Auburn Perspective

Amsterdam Cafe at 401 S. Gay St is your best bet for great food and great atmosphere in Auburn. It is an Auburn original that has been around since 1991. Amsterdam offers something for everyone as this slightly upscale eatery offers contemporary cuisine, fantastic drink and wine selection, and great service, all without pretension in a laid back, stylish atmosphere.

You want something simple? They have burgers and fries, turkey wrap, or even a crabcake sandwich. Also try the sweet potato chips. They’re fantastic!

You want a gourmet meal? They offer numerous fish dishes, steaks, and pasta specialities accompanied by fresh vegetables and garnishes.

Whether you want a quick bite or a more formal dinner, Amsterdam covers it all better than anyone at a great value.

Go to the Amsterdam website for more information including event hosting.

Any time of the day, lunch or dinner, night on the town orlunch on a budget, Amsterdam has it.

There are very few Mellow Mushroom restaurants that garner the character of the Auburn location. The hip college atmosphere combined with the most delicious crust, ingedients, and overwhelming beer selection makes Mellow one of THE places to eat on college street and in Auburn.

The mix of college kids and young families makes this a fun place to spend an evening. Stroll around downtown as you wait or to work off all the deliciousness you just ingested at Mellow. Pretty much any place on college street gives you the good university atmosphere, but Mellow is as good as it gets.

Fresh ingredients and the hearty, doughy crust make every bite of everything on their menu irresistable.  Preztels are a must order. Every pizza or calzone comes loaded with toppings. Go lighter with their salads which are also good.

If you’re on a date, a small pizza should be enough for two, especially if you order pretzels. Also, a calzone can be split between two people. This will cost around $20 and that includes a drink. I recommend going early because it’s always packed – especially when school is in.

It just doesn’t get a whole lot better than hanging out in downtown Auburn enjoying pizza at Mellow Mushroom. They also deliver. Call (334) 887-6356

Now this is a college town pizza joint! Order by the slice, a whole pie, or go for one of their gigantic sandwiches. No matter what you get, it’s fast, delicious, and easy on the wallet. Customize your own slice by choosing from a few dozen toppings. If you order a sandwich, you probably won’t be able to finish it all. They take up two plates!

In my opinion, for a college town, Auburn lacks locally owned or original places to eat. Little Italy helps fill that void and adds good character to downtown. Little Italy’s a great place to bring a group of folks with its large seating area in the back.  Enjoy some football on their big screen tv or mellow out to the music playing overhead.

We love the atmosphere, the simplicity, the open space, and of course, the price. My wife and I manage to spend just over $10 for the both of us. Not bad for a night out. It’s just a good local pizza joint and I highly recommend it.

129 E Magnolia Ave
Auburn, AL 36830-4721
(334) 821-6161

Directions

Soak in all that is Auburn University at Toomer’s Drugstore. This iconic venue offers nostalgia,various sundry of Auburn gear and pain relievers, and of course, the best lemonade anywhere. The drugstore has great food to boot. Simple, but fitting for the atmosphere.

Stand behind the old wooden counter and watch fresh squeezed lemonade made before you. The first sip may make you pucker, then the sweetness settles in. Sip your lemonade and soak in the history documented in the numerous photos from years gone by.

If you’re up for something to eat, order from their menue such items as a hot dog or turkey and cheese melt. Sit in the back and watch the students, alumni, and other passers by get their fill of Auburn tradition.

Whether it’s a Tuesday at lunch or a gameday Saturday, stop in and get the best lemonade ever made. Grab a hat ot a t-shirt, or a roll of toilet paper for after the game. Toomer’s is a one-stop trip into the essence of Auburn history.

Auburn, once a town with only an abandoned remnant of a Daylight Donuts store in downtown, now boasts two new places to get your fix of sweet, doughy goodness. Daylight Donuts has reopened on S. College just south of University Dr. D Squared Donuts opened about four weeks ago in the Winn Dixie shopping center behind McAllisters. Both offer uniquely Auburn charm and a fun treat for Saturday mornings, a quick bite on the way to work, or boxed by the dozen for your co-workers.

D Square Donuts

1625 E University Dr. Auburn, AL 36830 - (334) 887-1112

When I first walked into D Square’s shop off University, I thought, there’s no way there is donut worth eating unless it’s a Krispy Kreme. I was wrong. These thick, doughy, perfectly sweetened donuts give the national donut king a run for their money. Better yet, you get “four more bites” with the square donut – a very unique feature. Yes, they are actually square. It always seems like D Square is churning them fresh from the cooker which keeps me going back for more. They have a Facebook group to let you know when they are hot and fresh.

The donuts are the perfect mix of warm, slightly chewy dough, and glaze that is not too heavy and not too sweet unlike a Krispy Kreme. They’ve seemingly got substance, a distinct taste, that makes you realize this is not your average donut.

This mom and pop shop offers fast and friendly service making you feel very welcome. The only downside to D Squared is the limited seating inside. Don’t let this deter you, however, because the chewy, doughy, squared bits of goodness are as good as it gets.

