This ‘blast from the past’ restaurant in South MS has chili dogs and a ‘flawless’ burger
Vancleave is a small community of less than 6,000 good souls.
It’s only twenty minutes or so from the Coast, but feels much further away than that. It’s a rural community, friendly and with the slower pace of life you would expect in a small town.
If you grow tired of the hustle and bustle of busy Highway 90, it will make a good getaway, especially if you are up for a nostalgic lunch.
The Burger Barn is a family-run business that has been around for years and is quite popular locally. My lunch partner, Diane Stevenson, and I at first thought that it was takeout only.
There were lots of people, many in big farm-size pickup trucks, listening to the radio and eating in the parking lot, but then we saw a side door. I am not in favor of sitting in a car with the AC humming on a hot day, and we were relieved to be able to sit in the cool dining room.
As is often the case, the decorum of a restaurant is a good indicator of what it is all about. Wood paneling and a wine cellar is a dead giveaway that fine dining is in store. We expected Burger Barn to be a small-town diner and were not far off.
Diana immediately tagged it as “a blast from the past,” and she was absolutely right. It had a friendly, truck-stop feel, and there is nothing wrong with that, but when I saw the poster on the cinder block walls of Andy Griffin’s Aunt Bee, I had a good idea what we were in for.
The menu on the wall by the order window is quite extensive and covers all the bases in burgers, subs, hot dogs, sandwiches and po-boys, plus a few shrimp and fish dishes.
Diane, being the big city lady that she is, could not resist ordering the chili hot dog, and I went for the bacon cheeseburger, both bestsellers.
While we waited for our orders, we talked about the uniqueness of this place. When I was a kid, this type of local diner was commonplace and about as far away from the slow food movement as you can get.
The Burger Barn certainly does not have a scratch kitchen, and there aren’t any fancy interpretations of the burgers and po-boys on the menu. It’s simple and good stuff.
Please do not misunderstand my description of the Burger Barn. I loved this place. It is certainly not pretentious and is wonderfully successful in what they are trying to do: Basic and good food, served by friendly employees, quickly and with a smile.
The bacon cheeseburger I got was flawless. A basic patty, cheese, two strips of bacon on a chew white bread bun. I ordered the onion rings too.
Diane was happy with her hot dog and said it reminded her of high school days: basic hot dog on a white bread bun, good quality canned chili, cheese, onions, mustard and ketchup.
The nostalgic atmosphere and food that reminded both of us of our youth, made this trip worth while. When you are in the mood for a getaway and a blast from the past, this place is for you.
Burger Barn
Location: 12316 Mississippi 57, Vancleave
Contact: 228-591-1136 or http://burgerbarnms.com/
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday