Aug 10
13
The Round Table Restaurant
BUSINESS PROFILE
THE ROUND TABLE RESTAURANT
318 Church Street, Columbia, MS – 601-736-3438
One of the most popular places to get some good down home cooking in Columbia is the historic Round Table Restaurant. Although the structure was built in 1915, The Round Table has been operating as a restaurant continuously since 1940, and has been owned by four separate owners in that seventy year period. When World War II began, the only parachute manufacturing facility operating in the United States was in Columbia, Mississippi. The parachute company increased production and worked twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week throughout the war. People from all over the South streamed into Columbia to work in both the parachute factory and in the local oil fields, both of which were very important to the role the US played in World War II.
Ms. Ida Rawls opened her heart and her home to these folks. With the assistance of several elderly ladies who lived in her home at the time, she served meals practically around the clock to weary workers. Her home also served as a boarding house to many of these workers. Ms. Ida always had a place for anyone who needed to sleep, bathe, and eat during the war. She never turned anyone away, even if she had to make up a pallet on the floor of the parlor. Ms. Ida took service to her country and fellow man very seriously. Everything she cooked was locally grown and prepared fresh, much as it remains today.
To this day, many folks return to the restaurant to eat, reminisce and walk in their forefather’s, and mother’s, footsteps. The Round Table is steeped in tradition, history, and superb country cooking. Gary and Vickie Blackwell are the fourth owners of the restaurant and carry on the tradition of fresh, fine Southern Home Style Cooking. Paula Dean, the Food Network Diva, raves about the restaurant and has the t-shirt to prove it. The Round Table has also been featured in Southern Living magazine and attracts diners from around the world with their unique cuisine and historic atmosphere. You never know who you might see at The Round Table Restaurant.
Some of the dishes served at the restaurant include such southern staples as fried chicken, pork chops, beef tips, country ribs, and real homemade macaroni and cheese. Some of the fresh vegetables available include green beans, creamed corn, black-eyed peas, stewed squash, and turnip greens. There is also a delightful selection of desserts like banana pudding, Mississippi Mud pie, pecan pie, egg custard, as well as many other pies, cakes and puddings. All of this is self-served on the huge, rotating “lazy susan” tables that have been in use since the opening of the restaurant many decades ago, and provide the inspiration for the name of the restaurant.
If you would like to enjoy the wonderful food and conversation at The Round Table, stop by 318 Church Street in Columbia for an experience you won’t soon forget. The operating hours are 11:00 am until 3:00 pm on Sundays and 11:00 am until 2:00 pm from Monday to Saturday. The Round Table is now open at night on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm. Call The Round Table at 601-736-3438 for more information.
