Bob A.
Yelp
It's it's important for first-time visitors to an Alamo Drafthouse to understand that it is NOT a regular movie theater!
For one thing, all seats have a big honkin' table thing. That's because it's a restaurant. Servers take orders (in different ways), bring food, bus dishes, and transact your payment. But you can go to a movie without taking advantage of any of that. But there is no concession stand; any food you get will be ordered from your seat.
So you might be thinking that all that food commerce must cause a bustle that would interfere with the moviegoing experience. And yet, my favorite conceit of theirs is the proud, advertised policy of not tolerating talking or phone use during the movie. The servers' activities go on throughout the screening, but they are trained to do so without interfering with the movie. Seriously, they tiptoe in a crouch through the rows while the movie is playing. It's fine.
I've been here twice now, and this is definitely the best experience I've ever had with wait service at a movie seat. Their system allows them to fully tend to your be-served-while-watching-a-movie needs. It takes some getting used to, but I can't imagine this concept working better.
The food I've had on my two visits varied from okay to awesome. The chicken tenders I got were really good! They came with a unique, creamy sauce that was somehow both mild and a teeny bit spicy. But only three pieces was, at that entree price, kind of skimpy, even though they came with fries. Great fries! I could just snack on those fries for whole movies and feel quite, quite spoiled. I've also had their Juicy Lucy, which was average, and two different tacos. Those are only available on Tuesday, and are advertised as a special, but I don't think they're quite worth the price. They taste a little bland and don't come with any salsa.
Restroom coverage is minimal; I think that will be noticed over the years.
The seats are fine, but not as comfortable as the most modern seats at Marcus and Emagine theaters. They are a little less wide and the recline is not as generous. But they do recline, and there is a footrest, so it's still much better than anything you'd get ten years ago.
I am very comforted by the pervasive affection for the moviegoing experience which surrounds this facility. And again, I love that they intend to keep everyone respectful when it comes to chatter and phone usage. And yet, the first time I visited, the two people next to me ignored that rule and talked liberally throughout their movie. I was supposed to let someone know, I guess. But they were right next to me! Awkward! Someone else should have done that for me. But no. I hope those two d-bags never return to this theater.
