By Wil Crews
sportscrews@opelikaobserver.com

From the owners of Susie K’s in Opelika comes a new restaurant offering an “elevated” take on American cuisine.

Next Level Café, offering all-day breakfast and serving lunch and dinner, is located in one of Opelika’s historic districts at 1006 1st Ave. in what formerly was the downtown Jim Bob’s restaurant. 

The restaurant inception came from owners Tim and Suzanne Lowry, who decided to transform the fried chicken restaurant to something that is more high-end.

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“Our whole thing was always wanting to be ourselves, what we want, what kind of inspires us,” Suzanne said. “Taking the next step up is where Next Level comes from … so we want to take the food and kind of elevate it.”

The newly renovated restaurant features creative spins on traditional American favorites like pork chops, chicken and waffles, French toast, salads, burgers and more.

To bring their culinary vision to life, the Lowry’s enlisted the help of local chef and owner of Obsidian Catering, Jeremy Vines, to train the kitchen staff.

“The concept is going to be like a high-end diner,” Suzanne said. “It’s really good food. There is nobody else that is going to be doing the food we are doing. We are trying to be a good price point.”

Next Level Café is open on weekdays from 7 to 9 a.m., with extended hours on Friday and Saturday. Dinner entrees start at 4 p.m. They will be offering delivery through Grub Hub and Uber Eats, and as a member of the Opelika Chamber, will have a ribbon cutting in the coming weeks.

For more information on Next Level Café, visit its Facebook page at @NextLevelCafe.