walker's drive in

when i heard that we would be eating at walker’s drive-in in jackson, ms, my first thought was “i’ve already had a burger this week”.  don’t let the name fool you.  walker’s drive-in is an upscale establishment and my meal was first class.  a former drive-in (thus, the name), walker’s is located in fondren, the arts district neighborhood of jackson, ms.

a great artsy restaurant.

dinner was delicious. we have dined once for dinner and twice for lunch. dinner was out of this world, though perhaps a tad overpriced. definitely good for special occasions. lunch was okay but nothing to write home about. so far, walker's has been been our favorite nice restaurant in jackson.

we went here for the first time tonight and it was definitely the best meal we've had in a long time. possibly the best in the jackson area. my fiancé and i split the flounder and there is no other word except "divine." substituted the spinach for a side of the pepper jack grits - excellent with the flounder. asparagus was on point. we tried the fried strawberry pie for dessert - this was good but not great. our waiter was awesome. we had an over the top experience at walker's!

amazing meal!. the best dinner i have had in years. service was great, food was great and presentation was great. thinking back, this was probably where i had the last great meal before this one.

outstanding. walker’s has drive-in décor but not drive-in food. it’s one of the best and most expensive restaurants in jackson. because dining space is very limited, they have unfortunately crammed too many tables and chairs into a very small space. you feel elbow-to-elbow with other diners. so it doesn’t have the private, romantic feel a restaurant of this caliber deserves. they have a large seafood menu which during my visit included shrimp, scallops, redfish, grouper, flounder, tuna, seabass, mussels, calamari, plus some fish special with a name i’ve never heard of.

for starters we had their special appetizer of grilled peaches and feta on toasts (my description doesn’t do it justice). it was nice but on another trip i would order something else. for salads we had half the house as well as the corn & apple. either is a good size for a side salad.

for the main course we had the seabass and flounder. the seabass was a small portion atop a bed of rice. the seabass just melted in your mouth unlike any other fish. the only problem was it was gone all too soon. the flounder was outstanding – a large portion covered in crab, artichoke and parmesan cheese sat atop a bed of spinach. the dish was slightly salty, probably from the cheese. it had a rich, delicious sauce that you just had to devour with bread, spoon, or anything at your disposal.

the server talked us out of getting an additional side as they offer “full plates”. while dishes aren’t ala carte, upon return i would order an optional side to make a more filling meal.

depends on what you order. i have a love hate relationship with walker's. i have been many times and sometimes it is great and other times i should have gone to babalu or nicks. i honestly think it just depends on what you order. if it sounds like they could have cooked the meal before hand (the chicken salad,) don't order it. also, make sure to ask how it is prepared; because i don't think the descriptions are totally accurate for most entrees minus the sandwiches.

not a fan. i have debated even writing this review, because i don't have many good things to say. but reviews aren't all supposed to be sunshine and rainbows.....so here goes.

this was some of the worst food that i have ever had in my life. ever. my food was so salty that i couldn't even taste anything but the salt. and greasy. and really....should risotto be greasy? no, it shouldn't. greasy and salty....that's the only thing i remember about that dish.

my shrimp appetizer was expensive and there were three shrimp. granted, they were large shrimp, but unless they were stuffed with 18 karat gold, the price of the dish was way too expensive for three shrimp. and...they're weren't even good. remember, everything i ordered was coated with salt.

our waiter was ridiculously snooty - and yes, i understand that this is a fine dining establishment and it may be frequented by some snooty individuals, but that attitude should not be carried over into the wait staff.

on this particular occasion, i was at a table with about 10 people - and 9 out of the 10 had a bad experience - some with the same saltiness issues i was having, others had problems getting the correct food or getting a refill on beverages. all in all, a horrible experience for all.

i briefly touched on the over-priced appetizer, but honestly, the whole menu is over priced. i say this because the food just isn't good. i don't mind paying a pretty penny for a meal, but it has to be good and the service has to match the food quality and price. unfortunately, this was not the case at this restaurant.

i'm not saying that i'll never go here again, but it won't be without a gift certificate or a friend that says, "come on....i'm paying." because i certainly won't spend my own money here again.

one thing i forgot to say, the ceaser salad, tough, i mean that has got to be the toughest romain lettus i've ever eaten. other than that a good place to eat


-----25 may, 2014-----

second time we ate at walker's. first time it was very good, second time okay. service was good the soft shell crab was very very good. good food, good service, only bad it's very loud in both the dinning room and the second floor area. all in all a very good casual restaurant food selection was good a bit over priced for the portion, but the portions were very good, left you wanting more it's that good.

oh my goodness where do i begin? my local friend made reservations in advance - otherwise we would have had to wait a long time because the place was sold out! incredible menu choices as well as daily specials - too much to choose from. service was fantastic and wow the swordfish and scallops extremely tasty! i felt like i was eating on top of a job 300 story building with the ultimate wood grilled menu! i will go back every time i visit jackson!

the best shrimp and grits that i have ever had!!!! the dining area is small and crowded, so it is a bit loud for a “romantic” dinner. but, the food is worth the sacrifice of ambience. it is a little pricy, but so worth it!!!! definitely coming back when i am in town!

lunch specials are good then at night it gets even better. get the duck if they have it. small, intimate, quirky.... typical mississippi gem

consistently excellent food and service! the scallops were wonderful. try the crab cake appetizer; big lumps of crab with a wonderful butter sauce.

best restaurant in jackson. only reason not a 5 is bc i can't come to giving a restaurant a 5. emerson is one of the best cooks in the state. could one day become a 5.

never judge a book by its cover. they were referring to this place. onsite you'd say "ok jeans and gym shoes". no! it's a really place for a date night, business meeting, intimate birthday dinner. the mr. had the woodgrilled bone in special which he enjoyed and i had the redfish anna.

it's a small quant spot a bit pricy. but!! my dad always says " you get what you pay for"