Restaurants in Ocean Springs

Up the steps of the1930s-era home, a wide, wraparound porch gives diners the impression they are entering a rural townhouse. And that’s the feeling Donna Rodriguez and executive chef Marc Walden want to evoke—that of a little house, which they can fill with startlingly large flavors. Chef Walden vows to use only fresh, locally sourced ingredients to craft the eatery’s southern-style dishes, which blossom beneath modern twists, including apricot compote and okra chips. As chefs introduce new york strip, filet mignon, and blackened delta catfish to flame, the contented crackle of the hot grill drifts from the kitchen. Patrons marinating to weekly live jazz music in the dining room request a savory bacon cheesecake to go, or search for Waldo in the pastel whorls of the bistro’s vibrant impressionist paintings.

Nestled in the heart of historic midtown Mobile, Ashland Midtown Pub catches the eyes of passersby with its pleasant open-air patio before ensnaring them with the irresistible wafting aromas of cheesy breadsticks, roasted garlic, and freshly baked pizzas and calzones. Once inside, guests perch upon cushy barstools, surrounded by colorful canvases and plates of piping-hot lasagna or fillets of ahi tuna and flaky blackened grouper. Diners polish off feasts of po’ boys or basil-and-bacon-crowned pizzas with frosty draft brews at the rustic, knotty-pine bartop. As they sup on meals of upscale pizzeria cuisine, patrons dance to the tunes of live musicians or enjoy the interior's fresh, clean air thanks to the pub's no-smoking and no-rudimentary-steam-engine policies.

The chefs at Zorba the Greek know the bursting point of a pita pocket, and bring their sandwiches to the brink by loading them with feta, falafel, and chicken shawarma. They also use fresh meats and produce to craft classic Greek entrees such as gyros platters and moussaka—a dish of layered eggplant and meat best consumed using tiny rock picks for a scrumptious excavation. A kids' menu offers simplified version of the adult food, including grilled cheese pitas and a mozzarella-topped greek pie. For dessert, diners can sink their teeth into flaky walnut-and-pistachio baklava so universally delicious it can be used as currency in most countries.

Bacon, cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and onion crown the award-winning, Butch burger, the nearly plate-sized signature item at Butch Cassidy's Cafe. Founded in April 1993 and named for Paul Newman and Robert Redford's classic film, the café tips its hat to other legends of the wild days with a menu steeped in Western references. A Reuben sandwich on rye pays homage to the Sundance Kid, a beef patty melt honors Calamity Jane, and a club sandwich name checks the Pinkertons, an agency still vying to make pink part of the rainbow. Bar food classics like buffalo wings and fried mushrooms round out the café's regular menu, and a low-carb menu highlights the kitchen's more health-conscious offerings.

Margaritas Mexican Restaurant sates its guests with classic Mexican dishes including burritos, enchiladas, and tacos. Inside the eatery, yellow and salmon brick walls meet at a large painting of a quaint village nestled under a mountain, which could very well be a metaphor for the coziness of the eatery and patrons’ proximity to mountains of tamales, chalupas, flautas, and quesadillas. The staff that serves these geological cuisines does so with a pervasively carefree disposition and always makes sprightliness a priority.

At Blind Mule, cooks infuse the flavors of the South into their casual menu of burgers and bar fare. They infuse extra smokiness into Cajun classics such as shrimp and grits and red beans and rice with the addition of Conecuh sausage, and they jazz up sandwiches with flavorful flourishes such as blackening spice and house-made sauces. A sudsy selection of domestic, imported, and intergalactic brews is also available to temper the spiciness of their Southern specialties.

Blind Mule also boasts an upstairs stage that hosts live blues, folk, and fusion melodies on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. As guests' toes tap, they can bask in the eye-catching splendor of the venue's vintage music memorabilia and local art, which Mobile Bay magazine described in its list of great destinations for a night on the town.