The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 1 plus 2 plus 5 letter word A LA CARTE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
A
L
A
C
A
R
T
E
More clues leading to the result A LA CARTE
- A wagon with beer brought round, offering a choice
- Separately priced — a vehicle coming in behind time
- A skill in intricate fabric is offering a lot of options
- A skill in needlework offering unrestricted choice
- Like item in restaurant with a fabric covering design
- Are you wearing a tie? So dine perhaps
- Vehicle entering area delayed as course not set?
- Current craft beer stores, offering a choice
- Current craft beer stores offering choice
- Learner joins motorists’ club before getting vehicle, with energy and freedom to choose
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "offering unrestricted choice" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case offering unrestricted choice = a la carte.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.