Ground Zero Blues Club — Restaurant in Clarksdale

Last fall I toured the MS Blues Trail and stoped at this club on a day that it wasn’t open for business. I finally had the opportunity to go back to Clarksdale to visit. It was much better than I expected! Didn’t know it is one of the top rated Blues Clubs in country.

Every employee was very friendly. I had the opportunity to have a conversation with Mr. Abraham who is over security and Ms. T (Tameal) who is the Booking Manager. They made me feel very welcomed!

We went to watch Fred T. perform Friday night and ordered nachos which were very good. Saturday we went back for dinner and ordered the catfish dinner which was delicious! Each time we went we had a wonderful experience because the service was always excellent.

There is a dance floor so if you feel like dancing just get up and move! I dance quite a bit myself although I’ve never danced to blues. 😃 There are 2 pool table and the price to play is very reasonable. You can also rent a juke junk style room upstairs.

I love the murals on outside of building. They also have screened outdoor seating. There is a souvenir store as soon as you walk in club. It’s open from 11am-12pm. Friday and Saturday and 5-11pm WTh. The bands start playing at 8pm.

They have seats on front porch and this is where I sat Saturday evening and had a conversation with Mr. Abraham on who has been employed since club opened in 2001. When also met when I first arrived at restaurant on Friday.

I also met Ms. Tameal who shared a brief history of the building and how the club came into existence: It was built in 1905 and was an cotton grading warehouse. The ramp on restaurant was loading dock for train. And that the design and artistry in and on building was done with a purpose.

I highly recommend visiting this Blues Club for great performances...

Of course, their music was what attracted many people over from all over the world, but I can honestly say that out of the food that I have had, I thoroughly enjoyed it all in terms of taste. It was economical, too, so we had quality food while spending a reasonable amount of money.

I had the catfish BLT, which was a simple catfish burger with the most basic ingredients. Yet the catfish itself was so tasty that I didn't even need ketchup or mayo for the burger. It was so seasoned that it definitely made the burger an enjoyable experience. My partner had the kingfish platter which was essentially catfish as well. But then there was a small cup of coleslaw that we both thought was the best we've had, mainly because they didn't use mayo but some kind of vinegar to supplement the taste. And then my partner had the deep fried pecan pie and I had a taste of it. Even though I am not even the biggest fan of pecan pie, I really enjoyed that one and I think it was because the deep fried aspect along with whipped cream complemented the gelatinous material in pecan pies (don't know how to call it).

There was music 365 days a week in the club, and particularly we were there during the annual Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival, so it was extra special. There were visitors all over the world attending the festival and many great bands played in the club. The amount of mess on the walls in the club speaks to the historically and culturally rich aspect of this club and of this town. Definitely a 5...

Groundzero needs to start it all over again.  We arrived at the restaurant around 1 and when we got there I got out to take pictures so when we finally sat down it was 15 after one. We didn't get service or drinks until 1:45. After she got our order she went to the next table to get their order. So that's adding more time for my food to get sent back to the kitchen. I finally hear a ticket print at the back at 1:58. I kept up with the time because I could tell they were badly understaffed. The one server/runner was wearing flip-flops.  She had to pour some more cups of ranch and after she topped them off she liked her fingers. I could hear her lips smacked. My skin crawled. I got up to tell the only bartender and cashier but she was so busy. So I just walked off and said I was going to send in my horrible experience.  I also forgot to mention no one was wearing hair nets. The guys in the back cooking weren't even wearing non slip shoes.  One guy even had on And1 basketball shorts. Is that a proper uniform? I sure hope no one else has to experience this horrible place. One guy even walked up and got his own food because it was taking them too long to bring it out. The cashier said I wasn't prepared for this.  Honey it's labor day weekend you should've been ready...... but even after all the negative the food was really good. We both ordered burgers and they were awesome. Also a customer sitting next to us found a Corona bottle cap in the bottomed of her sweet tea....