Bird Dog Cafe

Marcy Crowder

2024-04

This is a cafe you must visit while in Laurel, Mississippi!! This was the first restaurant that Ben and Erin renovated on their show Hometown. The two brothers, Connor and Elliot, decided to sell their cafe to enter into a new chapter of their lives. Elliot was able to stay on as head chef with the new owner Karen. There have been a few renovation changes. It is a wonderful place to hang out, either inside or on the front or rear porch!! They are adding new dishes to the menu!! The morning pastries are too die for!! Stop by for brunch or happy hour!! Love the staff, very friendly and helpful!! I can't wait to go back to visit!!

Julie Hutson

2024-04

…More

828cab

2024-04

First time at the Cafe. We were greeted by some of the friendist people. We were drawn to Laurel by the television show Home Town. We selected the French Onion Soup and the Chicken Salad on a Crosiant. The first taste of the soup was amazing, as was the presentation. The deeper I got into the cup, the more salinity I experienced. The sandwich was a little dry, but the flavor was good. I would love to try this spot again.

Olivia Funkhouser

2024-05

Looks like the food is good, but after sitting down at a table, our waitress never took our food order. She took our drink order and then served several people around us and disappeared. Never brought the lemon for my iced tea or the water that my husband ordered, and she left so fast that I didn't have time to remind her for it, so my husband drank his beer and we paid for our drinks and left. This happened at 7pm on May 3rd

Roberta Peek

2023-05

Stopped here on my way out of town Sunday and I'm sure glad I did. Owner is super nice. I had the Peach cobbler latte whoa so Yummy!!!! I also purchased a bacon cheddar scone or some type of delicious thing, a cranberry almond scone and an apple muffin. All very delicious. I would be coming back often if I lived closer to try the other food and drinks they serve. I imagine it's all good. They have a selection of gifts and merchandise as well. Love the cats that lounge around outside the house too!

Linda Miner

2024-04

We stopped in Bird Dog Cafe for lunch, because we saw the episode on Home Town, not owed by the same people, but I had shrimp salad on a croissant was to die for, my husband had French dipped roast beef also was the best he’d ever had and he has been all over Europe.Prices were good, customer service was really great, if I’m ever in Laurel Miss again I will eat there several times. The new owner was very friendly didn’t mind spending time talking to you I rate Bird Dog Cafe 💯

Julie Boudreaux

2022-05

Amazing experience from food to service! My husband got the daily special, which the day we went was tomato basil soup with a grilled cheese. We both love tomato basil soup so I had to taste it after he raved about it. Absolutely delicous! I had Chef Elliot's Salad and it was superb as well. Wonderful food and great ambiance!

Shannon (NOLA Gent)

2024-03

This is cute little joint that looks like it was designed to be a coffee shop and they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. While I'm very familiar with Laurel, MS my knowledge is out of date as I haven't spent much time there in a few decades so on a recent trip I noticed the cool looking exterior of the Bird Dog Cafe and decided to make a visit for lunch. I had no idea they were on that famous TV show that has popularized Laurel as I only ever watched two episodes and that was enough for me as I didn't like seeing houses I knew get changed so much.When I first walked into Bird Dog Cafe I was very surprised to see how small the dining area actually was and I got the impression that it was more of a deli or coffee shop the way their order counter was set up but my party was eventually greeted and taken to a table. When I got the menu I was quite surprised at the prices as EVERYTHING looked very over priced for Laurel, MS and would have been over priced in most places for what they were serving. Their adult beverage selection was full of sticker shock and they had the most expensive Yuengling Lager I've seen anywhere in the USA at $6 (Yuengling is often cheaper than Budweiser). Their selection of food for lunch and dinner was limited to their quite expensive salads, sandwiches and "skillet bakes" so my table ordered our drinks and began the process of deciding on lunch. While waiting for our drinks I took a walk around the back and was impressed with their nice back patio area that looked like it would be a nice spot to enjoy during good weather.While I was deciding what to order I did a bit of quick research and found some reviews praising the chicken pot pie "skillet bake" but when I ordered that I was informed they were sold out so instead I made the mistake of getting the Beef Stroganoff "skillet bake" instead. Our waitress informed us the Beef Stroganoff was her favorite thing on the menu so my party assumed it would be good.So my "skillet bake" came with a salad which you didn't get a choice of salad dressings with and it just came with a light vinaigrette drizzle (which lucky for me that is my preferred dressing). The salad was a nice mixed greens version just like you get at the grocery so not much prep work for that other than a few sliced cherry tomatoes, a bit of grated cheese and the dressing on it. The salad was a bit larger than your typical side salad and it was a nice item to start my meal with.My entrée came out before I had finished my salad which as it was blazing sizzling hot was a good thing as it needed time to cool down. Sadly my "Beef Stroganoff" in the "skillet bake" version of the Bird Dog Cafe brought me sorrow on tasting it as I have to say it was the absolute worst version of a Beef Stroganoff I have ever experienced in my life. I am a big fan of Beef Stroganoff and I've eaten many versions of it and I've always been very happy with it until this experience. The easiest way to summarize the "Beef Stroganoff" is simply with "where's the beef?" Everyone in my party was amazed at the tiny amount of beef in this dish and how it was nearly all noodles. This "skillet bake" was $24 which can get you a nice steak in many of the best restaurants in New Orleans so to have such a tiny skillet dish with so little beef in a "Beef Stroganoff" is simply unacceptable. This "skillet bake" was not worthy of the name "Beef Stroganoff" and should have been called hamburger helper noodles flavored with a hint of beef except there wasn't enough flavor in this dish to even call it that! When our waitress asked how it was we said it was the worst Beef Stroganoff ever and all she could do was say "I'm sorry." I heard customers at another table also reply to the question with unhappy responses to the "Beef Stroganoff."After the total fail of the "where's the beef" noodles I was ready to just leave BUT I had read in some reviews that they had good cheesecake so I decided to gamble with an order for that and I scored the last one they had while the rest of my party got the chocolate cake. For this round I was

