Alpha Soda

This place used to be a good diner. A lot of pies and decent variety of menu options. Today — after giving them many tries in the past — was the last straw. After being ignored at the counter for quite a few minutes, we wanted to order a takeout pie. There were no complete pies, only slices. OK, no problem, but after asking what they had the short responses and general lack of caring about the customer was getting a bit annoying (one of the staff was on an iPad). Fine, maybe it was a tough day, so you overlook it. But then we got home and there was glass in the apple pie that actually cut my wife. So, let’s just say there is nothing wrong with this place that couldn’t be solved by just bolting the doors shut.

Okay, let me first start by saying my husband worked in food service from age 14 – 18 as a bus boy, dishwasher, and then a server at a family owned diner. So I have a lot of respect and patience for those in the industry. This was the worst experience I have ever had at a restaurant. We waited 10 minutes after being seated to even be checked up on. Our waitress seemed to be the only one working inside the dining room but there were only 3 tables at 3 pm on a Sunday. She was impatient, short in her responses, and never checked on us. We had to call her attention. I continued to be patient when she cut me off before I finished my order. I ordered the California BLT, and asked for crispy bacon. I was about to ask for tater tots as a side when she moved on to my moms order, and then abruptly left before I could ask about the sides. I assumed that it would come with fries as a default maybe? No. Just an $ 8 burned bacon and one slice of avocado sandwich. I tried to get her attention before she left again and was given a «wait» and a finger in the air. And she didn’t come back until 10 minutes later when I asked for the side. And then proceeded to overcharge by $ 1.10 for it. I just am shocked at the service. My moms food was also lukewarm at best. And over salted. We will not be returning.

The place was like a morgue for over thirty minutes before anybody noticed. $ 12 for a pre made gyro and fries. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY when there is so much competition in the market. It’s really sad to see a restaurant that has been such a mainstay become a footnote. They won’t be in business 6 months from today if they don’t change. They don’t care

We ate at Alpha Soda on Tuesday at 1:25. We were not greeted and proceeded to wait until we were eventually seated. After a brief wait, a trainee asked for our drink orders. We received our drink orders. No straws. After a while, the trainee returned for out order, we asked for straws and she reminded us that she was a trainee. My husband ordered ribs. After waiting 15 minutes, they come out to tell us that they are out of ribs. So my husband ordered a plain hamburger. They did not bring mayo. We are now waiting over 2 minutes for service to bring mayo so my husband can eat the burger. The server stood at the bar while our food got cold before bringing the mayo. So, I asked to speak to the manager. Apparently everyone left. I mean everyone. Only the server we had was left. He was gracious and took my husband’s burger off the bill and offered desserts which we declined, but there was no one there. Even the trainee was gone. She didn’t say anything to us. Not much customer service here.
The burgers were overcooked and dry. The fried chicken that my son ordered was dry and he couldn’t eat it. We boxed it up and our dogs did enjoy it last night in their meal so they say thank you Alpha Soda.
We used to go there quite often, but had not gone in a while. Until things improve we will not return.

Lacking the kitchy vibe of the old location, Alpha Soda is nothing more than a so-​so diner.
T. and I stopped in for lunch. He had a reuben (which he enjoyed), I chose the chicken salad sandwich. (A half hour later I had a stomach ache.) Nothing comes with sandwiches or hamburgers. Fries, tater tots, onion rings are $ 1.95 extra. C’mon now!
It appears that Alpha Soda has a steady clientele of ‘regulars.’ «How’s the new grandson?» I heard the waitress ask one table. «Do you want the usual?» she went on to someone else. I love a personal touch … but it’s the food that would keep me comin’ back.
Or not.

Been here several times. You get good food for a good price but it’s a diner and not a fine dining establishment… Service is hit and miss depending on the day. The menu is LARGE and perhaps should be scaled down a bit…

The waiter, James, was excellent and very attentive. The catfish meal was delicious, the coating was not overwhelming. The burger was tasty, and was delicious with the Bleu cheese. The Alpha Club was messy, but good. The tots were crisp, the bacon was crisp and tasty. Location is great and parking was easy.

I wouldn’t give this place even one star. My spouse and I walked in and the place is extremely dark. There was no one waiting at the hostess desk and we waited over 3 minutes but no one came to greet us and sit us at a table. We decided to leave after seeing a woman that clearly worked there enter from the front door and quickly going to the back but failed to help us get seated. Will not spend a dime to support a business that does not believe in good customer service. Note: the place was not busy at all.

Did not even want to give it one star. Terrible service. Indifferent attitude. Not a smile to be seen on any of the employees. Waiter did not even try to be helpful with the menu. Food just ok. How does this place stay in business? Will never be back.

Pro’s: We have frequented this restaurant regularly and love the salmon platter appetizer. It is honestly the very best smoked salmon in our area and the platter is served with Pitas, dill cream cheese, cucumbers eggs, capers, onion.
The breakfasts/​eggs are good, home fries are good if you get extra crispy, bacon, turkey sausage are good. Sweet potato soufflé, asparagus are good. Lamb is good but I ask for without the gravy and w mint jelley instead. Many good choices.
Cons: I’ve noticed our bills are always so much higher than other restaurants. Seems many items are severely over priced. For the type of food and atmosphere, I was telling my husband I think it’s really high. Perhaps the salmon platter merits the price. But for the amount of food you get in a vege side or for the cost of eggs etc, it’s way too much. The coffee is the worst I’ve ever had. Tried it a few times and each I wondered why I gave it another chance. The lox bagels are not worth the money — nothing to write home about (not a great bagel).
I’m sure we will be back bc we love the salmon. But not if they take it off the menu — and not like we would if the other prices were reasonable.

