Step off the sidewalk in downtown Ocean Springs into a New Orleans-style bistro, where jazz and blues play, red beans and rice are always on the menu and today’s bar special could be a peach cobbler Old Fashioned.
Marcello’s — Taste of New Orleans is freshly opened at the former Evergreen restaurant at 1019 Government St., just east of Washington Avenue.
Where Evergreen was moody and more formal, Marcello’s is bright and casual, with a menu of favorite New Orleans dishes, along with burgers, seafood, Italian fare and steaks.
It’s the newest enterprise of Kenny Williams, who has restaurants and bars including Mosaic Restaurant & Bar, Red Apple Lounge, Eleven, Lost Spring, Neon Moon and The Beer House, throughout downtown.
Michael Davis, a native of South Mississippi who has worked in management at Coast casinos, resorts and restaurants, has partnered with Frank Marcello, who has 35 years of restaurant experience. He owned Mandina’s in Mandeville, Louisiana and six months ago brought his recipes to Crave Food Hall in Ocean Springs.
When this new opportunity came together, they quickly refreshed the Evergreen decor — keeping the tree that “shades” the bar — rebranded and reopened as Marcello’s with much of the same staff.
An indoor tree with ornaments hanging from its branches stands at the entrance to Marcello’s Taste of New Orleans on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.
Jackson Ranger / Sun Herald
“It’s your traditional New Orleans bistro featuring great New Orleans traditions, Creole flavors, along with gumbo, turtle soup and, of course, some great pasta dishes,” Davis said.
Starting with dinner and drinks
The menu at Marcello’s is much like it was at his Mandeville restaurant, Marcello said, with his same recipes and a mix of casual sandwiches, gumbo, salads and more substantial pasta and entrées. They also have a full bar with mixed drinks, wine and specials like Almond Joy espresso.
“We do everything from scratch,” he said — the red sauce, the meatballs, red beans, brown gravy and all the dressings are their own. The po-boys are served on Leidenheimer French bread from New Orleans.
Starters include fried eggplant sticks, Buffalo wings and smoked crawfish spinach dip. Salad lovers will find some different choices, like fried oyster salad, shrimp cocktail and shrimp rémoulade salads or salmon salad.
Michael Davis, left, and Frank Marcello have partnered to open Marcello’s Taste of New Orleans in downtown Ocean Springs. The casual restaurant has a big menu of Creole, seafood and pasta and a full bar.
Jackson Ranger / Sun Herald
The burgers are char-grilled, the chicken fingers breaded to order and the house specialties include trout almandine, their seafood platter and shrimp Marcello in Alfredo sauce.
While it’s not an Italian restaurant, Marcello’s serves spaghetti and meatballs, veal Parmesan and chicken piccata. It is a New Orleans restaurant, and the red beans and rice come with Italian sausage, veal cutlet or a pork chop and the fish is fried or the catfish and trout prepared Creole style.
The dessert menu is still being finalized, but starts with cheesecake or Milk Way pie.
Place in the community
The restaurant made its debut Thursday and initially will be open for dinner Tuesday to Thursday from 4-9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m.
Soon they will add lunch, featuring a list of grilled fish, pastas, sandwiches and salads, and when the weather allows, lunch and dinner will be served on the patio amid the atmosphere of the downtown.
“We’re going to take part in all the festivals and the parade activities,” Davis said. “We’re really looking forward to our first big event coming up on New Year’s Eve,” he said, where Government Street will be filled with a crowd gathered to watch the ball drop and 2026 begin.
Dining and Cooking