Oxford’s Local Favorites: The Townies 2026 – Food & Beverage

Restaurant

1. Volta Taverna
2. SoLa
3. Saint Leo
   HM: McEwen’s, Snackbar, City Grocery, Tarasque Cucina, Ajax Diner, Moe’s Original Barbecue, Boure, Good Day Cafe, Oxford Grillehouse, Grit

Bar

1. City Grocery
2. Funkys
3. Moe’s Penny Bar
   HM: Proud Larry’s, McEwen’s, Snackbar, The Library, Quack’s, Saint Leo, Volta, Nightbird, Rafters, The Velvet Ditch, The Blind Pig, Circle & Square

Asian

1. Jinsei
2. Rice & Spice
3. Zaap
   HM: Toyo, Noodle Bowl, Kabuki, China Royal, H20

Bakery

1. Bottletree Bakery
2. Just Cake It
3. Bremma’s Cakery & Confections
   HM: Humming Bird (Water Valley)

BBQ

1. Moe’s BBQ
2. B’s BBQ
3. Booth’s BBQ
   HM: Handy Andy

Bartender

1. Jeb Zolper (The Library)
2. Aaron Hamilton (McEwen’s)
3. Peyton Attaway (Funkys)
   HM: John Spreafico “Coonie” (City Grocery), Avery Head (Snackbar), Jesse Sutton (Volta), Will Griffith (Proud Larry’s), Kyle Kelley (Penny Bar), Joe Stinchcomb (Good Day Cafe), Ruth Hogue (Circle & Square), Zach Blackburn (Rafters), Elliot Willard (City Grocery), Brookleigh Jackson (Quack’s), Dalton Landrum (Saint Leo), Blake “Big Red” Stilwell (Old Henry)

Beer selection

1. Circle & Square
2. Growler
3. The Blind Pig
   HM: Cash Saver, Funkys, Quack’s, Proud Larry’s

Breakfast

1. Big Bad Breakfast
2. First Watch
3. Waffle House
   HM: Bim Bam, Larson’s

Brunch

1. Saint Leo
2. Big Bad Breakfast
3. McEwen’s
   HM: First Watch, SoLa, Grit, Quack’s, The Old Henry, Good Day Cafe

Burger

1. Handy Andy
2. Good Day Café
3. Oxford Burger Co.
   HM: Proud Larry’s, Bim Bam Burgers, The Blind Pig, Ajax DIner, Phillips Grocery, Quack’s, Bouré, Circle & Square, City Grocery, Mugshots

Cajun

1. LandShark
2. Bouré
3. Oby’s
   HM: Velvet Ditch, Ajax, Walk-On’s

Catering

1. Taylor Grocery
2. Moe’s BBQ
3. My Michelle’s
   HM: A&N, Crickets Catering, Elizabeth Heiskell

Catfish

1. Taylor Grocery
2. Ajax Diner
3. Oby’s
   HM: Moe’s BBQ, Snackbar, Landshark

Chicken

1. Southern Coop
2. Moe’s BBQ
3. Crickets Wings & Things
   HM: City Grocery, Ole Coop, Jinsei

Cocktails

1. Saint Leo
2. Snackbar
3. McEwen’s
   HM: Volta, Boure, City Grocery

Coffee

1. Heartbreak
2. Shadrachs
3. Cafecitos
   HM: Exploradora, Velvet Ditch Coffee, High Point, Common Ground, Bottletree, Circle & Square

Chef

1. Erika Lipe (SoLa)
2. Jon Davis (City Grocery)
3. Sebastian Markowitz (Snackbar)
   HM: Tay Johnson (Funkys), Nicole Kasem (McEwen’s), John Currence (CGRG), Joel Miller (Kingswood), John Stokes (Tarasque)

Crawfish

1. LandShark
2. The Velvet Ditch
3. The Crawdad Hole
   HM: Rebel Boilers, Proud Larry’s

Delivery

1. Take a Break
2. Door Dash
3. Uber Eats
   HM: Grub Hub

Dessert

1. Snackbar, Mary Reagan Stewart
2. YaYa’s
3. McEwen’s, Nicole Kasem
   HM: Saint Leo, SoLa, Volta, City Grocery, Crumbl, Insomnia Cookies

Donut Shop

1. Community Donuts
2. Ollie’s Donuts
3. Donut Distillery

Security

1. Maurice “Moe” Pomerlee (Penny Bar)
2. Brycen Bartel (Funkys)
3. Aiden Carignan (Funkys)
   HM: Neil Watson (Rafters), Will Pitts (Quack’s), Wood Security

