Mayflower Cafe
Jxn's Oldest Restaurant
123 W. Capitol Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39201
- Phone: (601) 355-4122
- Price Range: $$
![A neon sign on the front of a building reads Mayflower Cafe. There's lightning in the dark sky in the distance.](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Mayflower-Exterior-at-night.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=180&q=80&w=320&s=f3afe2ac71707b4a8904f0ae94567faf 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Mayflower-Exterior-at-night.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=304&q=80&w=540&s=9b82d0373adfb5153d0bedf1b5635207 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Mayflower-Exterior-at-night.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=432&q=80&w=768&s=c2f6cb06d2d652319ba32da26905d0e6 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Mayflower-Exterior-at-night.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=576&q=80&w=1024&s=2316bbed038cd247673c9ec3e2020854 1024w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Mayflower-Exterior-at-night.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=675&q=80&w=1200&s=98249fdc825fcca74d44c741c2f667e1 1200w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Mayflower-Exterior-at-night.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=810&q=80&w=1440&s=f874e992b90ccb3f3d77adf993bcaf52 1440w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Mayflower-Exterior-at-night.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1080&q=80&w=1920&s=085fa8ae8ce22a734d553c44576c7b04 1920w)
Mayflower Cafe
123 W. Capitol Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39201
- Phone: (601) 355-4122
- Price Range: Price-$$
Mayflower Cafe123 W. Capitol Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39201
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.”
![](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/main-images/mayflower.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=98f624b36defe25c561fe185bf20357d 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/main-images/mayflower.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=4e24761cef9570e86ee7f1feefc63c65 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/main-images/mayflower.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=65c34c95346fbc82d18bf86436d56c5d 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/main-images/mayflower.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=dff35c7de71f92c72348db44aa942c5f 1024w)
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.”
“Mayflower was probably the most recognizable term.”
Any major changes or updates since? “I wish,” he says, breaking into a grin. Other than a dropped ceiling when they added air-conditioning in the late ‘50s or ‘60s, a change from paneling and addition of a slim mirror border along the booths, it’s the same beloved place it’s always been.
Roof damage from Hurricane Katrina brought the occasion for some refurbishing. Bonus: The work uncovered recessed octagon-framed windows that resemble ship portals — especially when they bookend trophy fish “leaping” toward a picture of the actual Mayflower. They add a nice touch, as does the beaded-board wainscoting.
He added a couple of ceiling fans then, too. “Actually, my dad (longtime owner Mike Kountouris) had some other kind of fans up here. They were real close to the ceiling. I wanted the kind that dropped down, to make it look more old-time cafe.”
That’s always been part of its charm. As a scene setter, it’s been featured in movies including “Ghosts of Mississippi” and more recently, “The Help.”
![](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/jerrykountouris.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=51b26319a92786a1cba1812a5280567a 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/jerrykountouris.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=416edb07c19effd20d5ccb7b81058bdf 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/jerrykountouris.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=81abf7a28289a6ac5fe1a5871a3cd1f1 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/jerrykountouris.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=557de3e770aa510419e3edc2f16f4414 1024w)
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. I can’t remember the last time I glanced at the menu, since the waitstaff has yet to steer me wrong. Whatever fresh catch piques your fancy — that’s the way to go. Redfish is the Mayflower’s most popular pick, but fond thoughts of oysters, shrimp, soft-shell crab, pompano and lemon fish stick with me, too.
Preparation is simple, straightforward, secret.
“The sauce that my dad’s always used has got a base of Worcestershire, lemon juice — you know, all Greeks use Worcestershire and lemon in everything. If you add a little butter to it, it makes it even richer. So, basically, that sauce that we make has got four different seasonings in it,” Kountouris says, chuckling when an eavesdropper warns him off sharing secrets. No danger there. “No, I don’t tell ‘em about my seasonings.”
That recipe doesn’t escape the Mayflower kitchen.
![](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/redfish.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=b451bb852b97eb30431924a1acd2027d 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/redfish.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=8c5af69c650cc8715866ebb80ba4a48c 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/redfish.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=b78a722a957b83b77c1d7b14257a8711 640w)
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.
Also on Kountouris’ can’t-divulge list, of course: the recipe for that stellar dressing. “I might write a recipe book for the Mayflower one day, and sell it,” he says. But, not today.
Want some? For that, welcome aboard.
Cuisines
Details
- American
- Seafood
- Steak
Amenities
Amenities
- Wheelchair Accessible
- Alcohol Served
- Takeout
- Open Mondays
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