{"id":208133,"date":"2025-03-25T10:14:47","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T14:14:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/?p=208133"},"modified":"2025-03-25T10:14:58","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T14:14:58","slug":"grab-a-seat-at-the-historic-mayflower-cafe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/articles\/grab-a-seat-at-the-historic-mayflower-cafe","title":{"rendered":"Grab a Seat at the Historic Mayflower Cafe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Where: <\/strong>Jackson, Mississippi
When:<\/strong> year-round
If you like:<\/strong> dining and drinks<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why you should go: <\/strong>When opened in 1935 by Greek immigrants, the Mayflower Cafe<\/strong><\/a> was a jewel of Jackson\u2019s then-vibrant downtown. Governors and blues musicians trod upon its poured terrazzo and penny tile floors, often to request the curry-spiked \u201ccomeback sauce\u201d that earned a place in the pantheon of Southern condiments. But as downtown faded, so did the Mayflower. Paint flaked from the story-high neon sign. Ice bins that once displayed fresh fish sat forlornly empty. Enter Hunter Evans, chef of Jackson\u2019s celebrated all-day cafe, Elvie\u2019s, who undertook the sizable task of sprucing up the institution for last summer\u2019s reopening. Light fixtures were matched to vintage photos, the neon sign received a refresh, and those ice bins filled with the catch of the day, anchoring a new bar. \u201cWe\u2019re making sure we return to sourcing the best crab and fish possible,\u201d says Evans, a 2024 James Beard Award finalist. \u201cThe Mayflower is the kind of classic seafood house people love. I believe we can bring some life to this place, and to downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G&G tip:<\/strong> Many Mayflower employees have worked at the restaurant for decades, and they love serving comeback sauce with a side of history. <\/p>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new chapter for a ninety-year-old institution<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":209996,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-03-25T14:14:51Z","apple_news_api_id":"9645f2f2-6a44-422f-86d2-37d5131ccf08","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-03-25T14:14:51Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AlkXy8mpEQi-G0jfVExzPCA","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1785],"tags":[30537,24,30482,619,30501],"authors":[1977],"issue":[],"recipe-type":[],"class_list":["post-208133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-dining-drinks-2","tag-mississippi","tag-southern-bucket-list","tag-travel","tag-year-round","authors-steve-russell"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nGrab 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