White Cap Seafood Restaurant
Gulfport, MS
A Gulfport institution since 1929, rebuilt twice after hurricanes, still serving jumbo fried shrimp, gumbo, and oysters across from the beach on Highway 90.
Atmosphere
White Cap has been serving Gulfport since 1929, and the restaurant's own history shows in every corner of the dining room — nautical touches, family photos, and decor that's accumulated over nearly a century rather than been installed all at once. It's been rebuilt twice, once after Hurricane Camille in 1969 and again after Katrina in 2005, and both times the family chose to stay in the same spot across from the beach on Highway 90 rather than relocate. Old oaks shade the building, and the dining room feels more like a well-worn family restaurant than a tourist stop, even sitting this close to the water.
What to Order
Jumbo fried shrimp is the dish White Cap is known for, breaded and fried to order rather than held under a heat lamp, and it's the plate most regulars order without needing the menu. The gumbo runs a close second, dark and full of seafood, and the po'boys give you the same fried shrimp in sandwich form if you'd rather eat with your hands. Daily catch specials round out the board depending on what came in that morning, and oysters, whether raw, charbroiled, or fried, cover the rest of the classic Gulf Coast seafood spread.
Good to Know
White Cap is closed Tuesdays — worth building into any trip plan, since it's easy to assume a nearly-century-old restaurant runs every day. The rest of the week it's open for lunch and dinner across from the beach on Highway 90. There's no reservation system; it's walk-in seating, with an on-site lot for parking. The dining room is casual and family-friendly, the kind of place where a table of regulars might be sitting a few seats over from a family fresh off the beach. It's an easy stop if you're already along Highway 90 and want real Gulf Coast seafood without the casino-restaurant markup.
Our Take
White Cap has survived two hurricanes and nearly a hundred years in the same stretch of Gulfport, and that kind of staying power says something about the food. The jumbo fried shrimp and the gumbo are the reasons to go, and the price point stays reasonable for what you get. It's not fine dining, and it isn't trying to be, just a longtime local seafood house doing what it's always done. Remember the Tuesday closure before you plan a trip around it.
Details last verified August 2026. Always confirm current hours and menu directly with the restaurant.