White Pillars Restaurant and Lounge

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Hospitality at Its Roots

White Pillars Restaurant and Lounge opened in 2017 on Beach Boulevard in Biloxi, Mississippi, the creation of Chef Austin Sumrall and his wife Tresse — both proud Mississippians with a clear vision: meaningful, locally sourced food served in a building where, as Sumrall puts it, "the history is palpable." That vision has earned the restaurant a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, alongside years of recognition as the Mississippi Gulf Coast's best fine dining destination.

The Chef Behind the Kitchen

Sumrall's path to Beach Boulevard was anything but accidental. He grew up in McComb, Mississippi, studied Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Mississippi, then received classical training at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He went on to work under three different James Beard Award winners before returning home to open White Pillars. In 2020, the James Beard Foundation named him a semifinalist for Best Chef: South. The following year he was crowned "King of American Seafood" at the Great American Seafood Cook-off in New Orleans. Food Network viewers may recognize him from Alex vs America, where he competed against Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli. His work has also been covered in Garden & Gun, Food & Wine, and USA Today, among others.

The Food and the Philosophy

The menu is rooted in farm-to-table American cuisine and changes almost daily based on what arrives fresh. Gulf fish, shrimp, seafood towers, hand-made pastas, Korean BBQ pork belly, rabbit, and steak all make appearances — but the specifics shift with the seasons and the harvest. The Sumralls spend Saturday mornings at local farmers markets, and that habit shapes what lands on the table each evening. Every serving dish and hand-crafted farm table in the dining room reflects the same commitment: sourced from Mississippi artisans, built to feel like home.

The WP Lounge

The bar area, known as The WP Lounge, anchors the social side of the restaurant. Its centerpiece is the oldest known bar in Biloxi — a beautiful walnut fixture that once stood in the Chicago Blackstone Hotel. Bartenders craft seasonal cocktails using house-made syrups and fresh-pressed juices, and the wine program, recognized with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, offers an extensive list alongside a serious bourbon and whiskey selection. The full dinner menu is available at the bar, making the lounge a destination in its own right.

Desserts Worth Saving Room For

The dessert menu offers a few signatures that lean into Gulf Coast and Southern identity: a "Biloxi-misu" made with house-crafted ladyfingers and a Barq's Root Beer gastrique, a Derby Pie for two with local pecans and bourbon ice cream, and a White Pillars Brioche King Cake with almond filling and almond cream cheese ice cream. Like everything else, the menu is subject to change — farm-to-table means the kitchen follows what's good, not what's printed.