Walking in at 11:00 on a Friday morning, we were the first ones in, and were greeted right away. Our small group likes the intimacy of booths, and MacAlpine's doesn't disappoint with their tall booths (with integrated coat racks... for Phoenix!).
Lots of nostalgia everywhere, including the adjacent shops with "antique" items from years past. You can just tell that many of the decorations are original, and the soda fountain is definitely authentic, as well.
We ate light that day - chicken salad sandwich w/ potato salad for me, Malibu chicken and BLT w/ soup for my companions. We were served quickly, the bread and produce was fresh, and the iced tea was brewed, not from the fountain (yay!). It's standard lunch fare here, nothing fancy, but the kitchen moves the orders out and the staff is always watchful for empty glasses. The '50's period wear for the servers is fun, but it's their attitude that makes the difference. Great place for kids!
What's truly remarkable about this place is the assortment of distracting items from your childhood that forgot even existed, from the candy cigarettes for sale at the front, to the household items you see through glass in the adjacent antique shops. It's fun to have exposure to contraptions you don't see in the stores anymore, and that's why this place is a destination.