By Jennifer Campbell - Just Chasing Rabbits
The Mississippi Gulf Coast welcomed us with open arms. We’ve raved about the kindness and hospitality of the people, but today I wanted to share the best food we enjoyed on the Mississippi coast. The area is known for its seafood, but we also found fantastic pastries, coffee, and some mouth-watering comfort food. These are restaurants that we’ve tried and highly recommend to you, so read on to find where to eat on the Mississippi Gulf Coast!
Yes, the coast is definitely known for its seafood, and, no, you don’t really seafood in this post, but we will go back, eat more, and add to this post. Don’t worry!
Mockingbird Cafe on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Mockingbird Cafe-
The Mockingbird Cafe had been recommended to us before we even left north Mississippi, so we were super excited to get a chance to have a bite at this well-loved restaurant.
I can not resist fresh baked goods, so I had a berry muffin. Mark opted for a breakfast muffin that seemed to have a whole breakfast cooked inside, including a whole boiled egg!
The fresh coffee complimented the muffins perfectly. I had an iced mocha, which came in a mason jar glass, and Mark had the cutest little cappuccino.
Since our visit, my aunt and her family went to the Mockingbird Cafe for breakfast, and made sure to tell us just how awesome the chicken and waffles and full breakfast platters are. My aunt especially loved the local art displayed on the walls, which is also for sale if you need a fantastic souvenir from the Gulf Coast!
Counter at the Mockingbird Cafe
The art on the walls, the wooden tables, and the delicious comfort food definitely make for a laid-back atmosphere. We’re quite sure you can’t go wrong with anything from this place, but we highly recommend it for breakfast or a coffee break when visiting the very walkable Old Town Bay St. Louis area based on our experience.
Will you be in the area for lunch? Check out their lunch menu because the names of the dishes are spectacular. The Mockingburger, The Boo Radley, The Finch, and The Harper are all on the lunch menu and they have a perfectly named alcoholic drink called, what else? The Tequila Mockingbird.
The Field Pea Tomato Okra Saute at Patio 44
Field Pea, Tomato, and Okra Saute at Patio 44.
Patio 44-
Patio 44 was a fantastic stop for lunch during our spring day visit, with its patio seating. With tons of amazing-sounding items on the menu, it was almost impossible to make choices.
Luckily, we had Anna Roy and Milton Segarra of Visit Mississippi Gulf Coast Tourism with us who helped us make our decisions. Debris fries, chicken salad sandwiches, shrimp alfredo, and a field pea saute were just some of the dishes on our table. While absolutely everything was spectacularly made with some incredible ingredients, the Field Pea Saute and the Shrimp Alfredo were definite standouts.
Honestly, when we get a chance to return, I will order the Field Pea, Tomato, Okra Saute as my entree. This dish is made from field peas, grape tomatoes, and okra, sauteed and served over cornbread, topped with garlic aioli and bacon pieces. It reminded me so very much of some of the concoctions that I come up with (I LOVE peas and cornbread!), but so much more expertly put together. Gotta love that Southern comfort food!
The shrimp alfredo, made from sautéed Gulf shrimp, house-made Alfredo sauce, and angel hair pasta, was also amazing. You can’t go wrong with seafood when you’re on the Mississippi Gulf Coast!
The Tatonut Donut Shop-
Doughnuts are one of my favorite foods, or any form of fried dough, really. So, when I heard about Tatonuts, a doughnut shop making doughnuts from potato dough, I knew we had to give these sweet treats a try.
The morning of our visit was rainy, so we hurried in, and I assume they are usually super-busy because we felt rushed into making our decisions. Not that it was too hard because we wanted the original glazed, but it’s nice to have a minute to look at the wares, ya know? We totally get that they are efficient though.
After getting our order, we ran back through the rain to the car where we could taste these potato doughnuts. I expected a more savory flavor, almost like a hash brown, but these doughnuts were fluffy, sweet goodness! There was no potato taste at all. Tatonuts are fantastic!
I’m not sure that I agree with their sign stating that Tatonuts are the only REAL doughnuts, but they are REAL satisfying to a sweet tooth!
The Shed-
In the south, we’re pretty serious about our barbecue. The Shed is one of those places that has been all over food channels and magazines. At some point, I started to get skeptical of the hype, but decided we needed to try this place for ourselves.
Definitely don’t judge the food by the building! Resembling a junk yard, it really is like an old shed. It’s metal, full of car parts, random antiques, tools, license plates, and looks like it could fall over at any moment. Yall…it doesn’t even have a proper floor. It’s all gravel!
After getting a good look at our surroundings, we placed our order at the counter and sat at one of the many picnic tables in a corner near the sauces and drink machine. The atmosphere is that of a serious hole-in-the-wall (which are so often the best places to eat!) meets back yard picnic.
When busy, customers sit down wherever they can fit, even if that means sitting elbow to elbow with strangers. Lucky for us, lunch time was not busy, although I don’t mind a good family reunion-type atmosphere if the food is good enough!
The server called out Mark’s name, brought our plates over, and we quickly learned that this place is so much more than just hype. The food was absolutely delicious! We tried every sauce and even bought a bottle to take home.
The pulled pork was delicious, with or without the sauce. The baked beans were so savory-sweet, but not too tart, and the mac and cheese was smooth and creamy. We highly, highly recommend the pulled pork and these sides.
Based on the food we ate on this trip, there will be many return trips and many, many more meals to be had on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and you can bet we’ll share more of our favorites right here!
Full article here
