Neon Pig

Hands down, the best thing about my visits to Mississippi.
The food is very unique. Many items include a chef’s choice side. Just go with it. The chef has also made me a few items not on the menu, based on what they have in the butcher shop section.
Examples of some unique items I’ve seen here: gator, rabbit, shark, home made potato chips, fresh blue cheese, pickled veggies, pork belly, in house made beef jerky, and the list goes on.
There is a bar seating area. About 10 stools. Also 4 small tables, but the bar is the best. I always come here alone as I’m on business. It’s great alone or with 1 other person. If you’re taking your family out, you might want to think again.
The atmosphere is dark and chill. Beers can be taken from the cooler yourself (crafts, Trappists, local, and well known beers available).
The staff is great. Sometimes it gets busy but hey, you can get your beer yourself.
This is my kind of place, and I’ll always be back when visiting Mississippi.

Great burgers here. We had a Smash and a Bash. Both had great flavor but were a bit small for the price. If you have a big appetite, you’ll need to order two burgers for yourself.
The man next to us had a fish taco that looked good.

Tried the Smashburger and it was one of the best burgers I have eaten. There is bacon in the burger-what’s not to love about that. The bacon has a smokey flavor which gives a distinct flavor you won’t find in other burgers. The meat is fresh from local farms. The bun was light and I didn’t feel like I was eating a mouth full of bread with every bite.

Just had to walk out of Neon Pig. With a party of four. No greeted. Not waited on. How can you keep a place in business when you ignore customers.

My husband and I had read about how this place and its award winning burger. We were going through Tupelo and decided to try it. We were very disappointed. The burger was tough and not very tasty. I ordered the grilled shrimp po boy. It was better than the burger but not great. I had to pick off the tomato as it was past ripe. I will say the bread on both sandwiches was delicious and so warm and soft. The place is quirky and interesting, which we enjoyed. The staff are friendly and great. They have a butcher shop also, which we did not try, although we observed many coming in to purchase fresh meat, eggs and cheeses. If you are a beer connoisseur, I imagine you would thoroughly enjoy their eclectic selections.

Heard a lot of hype about this place and was in Tupelo today so decided to stop in and try the «Smash Burger». All I can say is that it lives up to it’s reputation. At $ 10 it is pricey for this area, but I consider it a bargain. Probably the best smoky, steak tasting hamburger I’ve ever eaten. Try it first just with the condiments standard on the menu, I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s a masterful, dripping, messy combination that will bring sparkles to your taste buds. In New York you would pay $ 25 and up for a burger close to this caliber. Most hamburgers only satisfy your hunger, but this is a burger to satisfy a craving or an obsession.
The rest of the place I discovered has a wonderful selection of craft beers, limited selection of organic produce, and a treasure of a custom butcher shop with organic, locally sourced beef and pork and other meat selections. I purchased a fine looking package of thick sliced bacon to try and could smell the heavy smoke aroma from the package filling the air all the way home. Can’t wait to cook it and taste it.
I’ll definitely be back.

Obviously the staff aren’t use to rejection or aware of the rules of customer service.
As a visitor to Tupelo and avid Unilocaler, I quickly checked Unilocal to see what place locals were raving about and go try it myself. Neon Pig showed up with rave reviews. That’s the place!
When we arrived, it was already crowded. Sure there were a lot of people there, but the limited seating and no one to greet you is what made it uncomfortable a newby within the first few feet inside. We were left wondering what to do as there clearly was no indication of wait to be seated, grab a spot or order here sign.
The location doubles as a butcher shop in the back and a dinner to the side, leaving a narrow path to walk and three tables in a T-​shape the only location for dinners. This space is shared with those doing To Go orders and diners lingering after their meal.
Needless to say, finding a spot to sit was not ideal. We located two bar stools at a makeshift bar top near the front door and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally one of the employees made her way to us to take our order.
During the ordering process we discovered:
* drinks are not fountain drinks and not refillable. So be prepared to spend a hefty sum if you like to drink a lot while dining.
* alcohol is welcomed, but there is a cork fee. That is pretty standard.
* the menu is very, very limited on what you can get and it is standard. There are like a dozen items to choose from and that includes sides.
* the price for a burger runs around $ 9. Tack on fries and the drink you’re out around $ 15 per person plus tax and tip. So this isn’t a place you’d take a family to dine unless your kids are refine eaters and you have deep pockets.
The menu is devoid of photos of their offerings. However, there are posters on the wall touting the burger and a photo showing what it looked like. Unfortunately, somethings are not to scale. As we waited on our food, we observed other diners meals which were identical to the ones we just ordered. The burgers were small, not at all the impression given by the photos on Unilocal and in posters.
After about 20 minutes we received our food. The presentation was alarming. The burgers were brought to us on brown paper towels that one would find in a public bathroom and dripping with grease and juices. When I took the top bun off the burger, I discovered a palm size patty, a sliver of red onion, a very dry spread of topping and cheese. We had asked for lettuce and tomato. That didn’t arrive when we got our food. Which was fine, because upon reviewing the meal, me and my travel partner decided we weren’t eating the burger.
Why? It didn’t look like the value for the money. Plain and simple. The hype on Unilocal and posters led to rave reviews. I’m sure the burger is great, but I didn’t try it.
And that is where the extremely shocking poor customer service comes results.
When we informed our waitress that we were not satisfied and not eating the meal, another woman proceeded to ask me «Are you the type of person who comes into a local restaurant, orders their food and then not pay for it?» Actually no, I’m not. I’m the type of customer that expects value for the product being ordered. And as a customer I have the right not to eat it, or pay for it. Especially since I didn’t eat it.
A cook (who I assume was an owner) proceed to verbally assault me, demanding that I at least try the burger. After I explained that I’m sure the burger taste great, but I didn’t find the quantity to be of value for the price I was expected to pay. The guy then proceeded to open the door and tell me and my companion to «Kick rocks!»
And we left. Shocked.
All of this transpired in front of fellow customers. I’ve waited six months to write this review. I’ve had to let the shock wear off, but it still stings. I’ve never been treated so poorly as a customer.