Daylight Donuts

1642 S College St Auburn, AL 36830

This place has a fantastic open floorplan that allows for plenty of seating and even a place to lounge on the couch and enjoy a flat screen TV. The wood floors, and glass exterior make ther establishment look clean and welcoming. Daylight has variety from plain glazed, iced chocolate with sprinkles, to cruellers and donut holes. It’s easy for your eyes to get too big for your stomach as you stand in line.

After the first bite of my chocolate glazed donut, I noticed a solid balance of dough and icing. This is not a donut that is so sugary and so greasy that you know it’s got to be terrible for you. The donuts are fairly light and leave you wanting another.

Become a fan on their Facebook page and find out when donuts are hot and fresh. One big plus is they are open 24-7 for a great place for students to hang out, get caffinated, and keep the all night study session going strong. From their Facebook page:

“Need a place to study? Want a great tasting treat at an even better price? Come by and check out Daylight Donuts on South College across from Winn-Dixie. We are open 24/7 and serve fresh donuts and coffee throughout the day! Call us: 821-6800.”

Overall, both are great places to get your fix of Auburn’s finest confections. If you’re looking for coffee, I’d say both stores have decent coffee, but if you’re a connoisseur, neither will impress.

Go by and grab one for yourself, a half dozen for your family, or get 2-3 dozen for your coworkers. As Auburn continues to grow, these establishments offer more fun options for breakfast and make our town more unique.

In my opinion, D Square has the best donuts while Daylight has the edge on atmosphere. If you want a comparison of donuts you may have had before, Daylight is more like a Dunkin Donuts and D Square is more like a Krispy Kreme.

Check out other articles and reviews on these two restaurants:

Filling Auburn’s Donut Hole

Daylight offering Donuts in Haley Center

D Square Donuts Opens in Auburn

Keep checking back with www.auperspective.com for reviews on the best food, shopping, and entertainment in the Auburn Opelika area.

It’s old school vs. new school as Daylight Donuts takes on D Squared Donuts for a battle that will have you licking your fingers and loosening your belt!

Keep checking back with www.auperspective.com for reviews on the best food, shopping, and entertainment in the Auburn Opelika area.

Have you ever had a burger that melts in your mouth? This may be the best burger in town. Its so simple, but after you take the first bite, you wonder, “how in the world does it taste so good”? The slightly greasy, juicy beef blends perfectly with melted cheese and soft bun. Choose from a nice list of free toppings and you’ve got a beautiful thing.

There’s something different about the taste – that may be the fresh, never frozen beef. Maybe it’s the crisp bacon, lettuce, and tomato piled on top. Whatever it is, Five Guys has got the market cornered on bugercraft.

The fries are made from fresh Idaho potatoes, fried with the skins still on them in peanut oil that makes you feel a little better about yourself. One order of perfectly salted slices of spud fill the paper sacks in which they are delivered.

Take a seat in their clean and open haven of hamburger, grab a coke, a serving or two of ketchup, and enjoy burger and fries done to perfection. Come with an appetite, you’ll leave satisfied. My wife and I split one regular cheeseburger and one order of fries.

Five guys is a fantastic addition to the downtown Auburn area and will surely have tailgaters and students alike clamoring for the greasy goodness. With the speedy service, Five Guys turns out hundreds of orders a day. Sit there long enough and you here the numbers roll by. The new locations seems to be huge hit and it’s only summer.

Check out Five Guys for the best burgers in town. Next to Gap on college street. Check out their fanatic friendly website for more information about the company.

Keep checking back with www.auperspective.com for reviews on the best food, shopping, and entertainment in the Auburn Opelika area.

If you happen to drive through Troy on the way to the beach or for any other reason, and it happens to be lunch or dinner time, stop by Monarcas on Hwy 231. Of all the Mexican food I have sampled this side of the Missisippi, this restaurant has them beat. The restaurant is clean and comfortable and the service is great. To start, the chips and salsa are excellent. The salsa is very spicy, but balanced with excellent flavor. The chips were nice and warm. As for the main course, my wife and I had quesadillas, one tamal, rice and beans. All were surprisingly good. The quesadillas, first of all were not greasy, which made a quick impression on me. Normally quesadillas are loaded with too much cheese, buttered and pan-fried on the outside, and leave you feeling like you’ve swallowed a vat of oil. Not these. They were appropriately filled with chicken and cheese and lightly toasted on the outside for a nice, but not overwhelming slice of Mexicana.  The rice and beans were above par from most Mexican restaurants I frequent.

Though our selection was quite limited, I highly recommend Monarcas in Troy and applaud it for being one step above just any Mexican dive.

Keep checking back with www.auperspective.com for reviews on the best food, shopping, and entertainment in the Auburn Opelika area.

From Toomers to Tigertown, the Seafood Shack to the Struttin’ Duck, check here for the Plains’ best places to eat, shop, and make your life easier.