Cathead Distillery Bar is a late-night dive bar in Jackson.
Editorially verified June 26, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: The Cathead Mississippi Gin and tonic with a local botanical garnish, or ask for a tasting flight of the distillery's spirits
Tip: Tours of the distillery run before the bar opens; combine a tour with drinks at the bar for the full experience
Address: 422 S Farish St, Jackson, MS 39201
Jackson's best live blues venue on the historic Farish Street entertainment corridor, combining Southern food with live Mississippi blues on weekends.
Order: Fried catfish plate and a Mississippi whiskey before the music starts
Tip: Farish Street is a historic neighbourhood undergoing slow revival; the surrounding area is quiet, which makes Johnny T's feel like an anchor of something important
Hal and Mal's in a converted cotton warehouse is the closest thing Jackson has to a great music venue that also serves food. The enormous space - complete.
Order: Mississippi craft beer on draft; the kitchen menu for food before 21:00
Tip: Check the event calendar at halandmals.com; event nights bring the best crowds and the bar extends its hours
Hidden behind the lunch counter of Brent's Drugs in Fondren, the Apothecary is a narrow, dimly lit cocktail bar that occupies the back of the historic.
Order: Rye whiskey cocktail or a Mississippi-spirit-forward old fashioned using local Cathead Vodka or Cathead Mississippi Gin
Tip: No sign on the door; enter through Brent's Drugs lunch counter and look for the back passage. Reservations not accepted.
Fondren Public is the anchor bar of the Fondren neighbourhood, running until 02:00 on weekends with rotating Mississippi craft beers on tap, bar bites.
Order: A Mississippi craft beer from the rotating tap list; the bar staff know the local beer scene well
Tip: After midnight Fondren Public is effectively the only good option still open in Jackson; it fills with people from other restaurants around 22:00
Good Bar on Manship Street in Belhaven is an open-air cocktail terrace by the Elvie's team, focused on cocktails on tap and natural wine with snacks.
Order: A natural wine from the rotating selection or the Spicy Bees Knees cocktail on tap
Tip: Almost fully outdoors; check Instagram for weather closures before visiting. Shares the Belhaven Town Center block with Elvie's and Pulito Osteria.
