Longtime Ocean Springs bar and restaurant has a new makeover, well-crafted menu

If there is an epicenter to Ocean Spring’s entertainment district, it has got to be Mosaic Restaurant & Bar.

If you are dubious, drive by almost any time they are open, and it will be jammed. On days when the weather is pleasant, the patio will be hopping. But even on rainy days, the covered patio is a good spot, and if it is cold, the clear plastic tarps go up and overhead heat lamps keep it comfortable.

If it’s been a while since you visited Mosaic, there have been a lot of changes inside and out — in fact, it has a been almost a complete makeover. It is no longer three different entities as it once was, now it is just Mosaic Restaurant & Bar, you just get a lot of choices on the atmosphere you want to enjoy.

In the smaller bar in the back, there are 45 beers on tap, and it is a more intimate atmosphere. The main bar has gone more upscale, and offers hand-crafted cocktails, with some of the best adult beverages that can be found on the Mississippi Coast.

If you want to try something different, check out the smoked Manhattan. Wow.

The patio is always cool, and the main dining room has a great vibe all its own.

The menu is well-crafted, and you are certain to find something you will love. We started with the Asian lumpia rolls on the tapas menu and were not disappointed. These Filipino-style crispy rolls are delicious.

The seared tuna also comes highly recommended, and the sweet and sour pork belly over grits looked killer-good.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the menu, although the shortest too, is the “favorites” section. My friend, Mike Wagner, and I split the pork belly tacos and the New Orleans BBQ shrimp and grits.

When pork belly is cooked properly — so that it’s tender, fatty and delicious — it’s hard to imagine anything better. Bacon on steroids, so you know the tacos were really good.

But I have got to say the BBQ shrimp and grits were just over the top. The grits were creamy and delicious, the shrimp spicy but not overcooked, but, man oh man, that rich and spicy brown sauce was one of the best I have ever had.

Mosaic is a place for all seasons. And by that I not only mean weather-wise, but it is hard to think of a cooler place to hang out with friends, stop by for a quick lunch, or take a serious date for great, well-thought-out food.

Mosaic Restaurant & Bar

Location: 1010 Government Street, Ocean Springs

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday

Phone: 228-818-9885 or https://www.mosaictapasrestaurant.com/