The Camp Pub Natchez, MS — Great food, drink, and entertainment Natchez Under-the-Hill

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Our Reviews of Best Restaurants and Pubs in Natchez, Mississippi

In March of 2017, we spent a few days sampling visitor attractions in historic Natchez, Mississippi including food and drink establishments. Here’s some reviews of places we tried, plus some we missed and plan to sample the next time we are in town.

Reviews on this page: The Camp Restaurant, Bowie Tavern, Steampunk Coffee Roasters, and Fat Mama’s Tamales.

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The Camp Restaurant Review

We wanted to dine within view of the river and found The Camp was listed among the Top 10 Natchez Restaurants in Zomato so we gave them a try. Great location on Silver Street below the bluff and on the waterfront in an area called Natchez Under-the-Hill. It is part of a collection of historic old buildings set off from the rest of Natchez (Natchez proper is on high ground above the bluff). Their website tag line is “Cold Beer. Good Food . . . at one of the best restaurants in Natchez.” We agree.

They have outdoor seating in their beer garden in back and out front on the porch overlooking the Mississippi River. Inside there are two or three dining rooms including one that has a wall that kids can draw on. So it’s a family friendly kind of place that also has a sport bar character.

Their intimate tap room commanded by friendly bartender Mike offers 18 beers on tap, mostly from southern breweries. Finding out we were dark beer lovers, Mike recommended a coffee porter from Natchez Brewing Co. An excellent choice, stands up to the best of porters we’ve had.

While more of a sports bar, The Camp takes a great deal of pride in its food service. They make their own bread for burgers and sandwiches, cut their own potatoes for frys, and hand-form their own patties. Food is made to order, not pre-made and then microwaved. The menu includes a wide variety of sandwiches, burgers, taco baskets, soups, salads, and choice of three entre dinners with fresh side veggies. As we had a mid-afternoon snack, we weren’t ready for a large meal so were attracted to their “Slider Menu.” These are mini versions of their regular burger baskets. The Sliders have all the fixings of their big brother version and the pattys were thick and juicy even though small in diameter. Likewise the bun was very tasty but scaled down in size fitting the burger. They came with an order of fries and cole slaw. Jo had her signature Mushroom & Swiss burger and pronounced it excellent. She could tell fresh mushrooms were used vs. ones coming from a can. I had the Brisket Slider – sliced smoked brisket, Sweet Heat BBQ sauce, cole slaw, house pickles. We loved the sliders and the “concept.” It gives you a smaller portion but in every other way its quality and amendments matches the full menu version. A tasty meal that was surprisingly filling.

BTW For younger readers, the name “slider” comes from the famous mini-burger produced by the White Castle hamburger palace, a fast-food chain that pre-dated McDonalds. The burgers were about the size of your palm, the pattys were square with a holes in the middle so they could cook fast. As a teenagers, we found a bag of five sliders would be about the right meal size! Link to their menu.

We look forward to returning to Natchez and The Camp Restaurant.The Camp Restaurant website

Bowie Tavern Review

We were attracted to Bowie’s Tavern because of its historic architecture and it was located on Broadway Street across from the Riverwalk Promenade and Gazebo that overlook the Mississippi River.

It was too early in the day for dinner, so we opted for some brews and a Nacho basket on their outdoor patio overlooking the park. Inside the interior is highlighted by a huge antique mahogany bar and other appointments that give a clue to the building’s history in Natchez, originally a cotton warehouse built in 1840.

Not everything inside is old-tyme due to several large flat-screen TVs creating a sports bar atmosphere. Their menu also reflects their sports bar theme, featuring wings, burgers, Po’Boys, seafood platters, soups and salads, and some specials. Rated by TripAdvisor #18 out of 66 rated Natchez restaurants, it gets some good recent reviews . . . but also a few disappointed customers. I’d rate it as a fun place to have some brews, watch some games and have good to passable bar food. Reviewers noted happy hour prices are very good.

Bowie Tavern website

Steampunk Coffee Roasters Review

Steampunk isn’t a full service restaurant, but rather a coffee house/expresso bar that does serve some bakery items, chocolate, and yogurt to accompany your fresh roasted coffee drink (see the menu here). As their coffee is roasted in the back room of the cafe, you can be assured it is fresh roasted and have a nice selection of brews. You can also get your coffee in a variety of brewing concoctions (expresso, cappuccino, latte, french press, turkish, iced, etc.). We had a dark roast, traditionally brewed with two huge blueberry muffins. They roast and brew a decent cup of coffee and the muffins very good. Comfortable, cozy coffee house atmosphere and good service. Located in a re-purposed historic 1868 cabin, they also have an attractive patio for outside service. Steampunk gets almost a perfect 5.o rating on Trip Advisor so they have lots of satisfied customers. Great place for excellent coffee and light breakfast or afternoon snack.

Steampunk Coffee Roasters Website

Fat Mama’s Tamales Restaurant & Pub

In March of 2017, our RV was parked at the Natchez Visitor center. From there we walked to the downtown and historic district and passed Fat Mama’s on Canal Street only a few blocks from the Visitor Center. But every time we went by them either we weren’t ready for a meal or had already eaten. They had an attractive looking outdoor patio that seemed an appealing place to dine. It looks like a fun place to eat and I regretted not including it during our visit to Natchez.

But we corrected that omission on a later trip. See our Fat Mama’s Restaurant Review. Rated 3rd best Natchez Restaurant on Zomato, people generally love the Tamales, although their menu also includes Po’Boys, Salads, and Casseroles so you aren’t limited. People also rave about the Margaritas, but if that isn’t your favorite, there are also several tap beers and other mixed drinks available.

More Best Natchez Restaurants and Pubs We Must Try on our next Visit

Kings Tavern

A place we somehow missed on our walk through the Natchez historic district, King’s Tavern is the oldest standing building in Natchez, dating back to 1789. In addition to its history, Kings is noted for its specialty mixed drinks and exceptional flatbread cuisine. The menu doesn’t offer a broad variety of items but what is available is as several reviews have commented “awesome.” But it isn’t a restaurant in the conventional sense. More properly it is a Pub that serves food, which you order at the bar itself. King’s is the #2 rated Natchez restaurant by Trip Advisor, The second floor of the tavern has some ghost history exhibits plus a small gift shop. For the history, ambiance, and a lighter meal, we will make sure to stop here the next time we are in town.

Roux 61 Seafood & Grill

Roux 61 isn’t actually located in Natchez proper but south of town on Route 61. Its rural location offers lots of parking and is an attractive setting. Lots of seating inside and a very popular place with both locals and Natchez visitors. It seems to be the consensus place to go for Seafood and Cajun and Creole dishes in the Natchez area. But if seafood or Cajun isn’t what you want, they get rave reviews on their steak, chicken, pasta, burgers and a wide variety of other dishes. Superb, friendly service. It rates out at the #2 of Best Natchez restaurants on Zomato.