Tucked along 7 Rivers Drive in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Poppa’s Original Wharf Seafood is the kind of unfussy, fry-basket-forward seafood house that the Gulf Coast does so well. This is Pine Belt cooking with a clear Louisiana accent, where fried catfish, Gulf shrimp, oysters, and crawfish share the menu with alligator bites, po’boy-style sandwiches, and a creamy seafood Alfredo. Portions run generous, the pace is quick, and the lineup leans hard into the Southern fry-and-grill tradition. Below is a guided tour of what Poppa’s Original Wharf serves, the dishes regulars come back for, and the practical details you need before you go. Menus and prices can change over time, so treat the figures here as a snapshot and confirm directly with the restaurant.
Menu Overview
Poppa’s Original Wharf builds its menu around the staples of Mississippi and Gulf Coast seafood: fried and grilled fish, shrimp, oysters, and a rotating cast of crawfish and alligator dishes. You can eat your way through the menu in two main directions, the fried side and the grilled side, with a deep bench of sandwiches, burgers, pasta, salads, and Southern sides rounding things out. It is a casual, family-friendly format where most plates arrive with a couple of sides, and the kitchen is comfortable serving everything from a quick chicken-tender basket to a full seafood combo platter.
The breadth here is part of the appeal. Pescatarians and seafood devotees will find catfish, redfish, salmon, mahi-mahi, yellowfin tuna, shrimp, and oysters, while anyone who is not in the mood for seafood can land on a burger, a hamburger steak, boneless wings, or a chicken pasta. The result is a menu that works for a solo lunch as easily as it does for a table full of mixed cravings.
Menu Categories & Highlights
Appetizers
The starters lean Southern and Cajun. Expect fried mushrooms, fried green tomatoes, cheese sticks, and onion rings alongside more regional choices like crawfish tails, crawfish puppies, crab claws, and fried alligator. Roast beef fries are a hearty, shareable option for the table.
Salads
If you want something lighter, the salad section runs from a simple house salad up to protein-topped bowls. You can add shrimp, chicken, fried alligator, or a fish selection that includes tuna, mahi, or salmon.
Grilled Platters
The grilled side of the menu is where the kitchen shows off its fish program. Options include catfish, redfish, salmon, mahi-mahi, and yellowfin tuna, plus grilled shrimp and grilled chicken for those who want to skip the fryer.
Fried Platters
Fried is arguably the heart of Poppa’s. Southern catfish, fried oysters, and chicken tenders all show up here, but the standout is the combo platter, which brings together fish, shrimp, and oyster in one plate.
House Pasta Specialties
For something richer, the pasta dishes are served with a side salad and include a seafood Alfredo, an Iberville chicken pasta, and a Fourchon shrimp pasta, the names nodding to Louisiana geography.
Sandwiches & Burgers
The sandwich list reads like a Gulf Coast greatest-hits, with fried and grilled chicken, fried alligator, fried crawfish, roast beef, Philly cheesesteak, mahi-mahi, shrimp, oyster, and Southern catfish, plus a pick-two seafood combo. Burgers range from the namesake Poppas Original Wharf Burger to specialty builds like the Leaf River, Grand Isle, Biloxi Blues, and Delta Swiss, with a hamburger steak for good measure.
Sides & Desserts
Southern sides are well represented: French fries, steak fries, sweet potato fries, cole slaw, steamed vegetables, corn on the cob, Cajun red potatoes, side salad, onion rings, stuffed crabs, and seafood gumbo. Save room for dessert, where New Orleans beignets, vanilla bean ice cream, and a brownie a la mode close things out.
Featured / Signature Dishes
A few dishes come up again and again as the ones to try first:
- Combo Fried Platter (Fish, Shrimp, Oyster) – the signature way to sample the fryer in one plate, and a frequent recommendation from regulars.
- Southern Catfish – available fried or grilled, and a dish reviewers repeatedly single out for quality.
- Crawfish Tails & Crawfish Puppies – the appetizers that lean hardest into the restaurant’s Louisiana influences.
