Burgers, pizza, steak: This new Brandon restaurant part of the Georgia Blue family

Large black-and-white vintage photos, exposed brick walls and a sense of history greet diners at Genna Benna’s restaurant in downtown Brandon.

“The cool thing is when people come in and recognize people in the photos,” said Brent Robinson of Pelahatchie, vice president of concept development and franchising for Georgia Blue, a family-owned restaurant group. 

Genna Benna’s is the newest concept for the group that also owns and operates Georgia Blue restaurants in Madison, Flowood, Hattiesburg and Brookhaven and GB Bakery in Brandon and Brookhaven. A new Georgia Blue in Madison plus a Georgia Blue and GB Bakery in Starkville are set to open in late summer.

Located at 200 Town Square, across from the Rankin County Courthouse, the building that houses Genna Benna’s is among the oldest in Rankin County. Architect Jamie Wier of Brandon and Thrash Commercial Contractors preserved every old feature that they could in the building now known as The Wierhouse, including the metal bars on the windows from the building’s use as a jail.

A monitor near the entrance shows a video of construction that transformed the building into its modern state.

The restaurant opened in December, culminating the project that Wier, principal architect at Wier Boerner Allin Architecture in Jackson, began when he purchased the building in June 2016. His idea was to carve out urban-style lofts upstairs and to attract a restaurant to the downstairs, and he accomplished both — and more with his revitalization effort.

“It’s a nice place to have a good meal,” he said of Genna Benna’s.

I can vouch that Weir is spot on thanks to Robinson who provided several items from the menu for me to try.

Tops on my list: a starter of fried pickled okra with house made comeback sauce ($9). The lightly battered pickled okra features a mix of the breading the restaurant uses on its catfish and chicken.

“The first time, diners try it because it’s unique,” Robinson said. “Then they order it because of how much they like it.”

One diner endorsed it with the tweet: #ordertheokra.

I plan to return to Genna Benna’s just to order the fried pickled okra. Another plus: there’s plenty to share.

If you’re in the mood for a salad, go with the cilantro lime grilled chicken salad ($13). It’s a hefty salad topped with chicken and also includes corn and black bean salsa, cherry tomatoes and fried tortilla chips. The house made cilantro lime vinaigrette is tasty.

If you like fish, select the pan-seared redfish, which is served atop a bed of made-to-order rice pilaf topped with bacon and andouille cream sauce ($16). If you prefer seafood, order seafood pasta, which blends sautéed shrimp, crabmeat, sundried tomatoes, onions and linguine sautéed in a white wine sauce ($17).

If you’re a beef eater, try the 16-ounce Stockyards Angus New York strip ($34) served a la carte. Pair it with brown butter mashed potatoes ($3) and mushrooms marinated in chicken broth with garlic and rosemary ($3).

Save room for dessert and select an order of mini beignets ($6), which are perfection topped with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar. Or opt for a slice of king cake cheesecake ($5.99), a dessert that marries a light cheesecake with king cake baked at GB Bakery, next door to the restaurant.

Holly Harper of Pelahatchie recently dined with her husband, Ryan Harper; her daughter, Stella Harper; her son, Jackson Harper; and parents, Rosie and Jack Rhodes of Pelahatchie, at Genna Benna’s. 

“This is my third or fourth time here,” Holly Harper said. “It’s not fast food, and I like that. I love how the building has been renovated.”

Jack Rhodes endorsed the renewal of the building, saying “I think Jamie Wier has done something great.”

Genna Benna’s features a varied menu, which ranges from pizzas to burgers, sandwiches to salads and steaks to seafood and pasta. It was designed with families and large groups in mind, so that each diner could find something he or she might like, Robinson said. There’s also a menu for kids.

Beer, wine and cocktails are available. A $10 pizza or plate lunch special is available at lunch. 

Everything is made from scratch, Robinson said. That includes hamburger buns, French bread, focaccia bread, even croutons, all from GB Bakery.

Genna Benna’s has a private dining room for events from birthday parties to wedding rehearsal dinners.

Live music gets under way each Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. in the restaurant.

Tucked out of sight downstairs from the restaurant is the Speakeasy bar.

“When you walk in the restaurant, you don’t see any part of the bar,” Robinson said. “We wanted to be respectable to the city of Brandon.”

Genna Benna’s is named in honor of Genna Ishee, the youngest daughter of Jason and Jennifer Ishee of Madison, owners of Georgia Blue restaurant group. The Ishees named their first restaurant venture, Georgia Blue, after their oldest daughter, Georgia Ishee.

Genna Benna’s is open from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Sunday. The Speakeasy bar is open from 4-11 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

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