I am so very sad to write this review. I just moved to Elgin and was hoping this would be a great place to sit outside and enjoy the summer weather along with some good food. Unfortunately, this is not the place. I ordered the Sangria and it was ok. It was full of fruit, but the fruit looked like it was sitting in this batch of sangria for a very long time. It did taste ok, but I kept wondering how long it was around. Both my mom and I ordered the veggie burgers. The bun was way too dense and almost sweet. The veggie patty itself looked like any old frozen veggie patty, not homemade at all. It had barely any flavor and the texture was thick and almost gooey. I asked for the fixings from the southwest burger and so my veggie burger came with a dollop of guacamole and salsa. Both tasted ok, but again did not seem homemade. The guacamole had the creamy consistency of the packaged stuff you find at the grocery store, and the salsa also seemed store-bought. I opted to keep it light and asked for just fruit and no chips or fries. The fruit ended up being 3 slices of pineapple with both the rind and the core still attached, so I had to do a lot of work to get to the edible portion of the pineapple. My mom got the fries and they looked fine, she said they were ok. I really wanted to enjoy this place, but it was a very sad experience. The food was not good in any way, nor was the sangria, and the outside dining experience just made me realize how empty downtown Elgin is. Downtown Elgin is such a cute area, too bad it's not booming with business and nightlife. I did try to pretend that I was in Colorado and hoped that would help the experience but it did not. One positive...our server was extremely nice and easy on the eyes. He was the highlight of the experience. Also, to be fair, I am vegan and so I could not partake in the malts that everyone has said were amazing. Perhaps if I ate meat and dairy I would've enjoyed the food. read more

Great place Great food would definitely come back here. Very attentive staff. Perfect weather to relax and eat in the covered outside patio.

Great in town eatery. Awesome sandwiches and ice cream treats. Summer time allows for outdoor seating. Friendly staff and consistent service. Neighborhood is nicer because of Al's. read more

I went there for lunch with my colleagues. I love the atmosphere & food there. I had Bruschetta Grilled Chicken. It was really good. It reminds me of what not-overcooked organic chicken tastes like. Make sure you get Malt/ Milk Shake too. Really good ! read more

Tried the Russian Sandwich, Very good. Will repeat.

The atmosphere at Al's is cozy and inviting; it feels like you're dining in someone's home versus a restaurant. The staff is always friendly and the food is always fresh and fantastic. Try the Finnish pork chop, either schnitzel, the crabs cakes, or the Caesar salad (my favorites) and you won't be disappointed. Their specials are always delicious, too. Do save room for dessert and treat yourself to a shake. read more

Malts that are without peers, great sandwiches, and a pleasant helpful staff. Loved the experience as usual!

I'm not going to bother raving about the shakes-- everyone else has done that. I could rave about them, don't get me wrong-- but I just wanted to say that their sandwiches are pretty frickin' awesome, too. They definitely hold up their end of the meal, so you're not only coming out for dessert. Well done, Al's. read more

I love the way the place is set up! Every time I go I feel like I'm in a museum! And the food is amazing!! The mix's you can have for your ice cream or milkshake! You can order anything you want while being out side! I love it and I wish I went there more often! read more

Love the food here the malts and shakes are amazing nice place to grab a quick lunch the charm of the building is pretty cool sorta like you stepping back in time read more

The inside is fantastic; it is very charming, historic and interesting while being inviting and modern at the same time; I was impressed by their use of the old building in which they are situated. The food was good, not super fantastic but good; the clam chowder is creamy and great while the tuna melt hits the spot. I would recommend them on a gloomy day; a great place for soups and sandwiches. read more

Love Al's---food always excellent, friendly service, you are greeted like your wanted and located in a great old building. Forgot best malts and shakes!!!! read more

I love Al's. Mostly I love the charming Victorian building that it resides in, but their food is pretty good as well. Every time I've been here I've left happy. If you've got room for ice cream after lunch or dinner, you're in for something special. Real ice cream parlor service. It's a gem in downtown Elgin. read more

