Eating Out In Southaven, Mississippi

Southaven’s, Wadford’s Grill and Bar restaurant deals exclusively in tradition and class. Located in a chic neighbourhood, it serves fresh steaks and seafood in an atmosphere of unadulterated serenity, often enhanced by the live acoustic music from local musicians. The industrial chic of Wadford’s high ceilings, trendy exposed ductwork and long communal tables lend it an effortlessly stylish ambience. Begin with a menu favourite, the famous crab cakes, crafted using large-lump crabmeat served with Asian slaw and rémoulade sauce. Thirsty revellers should imbibe one of the resident mixologists’ 17 unique martinis blended with fabulous flavours. Wadford’s is the only surviving cigar bar in the whole of Mississippi following the non-smoking initiative, with guests still able to smoke indoors in the sensitively lit, relaxing cigar room.

Seafood specialists, The Boiling Point, first opened their doors to Southaven citizens in 2000. This exemplary restaurant and oyster bar offers frequenters a variety of traditional American dishes, spicy Cajun and Creole inspired dishes and hearty Southern cuisine. There are menus for breakfast and both lunch and dinner, all replete with flavoursome Southern fare. Top chef, Lee Mitchell, rustles up delicious evening appetisers such as flash-fried Cajun alligator tail smothered in a tangy rémoulade, as well as robust mains like deep-fried Southern catfish, farm raised at local fishery Pride of the Pond, served with a piquant tartar sauce. The signature Boiling Point oysters are an absolute must-have for seafood aficionados and novices alike; excellent oysters stuffed with fresh lobster meat, crawfish tails and covered in a velvety cheese sauce.

Established in 1966 by owners Dale and Lillie Graham, Dale’s Restaurant has long been serving hungry locals from its position on the city’s Main Street. Join the restaurant’s large local customer based for a mouthful of generous home cooking and an atmosphere of ultimate friendliness. All-American aptly describes the restaurant’s diverse menu that features tantalizing appetisers like Lillie’s luscious fried green tomatoes, comprised of battered deep-fried fresh tomato slices served with Dale’s tantalising tomato sauce. Highly recommended is the Elysian Southaven burger with onions, green peppers and sautéed mushrooms, known for succulence and flavour. The restaurant’s desserts are also worth sampling: opt for the pecan pie and chocolate chip brownies.

Contemporary Japanese restaurant, Haru, seduces customers with graceful wooden floors, soaring shoji-style windows and a dynamic open kitchen, all nestled under a ceiling of hanging peach blossoms. Haru aims to bring high quality Japanese dining to suburban Southaven and, as such, its menu offers sumptuous sushi and traditional hibachi-inspired cuisine. Examples of the mouth-watering appetisers include gyoza: pan-seared succulent pork and chicken dumplings smothered in a sweet chilli sauce. Another favourite is the hearty beef tataki served with ponzu, hot sauce, scallion and a scattering of sesame seeds. Haru’s myriad wines, sakes and creative, contemporary cocktails mean that every meal will be graced with an appropriately flavoured beverage.

Southaven’s Interstate Barbecue fostered the revered Neely’s barbecue dynasty that, since opening its doors 15 years ago, has grown expansively to encompass establishments owned by other Neely’s in New York. James L. Neely founded this Southaven restaurant, which boasts superlative Southern barbeque and as such, was indicated by USA Today as the best place in America to get a pork barbecue sandwich. The restaurant utilises a specialised barbecue pit where tender meat is gently cooked over hickory wood for around five hours, being liberally covered in Neely’s famous secret sauce. Get the full Interstate Barbecue experience by ordering the sampler platter that includes tender pork and beef ribs, thick sausages, beef brisket, pork shoulder, BBQ spaghetti, beans, slaw and bread.

Southaven’s Mesquite Chop House derives its name from the Mesquite Wood it burns in order to generate the hot flames used for grilling meat. Due to this unique preparatory method, the excellent menu offers flawlessly grilled prime steaks and chops with delicious sides such as the sautéed asparagus and crunchy sweet potato fries. The grandeur of the dark wood bar combined with the low ambient lighting emitted from an opulent chandelier means that the Mesquite Chop House radiates a welcoming Southern ambience conducive to the culinary experience. Enjoy the broiled gulf oysters in the half shell drowning in a lemon-garlic beurre blanc or opt for the speciality New Zealand cut rack of lamb marinated in garlic and rosemary, paired with a blueberry demi-glace and wild mushroom risotto.

Established in the 1990s, Southaven’s, Nagoya Japanese restaurant brings quality sushi and traditional Japanese dishes like Tempura, Teriyaki and Udon to the mid-South. The price is reasonable and the atmosphere eminently agreeable; families are not only welcomed but encouraged to attend, and learning about the subtle nuances of Japanese food and culture is a must. Try the unusual Yellowtail Neck dish – the neck being the most succulent part of the fish – grilled to perfection to draw out the exotic flavour. The menu is comprehensive, meaning that guests are sure to find something to suit their palate.