Ajax Diner, in Oxford,MS, is located right across from the courthouse. For those of you who have never been to Oxford, the courthouse is the beautiful white building that sits in the center of down town. There is a square of charming two story shops/apartments around the courthouse. You can find Ajax Diner in one of these buildings.

Ajax’s menu is full of all the best soul food dishes you could imagine. It was an incredibly tough decision, but I decided to go with the fried catfish as my entree. Deciding what two sides to accompany that catfish with was even more difficult. When my options included, Sweet Potato Casserole, Turnip Greens, Butter Beans, Broccoli/Rice Casserole, Fried Eggplant, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Potato Salad, Black Eyed Peas ,Coleslaw, Red Beans and Rice, Cornbread Dressing, Rice and Gravy, Hashbrown Casserole or Mac and Cheese how does one decide?

In the end, I selected the Sweet Potato Casserole and Red Beans and Rice. The Catfish was awesome. It was tender with a well seasoned crispy coating. It had been a really long time since I had eaten Catfish, it has a different taste than most fish, but it is really good kind of different.

The sweet potato casserole was really good, but the stand out side to me was the Red Beans and Rice. I could tell that I was in a different part of the South. In NC, Red beans and Rice is not a typical side, but in Mississippi I could definitely tell the New Orleans influence was there. The beans and rice were full of Cajun flavor. Based upon the dishes I had, I will have to make a return trip and try the rest of the sides.