This is for the food only! We split the Cajun meatballs which were tasty. However I love goat cheese and the sparse sprinkling of it on there was a big disappointment for me. Be generous with it! A little extra bread wouldn't hurt either since one of our slices was burnt. The roll that came with the salad was amazing. I don't think the cilantro lime dressing was anything spectacular though. Good guacamole on the salad! Overall, probably best to stick to the desserts here. read more

Charming diner in downtown Elgin, authentic German food and beers, also a wide variety of regular diner food. Wait staff was friendly, food was tasty and the ice cream was nice read more

Great great little cafe! Warm, cozy and friendly! The food is yummy too. We ordered the Cajun meatballs ( these will melt in your mouth), teriyaki chicken ( did I get the name right) and some ice cream. We don't live in the Elgin area but will be back for the great food, and friendly staff and super nice owner! read more

A quaint, charming little place. Don't go there if you're in a hurry but if you're looking for a casual lunch with friends, it's the perfect place. Great sandwiches, try the veggie melt or the Florentine, and amazing malts. I've lived in Elgin most of my life and can relay the story that Al's Cafe bought the "secret' recipe for their malts from a southend pharmacy named "Burns Pharmacy" where besides a pharmacy, they also had a popular soda fountain. It was disappointing when they went out of business but thank goodness for Al's for aquiring the "secret" recipe, we can still get our Burn's Malt fix. read more

Al's Cafe is an Elgin landmark, that has undergone multiple transformations. The shakes are excellent. The sandwiches are very good. The surprise here is the steaks. The French trained Hungarian born chef, uses eastern european inspired sauces to make excellent steak dinners. He serves these with spaetzle, roasted tomatoes and assorted vegetables. Highly recommended read more

Favorite place in Elgin. Great food, service, and atmosphere. I always try something new and I'm always impressed. I enjoy bringing friends from out of town to my favorite Etown joint :) read more

Every time I go here the service is impeccable. The place is "old timey" but very clean. The food is great! From burgers to gourmet steaks. You won't be disappointed. read more

I've never eaten anything here that wasn't incredible. The service is friendly and fast. The restaurant is in an old victorian building and the owners retain the charm of the place with vintage touches (church pews for booth benches, etc.). Parking and quick seating aren't ever a problem so it works out for the one-hour lunch break. I've heard amazing things about their dinner menu as well but have yet to try it. read more

This place is really amazing. The service is good and the patio is amazing when it's nice outside!

I have dreams about Al's butterscotch malt. I'd drive through a tornado to get one. :)

I guess these people giving such glowing reviews don't get out much and judging from the deserted downtown on a Saturday afternoon, they don't. It looks like most people living in Elgin never leave their houses to enjoy strolling, seeing friends or the outdoors. This is a shame because the downtown is a real gem. I fear the businesses will not survive because the community does not support them. Al's is an exception; though small it did have a good crowd. I ordered what they call a bruschetta chicken sandwich which included melted cheddar cheese on it. This sounded wrong but I decided to trust them. However, it WAS wrong. Clearly, there is no trained chef working here because what chef would combine cheddar cheese with bruschetta? Mozzarella, or dare I suggest it, FRESH mozzarella would be appropriate for bruschetta. They opened a bag of chips and dumped those on the plate next to this nonsense sandwich. Jeez, thanks for opening that bag of chips for me, how about just giving me the bag? My friend had a bland, turkey sandwich on some bread purchased from the local grocery store with those same chips. I looked at the diners next to us who had hamburgers and the fries were most definitely from a freezer bag and not homemade. Service was polite and efficient. read more

Been coming here since I was a kid. This is one of the best places to eat in Elgin the Cajun meatballs are award winning. They make a great burger too fries are very good soup is homemade and delicious. Best for last is the vanilla shake or chocolate both best around read more

Good food and great malts. Neat building with lots of pics of old Elgin. A bit pricy would be my only critique.

