Sushi out, seafood in. Big change coming to Mississippi Coast restaurant scene

A high-end sushi restaurant has closed after a year in business on the Bay St. Louis beach, and restaurateur brothers already have a new concept planned for the building.

Toro Sushi opened inside a brand new building in August 2024, serving family-style Asian dishes, sushi rolls, inventive cocktails and whole fish in the heart of downtown. Their final service was this weekend.

“Sushi just didn’t work here (in Bay St. Louis),” Jourdan Nicaud said Monday. While there are many Asian buffets and sushi spots across the Coast, most high-end Asian restaurants operate inside Biloxi casinos.

Jourdan and Field Nicaud plan to open Field’s Crab Shack by Oct. 1 in time for Cruisin’ The Coast, the largest event held on the Mississippi Coast.

The menu is still being finalized but the steamer-style restaurant will offer boiled seafood plates with all the traditional fixings, pasta and fried baskets, and a plethora of appetizers including Royal Reds, crab cakes, tuna dip and gator bites.

The concept, Jourdan Nicaud said, matches the vibe of downtown Bay St. Louis, where many locals and visitors come for fresh seafood, good drinks and a view.

It’ll be the latest in a string of restaurants that bare the younger brother’s name. There’s a Field’s Steakhouse in Bay St. Louis, Field’s Italian in Ocean Springs and Pass Christian, and Field’s Mediterranean in Biloxi.

Field’s Crab Shack “should be pretty cool,” Jourdan Nicaud said, adding that building renovations should be done in the next week before opening.

The restaurant joins a growing number of eateries along Bay St. Louis’ beachfront, including the brand new Anthony’s Italian Ristorante.