Thought this was a butcher shop when I first walked in. Almost walked out. Then I saw a menu and decided to get one of their burgers. GREAT CHOICE! Do it…

WOW!
This is how a burger is supposed to impact the eater. The people responsible for it should be honored for their thoughtfulness and careful craftiness.
The burger I had the privilege of enjoying was the «Famous Smash». The server told me they were known for this burger, and let me tell you nothing out on the market right now can touch it.
It’s all stacked on what I believe to be fresh buns prepared and baked there in the store. It is wonderful!
The combinations of the ingredients applied to the bun is nothing short of inspiring. And then the best part, believe it because it is, the freshly and coarsely ground combination of meats that then get grilled. I wouldn’t be surprised if the chef heard angels singing while it cooked, because God Himself would enjoy a burger with this level of detail. It’s really THAT good.

Said the smash burger was what they were famous for so I tried it & it was different but good. Has pickled onions on it which I thought was great. The meat patties are hand made with sirloin, chuck and bacon. Great flavor. Would’ve preferred the bun warmed but wasn’t a big deal.
It’s a bit crammed in this narrow place so be prepared to have people all up in your space. The young lady that was waiting on everyone was very helpful & pleasant. Everyone for that matter was friendly and courteous.

The Smash Burger was delicious and the service was great. It seemed a bit crowded but I’m not surprised after being named best burger.

It’s a great burger, but a bit on the greasy side. I’m fine with that, but it can be trouble if the burger you’re used to comes from a chain restaurant. All the burgers are great, made with quality ingredients and good seasoning. Farm to table philosophy. The food’s been well celebrated and IMO, it lives up to it.
Biggest problems are that it’s extremely small and they appear to occasionally suffer from their own success in the areas of ingredient availability and customer service.

I think the Neon Pig is probably pretty good, everyone around me seemed to love it, but it’s not to my taste. Burgers were extremely greasy and options were limited. I would call this a «man’s restaurant» because of the heavy, greasy meat. I liked the setting and service was ok, kind of an in and out quick place.
From what I could see they were generous w/​the portions of meat or shrimp.

So we went again two weeks later, OMG had a bite of their Smashburger, was coarsely ground chuck (I think) sirloin and rib eye of sort… I only had one bite, but it was wayyyy too coarsely ground for me. There was chewy beef parts, that I couldn’t even chew through, grizzle and cartilage that I couldn’t get past, had to spit out… was not the the greatest burger ever

Good stuff
Good stuff
Outstanding
Good stuff
Outstanding
Good stuff
Outstanding
Good stuff
Outstanding

Every time I eat here, I feel more American than I already am.

The first time I visited the Neon Pig, the special was lamb/​rabbit/​gator/​quail tacos, plus chips and a drink for $ 9. When I saw that deal I knew these were my people, and now this «café» just may be my favorite place to eat in Tupelo.
The café is fairly small, with most of the lunch preparation happening behind a high top counter. There’s bar stool seating so that you can watch the magic happen, too. In the very back is the actual butcher shop bit, because oh yeah, the Neon Pig is a butcher shop. You place your order with one of the wait staff/​cooks, and then help yourself to a drink and a bag of Zapp’s chips if you so desire. The drink cooler offers canned sodas and bottled beer. They have at least four flavors of Zapp’s. Good selection — I love choices! I try a different beer each time I visit, but stick with salt and vinegar chips.
I honestly haven’t ordered anything that I wouldn’t order again, and that says a lot. I’m the type of girl who will try anything once, but it has to be really good for me to order it a second time. I love the smash burger, and the Asian pork buns. Not sure anything has been quite as good as the weird meat medley taco special I got on my first trip, but that’s because those were on a completely different level entirely. Really anything with the homemade pickles and pickled onions on it is a winner for me.
It gets fairly crowded at Saturday lunch, and as mentioned, it’s kind of a small place so I recommend going at non-​peak times. That way you can chat with the friendly staff a little bit more. They’re a lot of fun and have made me feel welcomed every visit. Can’t wait to visit again soon!

Really cool place, lots of things to order you wouldn’t get most places. I had the Mahi and Keilbasa tacos this time. Complex flavors that work together. Friend had the Bash Burger which is always great.
The only reason they didn’t get 5 stars is they have been out of candy bacon and jerky the three times I’ve been here.

Nice dark place to have beer and good hamburger. The smash burger is good like everyone else pretty much reviewed. However, it is not the must have item for this place. Pork Belly wrap, that is the bomb. It is a must have, and I probably would be driving 1 hour just to have that pork belly in the future.

I received the best customer service ever from a waitress here. First of all, I was passing through and wanted something light to eat so I called on phone and they answered and said I have never been there.
She said she would be glad to help me when I got here that she would make recommendations. So, she recommended the burger bun would be good. Indeed it was as it tasty and helped me get home not hungry.
Also, what’s interesting is that you can sit at the bar, they make recommends, then order and finally, watch your waitress cook it in front of you. Wow. Great place. I will be back to get the smash burger that every body is talking about on other reviews.
Overall, I was very impressed about everything concerning this restaurant. So, try it out but sit at the bar for a entertaining appetite show.