Photos by Danika Worthington and Amelia Goe
Location and Hours:2303 N. 7th St,
Phoenix, AZ 85006
Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Star Rating (0 – 4): ★★★
Recommended: Potato Salad, sundaes
(you can’t go wrong), secret-menu
ice cream soda float
By Amelia Goe and Danika Worthington
We commute past businesses that gauge our interests and yet we never enter them. While that was the case of Amelia Goe, she was finally pushed through the historic doors of MacAlpine’s, on Seventh and Oak streets, by none other than Danika Worthington.
“I like to take everyone’s MacAlpine’s-cherry, if you will,” Danika said.
With that notion, the two went into the 1929 soda fountain eatery not knowing what excitement would ensue and what local history would unfold.
Three of the four rooms in MacAlpine’s are devoted to antique clothes, furniture, jewelry and gadgets that spill into the restaurant portion, which is trapped among them. Newcomers typically get stuck in the first room — either wrapped up in the beauty of an antique piano or just lost.
Once inside the restaurant portion, a traditional soda bar greets the soon-to-be eater. The menu displays a massive collection of flavors which ensures that everyone will find something to fit their fancy, whether it is hazelnut, coffee or pickle. Yes, pickle.
The wall is aligned with old-style, wooden booths topped with wall-o-matic jukeboxes but then breaks into typical diner-style tables near the back right side. The back left side houses outdoor tables next to a wall filled with a collection of trinkets ranging from old cash registers to coke bottles. You can probably already imagine it, but if not — there are vintage propaganda posters, old travel maps, baking tins and everything you need to enjoy the vintage vanity of the ’50s. The restaurant goers need to search for blank space on the walls.
With menus in hand, the overwhelming sensation of wanting to order everything set in. How can you turn down ice cream soda floats titled after your favorite old Hollywood celebrities? “Velvet Elvis” and “Bettie Page” include vanilla ice cream and red velvet soda, and strawberry ice cream and cheesecake soda, respectively.
Needless to say, the waitress made numerous stops by our table only to leave without orders and with our noses still stuck in the menu. What helped move us along was the quality service. As passionate diners, we asked a multitude of questions and the young woman tasked with answering them all could not have seemed more thrilled. She even brought us a sundae, on the house, because some other picky patron did not want the nuts that accompanied it. While some sundaes may skimp out on hot fudge, this one came swimming in it — and that’s an understatement.
Happily, we reaped the benefits and the sugar-rush helped move along our indecisive manner.
First up, Danika went with The Witch Doctor ($7.95), one of the many vegetarian options which comes with a choice of a side from six options. She took a standard approach and snagged the spring mix. To make up for the healthy side, Danika paired it all with an ice cream soda float ($4.75) that’s off the menu (hush-hush). The secret, no-name treat was a cookie dough ice cream with hazelnut soda, a splendid combination.
Amelia was next at bat, taking the Pulled BBQ Pork ($7.95) and opted for a side of potato salad, which was a star portion of the meal. It even earned an entire five minute conversation about the deliciousness of the side with the cashier at the end of the dining experience.
After three coin flips and a bracket of four different ice cream soda floats, the Nutty Professor ($4.75), consisting of pistachio ice cream and amaretto soda, beat out the competition. The Italian ingredients would presumably be a perfect combination, but the real pistachios in the ice cream and strong flavor were a little too heavy. Then again, this is coming from a girl who was already filled with BBQ pork, potato salad and hot fudge-covered ice cream, so anything else shoved into a stomach would probably be considered “heavy.”
While the food is not top-tier, the sundaes, soda floats and other desserts make up for that. Actually, what do you expect from a diner? It’s the traditional American eats that aren’t looking to impress. Rather, they want to take you back to what you love. Back to a time and place you didn’t even know you missed. Back to a time and place that you probably never lived during but long for nonetheless.
The girls left over-stuffed, a fault that isn’t horrible to have. Luckily, the leftovers were packaged up — even the ice cream soda floats — and happily consumed on emptier stomachs. But, before we left, we got a surprise visit to our table.
None other than the current owner, Monica Heizenrader, stopped to chat with us as we eased ourselves away from our plates. A business woman interested in the lives of her customers, Heizenrader told us that she took over MacAlpine’s after the prior owner was going to liquidate it. She essentially saved this Phoenix gem from disappearing from Seventh Street. We thank her for her public service.
Contact the reviewers at angoe@asu.edu and ddworth1@asu.edu
