Me either, but the Beacon on North Lamar Blvd. is the closest thing to it.
The Beacon has been open as long as I can remember, so long that the Oxford Football Team still goes here for some of their pre-game meals before they take the field.
You will not go into the Beacon without seeing some of the regulars in the restaurant. (One of my favorite things to do when I was a kid - that being at the age of 4-9 years old - was going out to the Beacon and eating a Grilled Cheese sandwich, mind you this was well before Oxford expanded to what it is today).
When the Beacon first opened, it was on what was then Highway 7 before the 4-lane bypass was built to the east of town. Remember that Highway 7 (N. & S. Lamar Blvd.) and 6 (University & Jackson Ave.) used to go through the Square in the center of town. So many, MANY people used to drive by this place going to Holly Springs or to Bruce or Water Valley.
They no longer take credit or debit cards as payment, but they have installed an ATM machine (shown on the right side of this picture on the right) so you can take out some cash to pay for your meal. It would be a good idea to bring cash before coming here so you won't have to do that and have to pay a fee to use it.
There are three rooms that can sit the people that come here to eat, enough room where a football team can enter and eat like the Chargers. One room is very Ole Miss oriented. They also have many Ole Miss schedules posted throughout the restaurant.
Now enough about the place and its history, how about the food I keep talking about? It is a typical restaurant, open for Breakfest, Lunch and Dinner 7 days a week. For Breakfest, you have Bagels w/ Cream Cheese, Bacon, Muffins, Omelets, plenty of Pancakes, Oatmeal, Cold Cereal w/ Milk, and Sausage. For drinks in the morning include Milk, OJ, Grapefruit Juice, Tomato Juice, Coffee (of course), and Hot Chocolate.
For Lunch, they have Hamburgers + all the normal upgrades w/ Cheese and Bacon, Chicken Tenders, Catfish, Salads, Baked Potatoes, I'm sure I'm leaving a few things out (I forgot to take a picture of their menu) but many southern dishes are in the menu. Sides include many green vegetables including Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes, Crinkled Fries. Their beverages include anything from the Breakfest menu along with your typical soda choices (they do Pepsi products here), water and sweet or unsweet tea - despite their saying that "We Ain't Got No SWEET Tea!" There is a kids menu with kids options like the Grilled Cheese I mentioned, along with Hamburgers and Hot Dogs, probably missing a few out of this - I think they also serve Mac & Cheese.
For this Pre-Game Meal, I choose the Jumbo Bacon Cheeseburger - which won't sit well with my calorie diet I'm on, but I never make it under my budget on Friday. It came with Crinkled Fries. The Jumbo Bacon Cheeseburger is basically what it says, using American Cheese and all the fixings (of course I left a few out in my burger).
For those that have not lived in the city all your life, meaning lived in the country or in a place in the delta, or have not lived close enough to big cities like Tupelo, Corinth, Southaven/Olive Branch/Horn Lake, Starkville, Columbus - this place will feel right at home. For those that have, enjoy some of their southern hospitality they love to give. It's worth checking out at least one, their food is certainly worth coming for.