Ground Zero Blues Club

This place is always terrible. A fake juke joint designed to entertain tourists.

This Blues Club pays homage to the legends but doesn’t really push the limits of good music if you know what I mean. Expect to hear covers of Mustang Sally and see an older crowd. On the plus side, there’s usually a dozen or so tourists from abroad and Bill, the co-​owner, will be talking to everyone.
I tried the fried grits at his suggestion (with honey and butter) it was pretty damn good!
BBQ burger is good too. Burger with pulled pork on it. How can you go wrong?

Maybe just a bad day but will never go back and discourage anyone else. Was there 05÷21÷16 ordered four burgers and fries. Burgers were cold and fries were cold and soggy. Service was bad and my son asked if you can give a less than zero to rate. Finally walked up and handed the server cash and told her we just had to go.

We were only around Monday so we missed the music but we enjoyed a lunch. My catfish poboy was excellent as were the other meals. We weren’t drinking then but we agreed the bar was large and inviting. I did taste a sample of a very good local beer.

Fun bar with live music (evenings) and great BBQ! Their baked beans are also very tasty. Friendly staff good atmosphere. Don’t be thrown by the outside curb appeal, it’s a safe place to stop. Lot of history here. Place is owned by actor Morgan Freeman and the mayor of clarksdale.

Catfish was good. Magic marker décor was interesting.
They charged a 20% tip to my card without my permission. I was a single and left a cash tip!

I rather enjoyed it. Good food and very reasonable prices, particularly for a place having ties to celebrity. Wait staff was friendly, food was hot and well prepared. For those complaining, it’s NOT an authentic juke joint, but it is a very nice little club with great music and good food.

So Much FUN!
Our server was amazing! She made us feel very welcome and was incredibly attentive :)
The food and drinks were great. The band jam session with dancing was a BLAST! We even got to meet the Mayor, who owns the place while we were there. All around a great spot!
Best tip about this place: you get to write on everything in permanent marker!

Disappointed that I am disappointed after checking this off my bucket list. This is «juke joint» by name and feels pseudo authentic, but does not hold a candle to the vibe at Teddy’s Juke Joint in Zachary, LA or Po Monkey’s down the road. But thanks for your investment in Clarksdale, Mr. Freeman.

Had a great night at Ground Zero!
Visiting some of my boyfriend’s family in Cleveland and we made the 45 minute drive to come here for dinner on thanksgiving eve. We arrived around 7 and the place was relatively dead. We grabbed our own table near the stage. Shortly after, our waitress T introduced herself and told us about the menu and the performance that night.
We ordered some appetizers — the fried hot tamales, fried green tomatoes, and nachos. We didn’t know what size to get so we ordered the full, but it may have been too much for our party of 6. The fried hot tamales were good, but mostly for their novelty, and the group thought regular hot tamales were better. The fried green tomatoes were delicious with a light cornmeal breading. I highly recommend them. The nachos were good, too, with plenty of pulled pork.
Onto the entrees. I ordered the catfish dinner with turnip greens and black eyed peas. The meal also came with a cornbread muffin and 2 hush puppies. I thought the catfish filet was perfect. I chose the sides more out of curiosity and would probably try other sides next time– just not my thing. The cornbread muffin was pretty dry, but the hush puppies were nice and spicy.
Others at the table got the pulled pork dinner, the potato a la Morgan, the catfish salad, and a burger. I think everyone enjoyed their food but the burger was nothing special.
Following dinner, we stayed for the entertainment which began at 8 and kept going well after we left around 10. We were happy to have such good seats as the place became quite crowded. We were also satisfied with the selection of local beers on tap. The entire venue had a really cool ambiance and we can tell that it’s a fun place to go hang out at on the weekends. I’ll definitely return the next time I’m in Mississippi.
Also, quick shout out to our waitress, T. She was super friendly and hospitable and contributed greatly to our overall experience.

Been three times and that ain’t enough.
Love the place — the people, the food, the music, the musicians, the drinks.
Always have fun there. And have met quite a few very interesting people.
The people — fun, friendly, create a great atmosphere. Had some great conversations there.
The music & musicians — this is GROUND ZERO so what do you expect?
The drinks — big plastic cups make for some serious sipping. Cold beer is always the right stuff.
The food — very good. Catfish is outstanding. Unexpectedly good given how much fun the place is. And it’s fried — what ain’t good about that?
If you have any interest in blues, go. A wonderful experience listening (and watching) locals letting it rip alongside of some big names.
If you have no interest in blues, this would be a great place to remind yourself of that.
Or to change your mind.
Go. Meeting people, eating good, fun food, listening to musicians pour their souls out.
Kind of what life is or should be all about.
Thanks guys, for putting this place together.

Huge spot for listening to blues. Get a sharpie to sign your name wherever you can find space. I thought the energy here was less electric than at Red’s. Vibe was more fratty due to all the bros playing pool and clustered around the bar. Friday night included a $ 10 cover but they accept cards.

We had a really good time there. Casual atmosphere, very unique. Food is … Fried but great and a portions are big, even the regular ones. We had the tamales, nachos and fried green tomatoes. Well, it says it all! And the band was nice!

The place for Delta Blues, Morgan Freeman’s place, Clarkdale, MS. Staying in a room upstairs over the club!

