I've been going here for almost 40 years - not sure what it's going to take to get it through my…read morehead that Tully's just isn't to my taste. Over the years I keep going back, about once a year: I've had their sandwiches, their pastries, their pies . . . all kinda "meh" and all priced pretty reasonably but not inexpensively. Sandwiches give you a lot of everything . . . except flavor. Pastries are . . . fine. Pies are . . . fine, and kinda small (and not inexpensive, maybe reaching towards pricey); it's the kinda thing you are willing to pay for in order to bring it to a gathering, only to find almost no one bothers to eat it. And so you don't bother. The cookies are pretty good, actually.
(And, yes, I know Italian delis - my Italian grandparents brought me to them in New York when I was a child. However, I'm not judging Tully's against these (as in "it's not as good as Back East"), I'm just saying it never really turns my crank.)
Today I had a hot chicken, cheese,onion and pepper sandwich, the Carmela. It was a lot of food. But . . . not a lot of flavor. A whole lot of drippy mess in the bottom of my basket, though: water absolutely sopped through the (completely unmemorable tasting) bread loaf and pooled at the bottom of my basket as I ate in. The potato salad served alongside was fine - like what you'd get at Albertson's. The chicken was tender and . . . essentially without flavor, not even salt. There had clearly been a little marinade (I could sense some oregano and maybe garlic in there) but man could this thing have used about five times as much seasoning and then a healthy dose of a vinegar/garlic/oregano dressing on top of it.
Bland. Lots of food in that $17 (almost $25 with tip) sandwich, but not a lot of enjoyment. I've had other Tully's sandwiches (both for here and to-go) that were better, but I can't really recall any of them . . . and I _never_ rush back. Like I said, this is a place I think about ("Hey, I'm right nearby; I should try Tully's again!") about once a year . . . and then, meh.
To be fair - I believe that I am pretty out in left field on this take: Tully's is popular and always hopping. Get here early unless you want to stand in line. I only had to wait about three minutes to order, but by the time I left at noon this Friday there was a line to order all the way from the counter to the door.
In terms of the room, it's a deli. Reasonably well set out with a decent amount of seating set out well, as well as some outside seating that you might want to try when it's not in the nineties. You order at the counter, pay, go get your own fountain drink (they also have some beer and wine, which they will serve you), find a seat and they'll bring it to you. When you're done, you bus it yourself. Pleasant staff - I don't regret tipping, although they don't do much. (As others have mentioned, if you get a cup of water, Tully's generously gives you a decent sized Solo cup - another plus.)
It's fine. If you go, at least get yourself some cookies - they're pretty good.