Fine Dining

1. Saint Leo
2. City Grocery
3. McEwen’s
   HM: Snackbar, SoLa, Grit, Oxford Grillehouse, Boure, Kingswood, Lenora’s

Food Truck

1. El Colibri
2. Crickets Wings & Things
3. G & G’s Fry Co.
   HM: Cafecitos, Fresh Out the Water, Hotbox Hibachi, Lunch Box, Manilla Skillet, Taylor Grocery, Uncle Jamie’s Hot Dogs

Fries

1. Saint Leo
2. Proud Larry’s
3. Volta
   HM: Snackbar, G&G’s Fry Co., Blind Pig, La Perla Tapatia (Carne Asada Fries), Quack’s, Circle & Square, City Grocery, Crickets Wings & Things, Five Guys, Oxford Burger Co.

Margarita

1. Volta
2. El Agave
3. Uno Mas
   HM: Casa Mexicana, Quack’s, Loco Taco, Ajax, Chili’s, Proud Larry’s, El Charro

Happy Hour

1. Volta
2. Snackbar
3. Moe’s BBQ
   HM: City Grocery, Funkys, Uno Mas, Quack’s, Proud Larry’s, Boure, The Velvet Ditch, Saint Leo

Late Night Food

1. CookOut
2. Chicken on a Stick/4 Corners Chevron
3. Quack’s
   HM: Blind Pig, Uncle Jamie’s Hot Dog Cart, Sonic, Taco Bell, Waffle House

Mexican

1. La Perla Tapatia
2. El Agave
3. Casa Mexicana
   HM: El Charro, El Colibri, Taco Shop, Lamar Taco Shop, Uno Mas, Costa Mexicana, Loco Taco Oxford, El Marachi

Pasta

1. Tarasque Cucina
2. Saint Leo
3. Amore
   HM: SoLa, Lenora’s, Proud Larry’s

Patio

1. Volta
2. Funkys
3. City Grocery
   HM: Tarasque, The Coop, Circle & Square, Good Day Café, Bouré, Proud Larry’s, The Velvet Ditch

Pizza

1. Funkys
2. Saint Leo
3. Lost Pizza
   HM: Fergndan’s, Little Italy, Pizzashop, Proud Larry’s, Pizza Den, Square Pizza, Fox’s Pizza, Rosati’s

Salad

1. Volta
2. Saint Leo
3. Proud Larry’s
   HM: Blind Pig, Newk’s, Bouré, Oby’s, City Grocery, Tarasque, Ajax

Vegetarian

1. Volta
2. Living Foods Café
3. Ajax Diner
   HM: Chicory Market, Maharaja, Zaap Thai, First Watch, Noodle Bowl, Saint Leo, SoLa

Sandwich

1. The Blind Pig
2. Sammy’s Gourmet Deli & Gyro
3. Good Day Cafe
   HM: Newk’s, Pizza Den, Volta, Oby’s, Moe’s, Snackbar, Off Beat in General, City Grocery, Panino Veloce, Ajax, Chicory, Circle & Square

Server

1. Caroline Kasem (McEwen’s)
2. Mandy Holland-Hunter (Volta)
3. Tristan Cueller (City Grocery)
   HM: Jessica Boyd (Volta), Chelsea Brock (Jinsei), Parker Thames (Jinsei), Kaleigh “KiKi” McAllister (Volta), Gabby Lott (SoLa), Emma Donovan (Snackbar), Emma Fabiszak (The Old Henry), Georgia Hogue (City Grocery), Jess Cogar (Saint Leo)

Soul Food

1. Ajax Diner
2. Little Easy Catering
3. Tallahatchie Gourmet
   HM: Larson’s Cash Saver, Mama Jo’s, Moe’s BBQ, B’s BBQ

Steak 

1. Oxford Grillehouse
2. Tico’s Steakhouse
3. McEwen’s
   HM: The Sizzler, Good Day Cafe, Como Steakhouse, Taylor Grocery, Bouré, Kingswood, Saint Leo, Snackbar, City Grocery

Sushi

1. Jinsei
2. Toyo
3. Kabuki
   HM: Noodle Bowl

See more of The Townies 2026:
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Business
Arts & Entertainment
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The Local Voice is a bimonthly entertainment guide and newspaper based in Oxford, Mississippi, covering and distributed in North Central Mississippi, including Oxford, Ole Miss, Taylor, Abbeville, Water Valley, Lafayette County, Yalobusha County, and parts of Panola County, Marshall County, and Tupelo . The Local Voice is distributed free to over 255 locations in North Mississippi and also available as a full color PDF download worldwide on the internet.

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