Driving though unfamiliar territory without much hope of finding a good and nutritious lunch, I was…read morejust about to pull into the next fast food place I saw. I decided to ask Siri to find something on my current route, and was thrilled with the results. The other reviews here are totally correct. Great food. Great staff. Great service. Everyone in the place was friendly, helpful, courteous, and efficient. The food was ready quickly and was so much better than anything I could have found elsewhere. Do yourself a favor. If you're in the area, and I mean within 100 miles, come see these wonderful people. Support a great business and have some incredible food. To the folks who really made my day today, Thank you, again!

This is LOCAL! It was a busy at lunch time. I liked the covered parking spot and the step up…read moreordering.! We had a burger and a chicken salad. I loved the potatoe salad, dill and bacon! The chicken salad was tasty but loaded with croutons, next time I'll request no croutons.

The food was amazing overall, although I thought the pork chop was overpriced for what you…read morereceived. Our waitress did a good job and was friendly throughout the meal. There was a very large party that had taken over the entire patio during our visit, so I completely understand why the kitchen and service may have been slower than usual. The frustrating part was the seating process. There were several open tables, but customers weren't being seated very quickly. We were a party of two, and the table we eventually sat at was empty for about 20 minutes before we were seated. There may have been a perfectly good reason for the delay, but nothing was explained to us. Once we were seated, the food was worth the wait. I would definitely recommend making a reservation and giving yourself plenty of time, especially if you're visiting during a busy evening. The building itself is also worth mentioning. The inside has a fun, unique atmosphere that's different from your typical restaurant and adds to the overall experience. I'd definitely eat here again because the food was so good. I'd just make a reservation next time and plan on not being in a hurry.

So close and yet so far…read more.. I guess I am spoiled having owned and operated several successful restaurants ( including a popular steak & prime rib house ), and owning a home in San Francisco where no doubt one can easily find amazing food served in amazing restaurants by classy staff who understand what delivering excellent service means... But, we do love our Laurel.....and I do love The Loft! Food gets 4 stars, atmosphere and "the experience" gets 2 stars... Tried The Loft last night for prime rib... 1. The cute as a button young hostess was chomping on her gum to the point it was annoying! Very sweet young lady, but chomping her gum with her mouth open as she talked, walked, sat you, etc. Issue number one here.... no manager on duty? No adult with a measure of class to advise her to spit out her gum.... and THIS is consistent with the tone of this rant & atmosphere..... her open mouth gum chomping is only a part of the issue at The Loft. 2. Prime rib meal was a great value and the quality of the meat appeared to be excellent. Correctly priced in my view! The portion was excellent. I ordered my cut medium-rare and it was served to me a perfect medium-rare..... but look at the photo I attached! Looks well done, huh? SEE ABOVE- my Prime Rib & Steak House did 5.5M a year in sales, we were experts at roasting high quality prime rib.... STOP DIPPING THE PRIME RIB IN AU JUS AS IT DOES TWO THINGS..... ONE, IT TOUGHENS THE MEAT AND TWO..... IT ELIMINATES THE BEAUTIFUL PINK/JUICY PRESENTATION OF A FRESHLY CUT SLICE OF MEAT. Do not make the same mistake that Hog Heaven makes... by cutting the prime rib in advance then storing it on a steam table.... need to slice prime rib "to order", and NEVER dip it in hot au jus as it toughens the meat and makes rare or medium-rare or medium meat look well done. Mt cut was on the tough side but only because I can tell the cook (sorry, not a chef ) dipped it in au jus to heat it up right before serving... it came out looking well done but it was in fact medium rare as ordered. The hot au jus toughened up the meat though, so you lose a few stars for that bad practice. SEE my other photo of my prime rib from my restaurant, never dipped in au jus, and look how nice and pink and juicy it is compared to what was served last night. At my steakhouse / prime rib restaurant I had a batch of baked potatoes coming out over the oven every 20 minutes during peak hours of operation to guarantee my patrons received a fresh and hot potato. Last night the server explained upon arrival to our table that the cook forgot to put in the potatoes so they may not have any in time for my dinner.... happily, by the time we were served the potatoes came out of the oven so mine was incredibly hot and fresh... and hopefully the owner reads this and adopts the "out of the oven every 20 minutes" practice. Reduces waste too... Salad was fresh and the portion size perfect... no complaints coming out of either end of me regarding the lettuce! :) Ok, now the bad part.... Turn up the air! Same complaint we had last year... the same complaint we heard from two tables near us..... your restaurant is TOO COLD and the icy air blows down on the hot food doing what? You guessed it.... making your food cold! No need to freeze your patrons... cool is ok, icy cold is not fun, not comfortable.... Your flatware, again.... is a joke. Come on... as I asked before... drive down to Hattiesburg and visit Longhorn and take note of their nice silverware and steak knives. SEE the photo? We are not prison inmates, this is not elementary school or a long-term care facility.... please provide your patrons with some decent, not cheap, flatware.... your choice of the cheapest flatware takes down your restaurants classy-level by 2 stars. Train your servers! Laurel is visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors a year to see the Home Town sites... and obviously many visit The Loft. One's impression of Laurel, in part, is formed by ones experience at each restaurant visited...yes we are small town, yes we are deep south... but lets train what class is! Please... Learn the wine menu, where each wine comes from, etc., and learn the stages of service that includes how to properly suggestive sell. Our server was great overall, but she did the usual " did you save any room for desert?" routine. To increase revenue, server quest check averages and tip averages, teach how to suggestive sell! After pre-bussing and then later removing dinner plates.... have them approach the table and say this... "I just tried our bread pudding and it was amazing! We make it fresh daily and the cheese cake too which, by the way, I had last night and it was incredible... can I bring you a slice? You're going to love it..." Is The Loft a nice place? Yes, but "nice" is relative... it's not "fancy nice". Lastly, men... take your hats off!