- Seafood Alfredo – the richest item on the menu, a creamy pasta for diners who want comfort over crunch.
- Fried Alligator – offered as an appetizer, a salad topper, and a sandwich, this is the menu’s most distinctive Gulf Coast specialty.
Prices (note: may change)
The following prices reflect figures published on third-party menu listings and may change over time. Always confirm current pricing with the restaurant before ordering.
| Item | Category | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Crawfish Tails | Appetizer | $9.99 |
| Fried Alligator | Appetizer | $10.99 |
| Crab Claws | Appetizer | $11.99 |
| House Salad | Salad | $6.99 |
| Fish Salad (Tuna, Mahi, Salmon) | Salad | $12.99 |
| Grilled Yellowfin Tuna | Grilled Platter | $15.99 |
| Grilled Redfish | Grilled Platter | $15.99 |
| Grilled Catfish | Grilled Platter | $13.99 |
| Combo (Fish, Shrimp, Oyster) | Fried Platter | $14.99 |
| Southern Catfish | Fried Platter | $9.99 |
| Fried Oysters | Fried Platter | $10.99 |
| Seafood Alfredo | House Pasta | $17.99 |
| Fourchon Shrimp Pasta | House Pasta | $17.99 |
| Poppas Original Wharf Burger | Burger | $7.99 |
| Shrimp Sandwich | Sandwich | $6.99 |
| Seafood Gumbo | Side | $4.99 |
| New Orleans Beignets | Dessert | $3.99 |
Most sides run from roughly $1.49 to $2.99, making it easy to round out a plate without much added cost.
Restaurant Information
Location: 7 Rivers Dr, Hattiesburg, MS 39401 (some listings note Ste 50). Hattiesburg sits in the Pine Belt region of southern Mississippi.
Hours:
- Monday – Saturday: 10:30 AM – 9:00 PM
- Sunday: 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Phone: (601) 550-1824
Hours can shift around holidays and seasons, so it is worth calling ahead if you are planning a late visit. You can also find the restaurant on Facebook for occasional updates.
Popular Customer Favorites
Across review platforms, a few themes come up consistently. Diners praise the generous portions, the speed of service, and the quality of the fried seafood. The most-mentioned favorites include:
- Fried catfish, repeatedly described by guests as among the best they have had in the area.
- Fried shrimp, often ordered alongside catfish in a combo basket.
- The combo platter, prized for letting you taste fish, shrimp, and oysters in one sitting.
- Beignets, the go-to sweet finish.
Reviewers note that the kitchen turns plates out quickly and that portions tend to be filling, which makes Poppa’s a reliable pick for a hearty, no-frills seafood meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Poppa’s Original Wharf Seafood located?
The restaurant is at 7 Rivers Dr, Hattiesburg, MS 39401, in the Pine Belt region of southern Mississippi. You can reach it at (601) 550-1824.
What is Poppa’s Original Wharf known for?
It is best known for fried Gulf and Southern seafood, especially fried catfish, fried shrimp, oysters, and the combo platter, along with Louisiana-leaning specialties like crawfish and fried alligator.
Does Poppa’s Original Wharf offer non-seafood options?
Yes. In addition to seafood, the menu includes burgers, a hamburger steak, boneless wings, chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, and an Iberville chicken pasta, so non-seafood diners have plenty of choices.
What are the price ranges at Poppa’s Original Wharf?
Based on published listings, appetizers and sandwiches generally fall in the single-digit to low-teens range, platters in the low-to-mid teens, and pasta dishes around $17.99. Sides are inexpensive. Prices may change, so confirm with the restaurant.
Is the menu available for dine-in and takeout?
Poppa’s operates as a casual, quick-serve seafood spot, and its menu appears on several ordering and listing platforms. For current ordering and availability, contact the restaurant directly.
Looking for more like this? Browse more menus, explore our food guides, or dig into more Seafood Restaurant Menus.
Last updated: June 2026.
