Mary Mahoney's
Biloxi, MS
Photo by Shocking Blue, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
A historic 1737 house turned New Orleans-style seafood restaurant, serving gumbo and crab dishes to presidents and everyday travelers since 1964.
Atmosphere
Mary Mahoney's occupies one of the oldest buildings in Biloxi, a white two-story house with green shutters and dormer windows, and the restaurant leans into that history rather than modernizing it away. Inside, a warren of small dining rooms keeps things intimate rather than cavernous, and a courtyard out back — draped in palms and strung with lights — is where a lot of regulars ask to be seated. White tablecloths, quiet conversation, and servers who've clearly worked here for years give the whole place a sense of occasion. It reads less like a restaurant and more like a well-preserved piece of the city that happens to serve dinner.
What to Order
Start with the seafood gumbo — it's the dish people drive across the state for, dark and slow-built rather than rushed, loaded with shrimp and lump crabmeat. The broiled crab claws and charbroiled oysters are the other two appetizers regulars order without looking at the menu. For an entree, the Queen Ixolib — fresh fish topped with lump crabmeat — and the Shrimp and Crab Au Gratin both show up again and again in reviews as the dishes people come back for, and the fried soft shell crabs have their own devoted following. Portions run generous enough that sharing a couple of appetizers before splitting an entree isn't a bad way to eat here.
Good to Know
Mary Mahoney's is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and closed Sundays — reservations are recommended, especially for dinner, since this is consistently one of the most-booked tables in Biloxi. Dress code is resort casual, and there's a private parking lot right on site, across the street from the Hard Rock Casino. A children's menu is available, so it's workable for families despite the white-tablecloth feel, and the courtyard makes it a popular pick for anniversaries and other special occasions. For a calmer visit, come for lunch or book an early dinner seating around 5 p.m.
Our Take
Mary Mahoney's has earned its reputation the hard way, over sixty years of consistency rather than a single good review cycle, and it remains the restaurant most locals point visitors toward first. The gumbo alone is worth the stop. Service can slip on the busiest nights, and a few recent visitors have noted the kitchen isn't always as sharp as its history suggests — but for a genuinely historic Gulf Coast dining room with food to match, it's still Biloxi's best-known table, and deservedly so.
Details last verified August 2026. Always confirm current hours and menu directly with the restaurant.