OPINION —
As I’ve mentioned several times in this column, I love living in Auburn and worshipping in Opelika at Central Baptist Church. By the way, if you are looking for a sweet church family and a great minister, Dr. Josh Carmichael, please visit us; we’d love to meet you.
But I digress.
According to Google AI, “there are approximately 150-200 sit-down and local eateries in Auburn, with local dining guides tracking around 192 distinct restaurant listings. Also, there are 100 to 150 restaurants located directly in Opelika, depending on how local directories and review platforms count listings.”
I’m very grateful that Auburn and Opelika have so many restaurants. Had I stayed in my hometown of Alexander City or in LaGrange, Georgia, where Mike and I taught middle school, I would have run out of places to review years ago.
Recently, Mike, our good friends, Jack and William, and I traveled to Miriam’s Delite at 2757 Alabama 169 in Opelika.
Miriam’s Delite is locally owned by Daniel Heller and his brother Allan Attebery. The restaurant opened on Jan. 5, 2026, and is in the former Zoe’s Delite building.
Heller cooked at Zoe’s Delite and did every other job imaginable as well.
“I bought the restaurant so that Miss Gail could retire,” Heller said. “The food hasn’t changed much; we just put some more love in it.”
In addition, Heller said that the restaurant uses 100% Black Angus beef.
“Our chili is homemade from scratch, and our spaghetti sauce takes two days to cook,” he said.
Heller’s sister-in-law Miriam unfortunately died in a traffic accident in 2023. Heller named the restaurant after her and kept the “Delite” from the 1994 original Ice Cream Delite.
“The people in this community have helped me when I needed it, and I want to give back to them,” Heller said. “We support the military, teachers (Miriam was a teacher), fire and EMS with discounts — we want to help everyone we can. We eventually want to raise money for vets.”
Alan, our server, was so helpful and patient. I loved the casual atmosphere of Miriam’s Delite, and I felt right at home. Also, the restaurant gets bonus points for having Stevia for my unsweet tea.
For his meal, Mike chose the hamburger steak, onion rings and fried green tomatoes. I selected the scramble dog with cheese and onion rings.
Jack chose the country-fried steak, onion rings and coleslaw. William ordered the hamburger steak, onion rings and green beans.
Oh, my two times. Everything was really delicious. Those were the best onion rings I’ve had in a long time. They were perfect: thin, crispy and lightly breaded.
Mike let me try one of his fried green tomatoes, and it was cooked correctly, fully covered and crisp.
Jack and William each ordered the homemade peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream and caramel drizzle. I’m afraid I was weak again — Mike and I shared one. That peach cobbler was delicious too.
“This was the best meal I’ve ever had when going with you [to] review restaurants,” Jack said.
That’s high praise indeed for Miriam’s Delite.
I asked Daniel when he would be making homemade banana pudding. He kindly gave me his cell phone number so I could request it before our next trip to Miriam’s Delite. And there will be a next time, the Good Lord willing. Now that’s outstanding customer service.
By the way, this restaurant received a 100 on its health department inspection.
That warmed this hypochondriac’s heart. Trust me, go to Miriam’s Delite as soon as you can.
You’ll be glad you did.
Besides our delectable dishes, Miriam’s Delite serves customers chicken livers or gizzards, chicken tenders, wings, beef liver, pork chops, BBQ pork, fish filets, shrimp, veggie plates, freshly made salads, burgers, hot dogs and specialty sandwiches. Miriam’s Delite also has party trays for your next get-together.
Miriam’s Delite is closed on Sunday. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The dining room closes at 8 p.m.
Miriam’s Delite makes the grade with an A+ from this retired English teacher. Remember, “Pooh-sized” people NEVER lie about food. Enjoy!
Stacey Patton Wallace, who retired from teaching language arts after 30 years, is a professional diner. Her column, “Making the Grade,” will appear every other week in The Observer. Stacey may be reached at retiredlangartsteacher2020@gmail.com.
