The Sycamore House
Bay St. Louis, MS
Two 19th-century Acadian cottages on Main Street in Old Town Bay St. Louis, serving Creole-leaning fine dining under the oaks since 2002.
Atmosphere
The Sycamore House is a pair of 19th-century Acadian cottages that were joined together in the 1850s, first as the Mauffray Boarding House, and it has served food since the 1970s. Stella LeGardeur and Michael Eastham opened their restaurant here in fall 2002 and named it for Michael's childhood home in Britain. The owners live upstairs. There are two dining rooms with high ceilings, a screened porch, and a patio under mature oak trees. The tagline on the restaurant's own listing is "Come casually, we'll supply the elegance," and the room lives up to it: chandeliers and vintage china, but nobody needs a jacket.
What to Order
The kitchen mixes Creole, Southern, and international influences, and the menu leans on Gulf shrimp. The restaurant's own dinner menu has listed barbecue shrimp, shrimp remoulade, a crabmeat and mushroom cheesecake, turtle soup, and a sunchoke soup that can be served hot or cold. Local listings also mention steaks, a curry, and seasonal specials such as a rabbit cassoulet. The dessert menu has included crème brûlée, a chocolate pot de crème, and a lemon posset, and a review site mentions a key lime pie. New York-style pizza is also on the menu, which is a nice surprise in a house this formal. Menus change, so treat these as a guide.
Good to Know
Hours are the trouble spot: the restaurant's site says it opens at 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and is closed Sunday through Tuesday, while other listings show weekday lunch hours and a Sunday brunch. Call (228) 469-0107 before you plan around a particular day, and reserve for weekend dinners. The house is on Main Street in Old Town, a short walk from the galleries and the railroad depot, and parking is on the street. Prices run from burger money up to lamb chops, according to one local guide, so it can work for a casual dinner or a celebration.
Our Take
The Sycamore House is the pick when you want a Bay St. Louis dinner with some history in the walls and a menu that goes beyond fried seafood. Sit on the porch or patio if the weather allows. Call ahead for the day's hours, book a table for Friday or Saturday night, and ask what the kitchen is serving as a special.
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Details last verified September 2026. Always confirm current hours and menu directly with the restaurant.