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We've compiled the best of the best in Jackson - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
In downtown Jackson's dramatic, imaginatively retrofitted Art Deco cinema building, this modern high-energy pizza place has mezzanine and ground-level tables that look directly toward an open kitchen with two massive wood-fired ovens. The flavorful pies and salads abound with mostly organic, often local ingredients. Build your own pizza, or try one of the house specialties. The Bison Son of a Gun features bison chili, and the Tomato Tomato is a hit with vegans.
The best seating at this rustic-contemporary bakery café a short stroll east of Jackson Town Square is on the spacious, shaded deck overlooking lively Broadway Avenue. Choose from an extensive menu of eclectic breakfast and lunch fare, including egg peperonata, brioche French toast with seasonal fruit compote, and one of the best jambon-beurres you'll find outside of Paris. At the very least, you need to try a plain croissant, made with 100-percent European butter. Persephone is a good, albeit pricey, stop for pre-sightseeing picnic supplies, too. There's another location in Wilson, too.
Smoked pork shoulder served with an array of house sauces and mouthwatering prime beef brisket are the specialties at this busy barbecue joint, which evokes the Old West with its wooden booths, Western paintings, and antique signs. Sandwiches and salads (try the homemade barbecue ranch dressing) are also available. This is also one of the best breakfast options in Jackson, but there can be long waits in summer or winter. Desserts include homemade chocolate buttermilk pie and ice cream.
Lunch is served year-round and dinner is served in summer, but it's the breakfasts and home-baked pastries that are irresistible here. It's elbow to elbow inside, so you may have to wait to be seated on busy mornings, but any inconvenience is well worth it. In summer there's outdoor seating.
This cute log cabin juicery, next door to Persephone Bakery and founded by a wellness coach with a cultlike following, offers an array of 100% organic made-to-order cold-pressed juices. Coffee-wise, they can make any espresso drink (even a latte with mushrooms). The food menu includes salads and bowls featuring "superfoods," as well as breakfast sandwiches, served all day.
