Ocean Springs, Mississippi, already has a reputation as one of the Gulf Coast’s most charming small towns — but The Lady May gives visitors a reason to linger a little longer at the table. 🌿
Part scratch-made Southern kitchen, part neighborhood gathering spot, and part artisan market, this Washington Avenue gem is the kind of place that feels like Sunday at Grandma’s house — only with craft cocktails, live music, and a menu you’ll dream about on the drive home.
How The Lady May Won Ocean Springs’ Hearts
Owners Will Taylor and Chris McDonald didn’t set out to create a trendy restaurant concept — they set out to recreate a feeling.
Specifically, the feeling of sitting at their grandmothers’ tables, being fed with genuine love and zero compromise on quality.
Taylor grew up eating at his grandmother’s table. McDonald grew up doing the same. And somewhere in the overlap of those two childhood kitchens — one rooted in Southern traditions, one in Italian Catholic cooking — The Lady May was born. 🍳
Regulars will tell you that the Honey Butter Fried Chicken is the dish that first hooked them — but it’s the braised beef shank that keeps them coming back.
Word spread fast on Washington Avenue and beyond, drawing in not just Ocean Springs locals but day-trippers and tourists from across coastal Mississippi who had heard whispers of the best brunch in Ocean Springs and needed to find out for themselves. 🌊
Adding live music, a lively outdoor courtyard bar, and the charm of May’s Market — stocked with handmade jams, flavored olive oils, local honey, hot sauces, and natural tallow products — only deepened the loyalty.
People don’t just come here for a meal. They come for the whole experience.
A visit to The Lady May is a stroll through a Washington Avenue afternoon that stretches well past the last bite of Fried Bread Pudding, into the golden late-day light of the courtyard, with a “Mildred” cocktail in hand and zero desire to leave. 🥃
That’s the Lady May effect — and once it has you, it has you for good.
Food Highlights
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Honey Butter Fried Chicken: Leg and thigh fried golden in beef tallow, finished with whipped honey butter, served alongside scratch-baked macaroni and a fresh cheddar biscuit. 🍗
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Braised Beef Shank: Fall-off-the-bone braised beef shank served over Gouda grits with a warm, house-made biscuit.
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Crab Cakes: Lump crab served over pasta in a house cream sauce, with mixed greens, lemon basil vinaigrette, and a biscuit. 🦀
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Crawfish Monica: Plump crawfish tails tossed in a rich cream sauce over pasta, finished with a fresh cheddar biscuit.
- Fried Bread Pudding: Deep-fried bread pudding studded with raisins, drizzled with bourbon sauce, topped with vanilla ice cream and candied pecans. 🍮
- White BBQ Chicken Sandwich: Juicy grilled chicken, Gouda, crispy bacon, red onions, and pickles on a brioche bun, finished with a signature white BBQ sauce.
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Bacon Jam Burger: A hand-formed beef patty topped with in-house-made bourbon bacon jam, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and pepper jack cheese. 🍔
- Snack Board: Sausage, pepperoni, gouda, goat cheese with honey, cheddar, pickled veggies, bacon jam, mango sriracha hummus, sliced pear, candied pecans, and bagel chips.
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Biscuit Monica: A brunch-only masterpiece — a fluffy house biscuit loaded with crawfish Monica, fried crawfish, and sausage.
- Waffle Board: Belgian waffles served with peanut butter, Nutella, fresh fruit, chocolate chips, and honey butter — regulars recommend adding fried chicken to make it legendary. 🧇
Atmosphere
The Lady May occupies a beautifully renovated Washington Avenue space with a warm, inviting interior offering booths, low tables, and counter seating at an indoor bar — every corner feeling effortlessly lived-in and welcoming. 🌸
Outside, the courtyard is where the magic really happens — live music drifts across comfortable outdoor seating, an outdoor bar keeps the drinks flowing, and the whole scene hums with the easy, unhurried energy of a Gulf Coast afternoon.
The vibe is casual but spirited — a place where brunch turns into an afternoon without anyone noticing or minding.
Pet-friendly outdoor seating and full accessibility on a single floor make it a genuinely welcoming spot for everyone.
Bottom Line
The Lady May is the Gulf Coast’s most soulful hidden gem — scratch-made Southern food fried in beef tallow, legendary braised beef shank, fresh-made bacon jam, live music in a sun-drenched courtyard, and an artisan market you’ll raid on the way out. 🌿🍳
Address:
708 Washington Ave, Ocean Springs, MS 39564
📞 (228) 872-8478
🕔 Open Mon–Sun, 9 AM–9 PM (Fri–Sat until 10 PM | Brunch ends daily at 2 PM)