Mississippi is known for everything from Southern comfort food (soul food) to fresh gulf seafood and barbecue. Increasingly, Mississippi chefs are embracing farm-to-table, seasonal ingredients, and creative menu items at their restaurants. Chefs are embracing the recipes passed down by their elders while also taking inspiration from global cuisines to create a bountiful spread of healthful, innovative, and—yes—traditional menus.
First stop of your statewide culinary road trip? North Mississippi's college towns: Starkville and Oxford. Here are a few of the must-experience restaurants in the Pines and Hills regions.
Starkville
Those who know will tell you that the best barbecue is usually found in the most unlikely places. Here in Mississippi it might be in the hotbox of a gas station, or in a shack on the side of a highway. Or it might be tucked away down a narrow brick alley, dwarfed by French Quarter-esque buildings that let you know exactly where you are. Established in 2014 in the heart of the Cotton District, Two Brothers Smoked Meats has been lauded as Starkville's rising star in the smoked meats arena. Helmed by Head Chef Barton Dinkins, Two Bros. specializes in creative, flavorful dishes served straight from the restaurant's custom-built smoker to your plate. They offer up a mean selection of barbecue, sandwiches and sliders, street tacos, and premium grind burgers. A customer favorite is the Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese, featuring gouda, cheddar, jalapenos, and pickled cabbage coleslaw. The wings are a beloved menu staple, and other standout dishes include the pimento cheese fritters, pork rind nachos--a gameday signature comprised of corn chips topped with fried-to-order pork skins. pulled pork, Rotel cheese, barbecue sauce, sour cream, and tomatoes--along with the creamy pork belly mac and cheese. Whatever your selection, it's guaranteed to pair perfectly with the expertly curated beer selection.
Oxford
In recent years, the small town best known as the home of the University of Mississippi and literary giant William Faulkner has been hailed as an emerging culinary mecca in the South. You can’t visit Oxford without hearing someone sing the praises of Chef John Currence. The James Beard award-winning chef, cookbook author, and guest on Top Chef and Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown has ushered food tourism into town. Grab a bite at Big Bad Breakfast and be sure to try the signature house-cured Tabasco brown sugar bacon. Snackbar is a French bistro-North Mississippi café anchored by an oyster bar and tucked into an unassuming strip mall, and—because it’s the south—it boasts a fine whiskey selection. Along the square lies Bouré, a casual Creole grill housed in an old drugstore. Finally, there's City Grocery, the white tablecloth and candlelight flagship serving up dishes like collard green—wrapped Mississippi redfish and smoked oyster tagliatelle, where his work in Oxford began. Visit one or all, but no matter what you do, sip a strong cocktail at City Grocery’s upstairs balcony—a watering hole for local writers and artists.
Outside of the Currence empire, you’ll want to try a bite at Bottletree Bakery, where you’ll find freshly baked raspberry pecan whole wheat muffins, mini peach pies, and veggie quiche. And you’ll hear plenty about Ajax Diner, an Oxford institution that serves a mean plate lunch in the form of chicken and dumplings, country-fried steak, or meatloaf with down-home sides like fried okra, purple hull peas, collards, and grits. Wear your most fashionably loose clothing.
And finally, there’s Taylor Grocery. One of the most-talked about fixtures in Oxford (though it’s technically not in Oxford), is no frills and worth the fifteen-minute drive. It’s technically not in Oxford and it most certainly isn’t fancy—not even a little bit—but you can’t visit the area and not hit this spot. Catfish is just as much of a staple as fried chicken, and there’s no better place to get your fill than Taylor Grocery, which has been in the business of catfish, good music, and sweet tea since 1977. Housed in a former dry goods store built in 1889, young and old gather at big communal tables and listen to some of the state’s best live music. The joint’s cornmeal-kissed catfish is about as perfect as you can find, and the hushpuppies are fried balls of beauty. Students and fans kick up their heels to live music and it’s BYOB, so you can sip on the old porch while you (inevitably) wait for a table.
For a guide to all of the restaurants and culinary offerings in Mississippi, go to visitmississippi.org/flavors.
Sponsored by Visit Mississippi
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