This is a great music club that also serves very good food. They get authentic Delta blues musicians here from the local area, which is very rich in talent. We saw some great performances here by Kingfish and Super Chikan, amongst others. The burgers Barbeque and fires were awesome as well. If you get a chance you should check this place out some evening when the band is playing. Service is great here, with plenty of southern hospitality.

Oh yeah… Big time, big time…
Its a right of passage coming here.
This place is AWESOME!
Awesome music, authentic… Has a lot of personality…
None of the chairs are the same, very make-​shift. Down-​home, juke joint, all those thangs.
They have a bunch of bottled beer selection, and keep a couple draft beers on rotation — good draft beers too, not schwag.
Music is amazing. Sound system really good.
The food was also very tasty! I had read a couple other reviews about how tasty the burgers were and they really are!
Super-​friendly service all around.
The Mayor of Clarksdale was there and he went around and chatted with everyone.
Also come to find out, they have rooms /​beds upstairs that you can stay at.
The night we went here was very cold, but I can imagine on a Friday or Saturday night in June, I bet this place hops.
Would love to go back.

Walking around Clarksdale, it’s small enough that you will eventually run into Ground Zero. This feels like it will be an iconic place if it sticks around for another 40 years. Morgan Freeman co owns the place. It’s a good stop if you are visiting the Blues Museum next door.
Snack bar Food is very tasty. The Burger with mushrooms and fries is great. Service was good. It has a lot of character inside and out. Live music here nightly. Billiards tables at the front.

Holy freak’n signatures everywhere!
Have you ever got so drunk with your friends at a bar to the point where everyone was staring at you all? That pretty much sums up my night.
Really divey yet trendy bar/​restaurant, but the live music is really impressive. Go ahead and mark your territory. that is if you can find a spot to Lol. Was not digging the cheap furnishing such as the fold up chairs and tables with cheap picnic table sheets to eat at. Service seemed slow and was not even very busy.
Food was a hit or miss as in some fresh and some stale or overcooked. Sides seemed to be the major complaint such as fries brought to the table cold and many not as appetizing like the cole slaw. I recommend the fried tamales and nachos for appetizers. Bar is stocked and fairly priced.
As for Morgan Freeman showing up, its all based on faith unless you are a local there. All the employees gave me different days and times as to when he makes an appearance.

I would give Ground Zero 3 stars if it weren’t for the fact that I had the best burger of my lifetime here. My friends and I were staying at the Ground Zero upstairs, and alas, the apartments are not soundproof and the floors shake with the impact of the music downstairs. Granted, if you’re staying above Ground Zero, why would you not partake in the music downstairs? Maybe because there were other juke joints in town (ahem, Red’s and farther out in the Delta, Po Monkey’s) that I’d rather spend my time at.
However, my friends and I were hungry, so we went downstairs and ordered food. The band was setting up, and we weren’t charged a cover until they started playing. I didn’t mind paying the cover, but if you’re staying upstairs, then I think the cover should be waived. I also didn’t mind paying the cover because the burger I got was well-​worth the 9 dollar price tag and then some. I ordered the Jukin’ Blues Burger, what a fitting name, and it came with hand battered fried onions and jalapenos, melted mozzarella and American cheese, and a tangy «get back» sauce. Because of this burger, I now order onion rings and add them to my burgers. Finding fried jalapenos is more difficult, but I have fond memories of this burger and I wish we had a Ground Zero up North.
The club itself has booths, bar seating where you can watch the Memphis Grizzlies play, pool tables, a stage for the performers and enough room near the stage for some serious dancing. My friends and I got up there and danced, then we played some pool with the locals. I think the sheer mix of locals with tourists makes Ground Zero a good time for all. Plus, you can leave your «mark» on this place anywhere you like. My friends and I grabbed a Sharpie and had at the pool tables. Visitors are encouraged to sign and do some Sharpie artwork in the bathrooms and in the club itself.

This is a converted old cotton gin into a renovated Delta Blues club for blues bands and Morgan Freeman’s southern soul food restaurant. It is really an authentic Mississippi Delta Juke Joint that is open today. The décor has a relaxed atmosphere and begins with old sofas out front on the front porch to a Ground Zero mobile that is outside in the parking lot along the side of the restaurant.
It also has 7 apartments up stairs that can be rented out for the true blues fans. Across the street is the Delta Blues museum for people to learn a little more about the history of blues and how it all started. They have pool tables in here too for those who like to play.
Ground Zero is co owned by actor Morgan Freeman, Attorney and present Clarksdale Mayor Bill Luckett, and Memphis executive Howard Stovall.
Ground Zero has entertainment for its visitors. The Restaurant has a stage for blues bands to play and offer live entertainment to its patrons. Blue bands usually play here Wednesday through Saturday and start at 9pm but call to confirm as schedules for venues are subject to changes and cover charges as we all know.
You can autograph the restaurant. However, there is literally not a enough space on the walls to even write your name.
As far as the food is concerned– everything is fried. Such as fried green tomatoes, fried okra, fried catfish, fried chicken, French fries, fried pickles, fried grits, fried green beans, fried hot tamales and even off the menu items that are fried like their fried bologna sandwich.
They even have fried desserts like fried chocolate delights and fried crème cake. They also have pecan pie and home made peach cobbler.