Ole Miss is widely known as one of the most traditionally Southern schools in the nation. From being the former home of great Southern writer William Faulkner to being host to the SEC’s classic tailgating scene in The Grove, Ole Miss is truly a Southern treasure.
Located at 118 Courthouse Square in Oxford, Ajax provides a welcoming Southern tradition of its own, offering both Ole Miss fans and visitors a spot to grab some of Oxford’s tastiest food before the game.
“Ajax, it’s just my favorite place in Oxford,” Ole Miss journalism major Jacob Batte said. “It’s the best burger I have ever had, and I love hamburgers. I’ve had burgers in every place I’ve ever been to, and nothing compares to burgers at Ajax.”
The restaurant offers the down-home cooking Alabama fans are used to with the laid-back atmosphere they love.
“The food is Southern,” manager Katherine Montague said. “You will feel right at home. It is up-town, down-home.”
The restaurant is also full of traditions that make every visit a memorable experience.
“The atmosphere is hard to describe,” Batte said. “It is really laid back. It is kind of like a little Southern diner/bar. They have a tradition there: with every meal you get, there will be toothpicks, and you shoot the toothpicks up at the ceiling.”
Ajax is located on The Square in Oxford, which is home to many bars and restaurants close to the stadium. However, Ajax offers things that other restaurants on The Square cannot.
“The rest of The Square is filled with bars that happen to sell food,” Batte said. “Ajax is a restaurant first, and to me it is the best.”
Batte said trying to get into Ajax after a game is challenging; however, if visitors want to come, lunch is much more accessible.
“Usually at night on game days, it is way packed,” Batte said. “About lunch time on game days, it might not be as bad, because a lot of people are going to get chicken or barbecue and eat out on The Grove.”
Montague said that visitors coming in for lunch should not pass up the pork chop, which is a restaurant favorite.
“If you are coming at lunch, I would get the grilled pork chop,” Montague said. “They are my favorite; we grill them with our homemade barbeque sauce.”
Oxford can be busy on game days, so fans trying to experience everything the city has to offer should take advantage of public transportation and avoid driving.
“The stadium is less than a mile away from the restaurant,” Montague said. “There is also a shuttle that runs all day on game day. I would say, coming from out of town, try to use public transportation as much as possible, and the closer you get to campus, try to walk as much as possible.”
