This weekend, my mother-in-law is making her first trip to Starkville, Mississippi’s college town. She, like many others, will be traveling down from Memphis to watch Mike Leach and the Mississippi State football team host the Memphis Tigers.
That’s great! She’s never been to Starkville and it’s a truly wonderful, small town. But since my mother-in-law has never been down that way, she doesn’t know exactly where to go and what to do. Granted, it’s been a little bit since I’ve been over to Starkville, but I still know my way around town and I’ll certainly note the places I’m not familiar with.
Even though she’ll be rooting for the wrong team, that doesn’t mean she can’t enjoy all that Starkville has to offer.
Tricia, I hope you have one heck of a good time while you’re in town. Just, you know, not too much of a good time. Here’s to hoping that the Tigers fall flat this weekend.
Oh, for all of the restaurants, to learn more about them, just click their name. All of the establishments here are hyperlinked so you can easily learn more.
Starkville Breakfast Restaurants:
Starkville Cafe
Expect this place to be packed. It’s going to be busy. It’s absolutely worth the wait. If you can’t eat anywhere else in Starkville this weekend, you better eat at Starkville Cafe. The atmosphere is unbeatable and the people are the best. Oh, and the food is really good too. I love this place.
Shipley’s
Yes, the Houston-based donut chain has made its way to Mississippi. And yes, they have klobasniky. Although they will refer to them either as kolaches or smoked sausage rolls. It’s a little taste of Texas in Mississippi and it’s a solid place to stop at before leaving town.
The Breakfast Club
This is an establishment that I haven’t actually been in, but I’m all about breakfast food and I’m all about local businesses. If you get the chance, please check them out. The pictures of their food on google look really good.
Starkville Coffee:
Nine-Twentynine Coffee Bar
I loved studying at this establishment while I was in college and they’ve got a wide variety of drinks and some pretty good food. Plus they have beer. I’m not much of a coffee drinker, that’s just not me, but I loved how laidback this place is and how great it was to be in their establishment.
Strange Brew Coffee
Strange Brew is the place that most people first think of when it comes to coffee in Starkville. They’ve got a very active social media presence and the coffee is pretty good too, from what I understand.
Starkville Lunch Restaurants:
Okay, look, the lunch restaurants and the dinner restaurants are fairly interchangeable. But just go with it.
The Little Dooey
This is one of the most iconic restaurants in Starkville. They’ve got plenty of options and the food is really solid across the board. It’s got a unique atmosphere and will be a place that is frequently visited by just about everyone who comes to town. Oh, and it’s near a cemetery. So that’s cool.
Central Station Grill
Tricia, your daughter and I have eaten at this establishment on multiple occasions and I truly enjoy this place. It’s in an old milk bottling factory, if I remember correctly, and has a really unique feel. The food is great and there’s a bar in the place. I like it.
Restaurant Tyler
This is another one of the more well known restaurants in town. It certainly stands out to anyone who is familiar with the community. I’m sure you’ll be a pretty big fan if you happen to stop in and get something to eat here.
Other Starkville Restaurants
Starkville Dinner Restaurants:
The Starkville food scene is sneaky good and there’s several great options for you while you’re in town. Here’s just a handful for you to consider.
Bin 612
This might just be my favorite restaurant and bar in Starkville. They’ve got some great pizza, but they are probably best known for their cheese fries. I love the Spinach Florentine pizza and the truffle parm cheese fries, but you can’t go wrong with anything from this place.
Flavors Cuisine of India
The Lamb Tikka Masala is one of my favorite meals in Starkville. Flavors Cuisine of India is great. Totally unrelated to how great the current establishment is: there used to be a small Peruvian restaurant known as Gordo’s here for a little while, but, well, it’s been a while since that was the case. I loved Gordo’s and I love Flavors Cuisine of India.
44 Prime
Full disclosure, I’ve never been here. HOWEVER, Roy Oswalt is involved with this establishment and I’ve heard some pretty great things about it. Let me know what you think of it.
Other Starkville Restaurants:
Starkville Bars:
What’s a public land grant university in a small Southern town without a few bars here and there? Starkville has several and I’m sure you’ll find them to your liking.
Hobie’s on Main
If you happen to see Hobie, tell him I said hi. I have no clue if he’ll remember me, but I remember visiting establishment frequently shortly after it opened. My friend Robby and I would occasionally stop in and grab some Shiner. Knowing you, your ability to make friends with just about anyone, and your love for Shiner, you should check this place out.
Rick’s Cafe
These good folks will do live music and have a ton of fun. It’s a great venue to hang out in. It might get a little crowded, but I’m not certain on that.
The Camphouse
Not long after your daughter and I got engaged, I took her here, to The Camphouse. They had these cool little shots called “mini beers” and they look like miniature beers. I certainly recommend stopping in and seeing what they’ve got going on.
Other Starkville Bars to check out:
Look, I know you won’t be in Starkville for very long this weekend, but if for one reason or another you decide to head back on down to God’s favorite Mississippi college town, you should also check out a few of the following establishments:
Again, I hope you have a great time, Tricia! Stay safe and have some fun. We wish we could be there with you this weekend. But maybe ditch the Memphis blue, put on some Maroon, and pick up a cowbell while you’re in town. Have some fun and enjoy Starkville.
Oh, and if anyone else happens to be reading this and they want their loved ones to enjoy Starkville, maybe pass this along their way as well.
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