I’m giving this place 4 stars to lift them out of the ditch. They definitely do not deserve 3 stars. It is a nice diner and should be judged as such. I do think that is should be $$ instead of $ because the cost has gone up over the years. They have some dishes that are better than others. I occasionally try something new and some gambles have paid off while others have not. Be careful of the «steamed or wilted» veggies if you like flavor in your vegetables. The squash casserole is great and so is the glorified smothered chicken that they have on Wednesdays. Just recently I tried the salmon croquettes appetizer and it was really good too.

This place is a joke don’t waste your time or money. It has certainly changed over the years

Called and asked if they were open for New Years Eve. The person on the phone said yes. When me and my six other friends arrived, they were closed. It was not only embarrassing but extremely unprofessional. Will never step foot on that property again.

This used to be good. Had a vegetable plate, cold no taste. Thought I would never say it, but Golden Corral is better.

Have been a fan of Alpha Soda because of the wide variety of food that they offer. On Sunday went in with wife after church to eat a good southern cooked meal. The food was good but the service was terrible. Drink order was wrong, salad was thrown onto the table, waiteress never checked on us or filled drinks after the initial order. Asked for steak sauce she acted upset that she was asked and never brought it. Once the table was cleared it took twenty minutes to get the bill.
When I checked my credit card statement the next day noticed I had been charged more than I agreed to pay. Notified an individual who identified himself as the manager of the poor service and the overcharge, he said he look into it and call back. After three days called him back and he said he had it in front of him but had been been busy running the resturant and hadn’t had time to check. I think what he was really saying was my business and my concerns were not really that important to Alpha Soda. Got the message will not be back after all these years as a loyal customer.

Awesome breakfast!!!
They have turned things around and are back to the good old days of great food. It has been a fey months of changing pains and finding their way back to what makes them an Alpharetta main stay and legend.

On a short vacation to Alpharetta and did some research to find a restaurant that the locals would frequent. When I found Alpha Soda, I was in love with the idea of visiting an old fashioned soda shop and having a malt with my burger. The menu looked great, too! This place has been around for ages, so it *has* to be epic, right? Wrong.
First, the waitress couldn’t have been less amused to find us sitting in her section: her attitude from the get go was horrible. I looked at my sister and suggested we give her the benefit of the doubt, surely she’s just having a bad day. We all have bad days. I added extra smiles to our exchanges and amped up the pleases and thank yous and thought for sure she would warm up. Not at all, this waitress was as cold as ice. She wasn’t just disinterested, she was absolutely rude. Apparently Southern Hospitality doesn’t extend to this restaurant.
The restaurant itself was dimly lit, dusty and had a very neglected and unkept appearance. My plastic drink glass was not very clean, makes me wonder what else in the restaurant is likely worse.
The food was mediocre. I had a burger with a side of fried okra. The bun was stale, frozen burger patty was extra well done, onions weren’t too fresh but at least the lettuce was fresh and crispy! The okra was pretty good, but kind of hard to mess up frozen okra — literally just put it in the fryer and then drain when done. My sister had a flank steak philly: flank steak was so tough she couldn’t chew through it and the fries were not cooked well. She ordered a chocolate malt, of course they didn’t have any malt. Yes, a soda shop without malt. My daughter had spaghetti: garlic bread tasted of burnt garlic, the meat sauce was «fine» and the noodles were absolute mush.
All in all, such an underwhelming experience. I wish I had better things to say because we were really excited to take my daughter there for a *real* milk shake! Unfortunately, we would have been better off taking her to McDonalds. I am really bummed because I so badly wanted to love it!
Lastly, We asked to talk to the manager, of course, was told he wasn’t present and couldn’t come out of the back to discuss our experience. I’m sure he/​she will see this, though.

We had high hopes for this place based on their website and a few of the other reviews (that does take into account what I think Skip C accurately describes as an attack by foodie hipsters, with whom I frequently disagree), but the results were underwhelming. The menu is just too big. Unless you have several cooks doing each specialty it will be mediocre at best. The food could have gotten a 3 star review, but the staff was… young and obnoxious. Yes, I am an old curmudgeon at the tender age of 31, but it’s true. The kid with the tackle box on his face loudly commenting on each bakery item and talking about how it would be great when high/​drunk was just annoying enough to drop it another star, and the girl behind the counter who was clearly impressed with this and flirting with him almost made me despair for the future enough to drop another star, but the tater tots were pretty crispy so it kept that second star hanging in there.
Perhaps if we went at a different time of day we would have enjoyed it more, but as it is I’m pretty confident in my 2 star review that is not dependent on waxed moustaches or bow tie uses.

Yikes, this place’s reviews have been hijacked by hipster foodies, people who frequently spend $ 200 on dinner at places with complimentary valet, and reviewers who happen to have a majority of one star reviews in their histories.
This place is a diner specializing in a wide menu where families can go and have whatever they want at a price that is reasonable. I ate there with my wife the other night for $ 24, there was a wide variety of foods to choose from, and they serve breakfast anytime. it is possible that you can get a beer and a breakfast special, what more could you ask for?
If you are someone who thinks that the $$ and $$$ restaurants on Unilocal don’t seem to differentiate themselves and you are looking for a good meal at a decent price, this place is for you.

Oh dear. Cafeteria food passed off as home cooking.
Used to come here frequently years ago.
How times change.
Golden Corral just down the foad is superior.