Here are 25 Coast restaurants newly open, coming soon or getting major makeovers
South Mississippi is about to get a new restaurant in a caboose, a combination bakery and doughnut shop and a $1 million-plus makeover of a favorite Coast steakhouse.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse at Hard Rock Casino Biloxi will remain open while crews work late night and early morning to totally renovate the dining rooms, lounge and bar.
The more than $1 million-dollar transformation is scheduled to be complete by late November, said Anthony Murphy Jr., who started at Ruth’s Chris when Hard Rock opened in 2007 and now is the regional manager of the Biloxi restaurant and 13 other locations in Florida and Louisiana
“It’s going to be amazing. Really nothing will be the same,” he said. The makeover will add more booths and comfort seating. The decor will be bright and welcoming, he said, with colors that match the coastal lifestyle.
Juicy Caboosy is on track to open at the beginning of the year in a train caboose brought from Missouri to Long Beach. It will be a “sun up to sun down” place where people can stop by for a healthy fruit juice in the morning, for a sandwich or pimento cheese dip in the afternoon and a “boozy caboosy” and charcuterie boards at sunset.
Friends and co-owners Tomeka Bryant and Ailsa von Dobeneck work in the railroad industry and dreamed of opening a restaurant on the Coast. Besides restoring the 1944 caboose, they will add a pole barn for indoor seating and lawn games for outdoor fun.
Two new places are opening in Vancleave on Mississippi 57:
PotBellies Burgers and Barbecue will open in a couple of weeks. The former Burger Barn is being remodeled with a wall of windows adding light and and a view of the comings and goings at the adjacent Vancleave High School.
Sisters-in-law and co-onwers Dayna Ely and Laurie Ely named the restaurant to tell customers what to expect. “You’re going to have a pot belly when you leave,” Dayna said.
Her lasagna soup is going to wow customers, she said. Posted specials will add more variety to the menu of pulled pork, ribs, brisket, homemade sides like baked beans and pasta salad. They’ll also have ice cream, sundaes, banana splits and flurries, she said.
Bluebird Bakery & Donut Co. is ready to open at what was Lou-Joe’s doughnut shop — and they will continue to offer the same popular donuts and kolaches.
Owner Laura Pylate and her husband opened the nearby Georgia’s Corner Market three years ago and it fast became a popular spot for breakfast, lunch, dinner and sweet treats.
“We’ll be moving the bakery down here,” she said, and expanding the hours and menu. The new bakery also will continue to supply Georgia’s. In addition to donuts, the new shop will have a variety of pastries, along with cakes and pies. Espresso and other coffees will be waiting for early commuters.
“We’ll take orders for cakes,” she said, including birthday, wedding cakes and holiday cakes and pies. The shop has a small seating area for dining in and a large cooler for salads, sandwiches and suppers to go.
New Coast restaurants
Restaurants that opened recently on the Coast are:
Lazy Oak Brunch and Bistreaux, a breakfast and brunch restaurant, opened Labor Day Weekend at 503 Porter Ave., Ocean Springs. “We are taking your breakfast favorites and shaking them up with New Orleans flare,” their Facebook site says, and customers can order beignets regular or glazed. Also on the menu are omelet specialties and all day favorites. Entertainment adds to the mix.
Bay Seafood Co. Smoke n’ Boil is open at 1248 U.S. 90, Bay St. Louis. The weekday lunch buffet is $12.99 and weekends the price is $19.99, with a full salad bar, hot bar, smoked chicken, ribs, fried fish, corn on the cob, jambalaya are among the specialties.
Uncle Joe’s Pizza and Wings has a second location at 134 Blaize Ave., near the depot in Bay St. Louis. The original location opened in Diamondhead in 2007. Try their honey hot fries, one of the gourmet pizzas or a sub. A choice of about two dozen styles of wings lets customers decide between orange jalapeno, zing or nuclear meltdown, served only to those 18 and older. They have games for the kids while their parents enjoy dinner.
Indian Paradise is open at 809 U.S. 90, Bay St. Louis and serving modern Indian cuisine. Newly added to the menu are appetizers, tandoor and favorite curries
Captain D’s seafood restaurant opened on U.S. 49 in Gulfport, north of I-10
Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux opened in D’Iberville
Restaurants coming soon
Slim Chickens at the corner of Cedar Lake and Pass Roads in Biloxi has a tentative opening date of Nov. 14, depending on supply chain issues.
Blow Fly Bar & Grill at 1201 Washington Ave., Gulfport. Jonathan Allen, owner of Allen Toyota, bought the restaurant that opened in the 1950s. It’s being remodeled and the menu updated and the Blow Fly will reopen soon.
El Saltillo will open soon at the former El Agave building at 2108 25th Ave., Gulfport.
Mangiamo Italian Restaurant is opening soon at 1423 Magnolia St. and Cowan Road in Gulfport.
Under the Oak Cafe will have a grand opening when the total refresh of the restaurant at Scarlet Pearl Casino in D’Iberville is complete. Old favorites and new surprises will be on the menu when the venue reopens, according to the casino’s Facebook page.
Firehouse Subs will open soon at 1531 Bienville Blvd. in Ocean Springs, in the same shopping plaza as Winn-Dixie. The large space that has been empty since a video store went out of business at the location is being remodeled for the new sandwich shop.
Pier 15 Daiquiri Bar and entertainment venue on the Biloxi River in Woolmarket will be opening soon.
Chef Scott Express. Chef Scott Scott Khong, who closed Chefs Scott Sushi Bar when his son became seriously ill, continues to remodel a storefront on Thorn Street in Ocean Springs for his new sushi takeout restaurant.
Renée’s: A New Era of French Cuisine will open late this year or early 2023 at 1321 27th Ave. in Gulfport.
Chipolte Mexican Grill will open in D’Iberville in the spring.
Remodels and remakes
Building permits were issued for construction at these restaurants:
$614,000 — Renovation of McDonald’s, 3026 Market St., Pascagoula
$533,000 — Renovation at Taco Bell, 3134 Bienville Blvd., Ocean Springs
$250,000 — Renovation at McDonald’s, 692 East Beach Blvd., Biloxi
$250,000 — Renovation for Wendy’s, 1001 U.S. 90, Bay St. Louis
$150,000 — Renovation of Azteca’s Mexican Restaurant, 3707 Denny Ave., Pascagoula
This story was originally published October 24, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
