Finding the oldest of anything was not on our agenda, but things happen when least expected. While traveling from Picayune to Corinth we happened upon quite a few oldest continually operating places: restaurant, drug store, hardware store. Whether they are or not is not as important as the adventure in finding these places.

Weidmann’s, located in downtown Meridian, is said to be the oldest restaurant in Mississippi. Founded in 1870 by Swiss chef Felix Weidmann, the restaurant began in the Union Hotel with a counter and four stools. It was moved to it’s present location in 1923 and stayed under family ownership until 1999. At that time it was completely remodeled with much of its old world charm a thing of the past. Today it has a modern interior with little of its legacy showing.

A crock filled with homemade peanut butter is one of the items of its heritage still found on each table. The story behind the peanut butter comes from a shortage of butter during WWII. The story goes, a customer told Henry Weidmann peanut butter would be a good replacement for butter. Weidmann thought it was a great idea and found a Mississippi potter to make crocks. Peanut butter in handmade crocks has been on the tables ever since the 1940s. The peanut butter is a nice touch with a little history.

Peanut Butter Crock

Peanut Butter CrockThe restaurant was talked about so much we were expecting the food to WOW us. I guess never have expectations that are too high. The food was good but nothing exceptional. We had shrimp tortellini and fish of the day (drum). The fish was topped with a seafood sauce and served with a side of cheese grits. For dessert custard and coffee. Overall the food and service was good.

Drum with Seafood Sauce and a side of Cheese Grits

This visit was worth it just for the historical value. It would have been nice to have some of the original food items on the menu.

Tortellini with Shrimp

Dessert

Dining Area