Oxford Canteen Takes Over City Grocery

How City Grocery is changing up its menu for a great cause.

‘Big Bad Pop-Ups,’ benefiting the University of Mississippi Medical Center fund, returns to City Grocery.

City Grocery is always a bustling and prominent place to stop and grab a bite on the Square. What might strike the regular restaurant-goer as a bit odd is the sudden change in scenery that has seemed to envelop the premises. Take one step closer and you’ll find one more intriguing distinction; the sudden change of menu items.

Chef John Currence and City Grocery are once again hosting the widely popular event, appropriately titled ‘Big Bad Pop-Ups,’ to incorporate Southern food favorites. Proceeds will benefit the University of Mississippi Medical Center and welcomes other Oxonian restaurant favorites and chefs in the area into City Grocery. Corbin Evans, the owner and chef of Oxford Canteen, was delighted with the idea and jumped at the opportunity.

“Seeing as I’m a staff of one [in the kitchen], they took a lot of pressure off of me and we came up with ways to bulk the prep. They have really made it a fun experience so far,” Chef Evans commented.

Chef Evans later mentioned that he had attended one of the “PopUp Menu” events a few years ago at the Main Event and thought it was quite a fun experience. He was delighted when he was invited personally to incorporate menu items from his own restaurant into the current event.

You haven’t missed the boat just yet, however!

City Grocery will be hosting Oxford Canteen’s favorite dinner menu items for one more night. The theme of the night is the “132 Foot Journey” and will give Oxford residents an opportunity to taste North Mississippi Alley Food firsthand. Prepare to open your palette to new food ideas and benefit a great cause.

Rachel Nasuti, traveling on business, decided to stop by and see what the event was about.

“This restaurant is great and the experience has been awesome. I’m here [in Oxford] for less than 24 hours and one of my coworkers that went to school here recommended it to me, saying it was the place to eat on the Square. I’m not disappointed at all.”

To find out more about the event or City Grocery, check out their website.

Staff writer Samantha Mitchell went to the event to check it out and took the pictures herself. She can be reached at smitche3@go.olemiss.edu.

The menu for the event includes some of Oxford Canteen’s most popular items, such as “Dirty” Grains, Grilled Chicken Croque Monsieur, and refreshments like Pineapple-Ginger Agua Fresca.

“Dirty” Grains

Curried Rice Noodles

Grilled Chicken Croque Madame

Red Cabbage

Pineapple-Ginger Agua Fresca

Turkey Meatball Slider

Creole Mustard Catfish Fingers

The Oxford Canteen is one of the hidden pleasures of Oxford and is located just off of Van Buren Avenue, in one of the alleyways. They are now serving in the Lyric Lobby as well and are open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday. For more information on the restaurant or to look at the menu, go online.