Three of my coworkers and I were in town this week on business. Thursday night the desk clerk at our hotel recommended The Loft for dinner. We decided to give it a try since we hadn't had much luck with restaurants up to this point all week. We decided to sit on their beautiful patio. We were pleasantly surprised at the atmosphere of the place and even more surprised by our waiter, John. He was very engaging, making recommendations and keeping us laughing so hard my sides were hurting. Anyway he recommended something called The Norwood for our appetizer and a strange looking and unique tasting local beer they had on draft. Can't remember the name but it was quite different but definitely good, as was the appetizer. We loved the shrimp and dipping the french bread in the sauce. We asked him what he liked on the menu since we had never been there and had no idea what to order. John joked that if we didn't get the 20 ounce rib eye he didn't know why we even came there. So we did. Well one of us got the filet. I ordered my steak well done and John got on me again and told us there was no need to get a steak if we were going to burn it. He said he had worked at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in another city and nobody's steak had more flavor than The Loft's (That's pretty high expectations) but we wouldn't get the full experience with anything over medium rare but he finally jokingly agreed to order it at medium for me. I'm telling you, we all 4 agreed when we left that this guy is the best waiter we've ever had anywhere we've ever been. (And that's no exaggeration this guy is incredible) John was right. I don't like any red at all in my steak but in this case I gave in because he was right on point when he was talking about the flavor of the steak. It was unbelievable! The absolute best steak I have ever eaten and the least done steak I have ever eaten without sending it back to cook it more. If all steaks tasted like this one, I'd never order over medium. (But, of course, that's not the case everywhere) Anyway, we were all stuffed after our entrees but somehow John talked us into something called bread pudding. Never heard of it and sounded not very good just by the name but John said if we didn't like it, he would pay for it himself. Needless to say, we paid for our own bread pudding. It was the richest, sweetest dessert and wonderful. We don't have bread pudding in Eugene, Oregon but I sure wish we did. Overall, The Loft was the best experience we had in Laurel the entire week we spent in the town. Hopefully we'll get sent back to Laurel by the company again and hopefully some other company hasn't grabbed up John and he will still be working there and will be our waiter. He said it was fine to ask the host to let him be our waiter and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you do just that when you visit this incredible restaurant. I'm not lying when I say he should be selling cars or houses or whatever. He makes you laugh, he makes great food recommendations and if you didn't know better, you'd swear you've known him for years. He makes you feel like you're dining at a 5-star restaurant in New York. I guarantee you if we ever get sent back to Laurel, MS we will eat at The Loft every night we're in town. read more

Recently moved to Hattiesburg and some friends recommended my girlfriend and I make the short drive up the interstate to Laurel and eat, at The Loft. We were greeted by a friendly hostess. Our server John, treated us like we were dining in a 5 star restaurant, in New York. He recommended we start with the downtown tini and the steak bites. He informed us, he was from Memphis and worked at a lot of nice restaurants but had never served a better steak than the one at The Loft. Unfortunately, they only offer a ribeye but he was right. It was the best steak I had ever eaten. He told us we couldn't get the "full experience" unless we tried the bread pudding. Again, he was spot on. It was so rich we couldn't eat it all, but it was absolutely delicious. I definitely recommend The Loft to anyone that happens to be in Laurel. Our server was the best we have ever seen and the food was out of this world. The dining room is small but very charming and everyone was so nice. It's literally 5 star dining in a small town. Impressive from start to finish. read more

One of the best dinner spots in Downtown Laurel! It's conveniently located on Central Ave, close to shopping and in a perfect spot if you're in town for an event/festival. There's outdoor covered patio seating for good weather! The service is always good, and I've never had to wait an unreasonable amount of time. Even during the rush at night! They have a full bar, and great cocktails, as well as steaks, seafood, po-boys, pasta, and burgers. My favorite things to get are the steak bites and the crab cake pasta! read more

We got seated quickly, server was proper and groomed, started with cheese fries. For the price you don't get a lot but its fine dining...whatever..next my husband got ribeye and i got the filet mignon..his was cooked right my filet wasn't flavorful..just tasted like meat. I won't harp on it much but if you charge over 30 it better taste really good and it just wasn't. The place was clean and music playing outside if you into that type of thing. Overall we will be back and do an updated review. read more

Went to the Loft tonight 2-17-17 for my 58th birthday - They lost the reservations, The Owner John called me a lire to my face and told me we didn't make any reservations. We left and went to the Crescent City Grill in Hattiesburg and had the best dinner. I would not recommend The Loft in Laurel Mississippi to anyone to eat. Anytime the owner calls you a lire to me means that he does not need the people of Mississippi's money. We will never step foot in the place again. Mike R. read more

Expensive. I get it, its fine dining. To much loud drinkers the night we went. Im ok with people drinking but when it effects us having a conversation its to much. Coffee burger was unique. Server and host did a good job. Place was clean and dim lighting made it feel like fine dining. Im ok and will try again. read more

Did not care for my experience here. Food was good but not great and not worth the price in my opinion. Service was decent but the bar is very limited and both drinks ordered were made incorrectly. I get the feeling this establishment gets by due to lack of other choices in the area. read more

If you want a relaxing perfect dinner spot in Laurel... look no further. The filet here can't be beat, and Diane is the best server/manager around. If you can get a spot on a cool night in the small back patio, you are in for a treat! read more

LOVE LOVE!! Our favorite night to go is on Thursdays for the Prime Rib special!! Diane and Bo are some of the best servers around! I highly recommend for everyone to go and enjoy the best Steakhouse in Laurel! read more

Do yourself a favor and give this place a try! One of the best steaks I have ever had. I found The Loft to be very clean and the staff to be great. Laurel is very lucky to have this place. read more

The food was great, but the service was a little slow because we were a large party. Overall great food and drink options and I would recommend you make reservations on the weekends. read more

Excellent food, excellent service and we were seated on the patio, which was awesome!!! Call early in the week for reservations! We waited 45 minutes for a table but it was worth it. read more

Steak bites and crab claws top my list! Don't miss Larry, the best burly bartender around! Fantastic wait staff, live music on Thursday and great atmosphere all the time! read more

as far as fine dining goes in Laurel this is a great place. expensive but food and service pretty good. New patio looks nice haven't been there yet because its crowded. read more

i'll keep posting until they stop deleting it. jon diggets threaten workers on shift while being a belligerent drunk. very hostile environment. read more

This was the best steak I have ever had. I would post a picture but it didn't last that long. If I could give it ten stars I would

the food is over priced, usually bland and just overall not worth it. i can't understand why people recommend it to anyone.

At this time they are only open for dinner but well worth the wait. Food was great and staff was very friendly.

I've never eaten here. Yelp keeps telling me I've been here but I haven't! Whaaaaaat?!?! Byaaa