This place is an absolute gem in downtown Elgin. Everything I've tried on the menu so far has been delicious, including drinks and not to mention their amazing desserts. I take my girls here after dance practice at the Centre every now and then. they just love it. We are always seated right away and the staff is so friendly. We love the upstairs and being able to absorb the historic look and feel of the place. Can't wait for our next visit! read more

Like many downtown Elgin eateries Al's tends to be a bit on the pricey side, but is delicious and oddly dinner is actually a better deal than lunch I have found. read more

Al's is a terrific place for a sandwich or salad. The atmosphere is comfortable and relaxed. The food is delicious. If you like ice cream, make sure you enjoy a shake or malt. read more

LOVE Al's!! A great place for lunch with lots of options (even for vegetarians like my husband!). The milkshakes are to DIE for! They're made on original vintage soda fountain machines with NO milk added (no idea how they do it, but they are so creamy and delicious!! Get pretty much any flavor you can think of!! A really sweet local place! read more

I love the PLACE. Lovely folks and great decor and such. Menu selections are excellent but so far the food while good is not great. Really came for the malt being a fanatic choc malt fan for almost my entire 53 years. I have tried 2x. Not a fan, sorry Al. It is just ice cream blended with X. No milk added. WAY too thick. It's just ice cream that is almost soft serve. So the second one I had was peppermint and it was a huge portion of GREAT peppermint ice cream. Delicious soft ice cream but it was not a shake. Come here for good food and great ice cream and to support a wonderful local biz but go chocolate malt at your own recognizance :) read more

It's a little bit more money than other palces selling similar food but I think it's completely worth it. I had a chicken sadwich and it was probably one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. The seem to get very busy and the service is just ok. read more

It has potential for greatness. Good location and I adore the outside seating arrangement. The prices suggest an explosion of flavor and large variety, but the exact opposite is true. $9 for a sandwich with plain potato chips is hardly enticing. I built the experience up in my head for the longest time and it has been a complete let-down. read more

I was very pleasantly surprised by how good the food is at Al's. The atmosphere is very light and casual. When being seated, I was told to pick a seat and she would follow me. There's a very cozy comfortably feel to the dining room, like you're at Grandma's house. Our server was a very friendly, engaging woman who kept or drinks flowing throughout the meal. It was exactly the type of service you expect to receive when in a nicer establishment. We ordered the Cajun meatballs appetizer and I was blown away. The flavor of the gravy was amazing. I could have had this as my meal. We each ordered a steak, mine medium well and his medium rare. They were each cooked to perfection and presented beautifully. I enjoyed my entire meal but really liked the red cabbage served along side my steak and potatoes. Unfortunately, we did not save room for desert, because I really wanted to try the flourless torte...There's always next time. read more

Where to start? Impeccable service, extensive menu, exquisite food, and then the Burn's malt recipe. Our first time here in decades. We dined outside this weekend. I had the Schnitzel and my girl friend had the Salmon dinner salad. We will be back, often! read more

My friend recommended this place and I'm so glad they did. The food and malts are sooooo delicious. We had the Chicken Florentine sandwich, Reuben and the bacon Colby cheeseburger. Each meal was amazing. The atmosphere was cozy with a charming decor. We will definitely be back and will recommend this place to everyone read more

The caesar salad was big portioned and plentiful. During prime lunch time, the service was good. Choose to sit upstairs as the ambience is more enjoyable. read more

Al's is a great combination - casual, historic...with good food and exceptional service. I'm partial to side dishes - the mashed potatoes were wonderful. And, it's not called a "Creamery" just for the heck of it - the chocolate shake was a great dessert. read more

The best place for a date in elgin. Love it. Try the sangria, and whatever is on the rotating special menu.

Exceptional, wonderful, extraordinary! Great sandwiches, great ice cream, great atmosphere. The staff are very friendly and helpful. A hidden gem and a must visit! Please throw as much business as you can their way! Love, love, love Al's Cafe & Creamery! read more