Page 105 - Play Coastal Mississippi - Fall, 2025

The Wilbur
Magnolia Room
The Wilbur in Ocean Springs also has characteristics of speakeasies where bartender Stephen Bourque mixes “really good craft cocktails that attract people with discerning palates.”
Biloxi’s White Pillars has a bar unlike any other local bar. Bar Manager Robert Campbell thinks it may be the Coast’s oldest. The historical, sophisticated atmosphere recalls bygone times with antiques and a beautiful burled wood bar that came from the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago.
“Since the bar was in Chicago during prohibition, we think Al Capone may have sat at that bar,” Campbell says.
Other historical fixtures are the five sets of French doors separating the bar from the restaurant’s main dining room. They are 150 years old and came from the Ursuline Convent in New Orleans. Another cherished antique is the semi- nude oil painting that Campbell refers to as “Granny.” Two old wrought iron sign holders that were originally used in a church stand in the entrance with listings of the day’s featured items. The close- captioned old movies playing in a corner above the bar add another vintage touch.
“We serve all the classic cocktails— they’re at the top of the menu—and we serve seasonal drinks like the restaurant serves seasonal food,” Campbell said. “The definition of a cocktail is that it must have four ingredients: spirits, water, sugar, and bitters.”
Not to be missed, Siren Social Club is the latest invention of White Pillars Owners Austin and Tresse Sumrall. This sultry, tropical, speakeasy-style restaurant and bar in Downtown Gulfport offers a refined European-inspired menu and, most importantly, some of the Coast’s most unique artisanal cocktails, all in an enchanting atmosphere.
If you’re looking for a real hideaway, check out the Julep Room in Ocean Springs. It sits in the basement of Aunt Jenny’s Catfish Restaurant. A bartender there for 10 years, Jamie Guess says the bar draws people from all over and is a late night place with music starting at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
“The big draw is that Elvis hung out here with his Biloxi girlfriend,” Guess said, “and people come here to feel close to him. Billie Holiday was also here.”
Guess adds that it is believed that Al Capone and Dillinger hung out here, entering and exiting through a secret tunnel that ran under the 175-year-old house. “I’d say it was a speakeasy during prohibition.”
In Bay St. Louis there’s The Ugly Pirate Cafe & Bar. With a name like that, it has to be a fun place. This casual bar also has outdoor seating and trivia nights along with pizzas, gyros, and craft beer. One patron called it “a friendly dive.”
MAGNOLIA ROOM
1302 MAGNOLIA ST.
GULFPORT
228.701.9420 MAGNOLIAROOMGULFPORT.COM
WHITE PILLARS
1696 BEACH BLVD.
BILOXI
228.207.0885 BILOXIWHITEPILLARS.COM
SIREN SOCIAL CLUB 1409 24TH AVE. GULFPORT 228.678.1000 SIRENSOCIAL.COM
THE WILBUR
604 PORTER AVE.
OCEAN SPRINGS 228.285.7989 ROOSTOCEANSPRINGS.COM
THE JULEP ROOM
1217 WASHINGTON AVE. OCEAN SPRINGS 228.875.9928
FACEBOOK @JULEP ROOM
THE UGLY PIRATE
144 DEMONTLUZIN AVE. BAY ST. LOUIS 228.467.2682
FACEBOOK @UGLYPIRATE
COASTALMISSISSIPPI.COM
FALL 2025 I PLAY COASTAL MISSISSIPPI 105
The Julep Room