekday around dinner time and not very crowded at all. It seemed like they were short staffed and also perhaps had new staff that wasn't trained. It took quite a while to get our sodas, and then another decent stretch to order. We split the bacon wrapped Bison burger and the Loaded Steak Philly, both with a side of fries. It took another long time for the food to come out. Food was decent but no wow factor. Portion sizes were good. Fries were nice and crispy with good flavor. The staff wasn't super apologetic for the slow service and that combined with the just ok food didn't leave me dying to come back for more. read more

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. read more

Allyn's Cafe - Shrimp Jambalaya w/ cornbread - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Awesome food & employees! We have never had a bad meal or experience. I recommend the jalapeño cornbread - so GOOD! Very accommodating to our fur babies! We have a goal to try everything and so far everything is awesome! Also get sidetracked from our goal with their great specials! Even the side salad is good with banana peppers! read more

Our server was great and polite. The atmosphere was great. My boyfriend and I split the wings and have come back multiple times for the Wings. They're Allyn's rub is really good, it's the same as the cajun fries but on wings it's sooo good. Overall great experience just more on the $$ side. read more

This was our first experience in the restaurant itself. We had it at a festival and it was good. I ordered the bowl of jambalaya, black beans and a Caesar salad with ranch dressing. Hubby had the cod sandwich with fries and hush puppies. Hubby's food came out 5 minutes before mine. She brought just the jambalaya. I asked for salad and beans. I expected salad first. She asked if i wanted refried. I told her 3 tines regular bkack beans. She brought out a salad with romaine lettuce mushrooms, banana peppers and cucumber on the side. I told her that was not a Caesar salad and what it should be. She says that is what they fixed and that she wrote it down. So she brings the right one and now I have to send my plate back to keep it warm as I eat salad alone. Finally got food back. Beans were dry and tasteless. Fish was greasy and not much fish inside the batter. I am sorry but she did not know the menu at all. Someone needs to train her better. Not sure we will come back. read more

Allyn's Cafe - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Delicious. Spicy creole food. We split pick 3- jambalaya, gumbo and red beans/rice. All 3 had a nice kick and were authentic. We also got the alligator and shrimp bites. Remoulade sauce fantastic! Gator a bit chewy but normal. Service was fast and friendly. We will totally go back- definitely a good place to eat. read more

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i don't normally write yelp reviews, but i had the sweetest young woman as my server. her name was sophia if i remember correctly, but she was so bright and cheery and complimented my outfit after i had a bit of a rough day. Sophie really took care of us! read more