My favorite meals in Mississippi have almost never come from a place with a fancy sign out front. They come from counters where the day’s menu is written on a board, the sweet tea arrives before you ask, and the bill is small enough to make you check the math twice.
With a movie ticket now running well past ten dollars in much of the state, a full meat-and-three plate starts looking like the better deal. Here are eight unfussy Mississippi cafes where lunch still lands under the price of two hours in a dark theater.
1. Bully’s Soul Food Restaurant, Jackson, MS
Livingston Road in north Jackson keeps one of the state’s most dependable soul food counters, and it has never needed a makeover to stay busy. Bully’s serves hearty Southern classics in surroundings that could fairly be called plain, which is exactly the point.
Plates are built the traditional way: a meat plus sides, with fried chicken, catfish, smothered pork chops, beef ribs, and turkey wings rotating through the steam table. Sides read like a Sunday spread, including collard greens, okra and tomato stew, cabbage, potato salad, mac and cheese, green beans, and cornbread…