There is no better place to experience “The Hospitality State” in its most welcoming—and delicious—form than around the dinner table. Here you will find everything from a mouthwatering melting pot of savory comfort foods to spicy Creole-inspired delicacies and sophisticated new takes on old favorites. Discover the best restaurants in Mississippi now!

DON’T LEAVE UNTIL YOU TRY

Tamales

Mississippians are no stranger to the heat, but in this case, “hot” describes something else Mississippi has become famous for: tamales. The Hot Tamale Trail, created by the Southern Foodways Alliance, is a unique and tasty way to traverse the state, sampling the best of these “hot” grubs along the way.

Capital/River

In Natchez, at local favorite Fat Mama’s Tamales, nothing goes better with a plate of spicy cornhusk-wrapped tamales than a refreshing “Knock-You-Naked” margarita. Solly’s Tamales in Vicksburg is another great mom-and-pop restaurant serving some of the state’s best tamales.

Hills

For a delicious twist on the traditional tamale, Ajax Diner in Oxford has a hot tamale pie on its menu that is so good it will leave you asking for seconds.

Delta

Perhaps the best place to get tamales in Mississippi is the Delta, and since 1941, the tamales at Doe’s Eat Place in Greenville have been the stuff of legend. With exactly one item on their menu, White Front Café in Rosedale prepares its all-beef tamales with a time-perfected blend of meat, cornmeal and peppery spice. The self-proclaimed “Hot Tamale Capital of the World,” Greenville fires things up each October at the three-day Delta Hot Tamale Festival, which features live music and the crowning of Miss Hot Tamale.

Fat Mama's Tamales

Natchez

The Little Dooey

Starkville

The Pig & Pint

Jackson

Barbecue

Coastal

In Petal, the barbecue ribs at Leatha’s Bar-B-Que are slathered in a famous secret sauce and have been featured on the Cooking Channel.

Capital/River

In Jackson, The Pig & Pint is a local favorite, where visitors can enjoy local craft beers while chowing down on Pepsi Cola-glazed baby back ribs and an assortment of other equally eclectic and delicious foods. Frisco Deli, located in Pearl, is another Capital-area barbecue main-stay known for their award-winning rib plates.

Hills

Melissa Cookston, the seven-time world barbecue champion who was born and raised in the Mississippi Delta, owns Memphis Barbecue Co. in Horn Lake, where astounding assortments of fresh meats are smoked daily over hardwood for hours.

Pines

The familiar wafts of sizzling meats and spices greet you at The Little Dooey in Starkville and invite you in for some of the South’s best barbecue.

Fried Chicken

Capital/River

Off the beaten path but well worth the trip, Lorman’s Old Country Store is most famous for the delectable “Mr. D’s Heavenly Fried Chicken.” The Dinner Bell in McComb not only has some of the state’s best Southern-fried chicken but also a revolving menu of items, such as dumplings, fried eggplant and sweet potato casserole.

Hills

Generations of locals have enjoyed a late- night “chicken-on-a-stick” snack from the 4 Corners Chevron in Oxford. Described as being like going to Grandma’s house for Sunday dinner, Annie’s Home Cooking in Holly Springs is sure to leave you satisfied, and if you have a hankering for fried chicken, Connie’s Fried Chicken in Tupelo can’t be beat.

Coastal

At The Midtowner, restauranteur Robert St. John’s newest creation in Hattiesburg, be sure to order a generous portion of Mam-Maw St. John’s hand-battered fried chicken.

The Dinner Bell

McComb

Taylor Grocery

Taylor

Catfish

Hills

It’s well worth the ride—and the wait—for a heaping plate of homestyle fried catfish from Taylor Grocery, Southern Living’s “Best Catfish Joint 2020.”

Capital/River

With locations in Ridgeland and Pocahontas, Cock of the Walk has been hailed by New York Times food critic Craig Claiborne as “possibly the best catfish in the nation.” Proudly serving Mississippi farm-raised catfish, Jerry’s Catfish House in Florence often has a line out the door for Sunday-afternoon lunch.

Delta

While the menu changes from week to week, the Catfish Allison dish, a poached catfish gratinéed with a parmesan and butter sauce, has a permanent spot on The Crown Restaurant’s menu in Indianola.

Burgers & Slugburgers

Brent's Drugs

Jackson

Fine & Dandy

Jackson

Borroum's Drug Store & Soda Fountain

Corinth

The slugburger originated in Mississippi during the Great Depression when meat was scarce. The hometown creation of Corinth, the slugburger is a deep-fried burger made of beef and a meat extender, such as soybeans or potato flour. According to legend, the term “slug” comes from a slang term for “nickel,” which is what it cost to buy a burger during the Great Depression.

Hills

Home of the original slugburger, Corinth celebrates its claim to fame each summer at the Slugburger Festival, which features a slugburger-eating championship, live music and plenty of slugburgers to sample. While you are in Corinth, be sure to check out the slugburgers at Borroum’s Drug Store and Soda Fountain.

