Taste of the Game: Visit City Grocery as Ole Miss hosts South Carolina
OXFORD, Miss. — Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “Where we love is home – home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.” No matter how many times I have crossed in and out of the Oxford city limits, I perform the same rituals as we all do when we come home. For me, that always involves a drive around the Square — and a stop for food and spirits at City Grocery.
A perfect Friday night view from @CITYGROCERYOXMS 💜 #VisitOxfordMS https://t.co/Fjz9FZqEFQ
— VisitOxfordMS (@VisitOxfordMS) July 11, 2020
There is just something about having the windows down in my Tahoe as I make that loop, listening to Widespread Panic and Canned Heat as I feel the crisp fall breeze and take in the scents that only a place like Oxford can bring on gameday…all the while crossing my fingers I get the perfect parking spot to enjoy whatever the day will bring.
This weekend the Rebels return home after a much-needed week off and look to capitalize on still actually getting to play a game this weekend. Ole Miss and South Carolina are one of just three SEC match-ups that have not been forced to cancel due to COVID-19. Coach Kiffin and his ball club will host the Gamecocks in a Saturday evening showdown with kickoff slated at 6:30 PM in the Vaught.
So, with a coveted evening time slot you know what that means. You can enjoy an all day affair in and around the Square. Press those sports coats and shine those boots, gentleman and ladies, because It’s time to get dolled up in true southern gameday fashion.
When I’m not on the sidelines or in a press box, I love to hang out at a place where I can sample a variety of food and drink and enjoy the atmosphere. I want a place I can have a post-run libation or go for a date night while people-watching and having good conversation.
Luxe, yet simply Southern
There is just something so luxe yet simply Southern when you go to a place like City Grocery. Seriously, y’all, this should be a right of passage for anyone who comes to Oxford. What I love is you can really make a whole evening of it and never need to go anywhere else; it’s a one-stop-shop.
Enjoy the downstairs with fantastic cuisine — you know if it has John Currence’s name on it, your tastebuds will thank you for years to come. And if you’re looking for something more cozy and quaint, then head up those signature steps and be greeted like you’re the only one in the room.
City Grocery feels like home.
Walking up those steps at City Grocery and being greeted by a familiar face who still knows what bourbons I love is like coming home. (I am still hoping I can get that signature plaque one day on the bar!)
I could stay all day on that Balcony and I am pretty sure I have more than once closed it down. If there is a place that you can get all the things we love on Gameday then City Grocery has to be on your stop.
Like I said its going to be an all-day affair so let’s get started on my picks for this week’s Taste of the Game at City Grocery.
Lunch at City Grocery
Fuel your day with an early start off their lunch menu. For those looking to go lighter, start with the OGCG Cesar Salad and kick it up with your choice of grilled chicken, fried oysters, or blackened shrimp.
Click here for the lunch menu.
For those of you wanting to really jumpstart your day with a more hearty fixing, go straight for the Roast Beef Po Boy or Pan Seared Gulf Fish. Both of these dishes and sides will get you through game day. Wash it down with some of the best libations in town. (If you are looking for some of the best selection of bubbly waters and my personal favorite small-batch boutique bourbon, this is your place.)
Happy Hour
Check out Happy Hour from 2:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. or hang out and pre-game your dinner plans. City Grocery’s Happy Hour menu is a winner from top to bottom with the best of both worlds, luxe southern food and libations. I say go for the Poutine and Tiger Sauce Chicken Wings and wash that down with a Stella or Yuengling — unless you’re Texan, in which case go for the Shinerbock.
Even though we can’t Grove this season due to COVID-19 precautions, we can still have our party. The one thing I love about City Grocery reunions, as I like to call every stop there, is you never know who you’ll to run into, or the new fellowships and memories you will make. As the saying goes, ‘if those walls could talk!’
Dinner deliciousness
Whether you’re solo or enjoying a date night, dinner at CG will be a winner for sure!
Enjoy the Crawfish Etouffee appetizer or the Cumin Scented Butternut Squash Soup. If you’re looking to enjoy a nice savory entree, try the Grilled 44 Farms Filet. It will leave your mouth watering. Or, you can always go for the comfort food — Shrimp and grits, with scallions, white wine, lemon juice and big bad bacon. Yum!
Check out their dinner menu here.
There’s no place like home
No matter how much time goes by, there are just some places that will always feel like home and City Grocery is that for me. There is nothing like having a place to watch the annual Christmas parade, or enjoying conversations with both friends and strangers from across the balconies on gameday.
Each of us has our own memories of City Grocery and they are only understood by those of us who gather there and keep the traditions of Gamedays in Oxford. Bon Appetit!
To keep up to date with game day at City Grocery or to make a reservation, contact them at 662-232-8080 or visit them at https://citygroceryonline.com
City Grocery
152 Courthouse Square
662-232-8080
LUNCH
MONDAY-SATURDAY: 11:30AM-2:30PM
HAPPY HOUR(S)
MONDAY-SATURDAY: 2:30PM-6PM
DINNER
MONDAY-SATURDAY: 6PM-10PM
CLOSED SUNDAY
RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED
Lee Ann Herring-Olvedo
Lee Ann serves as the Director of Recruiting for The Rebel Walk. She sees college football the way championship programs do—from inside the personnel room. Every evaluation, every roster move, every recruiting battle tells a bigger story about identity, culture, and how a program is built to win in December, not just July.
With more than 15 years covering the SEC and the national recruiting landscape, Herring-Olvedo has built a reputation as one of the sport’s most respected personnel-driven voices—blending film evaluation, roster construction, and long-term program vision through a true front-office lens. Her coverage of powerhouse brands like Ole Miss Rebels and Kentucky Wildcatshas consistently gone beyond headlines, focusing instead on the blueprint behind winning programs: development, fit, culture, and recruiting strategy.
That foundation was formed early at Brown University, where she worked in player personnel and recruiting while competing as a student-athlete. Inside those recruiting operations rooms, she learned how elite organizations are truly built—through relentless evaluation, relationship building, projection, and trust in the board. Those experiences shaped the way she studies the game today: part scout, part storyteller, part architect.
Her analysis and reporting have appeared across major platforms including ESPN, NFL coverage spaces, USA Today Sports, and Saturday Down South. She also brought her personnel-minded approach to the airwaves as an on-air analyst for the Wake Up 502 College Football Show on Big X Sports Radio 96.1, where she became known for combining film-room detail with a wider understanding of roster identity and program trajectory.
In 2025, covering the rise of Houston Cougars football under Willie Fritz reignited the part of the sport that first drew her into football—the culture, the edge, the belief that a roster can reshape an entire city. That inspiration led to the launch of Coogs 365 Sports, a platform built to cover Houston athletics through a true scouting and recruiting lens while connecting the emotion of the game to the heartbeat of H-Town.
Now, Herring-Olvedo returns to The Rebel Walk where with an even deeper perspective shaped by years inside recruiting circles, national SEC coverage, and hands-on evaluation experience. Her return brings a familiar voice back to Ole Miss coverage—but with an evolved lens rooted in roster architecture, player development, and the modern realities of building championship-caliber football in the NIL and portal era.
For Herring-Olvedo, recruiting has never been about stars beside a name. It is about identifying competitors, projecting growth, and building a locker room capable of sustaining success. Her philosophy mirrors the best front offices in football: stack traits, trust culture, and never stop building.
