Niffer's Place Auburn — Restaurant in Auburn

Let me first say our food was very good. My daughter had the French dip and she raved about it. My husband got a burger and really enjoyed his as well. I ordered the hot brown and it was also pretty impressive. My little ones had Mac and cheese and pizza. My oldest son had a burger. The service was pretty good as well. With that being said my son has celiacs disease and it is becoming apparent that the staff is uneducated about gluten and handling gluten free food. Which is very disappointing since there was a write up in the paper about one of the owners having celiacs disease and how this particular restaurant has many gluten free options and is the place to go.

Anyways, we told our waitress that our son had Celiacs disease and he would need to eat off the gluten free menu, I explained to her that his food could not touch any other food. She acted like it was no biggie. When we ordered the burger off the gluten free menu she ask if we wanted a gluten free bun. That was a red flag to me that she had no idea what gluten was much less celiacs disease.

Later another lady brought out our food, several plates at a time. My sons burger was almost touching my husbands. Gluten free food should be brought out separately to avoid contamination. Anyone who has celiacs disease or is the parent of a child who has it and has been up all night with a sick kid who had been glutened understands how bad I cringed.

The first time my parents took our son to Niffers a similar scenario unfolded. Being my sons first time eating out since his diagnosis they were very nervous and explained to the waitress about his disease and they would need a gluten free menu. Long story short they brought his food and several other plates piled together and a slice of Texas toast overlapping two of the plates.

There are similar stories on the Find Me Gluten free app about this establishment not being Celiacs friendly. If you have Celiacs disease I recommend downloading the app and search for places with good reviews.

Great place to eat if you don’t have...

I lived in Auburn for nearly 6 years. Niffers quickly became a go-to when I realized their countless burger options were available as meatless options too. As someone who prefers gluten free, the GF and lettuce bun options were a bonus. While fries are considered a treat for me, whenever I had them it was the Cajun fries from niffers.

I actually ordered the Chicago burger (my hometown) and Cajun fries and had them delivered to EAMC the night before giving birth to my rainbow baby and first born child. When family visited, this was where we took them. Last month we left Auburn to relocate to Dallas and, with family in town, and it being our last night in Auburn, we ordered Niffers. After weeks of packing and living out of boxes I was beyond ready to enjoy my Chicago burger and Cajun fries.

I opened the container to see regular fries and…a beef burger. It was the ultimate disappointment. I’m a lifelong vegetarian and was a bit grossed out. On e past, when they messed up an order, they offered a replacement. Not an option now, having moved. The next week, once we settled into our new home I called and explained this very kindly to Eric. He was emphatic and took my name and number, assuring me the owners would make it right. I even laughed and said I’d be happy if they sent me a T-shirt cause I loved them so much.

The next week I had not heard anything. I called again and Eric answered. He apologized and said the note was gone, he wasn’t sure what was being done but he would have someone contact me. Now, almost 2 weeks after that last call and a month after the meal, I still have heard nothing. I otherwise have had nothing but great things to say about Niffers, but am beyond disappointed in their service.

6 months later and after posting this review - haven't heard a word from them. Really...

I really don't understand the fascination with this place. The burgers are good, and a good deal on burger night, but everything else I've tried is exceedingly average/underwhelming. They don't even have the best burgers in Auburn, though they do have a really solid burger (thick patty, good bun, etc.). The homemade chips are really nice, but everything that I've tried except burgers was nothing special (as a student, I went there almost every time my parents visited, they love the place because of its "tradition" of being an Auburn favorite, so I've had quite a bit of experience with this place.)

That being said, I could see why, even though it's not necessarily for me, people would enjoy eating here. The atmosphere of this place would definitely be appealing for some. It seems like a good place to get some food, drink a beer, and watch a game or something, if that's what you're into. The atmosphere is really laid-back, and the service has always been good, I just think that this is a really middle of the road place to eat as far as food quality goes. Their menu is typical American-style fare, with burgers, fries, wraps, sandwiches, salads, wings, etc., and everything I've had besides the burgers was TGI Fridays/Applebee's tier, meaning nothing great, nothing bad, just okay food. Prices are reasonable though, and going on burger night (get it to go, it's always packed inside) is a good deal, so I would say try it out on burger night and get yourself a burger and see how you like it. If it's not Wednesday, then maybe put them a bit lower on your...