The pulled pork waffle fries were delicious, and the portions were huge. Friendly service and a…read moregreat atmosphere!

I'm not sure where to begin with this review, because we very much wanted to enjoy this restaurant,…read morebut it was not a very good experience in any sense. We were in Hattiesburg for the night and found Murky Waters through their website, which indicated through their menu, photos, prices, and their suggestion that reservations should be made that this was elevated southern barbecue. It is not. Which is fine, if that's what you're serving and charging for. But here's what we got: "Smoked ahi tuna dip" = canned tuna salad ($12.95, served with Keebler Club crackers) Ham & cheese po' boy- it was just a ham and cheese sandwich on a long roll, and the roll was cold ($13.95) My son liked the brisket, but said the Mac & cheese was not good. My family got refills on their drinks, but my drink came in a smaller glass and I didn't get a refill. We all got soda, so I'm not sure why. The restaurant is pleasant, but we were seated directly in front of the window unit air conditioner so we had to decide which one of us would be the most uncomfortable while eating. The bill was over $100. After discussing it, we all felt that we would have felt better about the entire thing if the food had been more fairly represented and priced. If you go, don't order the tuna.

Traveling all week & wanted a simple dinner! Found reviews here on Yelp! Arrived & the drive thru…read morewas packed...good sign. Parked & looked over the menu on the building. Hot dogs. Hamburgers, fries & tots plus soft serve. I ordered a hamburger only ( or the #1 ) as the man said. I didn't want cheese or onions...Just order by # that's what they want. Sit @ the table & relax. Really quick order. Counter pick up! The hamburgers are delicious. Hubby enjoyed his fries & the #1. I wanted soft serve but already full. Would highly recommend for quick yummy meal.

I had Phillips Drive-In on my list to try. I was so pleased I got to try them. The service was…read morefriendly and quick. I went with a classic cheeseburger with all the regular fixings. You can upgrade and add $3 for a basket of fries and a few onion rings or just onion rings. They even had homemade milkshakes. I really enjoyed my PDI meal and being able to eat outside in 70 degree weather in February was a bonus. I hope to come back one day.

The sign out front says the best burger in town and wow, did they deliver!!! So good! Briana was an…read moreaccommodating chef/owner that hooked me up!! I will return!! FYI-- they are open late on Friday and Saturday and they support local live music

I'll be honest, my wife and I had our doubts because, well, let's just say that McGill's isn't much…read moreof a "looker"...but man were our burgers delicious! Large, handmade patties, cooked excellently, good amount of fixin's and great service! The fries had some kick to them because of how they are seasoned and they were delicious as well. Definitely one of the best burgers in Laurel! Will be back for sure!!

Always great, love that steak bomb and potaters. It's a good Poboy, location is convenient to get…read morein and out.

I got a steak bomb on my visit. It was my go to order. This was my first time trying this location…read moreand that order there and the sandwich didn't have any seasoning. Idk if they forgot to salt it or what. I took it home, added salt, and it made it better but I'm hopeful it'll be better seasoned if I go back. Counter service was great and food came out fast.

First of all, Mr. Fish is the REAL DEAL. He saved the day for our family when some were stranded…read moretraveling, and he NEVER EVEN ASKED OUR NAMES. We are still practically speechless. Thank you, Mr. Charles. We can never repay your kindness. The food is fresh and cooked to order, and it was delicious! The atmosphere is so nice, easy and relaxed. The restaurant is clean and decorated so lovely. Everyone we met was friendly and greeted us warmly. These are good people who love the community and have hearts for others. Go, sit a spell, and enjoy the experience. Wish we could give 10 stars. We will never pass by Laurel without stopping in.

Wow! So delicious! We had fried catfish, whiting and shrimp. The cornmeal coating was so crisp and…read morenot greasy at all. Everyone there was so friendly. The place itself is welcoming and so clean!

This is the only restaurant for many miles in the immediate area. The hamburgers and fries are the…read morespecialty here and those are definitely what they do best here. The fries are good and crisp with a nice flavor while the burgers are nice sized, juicy and flavorful. I've gotten the steak they offer here and I wouldn't do so again and I highly suggest sticking with the burgers. They also have quite a selection of desserts here which are generally good but I've also had one of the worst cheesecakes I've ever had here before too as it seemed it was half cold and half hot and all blah. On my last visit I was also a bit grumpy over the fact they were out of lemons for my iced tea. As this is about the only venue in the area quite a few local characters frequent this establishment. You can definitely observe some interesting folks and hear some local dialect to give you an experience unlike anywhere else but this little corner of rural Mississippi. As long as you stick with the burger and fries you should have a fine experience here and you might even get the pleasure of meeting some really friendly people.

A country gem found by taking the path less traveled. I stumbled upon this diner/bakery while…read moredriving backroads for work. I originally stopped here because I saw sign for a bakery. Around lunchtime they serve plate lunches from their special of the day or your choice of menu items. I've been here a couple of times and they really represent country love in their food #soulfood. Traditional cooking is well represented in their bakery items as well. From pies, cheesecake, to cookies, and chess squares, their desserts reminds me of Sunday dinner at Mawmaw's. They will cater too- I haven't used them yet, but will review when I do.