cpdu2005

2022-05

…More

Sandy Sisson

2022-05

We ate here 3 times. Just loved it! Connor, the owner has a great thing going here. Staff is friendly and service was great. My only critique would be that someone should have ran to the grocery store to get more orange juice. They couldn't serve mimosas so 50 bucks or more in revenue was lost on us! As a restaurant owner I never want to leave money on the table.You have to try this wonderful Cafe when visiting. And it was featured in Home Town!

Kewanee Fox

2022-05

Walked right in sat right at first table. It was Loblolly Day so they were getting ready for the crowd. However, our service was fast. The sausage croissant was awesome. The ham and cheese croissant was just as good. The preserves for the croissants was awesome. Staff was friendly. I'll be back😜

Sandradee

2023-05

Went there for the Hometown experience. I have to say, its one of the best places in Laurel. My chicken salad croissant was the best ever, and loved the macaroni salad. And the waitress was very kind and informative about the area. Definitely recommend for lunch.

Tanya Neill

2022-05

Disappointing. No hostess, so waited a while to be seated after being walked past by any staff. Specifically came so we could bring our pup to eat at the patio, was told they were not serving outside. Majority of the menu was unavailable. Waitress had leggings unraveling at the seam along her thigh. All waitstaff seemed to be new as they lacked basic communication skills necessary in customer service. Bold to charge $38 for two dry croissant sandwiches with chips, and a slimy chicken breast (photo unavailable) meant for my toddler.

Robin Woods

2022-05

Best lemon pie ! Was first time going. Would Definately go back. The skillet meal I got was really good to. Friendly staff. Busy place. Will be a good memory. My other family members liked it to.

Eddie McIlwain

2023-05

Memorial Day motorcycle ride from Mobile to Laurel. We did not want fast/ chain restaurant food so we found the Bird Dog. Very nice building tucked away on a quaint little street. We had a party of 9 and were seated right away. The waitress was very friendly. 1 1/2 hours later I still had not received my briskets burger. Multiple waitresses were all scramble to fill orders and seemed to be over whelmed that they could not get our food. None of the managers had the courtesy to explain the delay. I would go back, I believe in second chances. I certainly hope this was their worst day, if not….. well good luck. I felt sorry for the waitresses, they were trying their best. I was handed my $22 San which order in a to-go box as I was leaving. Very disappointing.

Michael Trest

2021-05

So this is by far one of the coolest places I've been to in a long time. The service was amazing and super friendly, very cool atmosphere, and the food was top notch! I had some collard green soup and it definitely hit the spot. Followed it up with an Americano and they roast the beans on location... Oh and it's also dog friendly! Thank y'all for a great evening!

Thomas Cassetta

2022-05

…More

katrinamichele1

2022-05

The decor is so charming and really well done. It was so fun to see a Hometown makeover in real life!The food (we had breakfast) however was pretty terrible. It tasted like boxed, instant everything. If you want to see the space if you’re a fan of the show I would suggest you stop by for a coffee or beverage and enjoy the ambiance but skip the terrible and overpriced food.

Jason Farrell

2024-04

…More

Karen Whittington

2023-05

First time to Laurel and the cafe was our first stop for lunch. The chicken Caesar wrap was delicious. Service was friendly and offered suggestions for visitors. Highly recommend. Fan of Home Town.

April Hudson

2023-05

…More

Robert Hackett

2023-05

Decent service. The place was clean, comfortable and cozy. Limited menu, but understandable for a small place like this. The chicken salad croissant was nice. The macaroni salad was...ok.

a. Marie

2023-05

I highly recommend the strawberry banana muffin for sure! This place is very clean and professional! I loved the atmosphere! They are helpful to the stray cats so be sure to stop by and adopt a kitten or cat bc they are very friendly! Currently there is a kitten that was not able to walk and we couldn’t take it out of state :(

Judy Sheffield

2022-05

When in Laurel this is a must do! The cafe is beautifully decorated and the servers are so friendly! The meals are freshly prepared and absolutely delicious!

Cody Bruce

2022-05

…More

Jennifer Owens

2022-05

We ate at Bird Dog Cafe on Saturday. I got the Charred Steak & Mushroom skillet. It was SO delicious!!! I should’ve picked up another order of it before we left town. Now I’ve gotta look up recipes to find something similar.

Christine Ammons

2022-05

We stayed in the apartment for a few days. If you're looking for a cozy, quaint place to stay....look no further. I've stayed in five star resorts that weren't as clean as this place. The attention to details is impeccable.

Jim Cole

2022-05

$14 for a simple chicken wrap and chips is a bit pricey. The same for a basic salad at $13.The staff very friendly but waited a bit too long for our order. Also, the chicken was dry and not fresh.

Charlotte Chiddister

2024-04

…More

Kimberly Morris

2024-04

…More