North Mississippi is home to more than just slugburgers, though. Phillip’s Grocery in Holly Springs is a locally owned, no-frills restaurant serving up good old-fashioned burgers.

Capital/River

The trendy Jackson restaurant Fine & Dandy has an inventive and flavorsome approach to its hamburgers, as well as other menu items. Also in Jackson, Brent’s Drugs, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2021, has a burger on its menu that pairs perfectly with a vanilla milkshake.

Coastal

For a burger that is “the juiciest around,” Ed’s Burger Joint in Hattiesburg—and coming soon to Jackson—has more than a dozen different burgers on its crowd-pleasing menu.

Pines

With locations in Ridgeland, Tupelo and Starkville, Bulldog Burger offers an assortment of handmade burgers with freshly sourced ingredients.

FINE FARE FAVES

Caet

Ridgeland

Mary Mahoney's

Biloxi

McEwen's

Oxford

Capital/River

For an upscale, yet casual seafood and oyster bar dining experience, CAET, located in Ridgeland’s Renaissance at Colony Park, features a wine bar and full lunch, dinner and dessert menu.

Delta

Visitors to Giardina’s in The Alluvian in Greenwood can dine on delectable steaks, seafood and pastas while participating in a longstanding Delta tradition: a private booth, white tablecloth dining experience.

Coastal

On the Mississippi Gulf Coast, both Mary Mahoney’s in Biloxi and Field’s Steak and Oyster Bar in Bay St. Louis offer magnificent seafood dishes.

Hills

Located on the historic Square in Oxford, McEwen’s has made a name for itself as one of the area’s best fine dining establishments. Corinth’s Vicari Italian Grill has an extensive menu consisting of everything from shrimp scampi to lobster ravioli and chicken parmesan.

Pines

In the heart of downtown Columbus, J. Broussard’s has been offering New Orleans-inspired cuisine to its customers for more than 20 years. Phillip M’s Fine Dining in Philadelphia is a sleek restaurant that serves escargot, lamb chops, Maine lobster and other delicacies.

OLD & NEW FAVES

Crechale's Café

Jackson

Delta Meat Market

Cleveland

St. Leo

Oxford

Capital/River

In the town of Learned (population: 90), H.D. Gibbes & Sons, which opened as a general store in the late 1800s, now doubles as a weekend hub for live music and steak, lamb chops and seafood.

Crechale’s Café in Jackson may be best known for their comeback dressing, but visitors rave about the steaks, deboned broiled flounder and the “best onion rings you have ever had.”

Vicksburg’s Walnut Hills Restaurant won Mississippi Magazine’s “Best Fried Chicken” award in 2019, but their array of seafood dishes, sandwiches, pastas and desserts are equally delicious.

Pines

Weidmann’s in Meridian and Two Brothers Smoked Meats in Starkville are two other restaurants that serve up can’t-be-missed Southern fare in an unforgettable ambiance.

Delta

James Beard Award semifinalist Chef Cole Ellis created a nationally recognized butcher shop, restaurant, bar and boutique grocer of fine Southern foods at Cleveland’s Delta Meat Market.

Hills

In a town where the competition is fierce, Saint Leo, a James Beard Foundation semifinalist, has made a name for itself as one of Oxford’s most popular—and chic—restaurants. For a more laidback dining experience, Abe’s Grill in Corinth is a perennially popular place to grab burgers, homemade fries and a big chocolate chip cookie to seal the deal.

WORLDLY DISHES

Relish Bistro

Vicksburg

Humble Taco

Starkville

Capital/River

For a taste of Italy fused with New American cuisine, the upscale-casual Relish Bistro is a welcome addition to Vicksburg’s culinary scene. In Jackson, Sakura Bana serves creatively constructed and familiar sushi dishes that are sure to please your palate.

Pines

Don’t be fooled by the name–Humble Taco in Starkville has at least 10 different types of tacos, ranging from a Mississippi State-inspired “Cowbell” to hot catfish tacos and Gulf shrimp tacos.

Serving the Golden Triangle, Umi Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar, with locations in both Columbus and Starkville, is widely considered the best sushi in Mississippi.

SWEET TREATS

Nandy's Candy

Jackson

Stub's Restaurant

Yazoo City

Capital/River

For a huge selection of homemade gourmet chocolates, Nandy’s Candy has been serving the Jackson area for over 40 years. Newcomer to Jackson, the hip District Donuts Sliders Brew not only serves donuts and sliders—there are also tacos, sandwiches and kolaches.

Treat yourself to “beignet Saturday” at Bohemia Bakery and Café in Vicksburg, home of hand-made beignets, breads and pastries with European influences.

Delta

In Greenwood, The Crystal Grill’s lemon icebox pie, mile-high meringue and coconut cream pie are just a few of the desserts gaining celebrity status on the Food Network. For out-of-this-world homemade chocolate chess pie, Stub’s Restaurant in Yazoo City is a great place to stop for lunch and, of course, dessert.

Hills

Sugaree’s Bakery in New Albany offers nationwide shipping of their made-from-scratch cakes, hailed by the Food Network as “famously moist, triple-layer wonders.”

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