Hamilton’s On Magnolia

I was in Auburn for a dinner function and my beau and I were looking to get a feel for the town with a side of a post dinner tipple. Hamilton’s had the most bustling crowd on a Monday night… we decided this was the place we should be. Upon sitting at the bar, the bartender gave a warm welcome, explained it was ½ off martini night and gave us a few minutes to peruse the drink menu. I was impressed but the fun martini options and ordered a Bitter Southerner to start — Titos, grapefruit, bubbly (so yum and refreshingly non-​sweet). The beau got an extra dirty grey goose martini and was pleased that the bartender didn’t skimp on the olives/​juice. The atmosphere was young and energetic, a great place to people watch. The bartender was on her game and kept up with our waters even though she had a slammed bar. We were impressed. She also allowed us to order one last round at 8:59 (after she reminded us that the special expired at 9), which we really appreciated… it was our fault we weren’t watching the clock. I went on to order a Fuzzy Frenchman martini and the beau doubled down in his extra dirty selection. Again, a refreshing drink but a tad sweeter — still not overwhelmingly sweet. Yum. We were pleased when the bill came to ½ of what it should have been — $ ⁴⁄₅ drinks is an outstanding deal for the quality here. All in all, Hamilton’s will be our first stop next time we are in Auburn.

We use Unilocal often when traveling and have found it to be a good indicator of food reviews. Hamilton’s was recommended by a friend who attends the university as a place his parents enjoy. There are a few restaurants that are closed on Mondays, so we were glad to find them open. It’s in a cute, walkable area of downtown. Parking can be an issue but we found something nearby. We were lucky to find a spot, a table in the bar near the window. It was busy and festive. I ordered the blackened chicken pasta and it was delicious! Two blackened chickened breast on pasta. Nice and flavorful. My daughter had the steak, it was on the small size but perfect for her. Good helping of mashed potatoes and the veggies were nicely prepared. The wines were reasonably priced, I thought, but I’m from California so I could be off. A cute duo played in the corner. We would definitely return if in the area.

The food here is excellent. My only problem is the portions. I had the pan seared tuna, rice, and asparagus. The tuna was a very small portion, maybe a half a cup of rice, and 4 pieces of asparagus. The meal doesn’t come with any bread. We had spinach and artichoke dip for an appetizer which was good. My son had pasta, which he loved. And my girlfriend had crab cakes which were excellent. This restaurant is great, just don’t go hungry!

Surprised to see the low scores here. Hamilton’s is a great upscale local place — love their food and they have great service as well. Nice place for a night out.

Came to Auburn for the very first time on a Friday night before a football game. Decided to try Hamilton’s as it looked like a lot of people were lined up trying to get a table. It was busy but we were seated after about 15 – 20 mins. Food was good but not great. Had the fried crab claws appetizer, which were cornmeal breaded, fried and just ok — a little too salty and had some shell bits under the crust. We only ate about half the order — but it was a large portion. I had the shrimp and cheesy grits which were pretty good. The shrimp were perfectly cooked, but there was too much sauce and not enough grits. My husband had the boneless short ribs, which had a nice flavor, but weren’t braised as tender as we’ve had elsewhere. Had the pumpkin cheesecake which had a nice creamy texture. The caramel sauce was a little too sweet and the cheesecake would have been better without. The crust didn’t have much texture. But overall, it was a good dessert. I thought the service was very good considering how busy they were. It was a little pricey, but I think I would have done better to get my Southern food fix at a less fancy restaurant.

Based on the outside and the prices, you would think it would be unacceptable to dine there in a t-​shirt and jeans — but that’s just what I did after a little bit of shopping. I’m so glad I finally gave this place a try! It’s yummy and the staff is really friendly! Very laid back, good food, and plenty of options so there’s something for everyone!

We were tired after traveling from Texas to bring our daughter to Camp War Eagle and Hamilton’s hit the spot. Recommended by a bellman at the Auburn Hotel who said «i’ve never had a bad dish or experience there.» He was right. The four of us walked the few blocks over, grabbed an outdoor table and took the variety route on the menu. The table ended up featuring everything from fish dip to a burger to a steak salad to the shrimp & grits. The latter was my main course and it should have its picture in the dictionary next to «shrimp & grits» — it’s exactly what that dish should be. Shrimp was tenderly firm with a little spice, the grits were perfectly made, and the presentation was eye-​pleasing. Great call. (I didn’t notice on the menu that they were $ 24, but, seeing as my plate was probably cleaner than it was when it had left the dishwasher, I had no real grounds for a complaint.)
Definitely a go-​destination in Auburn.

Favorite place in auburn! The «Old Faithful» as they call it is not always on the menu but you can ask for it. Parmesan crusted fish, with a crab cake on top. Soo good!

I dined alone here for dinner and had a window seat which happened to be crammed in the bar area. There were several times where I feared my food/​drink would be knocked over by a person coming to or leaving the bar.
I had the tuna, which was perfectly cooked. The vegetables were delicious, too. The food itself left me with no complaints. The portion sizes are quite small for the price… except for dessert. The bread pudding was huge and delicious!
I would go back, but probably only for dessert.

Decided to stop by on a whim due to recommendation from a friend. The food was very reasonably priced for lunch. I tried out the Roast Beef sandwich and lobster bisque as my side. The sandwich was very juicy and delicious. My only complaint is the that the lobster bisque could have used a bit more lobster. The drinks were solid and there was a solid selection of beers. I’d recommend anyone check this place out if you’re in the area!

