Siren Social Club — Restaurant in Gulfport

Siren Social Club

We read all the reviews, studied the menu and went ahead and made our reservations. I usually wait a few weeks for the newest hotspot to cool off before trying it out but Chef Austin is an experienced Chef and Restaurant owner with White Pillars Restaurant and Lounge being our favorite restaurant. So we went ahead and made reservations. Highly recommend you make reservations a week in advance because this place is going to be on🔥 with the ambience and food experience Chef Austin and the Siren Team is delivering.

Siren Social Club is located inside the beautiful Vela Hotel in downtown Gulfport. We showed up for our 6:45 PM reservations at 6:30 pm. The lobby had a few others waiting. We waited in the lobby and were invited in less than 10 minutes later. We entered in through plain doors (speakeasy) but the inside was anything but plain.

It’s dark inside the main dining hall which I love. Adds to the Cuban speakeasy vibe. The gorgeous bar extends the full length of the dining room with the bar on one side and table seating on the other. The back of the dining room is where the open window to the kitchen and chefs table (bar) is located. We were particularly impressed by the coved ceiling design over the bar. The architecture adds to the ambiance along with the music. Instantly, you are transported to an upscale bar somewhere in downtown South Beach, Miami.

Brendan, our resident WP (White Pillars) mixologist made his debut greeting us almost immediately as we bellied up to the bar. His talent really shines when that first drink arrives. You know you are not dining at just any ole place. Nope, these drinks are anything but average. I had the mojito and felt like Gloria Estefan would have been impressed with this one. Light and effervescent with a bushel of mint on top. My partner in this crime had the ‘Bull by the Horns’ bourbon cocktail. I stole a few sips and it was delicious.

Appetizers: We started off with the paddlefish caviar service. Caviar service included potato Bellinis and house made kettle potato chips. The accoutrements included a creme fraiche dill topping, chives and a soft cheese. Excellent. We loved the old fashioned lazy Susan it was served on with lead glass crystal serving dishes. Reminded me of the old fashioned lead crystal my grandmother had on hand for Sunday dinners. Beautiful presentation.

We followed the caviar service with our favorites- Deer Island French Hermit Oysters. Can’t go wrong with those.

Entree: We chose the beef Wellington for our entree. It’s more than enough to split. I am always nervous about ordering wellingtons as it’s not an easy item to execute well. Imagine my surprise when the Beef Wellington arrived perfectly cooked with a stunning medium rare center staring back at me. It was delicious. For our side, we decided on the 1000 layer potatoes. I don’t have it within me to skip those when I see them on a menu. Always a crowd favorite. We both decided to pair our Wellington with a glass of Saldo.

Dessert We finished strong with the chocolate ganache creme brûlée. Love. Love. Love.

All in all, this place is going to be popular for a long time to come. Consider this, Siren is only 2 days old and service was flawless. The atmosphere is upbeat and what you might would find walking down Drive in South Beach, Miami. This is the place for singles to mingle, couples to enjoy a date night out in a sexy new place or for friends to gather after hours for upscale drinks. The music is on point and the atmosphere transports you to another place and time. Chef Austin and the Siren Team have brought another amazing experience to the MS Gulf Coast and we are all here for it. — at Siren...

I hope this review finds its way to the head chef who approached our table. For context, we had originally made reservations to be seated outside; however, concerned about the heat we took a table next to the kitchen for a moment before deciding to move outside. The head chef came out and asked why we asked to move and, at the time, I was not able to clearly articulate it.

The ambiance in the club is absolutely amazing; however, seating near the kitchen is a sharp contrast. The entire place is dark, smokey almost, with art deco decor and a speak easy vibe. It was our first time there so we based our reservation off of photos and the kitchen adjacent seating is a stark contrast to every other table within the main room. It is brightly lit, clean, sterile. Nothing off putting, but different than the experience signed on for. Before I joined the Navy I worked in a kitchen and it felt off watching folks work.

That being said, I absolutely think that this could be salvaged and turned into an amazing seat, probably one of the better ones in the house. Much of the menus have a very art deco design of a pattern of legs, it sounds odd but someone who has been will immediately know what I am talking about. Some sort of slatted barrier between the seats and the kitchen with this motif would still allow diners to watch the amazing work that the cooks are doing behind the scenes while also not detracting from the decor of the rest of the establishment. Tinted acrylic with LED accents could do a LOT of heavy lifting here.

The food was absolutely amazing. The chef and his team did phenomenal work. They should absolutely be praised and, should that be a design the club is going for, highlighted in their prep and efforts. I will absolutely be going back again.

Also, to the head chef, thank you for approaching our table with your question. It WAS awkward, but as someone who has spent 20 years in the Navy dealing with people who would rather keep doing something off rather than ask questions to get it right, it was appreciated. The chef obviously loves his job, loves his venue, and wants to hand craft an amazing experience for the customer. That took courage, humility, and a level of dedication to craft that is woefully rare and shows through with the quality of...

The entire experience was wonderful. We had to wait a little bit for our reservation, but we were offered drinks while we hung out in the lobby. We had reservations for the counter, which was one of three options. Standard, bar, and then counter are your options for seating. Counter is a hightop counter connected to the kitchen by an open pass through window. I would definitely recommend this spot. We had a great time watching the kitchen staff make incredible food. Our waiter was very helpful and everyone we interacted with was very nice. You can enjoy different options and make it away with under $100 or you can go all out and try multiple dishes like we did. We had the onion soup, 1000 layer potatoes, caviar, Beef Wellington, Ribeye, and chocolate creme brûlée. The ribeye was MASSIVE. It could have fed about 5 people. Everything was wonderful. Lots took some top spots on my list! Buttery, smooth and the meat was cooked perfectly. The sauces and flavors to go along with everything are just as good without taking away from the entree. We will be going back again and I highly recommend this restaurant. Great spot for date night or a small group of friends. Go experience it for yourself you won't be...