The Depot

The Depot easily makes my list of favorite/​must try fine dining restaurants. The food is phenomenal. I’m so glad to have a restaurant in auburn that has high quality seafood selection. The price range is also amazing for the quality that you receive. The drinks are also amazing. The bartender did a great job creating the cocktail menu and even created a drink that I have to get every time I’m there! The service is top notch and the atmosphere is beyond enjoyable. If you live in the Auburn/​Opelika area and haven’t tried out The Depot yet, you are missing out!

Wow! A random and last minute dinner choice for us and an unexpected surprise…
The menu includes a wide variety of light to rich meal choices […focus on seafood] with a nice but finite selection of starters and side dishes.
We shared the gumbo and steamed mussels to start, both of which were light on ‘fat’ but heavy on natural flavors. Served with wood fire grilled sourdough, it was he perfect compliment to both.
The brick grilled organic chicken was so moist and tender you could have cut it with a spoon, the San Francisco style cioppino was outstanding with a completely different flavor and density from our mussel starter.
Plating and presentation was thoughtful to the restaurant style but also appropriate to the dishes served.
Our only ‘complaint’ was that the Lemon Mascarpone risotto was a little over ‘lemoned’ — that being said, it did not stop us eating all of it!
Daniel the manager came by our table personally to make sure we were happy with our meal.
When we asked for our bill, our waitress asked us for our Valet ticket so our car would be ready for us when we left.
A really busy Sat nite and the service was fabulous. Probably a good idea though to make a reservation to avoid disappointment.
Will be back for more on our next family visit… Want to try the crab cakes!

Not only is the food here delicious, but the restaurant itself is beautiful and cozy as well. Lovely décor, extremely friendly and knowledgeable waitstaff. Cocktails were perfect, and we ordered a selection of small plates and sides, all of which were excellent. The mussels in particular were amazing, some of the best I’ve ever had.

The blackened drum is perfect. Hot. Peppered just right. Service is professional. Oysters Rockefeller flavored are correct. What s great addition to fine dining in Auburn!
Once again, the meal was fabulous! Crab cakes are 99% crab and melt in your mouth Fish is done well on wood fired stove oven. Fine dining in Auburn Thank you Depot

I’d have to say we had a great experience. Great food, great drinks, great service and a charming building. We even had a train go by during dinner. We had fish, braised short ribs and a pork chop. All three were great especially the short ribs. The beignets were awesome for desert. Our waitress even had the valet bring our car to the door while we paid the bill.

Not, Good.
Party of 6 and 2 of our meals were cold.
For this type of $$$$$, it should be spot on. Want go back. Other reviews but have been from the owner.
No ice for water, Cokes are out of a bottle, my ck was over $ 100.00 and my wife drank out of a coke bottle.
What 50 year old women want to drink out of a bottle.
They have a ways to go!

Very quaint restaurant. The atmosphere was wonderful. The owner came to our table and was very personable and cared about the service. I had the San Francisco style cioppino and my date had the crab cakes. My dish was quite large, however the crab cakes were smaller than we expected. We also got the lemon risotto to split as a side. I expected a slight node of lemon, but it was very lemony; actually too much lemon flavor. The service was good and I appreciate the free valet service.

After eating Friday night at the Hound in Auburn, we thought that we’d never have a meal as good. We were wrong! Even though open only a month, the Depot staff was efficient and friendly. We had reservations but others were getting seated as well. The décor was amazing, the location had truly been an old depot (as confirmed by the train that passed us excitingly close midway through our meal!)
there was an interesting selection of food on the menu, from several types of sauces for oysters, to duck and chicken entrees. I chose crab cakes with grilled okra. My husband chose the pecan and brown sugar Carolina rainbow trout with blue (?) grits. Our friends had grilled Maine lobster, gumbo, and cauliflower and fingerling potatoes. We shared everything: and not a bite went into my mouth that wasn’t exquisite!
The bar area is so gorgeous! Hats off to the decorator. We didn’t stay in the bar because we were seated so quickly, but will certainly go back there someday just for drinks.

This may have been the best meal of my life. The cocktails were perfect and thoughtfully made. The food was sourced and paired with the skill of an artist. French press table side coffee service with a steampunk hourglass timer. Perfect lighting, amazing and comfy décor, 5 star staff. I could recommend eating here enough.

My family (5people) had a wonderful dining experience last night at The Depot. Everyone ordered a different entrée and loved everything. The goat cheese salad was a big hit. Close your eyes and point, you won’t be disappointed. Carter was our server and did a superb job. He knew the menu which is always refreshing. Go. Support this great new restaurant!!!

