Since opening in downtown Auburn in 2013, Acre has built its reputation on a distinctly Alabama approach to Southern cuisine. Chef and owner David Bancroft draws on the region’s farms, gardens, and Gulf Coast waters to create dishes that honor familiar traditions while making room for new flavors.
Now, more than a decade into the restaurant’s story, Bancroft is reimagining Acre’s dinner menu and renovating the restaurant’s open kitchen to accommodate an expanded raw bar. Together, the changes reflect an evolution in how guests experience Acre, offering more flexibility in how they order and share a meal while maintaining the restaurant’s commitment to seasonal ingredients and regional foodways.
Rather than following a traditional appetizer-and-entrée format, the new menu offers several ways to dine. Guests can stop in for oysters and a few lighter dishes, order comfort foods and starters to share, or settle in for a full dinner with individual plates or larger-format offerings designed for the table.
An expanded raw bar and seasonal ingredients
(Acre/Contributed)
The expanded raw bar features oysters from Florida’s Oyster Bay and Indian River Lagoon, as well as Dauphin Island, Alabama. Gulf shrimp cocktail, West Indies salad with blue crab, preserved lemon, and onion, and hearth-smoked tuna dip round out the selection.
Seasonal produce remains central to the menu. The current autumn offerings include harissa-roasted golden beets with coconut-curry dressing, cucumber, and za’atar, along with Betty Maddox heirloom tomatoes served with hearth bacon, butterbean-orzo salad, fried okra, and dill. Cornmeal-fried okra, sourced from Hornsby Farms, is served with remoulade.
Other dishes lean into the comfort foods and familiar flavors that have long been part of the Southern table, with Acre’s own distinctive twists. Fried green tomatoes arrive with blue crab salad, pimento cheese, and remoulade, while “chicken fried” chicken is served with caviar beurre blanc, whipped potatoes, capers, and herb salad. Charcoal-grilled oysters feature “birria” butter, finger lime, and epazote, and fried snapper collars are paired with spicy buldak caramel, ginger, and Thai basil.
Dishes made for sharing
For guests gathering around the table, larger-format offerings include a Gulf seafood plateau with a dozen oysters, shrimp cocktail, West Indies salad, and smoked tuna dip. Redfish on the half shell comes with Louisiana crawfish, “deckhand butter,” and crispy fried okra, while the “Our Friends Farms” platter brings together heirloom tomatoes, fried okra, roasted beets, butterbean-orzo salad, and pickled vegetables.
(Acre/Contributed)
The restaurant’s housemade charcuterie remains part of the experience, though it has moved from its former dedicated “Butcher’s Block” section into the “Solid Oak” sampler. The $30 offering combines charcuterie, Asher blue cheese, bone marrow and steak tartare, pickles, marinated olives, and grilled sourdough.
The menu’s individual plates continue to highlight regional ingredients and familiar Southern flavors. Pan-fried Gulf mahi-mahi is served with Louisiana crawfish, sweet corn, capers, beurre blanc, and charred lemon. Gulf shrimp pappardelle comes with Creole okra-tomato gravy, andouille, and basil, while grilled Texas redfish is paired with “deckhand butter,” fried green tomatoes, and pickled pepper-sweet corn relish. A cast-iron ribeye with “birria” bordelaise, mushrooms, and fried sage rounds out the selection.
Rooted in Alabama foodways
The changes build on Acre’s longstanding relationship with local agriculture. Set on a historic acre surrounded by gardens and orchards tended by the restaurant’s team, Acre has always treated its surroundings as an integral part of the kitchen. Alongside what grows on-site, the restaurant works with regional farmers and producers, grounding its approach in the seasons and the ingredients available close to home.
The reimagined menu brings that philosophy into a more flexible dining experience. Whether guests arrive for oysters and a few starters or gather for a full dinner, Acre offers more ways to explore the flavors of the region, from Alabama-grown produce to Gulf seafood and comfort-driven dishes.
Acre is located at 210 East Glenn Avenue in downtown Auburn. Dinner is served Monday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. The restaurant has been serving its modern interpretation of Southern cuisine since 2013.
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