This beloved Mississippi restaurant survived tragedy after tragedy. Then came Katrina.
One of the most-missed restaurants on the Mississippi Coast was a gem in Pass Christian that survived tragedy, fires and disaster before Hurricane Katrina closed it forever.
Annie’s restaurant in Pass Christian was famous for its hospitality and unique coastal cuisine and has a history that spans back about 100 years ago.
In the early 1920s, Pass Christian and the Mississippi Coast experienced significant growth and development. The completion of the Old Spanish Trail and the expanding automobile industry led to the establishment of new restaurants, hotels, and roads across the entire coast.
Meanwhile, a ferry service between Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian allowed visitors to travel back and forth across the bay. With visitors coming from across the Coast, as well as the rest of the nation, a plan was formulated to turn a 1,400-acre plot of unsettled land in Pass Christian into a resort.
Initially called Pass Christian Isles, the development spurred the creation of new commercial and residential buildings that eventually became Henderson Point.
Beloved Annie’s restaurant began with immigrants
One of the new businesses to appear during this time was Annie’s restaurant, founded by “Big Annie” and her husband “Poppa Sam” Pagano, an Italian immigrant. The restaurant was a drive-in eatery that offered sandwiches and sodas to locals and travelers passing through along the Old Spanish Trail.
By 1939, the restaurant relocated to a new lot and underwent its first major renovation, adopting a stucco facade instead of the original frame. Unfortunately, a devastating fire also swept through the establishment during this time, causing a temporary closure.
Nonetheless, throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Annie’s gained popularity along the entire Gulf Coast. The menu eventually featured signature dishes such as Peggy’s beer-battered shrimp, broiled flounder, fried chicken with spaghetti, seafood gumbo, and smeje or schmedje style shrimp and oysters served with a garlic, cheese, and butter sauce.
Regrettably, Annie’s faced numerous tragedies, including hurricanes in 1947, 1965, and 1969. Hurricane Camille dealt a particularly severe blow and nearly leveled the building. Despite these challenges, the Pagano family persevered, rebuilding after each event to continue serving Pass Christian.
Mid-20th century renovations transformed Annie’s interior with wagon-wheel chandeliers, hand-carved painted duck decoys as decorations, as well as copper barrels and cheese vats acquired from Midwest breweries and dairies. Paintings hanging on the walls featured subjects ranging from Santa Claus to “Big Annie.”
The restaurant even attracted celebrities such as Vaughn Monroe, Robert Mitchum, and Jane Russell, who graciously signed autographs for locals outside the restaurant.
Each dining room had a fireplace, while live musical performances created a unique experience that set Annie’s apart from other restaurants on the coast.
Hurricane Katrina closes Annie’s for good
Over the years, Annie’s hosted a plethora of special events, including birthday parties, engagements and anniversaries. Large decorative bells placed in the garden outside rang out to announce these significant moments in the lives of Pass Christian’s residents.
Despite enduring another fire in 1972 and closing for two weeks after a van crashed into the dining room in 1980, Annie’s remained committed to serving the Coast. In fact, Annie’s was one of the historical restaurants that made the Gulf Coast’s seafood cuisine nationally famous.
However, Hurricane Katrina’s devastation in 2005 brought an unfortunate end to Annie’s. The restaurant never reopened and was subsequently demolished. Much of Henderson Point sat vacant for years, with many locals wondering what establishment would eventually take the former place of Annie’s.
Thomas Genin, who owns The Blind Tiger restaurants across the Gulf South, was a cook at Annie’s and recently announced he’s opening a new location of The Blind Tiger in Henderson Point near the site of the former restaurant.
Today, many of Pass Christian’s longtime residents hold cherished memories of Annie’s and its positive impact on the community over the decades. While Annie’s is one of the most missed restaurants in Coastal Mississippi, residents look forward to whatever restaurant eventually calls Henderson Point home.
