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Trapani's Eatery
116 North Beach Blvd, Bay St. Louis, MS (228) 467-8570
"World famous PoBoys, Seafood & Steaks on the beach in historic downtown Bay St. Louis"
Over the past few years it has appeared as though Bay St. Louis and Ocean Springs have been engaging in a friendly competition to see which can assemble the most diverse collection of restaurants. The winner in this competition is, of course, the dining public. In this age of innovation and change, Chef/Owner Tony Trapani is a holdover. A holdover from the days when Bay St. Louis restaurants were attempting, almost exclusively, to provide familiar settings for tourists and transplants from New Orleans. Please, do not misconstrue this as a negative comment. When asked, "What restaurant on the Coast is most like New Orleans?" I inevitably respond, "Trapani's." In my book this is a compliment of the first degree.
Trapani's is situated on the beach in downtown Bay St. Louis in a building that would be right at home on any river road in Louisiana. The decor can only be described as " 50 year old Fishing Camp". There is one major exception to this. Throughout the restaurant there are numerous examples of Tony Trapani's hobby/moonlighting job. Tony is rapidly becoming known on the Coast as an artist with a unique style. There are many three dimensional mobiles made from driftwood and hand carved fish that add a unique style to the surroundings. I make no claims to being an art expert, however I do predict that one day the name "Trapani" will be as well know for his art as for his restaurant.
While the menu at Trapani's has become more diverse in recent years their specialty remains seafood. I rank Trapani's in my top 5 (possibly 3) fried seafood houses on the Coast. Trapani's offers a full lunch menu with many salads, Poor Boys, scaled down versions of their seafood platters, and many other selections. The dinner menu has all the aforementioned dishes plus a very broad selection of diverse specials and several New Orleans style Italian dishes that have really been given attention and upgraded over the past few years. Furthermore, Trapani's features, in my opinion, the only Muffaletta worth eating on the Coast.
The hard surfaces and crowded surroundings can at peak times make Trapani's quite noisy. This adds a nice atmosphere and energy but makes intimate conversations quite difficult. When busy, the kitchen can become a bit slow and the service a bit frazzled. The restroom facilities are deeply in need of updating into the 20th century. All this, however, does not seem to discourage customers. While there are 3 restaurants within 2 short blocks, I have seen people stand in line on the sidewalk waiting for a table at Trapani's while these other very good places stood half empty.
Prices are what you would expect from a neighborhood seafood house. Poor Boys and lunches are under 10 dollars. The Muffaletta is $10.95 and is available by halves. Dinners are in the upper teen to low twenty dollar range per person.
The fare at Trapani's will not overly challenge your pallet or your wallet but I find myself drawn back again and again. Particularly when my taste buds are calling me back to New Orleans and there is just no time for a road trip.
All major credit cards accepted
No reservations required
Mon-Tues 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Wed-Sun 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Last Updated: 5/18/02
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