Comeback Sauce ★ 4.5
Jackson's most famous condiment and the culinary calling card of Mississippi Greek-American diner culture. Invented at Mayflower Cafe in 1935, it defines the state.
Where: Mayflower Cafe, Walker's Drive-In, Saltine
The plates that define Jackson. what they are, where they came from, and where to eat the canonical version.
Signature dishes
Mississippi Delta Hot Tamales ★ 4.5
One of the American South's most singular regional foods, the Mississippi hot tamale is made differently from Mexican tamales: rolled in a cornmeal-masa mixture, packed loosely, and cooked in a simmering pot of seasone
Where: Big Apple Inn, Bully's Restaurant
Mississippi Fried Catfish ★ 4.5
Farm-raised Mississippi catfish is the state's most consumed fish and a defining soul food staple. Cornmeal-coated and fried in cast iron, it is served everywhere.
Where: Bully's Restaurant, Mayflower Cafe, Hal and Mal's
Pig Ear Sandwich ★ 4.5
A Farish Street original that has been served unchanged at Big Apple Inn since 1939. Slow-braised pig ear is cooled, sliced thin, and served on a small slider-style bun with yellow mustard and dill pickle.
Where: Big Apple Inn
Gulf Shrimp and Grits ★ 4.5
The Gulf Coast meets Mississippi's corn culture in shrimp and grits: stone-ground corn grits cooked slowly with butter and cheese, topped with Gulf shrimp sauteed in a spiced butter-garlic sauce.
Where: Hen and Egg, Walker's Drive-In, Saltine
Oxtails ★ 4.5
The flagship dish of Jackson's soul food tradition, slow-braised oxtails are the centrepiece of Bully's Restaurant's steam table and one of the most sought-after plates in the city.
Where: Bully's Restaurant
Sweet Potato Pie ★ 4.5
Mississippi sweet potato pie is silkier and more deeply flavoured than pumpkin pie, using local sweet potatoes, butter, brown sugar, and warm spices in a flaky crust.
Where: Bully's Restaurant, Campbell's Bakery
Southern Fried Chicken ★ 4.5
Mississippi fried chicken is brined, buttermilk-soaked, and seasoned with cornmeal for a crackling crust. A soul food steam table staple at every Jackson lunch counter.
Where: Bully's Restaurant, The Pig and Pint, Hal and Mal's
Cast-Iron Cornbread ★ 4.5
Mississippi cornbread is baked in a cast-iron skillet preheated with fat, creating a crackling golden crust on the bottom and sides while the inside stays tender and slightly crumbly.
Where: Bully's Restaurant, Campbell's Bakery, Hen and Egg
Red Beans and Rice ★ 4.5
Monday's traditional dish across the Gulf South, red beans and rice arrived in Jackson via New Orleans influence and the Cajun-Creole food corridor that runs along Interstate 20.
Where: Hal and Mal's, Hen and Egg, Bully's Restaurant
Signature Dishes in Jackson, FAQ
What food is Jackson known for?
Jackson's signature dishes include Comeback Sauce, Mississippi Delta Hot Tamales, Mississippi Fried Catfish, Pig Ear Sandwich, Gulf Shrimp and Grits. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.