Popular MS Coast restaurant closes. Owner leaves open possibility of rebirth.
Editor’s note: This story was written prior to the Dec. 29 closure of the Houdstooth Cafe.
The Houndstooth Cafe in Gulfport is closing its doors after serving customers its Southern soul food menu for just under a year.
Located at the corner of 30th and 17th streets near downtown, the Houndstooth will be open through Friday before shuttering.
Owner Brian Smith says his co-owner left in October, and it’s made running the nine-month-old restaurant a heavier load to handle. Coupled with a location not ideal for the establishment’s dinner hours, Smith will be reevaluating the future of the brand following the closing process.
“It’s been great having the customers here,” Smith told the Sun Herald. “Everybody likes the food and that’s what makes it so hard to close. I’ve been putting in 18-to-20-hour days since my business partner (left) ... But it’s real, real hard to close when we’ve had those regular customers and everybody likes the food so much.”
Smith doesn’t leave out the possibility of looking into a new location at a later time for the Houndstooth, particularly along Pass Road and Highway 49, but he’s focused on the current iteration’s final days.
The cafe’s special on Thursday was beef tips with gravy and then fried catfish with hushpuppies on Friday. The menu also features hamburger steak, fried pork chop, sandwiches and salads.
The cafe will be open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner.
This story was originally published December 28, 2023 at 6:30 AM.
