The Depot

Housed inside a train depot that has stood in downtown Auburn since 1847, The Depot is a gulf-coastal brasserie built around the idea that fresh, responsibly sourced seafood belongs at the center of the table. The building itself once served as a passenger station during the Civil War era, and today its restored brick walls and open timber ceilings frame a menu that Executive Chef and Co-Owner Scott Simpson describes as a place “where sea meets land.” That mission has earned The Depot real recognition beyond the plate: it was Alabama’s first restaurant to receive the James Beard Foundation’s Smart Catch Leader Award for its commitment to sustainable seafood sourcing, a distinction the ownership takes seriously enough to build the entire concept around it.

The dinner menu leans hard into the restaurant’s coastal identity. Diver sea scallops are served with jumbo red shrimp and stone-ground grits, Faroe Island salmon is grilled over an open wood fire, and a Carolina rainbow trout arrives stuffed with crab. For guests who want something off the boat that day rather than off the printed page, a blackened catch of the day is priced to market and changes with what is available. The kitchen does not ignore landlubbers, either. A half-pound Wagyu burger, a roasted half chicken, and a lineup of wood-grilled steakhouse cuts, including an eight-ounce Linz Farm filet and a sixteen-ounce bone-in ribeye, give the menu real range without diluting the seafood-first identity that defines the restaurant.

Brunch and lunch service brings its own set of specialties. Steak and eggs, a rainbow trout hash Benedict, and black and blue shrimp and grits headline the weekend brunch menu, while lunch guests can order Baja fish tacos, a butter-poached lobster roll, or a blackened catch sandwich built around whatever fish came in fresh that morning. Starters like spicy blue crab dip, a half dozen grilled oysters, and a burrata platter are built for sharing before the entrees arrive, and the dessert list runs from a triple chocolate espresso pot de creme to a bananas foster French toast bread pudding.

Beyond the food, The Depot has built a reputation around its bar program, pairing an award-winning wine list with what the restaurant calls Southern-inspired, pre-prohibition cocktails. The historic depot setting itself has become part of Auburn’s civic identity, hosting private events and community gatherings in a building that predates the university’s founding. Locally owned and chef-led rather than corporate, The Depot represents the kind of investment in a single, specific building and a single, specific city that defines an independent restaurant. There is no sister location in another market, no franchise agreement, and no template menu handed down from a regional office. Every dish reflects decisions made by the kitchen team working out of this one restored depot on Mitcham Avenue.

For visitors exploring Auburn’s food scene, The Depot offers one of the clearest examples of what an independently owned seafood restaurant can look like in a landlocked college town: a menu built on relationships with sustainable fisheries, a building with real local history, and ownership that lives in the community it serves. The restaurant is open for brunch, lunch, dinner, and private events, and guests are encouraged to check the restaurant’s own hours and location page before visiting, since seasonal hours can shift. Whether the occasion is a celebratory dinner built around wood-fired steaks and fresh trout or a casual weekend brunch featuring shrimp and grits, The Depot has positioned itself as Auburn’s most seafood-forward dining destination, and it has the sustainability credentials to back that reputation up. Guests can reach the restaurant directly at (334) 521-5177 to check on same-day availability.