Trapani's Eatery
Bay St. Louis, MS
Old Town Bay St. Louis' Beach Boulevard seafood and Creole spot, family-run since 1994 and rebuilt on the same corner after Katrina. Known for paneed trout and Oyster Thursday.
Atmosphere
Trapani's sits on North Beach Boulevard in Old Town, behind a green awning, a sidewalk patio with café tables, and a second-floor porch that catches the breeze off the bay. Inside, the dining room has a brick floor, blue-painted walls, striped banquettes, and a big white crab hanging over the fireplace-style hutch in the middle of the room. The Blue Marlin Bar handles drinks and appetizers with water views. The building has a story. Jolynne and Tony Trapani bought the old Mary's Eatery on this spot and opened on November 14, 1994. Katrina destroyed it in 2005, and after years in a temporary location they broke ground in 2010 on a new building, twice as big, on the original footprint. Tony died in 2022; Jolynne and the family still run the place.
What to Order
The house dish is the Paneed Trout Eatery: speckled trout dusted in breadcrumbs, sauteed in garlic butter, and topped with Gulf shrimp. It was priced around $30 on the current menu. Shrimp Ecstasy, bacon-wrapped jumbo shrimp stuffed with cream cheese and jalapenos, is the appetizer regulars point to, and the Fish Almandine gives you the same trout with toasted almonds instead. The menu has a New Orleans accent, so the spaghetti and meatballs with red gravy over angel hair is a fair choice for anyone at the table who is not in a seafood mood. Po'boys run roughly $13 to $20, which is the budget way in. On Thursdays the kitchen sells raw or chargrilled oysters by the dozen, and Sunday brunch comes with bottomless mimosas. Menu and prices change, so check the current one before you go.
Good to Know
Trapani's serves lunch and dinner every day. The restaurant's website lists Monday through Thursday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Hours can change, so check before a special trip. Entrees generally run from about $20 to $44, so it is a step up from a po'boy shop and well short of white tablecloth. Old Town is compact and walkable, with street parking along Beach Boulevard and the side streets, and it fills up on festival weekends and summer Saturdays. Reservations are worth asking about for a group. Outside seating depends on the weather, and the second-floor porch is the spot to ask for on a mild evening.
Our Take
Trapani's gets middling marks on review sites, and that fits what it is: a large, busy, tourist-adjacent dining room where a plate can land a little hit-or-miss on a slammed night. What it has going for it is location, history, and the trout dishes the kitchen has built its name on. Order those rather than wandering the menu, aim for a weekday or an early table, and finish with a walk down to the beach and the Old Town shops.
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Details last verified September 2026. Always confirm current hours and menu directly with the restaurant.