Creamy cheese grits topped with smoky bacon, garlicky shrimp and a splash of white wine for that Oxford, Mississippi restaurant vibe at home.
Photo by MLB
Copycat City Grocery Shrimp and Grits
City Grocery Shrimp and Grits is a Southern favorite with plump shrimp piled over rich, cheesy grits. The bacon, mushrooms, scallions and pan sauce make it feel like a full restaurant plate, not a side.
Make City Grocery Shrimp and Grits at home with a buttery cheddar grit base and a hot-skillet shrimp topping finished with garlic, mushrooms, wine and lemon for that bold, savory bite.
Quick Recipe Overview
- Best For: Weekend brunch, Southern-style dinner, impress-without-stress meals
- Flavor Profile: Creamy, smoky, savory, lightly tangy
- Skill Level: Standard
- What Makes It Like the Restaurant: Cheddar-loaded grits with a hot-skillet shrimp topping finished with bacon, mushrooms and a quick wine-lemon pan sauce
City Grocery
City Grocery is one of the restaurants that helped put Oxford, Mississippi on the food map. It’s part of chef John Currence’s City Grocery Restaurant Group, known for Southern cooking that feels polished without getting fussy. In Oxford, it’s the kind of place people point you to for a real night out – good seafood, steaks, cocktails and a menu that changes enough to keep locals interested.
What makes the group work is range. Big Bad Breakfast leans into comfort food and house-cured bacon, while City Grocery keeps the same Southern backbone but dresses it up with seasonal plates and a bigger wine-and-bar feel. If you’re visiting Ole Miss or just passing through town, this is one of the “start here” restaurants.
Why This Shrimp and Grits Hits Different
Shrimp and Grits started as practical coastal cooking – shrimp straight from the water and grits as the cheap, filling base. Over time it moved from home kitchens to restaurant menus, where the upgrades usually come down to three things: better seasoning, richer grits and a sauce that pulls the whole plate together.
This version leans steakhouse-Southern. The grits go full comfort mode with butter and two cheeses, while the shrimp cook fast in a hot pan so they stay snappy, not rubbery. Bacon brings smoke, mushrooms add deep savory flavor and scallions brighten the finish. That little splash of wine and lemon is the “restaurant move” – it lifts the whole dish so it doesn’t eat heavy.
City Grocery Shrimp and Grits Recipe
Make our City Grocery Shrimp and Grits Recipe at home tonight for your family. With our Secret Restaurant Recipe your Shrimp and Grits will taste just like City Grocery’s.
Ingredients
For the Grits:
- 1 cup Quick Grits
- 4 tablespoons unsalted Butter
- 3/4 cup Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Paprika
- Tabasco Hot Sauce to taste
- Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
For the Shrimp:
- 2 cups chopped smoked Bacon
- 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 1/2 pounds 20-30 count Shrimp
- Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon minced Garlic
- 3 cups sliced White Mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons White Wine
- 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 2 cups sliced Scallions
Instructions
- Cook grits according to package instructions.
- As they are finishing, whisk in butter, cheeses, cayenne, paprika and Tabasco to taste.
- Cook bacon until it begins to brown. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.
- Crumble bacon and set aside. Strain drippings and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet until very hot.
- Add olive oil and 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings.
- As oil begins to smoke, toss in shrimp to cover bottom of pan.
- Before stirring, season with salt and pepper.
- Stir until shrimp begin to turn pink; let pan return to original hot temperature.
- Stir in minced garlic and bacon bits, being careful not to burn garlic.
- Toss in mushrooms and coat with oil briefly.
- Add lemon juice and wine, and stir for 30 seconds or so until everything is well coated and incorporated.
- When ready to serve, stir in sliced scallions and cook about 20 seconds.
- Serve immediately over the aforementioned, patiently waiting cheese grits.
- Enjoy, burp, and reminisce about those fine meals at City Grocery.
Related Copycat Recipes
- Gulf Coast Restaurant-Style Shrimp and Grits – Juicy shrimp served over creamy grits with rich Southern flavor
- Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp – Crispy shrimp tossed in a creamy, sweet-spicy sauce that hooks you fast
- Ruth’s Chris Steak House Barbecue Shrimp Orleans – Bold, messy shrimp dish loaded with garlic, butter, and Cajun heat
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Questions People Ask
Can I make this ahead?
Yes. Make the grits ahead and reheat with a splash of water or milk plus a little butter. Cook the shrimp topping fresh right before serving.
How do I store leftovers?
Store grits and shrimp separately in airtight containers. Reheat grits gently on the stove, then warm the shrimp briefly so they don’t overcook.
What is the best substitute if I do not have white wine?
Use chicken broth plus an extra squeeze of lemon. You’ll still get a good pan sauce without the wine.
How do I keep the shrimp tender like a restaurant?
Use a very hot pan, cook in a single layer and pull them as soon as they turn pink. Overcooking is the only real enemy here.
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Recipe courtesy of Chef John Currence, City Grocery, Oxford, MS. Restaurant information courtesy of the City Grocery Website – https://citygroceryonline.com/. Photo of Shrimp and Grits is by MLB and is used by permission under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) License. Thank you, Baseball. Great Picture. Photos may be “representative” of the recipe and not the actual finished dish. All photo licenses listed were correct at the time of the posting of the page. Additional Information Courtesy of Wikipedia and is used by permission.