Keg & Barrel - Ocean Springs — Restaurant in Ocean Springs

It was a Friday afternoon (10.09.2020) and I was headed home from work. The new Keg and Barrel did not seem too busy (about 430pm) when I was driving by. So I stopped in to try something new.

My first impression was how open the facility is. I was alone so I opted to sit at the Oyster bar instead of tying up a table. I was greeted happily by the gentleman behind the bar (Derek, Chris, and Jordan) and ordered a Guinness. It was not quite frosty (Who drinks Guinness frosty anyways?), but still pretty chilly. I then ordered the variety dozen raw oysters. They were delicious, but honestly I am not much of a connoisseur, so the "variety" is lost on my taste buds. Certainly not their fault as I am a garbage can when it comes to food. I ordered another Guinness and a Reuben sandwich as I ate my raw oysters.

What to say about my Reuben. Likely one of the best textured Reubens I have ever eaten. The Marbled Rye was soft in the "middle", but the crust had a perfectly crisp texture. The Corned Beef, come to find out, is done in house (12 hours in a Guinness Sauce and is "shredded" instead of the usual sliced) and was not shredded on my sandwich, but chunks that peeled away as I ate it. The cheese is cheese (I am not real fond of cheese) and the Russian dressing was almost non-existent on the sandwich, but flavorfully there. They are smart to not drown the sandwich in the dressing like sooooooooo many other places. All and all the food was amazing and I was very satisfied. Kudos to the 2 gentlemen I met working in the back (Matt and Clay if my memory serves me correctly)

My draft Guinness was also bold in taste, but not that "old tap/low keg" taste. Maybe I am the only one that notices the difference between and old and a new keg of Guinness.

The place packed in pretty quickly as the 2 or so hours I was there passed. Lots of business, well dressed individuals, and to go orders. The pricing I would say is slightly "above average" for what I traditionally will spend on dinner, but this is not just a "bar and grill". It is a step above that and you pay a little extra for that. Lots of change in 2020 and that may start to be a bit more of the norm in the "price" of going out to eat.

They earned my 5...

This place has become a staple for us, one of the few places on our shortlist when we just want something good. It was originally recommended to me when asking for favorite places when I first moved here. Their char-grilled oysters, especially if you can catch them during happy hour, are like eating garlic bread but on an oyster - very delicious. We always get an appetizer of the Royal Reds too, which they season to perfection (my husband with a Mexican palate loves that they remind him of chorizo). Every meal we get here has been outstanding. I’ve never ordered a salad as my main course in a restaurant before but even that turned out delightful. They sometimes open the large doors to the patio making the place feel bigger when the weather is nice. We even caught a live musician on a Friday night that sang banger after 90’s banger. We move away in a month and friends have said we need to come back here one last time before leaving.

I only have one complaint on one of their menu items - the fish tacos come deconstructed meaning you only receive the ingredients and some assembly is required. I hate that - I wish they could take ownership of good fish tacos and make it the way it should be combined. I’d take away a half star just for this if I could. All my company that has met me here and accidentally ordered the tacos without knowing that agreed, they felt very disappointed seeing the plate. Still tasty in the end, but disappointing enough to always have a full...

Date night this past weekend was at Keg and Barrel Ocean Springs. We've previously eaten at the one in Hattiesburg, and loved it. So, we decided to try this one, and we were incredibly impressed. From the service to the drinks to the food, 10/10 all around. Alandes (I hope I'm spelling that right) was our server, and he was top notch! We started with drinks. I had the Not A&W's Cream Soda, and my husband had the Sippin Juice. Both incredible. We shared a few starters. Wings (half lemon pepper, half Hattiesburg Hot), Firecracker Shrimp, and the Oyster Trio. We were accidentally brought the crab dip, so I snatched a pic of that, too. Lol. The wings were great. Great flavor, crispy, cooked perfectly. The firecracker shrimp was great as well, with fried jalapenos mixed in. Perfect amount of heat. The oysters though...y'all. Probably some of the best I've had in my life. The trio comes with Chargrilled, Mississippi Rockefeller, and Elote. Now, before you knock elote oysters, just try. They were phenomenal. The Mississippi Rockefeller has cream cheese, greens and pork. Like, 🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼. We will definitely be back, if not just for the oysters. We live in Wiggins, and I would definitely make the drive just for...