Mayflower Cafe

Jxn's Oldest Restaurant

123 W. Capitol Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39201

Website
A neon sign on the front of a building reads Mayflower Cafe. There's lightning in the dark sky in the distance.

Jackson’s oldest operating restaurant is a Capitol Street institution.

But “institution” is too staid a word for this iconic diner where chatter, pace and familiar faces set a much livelier vibe. The rhythms of service and reliability of fresh seafood maintain the vibrancy that’s fed generations.

The Mayflower’s famous comeback sauce, a pepped-up house salad dressing and dipping sauce that’s a standard in the city’s Greek-heritage spots (and beyond), has been featured on the Food Network’s “Best Thing I Ever Ate.”

The Making of an Institution

Established in 1935 by Greek immigrants George Kountouris and John Gouras, Mayflower Cafe has anchored the corner of West Capitol and Roach streets since.

Third-generation owner Jerry Kountouris (George was his great uncle) asked his dad several times about the origin of the cafe’s name. Founders definitely wanted a seafood focus. He says, “They put it in The Clarion-Ledger, made a contest out of it for people to write in what they thought the name should be. And they picked ‘Mayflower’ out of all the ones that were sent in – I guess because they were Greek immigrants.”

Fresh Catch is the Way to Go

Neon signs in the front window beckon with steaks and chops on one end and seafood on the other, but fresh Gulf seafood is the go-to here. Redfish is the Mayflower’s most popular pick, but oysters, shrimp, soft-shell crab, pompano and lemon fish stick stand out, too.

Retro neon, tile floor, trophy fish, historical photos and snapshots of friends all work their old-school magic when I walk in the door of the Mayflower Cafe. It’s like dropping in on an old friend — one who’s gonna whip up dinner for you.

Desserts such as the lusciously refreshing lemon icebox pie bring things to a sweet finish.

And that zesty comeback sauce at the Mayflower — among the city’s best — is true to its name. The Mayflower Greek Salad — fresh lump crabmeat on a bed of lettuce with feta cheese, Calamata olives and pepperoncini peppers, drizzled with comeback, is a longtime lunchtime addiction.

In summer of 2024, The Mayflower closed briefly for updates and an ownership change. Now helmed by James Beard Award-twice nominated Chef Hunter Evans and his buinsess partner Cody McCain (the team behind Elvie's), the restaurant reopened on August 26, 2024.

Cuisines

Details

  • American
  • Seafood
  • Steak

Amenities

Amenities

  • Wheelchair Accessible
  • Alcohol Served
  • Meeting/Event Space
  • Takeout
  • Open Mondays

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