The Jewel Motel

Don’t let the name trick you. Dressed head to toe in wood, this lively restaurant has been an Oxford favorite since opening in 2009. The dining room comes fit with an oyster bar, a cocktail bar, cozy booths and even a communal table. The menu is full of personality, hewing closely to the seasons and delivering Southern comfort with flashes of Indian flair threaded throughout. Think masala pot pie or lamb shank vindaloo paired with a green chili corn cake. French onion soup is a longtime staple. There is always room for dessert, and anything involving pie is worth an order.

This quirky, colorful diner made of Christmas lights, neon signs, and red vinyl booths has been a constant way of life for this college town since 1997. Down home and heartfelt, the restaurant offers a comforting taste of Southern cooking in its most classic form. Skip any apps or salads and jump straight to the plates featuring the likes of cornmeal-dusted and fried catfish or chicken and dumplings. A vegetable platter is another good way to go: Think butter beans, turnip greens, and black-eyed peas. Chocolate chess pie and blueberry cobbler for dessert conclude this lovely salute to the regi

In the heart of Oxford right on the town square, Chef John Currence’s flagship restaurant remains a shining culinary light for the region. Open since 1992, the historic dining room is wrapped in red brick, local art, and well-worn wood. The menu is a revolving door of ideas, but the style sticks to the seasons, sources quality product across the region, and largely celebrates Southern cuisine. Think salmon croquettes or a tower of fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade. Shrimp and grits is a house staple for good reason. Cap off the meal with a perfect slice of cake. Portions are generous

In a region where fried catfish is practically a religion, Taylor Grocery stands tall as one of the great stewards of this culinary tradition. Since 1977, crowds have lingered on the front porch waiting for a seat in a rudimentary dining room where scratched walls are covered in scribble and old class photos. There’s no reason to look at a menu. You could dabble in gumbo or poke at a salad, but nothing should distract or deter from ordering a righteous mountain of cornmeal-dusted, golden-fried catfish flanked by an avalanche of hushpuppies. Tartare sauce and ketchup on the table complete the p

Opened in 2013, this Chinese restaurant has taken the city by storm—and rightly so. Although there are a number of offshoots around town, the original location in an unsuspecting Cordova strip center is the place to be. For those who love heat and savor spice, this is ground zero for fiery, tongue-numbing, chili-laden Sichuan cuisine. Focus on classics like the umami-packed mapo tofu, stir-fried cumin lamb, crispy chicken tossed in a mound of dried chilis and properly charred green beans. Portions are generous so bring friends and order with abandon.

Opened in 2008, the flagship restaurant from Chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman remains one the city’s most enticing efforts. Divided into several small rooms, the cozy house in Brookhaven Circle celebrates Italian cooking with Southern influences. Appetizers and pastas are the strongest features, starting with the signature house breakfast of pork belly, pork rinds, polenta, and a runny egg. For a lighter beginning, swing for the tuna tartare with sundried tomatoes or tender squid stuffed with Barese sausage and set in a sharp puttanesca sauce. Mafaldi coated in a rich bianco veal ragu is as