Phoenicia Gourmet

We stopped in for breakfast. Upon entering I noticed the dining area looked very clean, well appointed, organized and was well lit by the sun. Our waiter was outstanding. He advised us on the menu, allowed for some changes, and was quite personable. We ordered the soft shell crab Benedict, veggie omelet, blueberry pancakes, and chocolate chip waffles. All were delicious. The portions were large. This was quite a nice “find” in downtown Ocean Springs - highly recommended for breakfast.

The food is always good here. I never have complaints about that. However, the wait staff leaves much to be desired. This was the third time coming hoping that things would improve. We usually sit outside because we bring our elderly small dog in her stroller. It takes forever to get someone to come out and take our order even though they know we are there because we make them aware when we arrive and get menus. When we finally order I don't understand why the server doesn't bring the necessary condiments to the table like sugar, salt, pepper, napkins, ketchup, etc. or at least ask if we need it BEFORE the meal is served and not after when the food starts to gets cold. This last time we were there I ordered a egg white garden omelet which the menu said came with hash browns. When the order came out it was with country potatoes. When I said something about it she said there were 2 types of hash browns and that those were the ones that came with that order and that the other type of hash brown were an upgrade. First off if you know the menu, you should have said there were two types of potatoes and if it was an upgrade, your job was to try and sell us the upgrade. Either way not right and why are you arguing with me about it? You should have just asked if I would have like to change it, but you didn't. Then she never came back to ask if we needed anything else. I'm so tired of the poor excuses of servers these days. The place was not overly busy so I couldn't figure out the delays or neglectful service. I do enjoy the food a lot so there is that. Please either train your help better or hire more experienced or more servers.

I ordered breakfast and my grits were in the size of a container that was 😳meant for condiments. My pancakes were put in a tin bowl that they used but they tasted like some other food had already been in the same bowl before they applied the pancakes. It tasted very much like dressing or some other dinner food. It spoiled my appetite completely!!!

We arrived at the Phoenicia Gourmet looking very much forward to a favorable dining ex perience. Wrong!! We placed our order. People, all around us, who came in at the same time and some after us were served, ate their meals and left. We had not yet received our meals. Some neighboring table offered us food they didn't eat. Our waitress walked by 3 times telling us how busy she and the kitchen were but never served us or even offering munchies to help until our order would be ready. Finally, we left without receiving any applogies from anyone. Hostess Included. Tried to enjoy local cuisine but experienced very unsatisfactory experience.