When chef and restaurateur Hunter Evans would run through his grandmother’s kitchen in New Orleans as a kid, the aromas of boiling shrimp and crab wafting through the air left a lasting impression.
Years later, those formative memories inspired Evans to pursue culinary arts as a profession—and in 2024 led him to rescue The Mayflower Cafe, a signature downtown eatery in Jackson, Mississippi, with a legacy stretching back nearly a century.
“This place seems like it embodies the city so much—it felt bigger than a restaurant,” says Evans, a 2023 James Beard Best Chef: South semifinalist. “There was excitement that this will live on, and there was hope, especially for the downtown area, but for the city as a whole. It’s such an iconic place for the city.”
In a region best known for Southern soul food and barbecue, much of contemporary Jackson cuisine can be traced to the chamfered entrance of The Mayflower Cafe, founded on West Capitol Street in 1935 by Greek immigrants George Kountouris and John Gouras. The popular gathering spot has served fresh Gulf seafood to generations of Jacksonians and is one of the first restaurants to serve comeback sauce, which is still placed on every table.
When third-generation owner Jerry Kountouris decided to close its doors in early 2024, Evans and Cody McCain, his partner in the acclaimed Belhaven neighborhood brunch and dinner spot Elvie’s, stepped in and acquired The Mayflower.
The duo immediately set about restoring the historic space to its former aesthetic, including rebuilding the booths and adorning the walls with pictures of the politicians, celebrities, and locals who once dined there. They brought in craftsmen to remake the terrazzo entryway, matching the colors to the original, hand-carved inset anchor that greets diners on the stoop.
“We found old photos of the original ceiling that was covered up,” Evans adds, “so the ceilings went back up. And there are these really beautiful glass tiles out front that let in all this natural light and also neon light at night when the signs are lit up.”
The Mayflower reopened in July 2024, greeting diners with a menu featuring its most iconic dishes. During the downtime, Evans had labored over decades of its menus, observing how the cuisine evolved while distilling it to its signature elements. He called back to his European travels by researching the origins of the ingredients and techniques that would reset The Mayflower in its proper time and place.
Broiled redfish and red snapper are still a focal point of the cuisine, cooked and served with a Colbert-like sauce Evans tried to improve by replacing margarine with real butter, thinking more natural ingredients would send it over the top. But just three hours before opening night, he decided to stay the course.
“That’s been kind of funny, just being a culinary-school, French-trained [chef] and trying to change your mama’s recipes, but they’re your mama’s recipes and that’s why you love ’em and that’s why they’re comforting,” he says. “You learn to back off when necessary.”
Evans sources deep-cup oysters from Eagle Point Oyster Company in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, one of several recently established oyster growers just offshore from Deer Island on the Gulf of Mexico. This particular variety—served broiled, fried, and on the half shell—even has its own name: Jackson Jewels.
“We get seafood deliveries four times a week, so I can get a sack of oysters to last us that day, and the next day I can do another,” he says. “I wanted to make a statement that we proudly serve only Mississippi oysters on the half shell, and shine the light on our foodways and help retell the story of who we are.”
Two final touches include a new bar top where mixologists serve old fashioneds and other classic cocktails, and the reemergence of the restaurant’s original window iceboxes, where Evans displays favorites like oysters, red snapper, flounder, and crab claws—just like in the classic era of The Mayflower.
“We didn’t want to change anything,” Evans says. “We just wanted to make it last for the next hundred years.”
What to Order
Gulf Oysters
Whether you order them raw, broiled, fried, or served on a po’boy, these bite-size Jackson Jewels are a perfect introduction to The Mayflower’s seafood legacy.
Broiled Catch of the Day
It doesn’t get more classic Mayflower than fresh broiled fish from the Gulf of Mexico, and you can’t go wrong with red snapper, redfish, or the day’s catch.
Frog Legs
Fried Louisiana frog legs, seasoned in a French-style preparation of garlic butter, parsley, and lemon, are served atop a roasted garlic puree.
Feta Brined Fried Chicken
Feta brining amplifies the character of this particularly juicy and flavorful fried chicken—and even better, it’s available as a blue-plate special.
Where to Sit
White-topped swiveling bar stools line the retro bar, which features an updated bar top. These seats are close to the front where you can view the Mississippi-sourced seafood on display in the window iceboxes.
