2 Best Restaurants in Jackson, Mississippi

As the oldest operating restaurant in downtown Jackson, the Mayflower is best known for its classic Greek-inspired menu, with seafood dishes taking top honors. Menu items are derived from family recipes passed down through the Kountouris family from generation to generation. Locals credit the café as originator of "Comeback Sauce," a culinary cousin to Cajun remoulade or a kicked-up version of Thousand Island dressing without the pickles. Mayflower serves beer only, but you may bring in your own wine for a $3 per bottle corkage fee.

Traditional Southern ingredients are respectfully given a new twist here. Take the smoked catfish paté, for instance: it's brined in sweet tea, hot smoked, then blended with cream cheese, coriander, orange zest, and cherry vinegar and topped with muscadine jelly. This sort of creativity characterizes a downtown anchor restaurant that is committed to sourcing seasonal ingredients from local and regional farmers and ranchers. Even the architecture of this former grocery store reflects the philosophy of blending trends with tradition—its contemporary open kitchen is framed by repurposed hardwood floors, beams from a plantation dating to 1858, Edison light bulbs, and a marble oyster bar.