I had a wonderful experience at the Depot. The food was amazing (I would definitely recommend the Cobia Wings if you are looking for something different but relatable.) I really appreciated that a seafood restaurant is also able to stretch it’s legs and cook non-​seafood dishes just as well! If you don’t believe me, just try the chicken, so tender and flavorful.
The atmosphere was impressive as well. I really enjoyed the ambiance and how it nicely blended the history and rustic nature of the location and the overall ambiance of a fine dining establishment.
The Depot is a must eat.

My boyfriend, two friends, and I went to The Depot last night, and it was extremely underwhelming. Maybe my expectations were too high, but right from the beginning things went south. First, my boyfriend and I showed up 15 minutes early for our reservation at 8 and they told us it would be «about fifteen minutes» which we completely understood. So, we decided to get a drink at the bar while we waited. My boyfriend ordered a dark and stormy, that was completely awful and not how a dark and stormy should taste. I went for the gin and tonic, which was well made and enjoyable. Since we were just waiting on our table, we got the check then and sipped on our drinks. But, when the bartender handed me the check, she handed it to me over my drink and my hand hit the drink and spilt it everywhere. I will admit, I should have been watching my hands. But, there were three bartenders back there and all three stared at me and then let the spilt drink sit there for a good 4 minutes before coming to clean it up. And to top the bar experience off I was told I could get my drink replaced, but «we don’t do it for free.» I had maybe two sips before I spilt my drink and they couldn’t even make the drink again. Finally our friends arrive at 7:58 pm and the hostess tells us it will be another 10 minutes for our table. We were a little annoyed at the experience up to this point, but we said okay and caught up with friends. The waitress tells us our table is ready at 8:25pm. When you confirm your reservation the email states that there could be a small wait time of 20mins. That is fine, except for the fact that we arrived 15 minutes early, so now in total we waited 35 minutes for a table we made a RESERVATION for.
Anyways, we finally sat at our table and I absolutely loved our server. She was knowledgeable about the menu and gave great recommendations. To start, my boyfriend and I ordered three blue point and three chesapeake bay oysters and they were delicious, the blue point were the best. For our mains, I ordered the crab cakes and a side of the sweet potato and duck fat hash. Crab cakes were just okay, potato hash was so delicious. My boyfriend ordered the swordfish which he said was just okay. One friend ordered the fried cobia wings and he raved about them his entire meal! Our other friend had lobster bisque and fries, she said the fries were the best she has had. The only downside was the amount of food you get for the price. If I am going to pay the same amount on dinner, Acre is a much better choice.
Overall, the experience was just okay. I was so excited for the restaurant, but it was not what I expected it to be. Hopefully we will go back and have a better experience.

We went the second night they opened. Maybe they will get better. Food was ok but not great. Fish was ok, sides were better but the blue grits were way too salty. Sent them back. Server lacked personality and confidence needed for this type of restaurant. They needed signs telling us where to enter. We pulled on two doors before we found the one open. They may have tried to open too early. Hopefully they will get better. The building looks great!

Get a reservation for this place now!!!
Chef Scott is a veteran and knows what he’s doing. The food is so fresh and you can tell how much he cares about serving you only the best. I have never eaten a piece of fish that I enjoyed until tonight. The rainbow trout is incredibly good. The sides are amazing. Save room for dessert because it’s awesome too! Everyone there is so friendly and the service is off the charts. These people really care about you and put lots of time into making sure you have a wonderful experience with the people you love. The atmosphere is great. This place has only been open for about 2 weeks and it’s running as if it’s been open for a long time. Do yourself a favor and go there if you’ve even thought about eating there. This is a restaurant that is going to do very well in Auburn.

The old train depot has been needing some t.l.c. for quite some time, and Auburn’s new gourmet seafood restaurant couldn’t be a more prefect fit. The Depot absolutely nailed it on our first visit! The menu boasts of many flavorful and fresh seafood selections from the Gulf coast, to the North Carolina mountains, and even up to Maine. The interior design creates an ambience that brings you back to an early 1900’s feel (or rather, what I’d imagine it would feel like). Our host and servers made the dining experience feel like they’ve been doing this for years, which is surprising for a brand new establishment. Last, but not least, the food was amazing and plated beautifully. We enjoyed sashimi grade flounder, fresh rainbow trout, a creamy/​lemony risotto, and grilled vegetables. The only «downside» of our meal was that they were all out of beignets for dessert. Next time, I suppose! I’m excited that this Hound sister restaurant is open, and hopefully here to stay.

The décor is amazing-​very impressive, drinks were great, service very good. I had the scallops which were fantastic and we had the curry mussels to start. Will most definitely be going back!