The Enid Depot in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, hasn’t always been an award-winning steak house. Locals called it the “depot,” and it served as a vital community general store from 1910 through 1975 before transitioning into an acclaimed farm-to-table steakhouse. It is still located right across from the old railroad tracks, which were the lifeblood of the town, making way for a bustling 20th-century cotton-shipping hub.
“By the 70s, the train industry stopped coming through Enid, and the town dried up,” shared Brent Tippitt, current owner of The Enid Depot. “The building went through several owners, and a couple of guys bought it in the early 2000s and made it an antique shop, but eventually it was sold again; the previous owner put his best effort into turning it into a steak house.”
In the Spring of 2022, Tippitt and his wife, Casey, set out in search of land they could build a small farm for their family. In September of 2022, their family made the trip to Enid for lunch and ran into familiar faces and the previous owner. At that time, Tippitt was involved in real estate and left lunch that day with the owner’s number to help him sell the historic building. In an unforeseen turn of events, instead of selling it, the Tippitts took over the building and restaurant in November of 2022 and never looked back.
Tippitt’s love of cooking started at the age of 10, living with his mom.
“My parents divorced when I was 10, and I went to live with my mom,” explained Tippitt. “She had started selling Real Estate, working long hours. Which means I ate dinner by myself quite often. On Sundays, my mom would take me to Bull Frog Corner in Horn Lake and allow me to fill up the grocery cart with anything I wanted. It wasn’t long before I was experimenting with everything.”
In 2004, Tippitt moved to Las Vegas and attended Le Cordon Bleu and has trained and worked with some of the best chefs in Vegas and in Memphis over the years. With plenty of restaurant experience, Tippitt was well qualified to take the Enid steakhouse to the next level.
“When I first took this place over, I recognized that we were in the middle of nowhere,” shared Tippitt. “And there actually was a little bit of a steady clientele, so at first we changed nothing about the menu; it was working. Instead, I started doing specials every week, posting them on social media.”
The social media campaign was a success at getting the word out about the restaurant, its historic location. Folks became interested in the fine dining menu with limited seating, and new faces quickly started appearing.
“People started driving from other cities to come eat with us,” shared Tippitt. “When we first took it over three and a half years ago, it was 100 percent local, and it certainly isn’t locals anymore.”
Today, The Enid Depot’s clientele is less than 5 percent local. Customers are making hours-long drives to eat for birthdays, anniversaries, or special occasions. And the industry is taking notice too. The Enid Depot was voted Best Steakhouse in Mississippi in 2025 by the Mississippi Beef Council and Cattlemen’s Association. Most recently, it was named Most Iconic Steakhouse in Mississippi in 2026 by Business Insider.
When asked what people order most, Tippitt said, “We’re one of the few steak houses in Mississippi that serve prime rib every night we’re open. And a lot of folks just come here for the prime rib, because we’re the only ones doing it, and we’re doing it the right way.”
If you want to visit The Enid Depot, make sure you do it the right way. They are by reservation only and open a limited number of days a week. You can visit their website or connect via social media.
“I usually post our upcoming specials on Tuesdays or Wednesdays,” shared Tippitt. “That always gets our phones ringing with reservations.”
*Photos are courtesy of Enid Depot Facebook.
