Blue and White Restaurant
Make the detour off the interstate or take the ten minute drive from the casino buffets for a southern home-cooking experience. Illuminated in neon, on top of the old canopy that once sheltered gas pumps, the Blue and White has been a local staple for over 75 years. The decor now takes a cue from its name and regulars will tell you it is more blue now than in the past. Originally a Pure Oil gas station, the Blue and White has been in its current location since 1937, and has functioned as a bus stop, newsstand, and restaurant.
The menu reminds customers that good food takes time, so be patient because everything is cooked from scratch. On the daily menu fried chicken is one of the biggest sellers, and is a featured favorite on Fridays and Sundays.
For many Delta residents, a day trip to Memphis included a stop in Tunica. “People have grown up with the Blue and White, says General Manager Charlotte Ming. “They always planned their trip around stopping, whether it was for breakfast on their way in, or dinner on their way out.”
It’s about tradition where many come to the place that they had their first hamburger or date. The close knit kitchen staff prepares everything from turnip greens and chicken (fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, and chicken livers) to the sweet house specialty of the doughnut tower desert.
Friday’s lunch buffet, known as Fried Friday is popular, featuring all things fried including chicken that comes out fresh, hot, and crispy, utilizing the restaurant’s own recipe with unique seasoning. Round that plate of chicken out with various other southern vegetables that rotate daily in a region where mac and cheese is considered a vegetable.
On my first visit, I chatted with a regular at the next table. I was surprised to discover his wife’s chicken take out order was chilling in the kitchen refrigerator because she prefers hers cold. Hot or cold, dine in or take home, this is a stop that serves it up like Grandma’s Sunday lunch.
Blue and White Restaurant
1355 Highway 61
N Tunica, MS
662.363.1371