Come here often for lunch and dinner. The food is always great food and the servers are great. However the hostesses are always rude and never seem to care. We came with a large party and they refused to seat us. We wanted to order wine and apps while waiting for two more people to join our party but apparently making money in the food industry isn’t one of their priorities. I don’t know what the young ladies name was that was hostessing that night but once we were forced to wait for all of our party I decided to get a glass of wine and the bartender was also rude asked if she could help me. And I asked for a glass of the Honig and she asked if I would like a dinner menu and I politely said no thank you and she grabbed the money out of my hand and said nothing more. No thank you no enjoy your dinner.

The food is amazing. The atmosphere is small and upscale, but still has a slightly causal feel with it being downtown in Auburn.
Most servers are students and the service is very slow at times. It’s hard to get one to pay attention and show up at your table, but overall they are all very nice. By the time your food comes, you don’t care that it took them 20 minutes to take your order.
Then again, this isn’t an in-​and-​out type of place. It’s fine dining in a quiet atmosphere that’s set up for conversation and taking your time to enjoy a great meal.

I was walking around town looking for a place to eat dinner and have a glass of wine. I stopped in a bar that didn’t serve food and asked the bartender for a recommendation. When I walked into Hamilton’s sure enough almost every person had a glass of wine.
House wine is on special for half off on Wednesdays.
I ordered the grouper and shrimp dish. It was a great decision! The grouper was pan seared and then baked in the oven. It was served over some rice oh and the shrimp. Definitely the largest shrimpies I have ever eaten. For my side I ordered green beans.
This place seemed to accumulate quite a crowd as I neared the end of my meal. Definitely seems like a popular date night place. Don’t get me wrong there were also a ton of groups as well. I also want to address that my service was pretty normal. I read some reviews that said the servers were not very attentive as well as one of my co-​workers telling me she experienced that as well. I, however, did not have a problem with my server she was great.
All in all… that bartender’s recommendation was on point… thank you!

Customer service is terrible if you don’t look rich. We (students dressed casually) sat down outside, waited for 15 minutes and no one came to even give us water. Two older couples came and sat down outside and were immediately given waters and the waiter doted on them. Any waiters that even came outside completely ignored us. We left and went to Amsterdam where we were served right away.

When it comes to dining out in Auburn, this is one place that I always avoid and honestly it’s one that I usually forget about.
When a friend of mine from New Jersey came to visit Auburn last year I thought to myself, «Hamilton’s is always good we’ll go there!» WRONG. For starters, the waitress we had was so awful and completely inattentive to our needs. I think she came by a total of 3 times to get our drink order, food order and bring the check. So terrible. She also dropped a fork on the ground and PUT IT BACK on the table for me to use…
Then there was the food… so average and so not memorable. Even my friend asked me why this place could possibly have any kind of business and stay afloat. Hamilton’s is one place I won’t be visiting anytime soon. They’re going to need to completely overhaul that place if they want to compete with Acre and always consistent Amsterdam Café.

Food is so so. Menu is kinda boring. Just some very regular dishes and I don’t think you will get something creative there. The waiter served entrée before appetizer. I don’t know what happened. Is this a new rule that appetizer should go after entrée?

The food was good, not great. Maybe it was the time of day/​time of year. I went when most of the students were away on Christmas break. But the servers didn’t seem too interested in being there. And apparently the kitchen staff didn’t either. The food was pretty, but not much in the taste department. We also talked to the manager who came to our table and asked us how we enjoyed our lunch. When we told him our experience, he said that it wasn’t usually like this, but just walked on to the next table. Like I said, the food wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t good… My real problem was the apathy. I want to attend restaurants, and all businesses for that matter, that care and take pride in themselves, and this place didn’t seem to care about themselves.

An upscale, fine-​dining but not over-​the-​top place in Auburn. Doesn’t really offer anything new or exciting on the menu (like a Zazu or The Hound) but offers a few southern staples along with some more traditional American items. Overall, the menu was somewhat limited, but if you go for lunch it is relatively cheap compared to the higher dinner prices.
Service is very friendly, they definitely take their jobs seriously. The food was all right. We had a couple sandwiches at lunch (Cranberry chicken salad and Atomic BLT) along with soup and salad. It was pretty good… I wouldn’t mind trying something else. Just don’t expect to be blown away.

Usually, this type of restaurant doesn’t excite me, but the food — OMG the food!
There was a special the night I went — some sort of snapped with crab and parmesan maybe (?) covering it, served with cheese grits. You need to understand that I generally am not a big fish fan, and I’m not Southern so I don’t even know what grits really are.
So _​believe me_​when I tell you that the dish was out-​of-​this-​world. I wanted more, and had to control myself not to lick the plate. In fact, everyone in my group was in love with the food.
I can’t even tell you about the service, because it was a blur compared with the food. Amazing.

Usually I stay away from upscale restaurants where people dress to intimidate. However, Hamilton’s felt really laid back that people dressed up and went there to enjoy a nice date dinner. The beers on tap here are a really good price and the entrees are actually worth their value if you order a beer with it.
I had the hummus appetizer, pale ale, and chicken tempura all for under $ 23. For a place that is upper class, this was actually a pretty good deal since I split it with my dad. I’ve had tempura and hummus at authentic Greek and Japanese places but the food they had here was really good. Don’t eat the food here for an authentic taste of culture because you won’t really find that in Auburn but definitely come here because the environment feels relaxing, the food tastes great, and you can do that all without feeling 10 people judge you simultaneously.