13 Best Restaurants in Tupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo is a city in northeastern Mississippi that is famous for its lively music scene and for being where Elvis Presley was born. But Tupelo also has a tasty and varied food scene, with places serving everything from traditional Southern food to food from around the world.
To help you choose where to eat in Tupelo, here is a list of 13 of the best places out there. You can read about what makes each restaurant unique, as well as their most famous dishes, specialty dishes, price range, and more.
1. Neon Pig
The Neon Pig is a cool farm-to-table restaurant that makes creative comfort food with fresh, local ingredients. The neon pink building that houses the Neon Pig is a favorite among both locals and tourists in Tupelo. It serves home-style food with fancy twists.
People often order the biscuit pot pie, the shrimp and grits, and the hot chicken sandwich, which can be ordered with six different levels of heat. Their honey butter cornbread will melt in your mouth, so don’t miss it. At the Neon Pig, meals cost between $12 and $30.
2. Romie’s Grocery
Romie’s Grocery has been a Tupelo institution for a long time. It opened in 1937 and serves Southern comfort food from the same spot where Romie Parker used to run his grocery shop. A lot of the decorations that were there when the diner first opened are still there.
Some of the most popular dishes on the menu are crawfish etouffee, fried green tomatoes with lump crabmeat on top, and Delta tamales cooked in hot sauce inside corn husks. For dessert, don’t forget to save room for their warm peach cobbler or chocolate chess pie. Prices for meals range from $10 to $25.
3. Roast Social Kitchen
Roast Social Kitchen has a constantly changing, creative menu that often combines Latin and Asian flavors with Southern cooking. The menu uses locally sourced ingredients to create world flavors. Since it opened a few years ago, Roast has quickly become one of the most popular places in Tupelo. It has a stylish, modern dining room.
They serve curtido with pupusas stuffed with fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese, as well as General Tso’s fried quail, Korean beef tacos, and ramen carbonara. Their large drink menu is also great for people who like wine and cocktails. Prices for meals range from $12 to $25.
4. Daily Fix Coffee + Wine Bar
Daily Fix Coffee + Wine Bar is a great place for breakfast and lunch. It’s also a stylish spot for dinner and drinks in the evening. This restaurant can be used for many things. It serves small plates, sandwiches, and salads with tastes from around the world. Often, Southeast Asian flavors are mixed into Southern dishes and comfort food.
Thai chicken and waffles, banh mi tacos, Vietnamese shrimp and grits, and smoked salmon toast with whipped cheese, capers, pickled onions, and fresh dill are some of the best things on the menu. Snacks cost $3 and main courses cost $18.
5. Little Venice
For real Italian food made by hand, Little Venice has family recipes that have been improved over many generations. The restaurant Little Venice is hidden away in a small house and has a cozy, friendly atmosphere. Diners can watch their food being made in the open kitchen.
People like the chicken piccata with lemon caper sauce, the Bolognese pasta, and the eggplant Parmesan. And save room for cookies and tiramisu that you make yourself. Main courses cost between $20 and $35, while pasta meals cost between $12 and $18.
6. Kermit’s Soul Kitchen
Kermit’s Soul Kitchen is right on the edge of downtown and serves hot soul food and comfort classics that are great for lunch or dinner. Kermit’s is a small counter-service restaurant that was started by two sisters. The menu is full of classic meals like smothered pork chops, baked chicken, oxtails, and ox tails served with two vegetables and cornbread.
Order the Southern Soul Food Special for the best soul food plate. It comes with two meats of your choice, such as fried chicken, fried catfish, barbecue ribs, or chitterlings, as well as two hearty sides. Most dishes cost between $10 and $15.
7. Main Street Coffee
Everything at Main Street Coffee is made in-house, from their fluffy buttermilk cakes to their rich chocolate cake. They also make their own creative coffees and teas. This cozy coffee shop tries to use local ingredients as much as possible and has a lot of choices for vegetarians and vegans.
Their famous biscuit sandwiches are served on house-baked biscuits, and their avocado toast platter is full of fresh vegetables and a poached egg. They also have a large coffee menu with lattes, cold brew, pour over, and more. It costs between $3 and $12.
8. Blue Canoe
With views of the calm Tombigbee River, Blue Canoe has been open for more than 15 years and has built a loyal customer base with its modern take on Southern cooking served in a beautiful riverside setting. People who eat at the restaurant can watch the cooks prepare steaks, seafood, and other dishes on a wood-fired grill.
Filet mignon with a coffee crust, redfish cooked in a pan, pork tenderloin grilled with a peach BBQ glaze, and shrimp and grits with Andouille sausage are some of the specialties. People also love the fresh desserts, like beignets and bread pudding. Prices for meals range from $18 to $40.
9. Renasant Center for IDEAs
The Renasant Center for IDEAs is inside the Renasant Convention Center. It serves delicious food in a modern, fancy setting. The restaurant serves Southern fusion dishes with influences from around the world. When possible, the ingredients are seasonal and found locally.
Some creative menu items that stand out are the pan-seared diver scallops with parmesan cauliflower mash and crispy prosciutto, the Asian-glazed salmon with forbidden rice and stir-fried veggies, and the chicken schnitzel picatta with lemon caper sauce. Starters cost $14 and main courses cost $35.
10. Hop’s Diner
For classic diner food that has been polished over decades, Hops’ Diner serves regional favorites and comfort food staples made from scratch at prices that won’t break the bank. This simple restaurant is in a cute cottage, and it doesn’t serve anything trendy or fancy. Instead, it serves tasty homemade meatloaf, chicken fried steak, catfish, and daily blue plate specials.
Many people like the chicken salad croissant sandwich, the patty melt with sautéed onions, the country-fried pork chops covered in gravy, and the banana pudding for dessert. Their standard diner menu has a lot of things that cost less than $15.
11. Little Italy Pizza
People love this pizza in Tupelo that has been serving hot New York-style pies since the early 1970s. You can’t go there without stopping by. The atmosphere at Little Italy Pizza is casual and laid-back, and the main dishes are pizza, calzones, Stromboli, pasta, wings, and a few Italian American favorites.
The Staten Island pizza, which has sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, and onions, and the margherita pizza are two must-try pies. Most pasta dishes cost between $9 and $14, and extra large specialty pizzas cost between $14 and $28.
12. Vanelli’s Bistro
Last but not least is Vanelli’s Bistro, a French-Italian mix restaurant that is both classy and friendly. It is housed in a historic Colonial Revival home from 1905. You can expect cooking and service at your table, as well as delicious, new takes on European food.
Some of the best dishes are the lobster ravioli with truffle cream sauce, the pan-seared duck breast with cherry balsamic reduction, the bacon-wrapped filet mignon stuffed with blue cheese, and the cioppino full of seafood. Prices for meals range from $19 to $45. Don’t forget to save room for their famous soufflés for dessert.
Conclusion
There is a huge range of places to eat in Tupelo, from brightly colored diners to fancy bistros, from casual joints to restaurants that people travel long distances to visit. Romie’s Grocery and Kermit’s Soul Kitchen are local favorites when it comes to traditional Southern food.
Check out new kitchens like Roast Social, Renasant Center for IDEAs, and Blue Canoe if you want to try world flavors and modern food. And well-known places like Little Italy Pizza, Hop’s Diner, and Main Street Coffee make great comfort food.
With so many delicious options, picking the 12 best places in Tupelo was not easy. But both tourists and people who live in Tupelo agree that these 12 restaurants offer a unique and tasty taste of Tupelo cuisine, ranging from traditional to modern.
Prepare to have a great time as you explore Tupelo’s lively food scene. So grab a seat and get hungry.