This fall, Restaurant Week has more participants than ever before. One of these new restaurants, The Night Kitchen, offers Southern comfort food and a cozy atmosphere. The decor, which includes string lights and hanging vinyl records, falls somewhere in-between your grandmother’s country kitchen and your favorite local coffee shop. The intimate environment, friendly staff and hearty food makes for an experience that feels like family dinner.

The Night Kitchen’s Restaurant Week menu features familiar items like beer-battered onion rings and specialty hot dogs and burgers, but it also includes dishes students probably haven’t tried, like spicy catfish. I previewed The Night Kitchen’s fare before Restaurant Week and tried one of their specials, a barbecue pork sandwich, as well as their fried pickles. The food matched the comforting atmosphere; each dish was warm, flavorful and cooked with care.

With a four-course dinner for $18 and a three-course lunch for $12, students can enjoy a filling meal on their limited budgets. The dinner menu in particular is a steal, considering the higher prices from other restaurants participating in the event. The Night Kitchen also has an active Facebook presence, so if you like your meal, “like” their Facebook page for funny updates and coupons.

Located at 721 Upper Court St., The Night Kitchen may be unknown to students because of its distance from campus (if you’ve ever been to the Salvation Army thrift store, it’s not far from there), and because it’s only six months old. Whether you live on or off campus and have a car, the 15-minute drive is well worth it for a change of pace in your food options. The Night Kitchen is also a great choice for those of us who are sick of seeing our professors and classmates every time we go to Lost Dog. Unfortunately, the restaurant isn’t accessible by bus, so you’ll have to bribe your friends with cars if you don’t have your own transportation.

The Night Kitchen is open Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. And even though it’s called The Night Kitchen, they offer breakfast on Sundays.