Chef Mark Strickland trained alongside two James Beard winners in Aspen before bringing that cooking home to 555 Dauphin Street in downtown Mobile. Grace runs as a casual-meets-fine-dining room downstairs and a craft-cocktail rooftop above, both looking out over the historic street. The lamb shank osso buco and the pan-roasted duck breast are the plates to order, with seasonal wontons to start. Most mains land between $26 and $42, and a full dinner with a cocktail runs around $30 to $55 a head.
The Kitchen
Strickland built his cooking in Aspen, working under two James Beard Award-winning chefs before opening Grace, and he runs the kitchen on a seasonal menu that changes with what comes in. The food sits in the space between a steakhouse and a tasting room: hand-selected steaks and chops, fresh-ground burgers and local Gulf seafood, plated with more care than the casual room suggests.
The plates to know are the lamb shank osso buco, the pan-roasted duck breast, and the crawfish mac and cheese, with veal and goat-cheese stuffed mushrooms and seasonal wontons among the starters. An in-house pastry chef, Kaila, builds personalized desserts with notice, which is unusual for a room this size. Mains run roughly $26 to $42, and a full dinner with a cocktail lands around $30 to $55 a person. The main dining room seats over a hundred and opens to the street, while the rooftop bar pours craft cocktails over a downtown Mobile skyline view, making Grace one of the few rooms on Dauphin Street that works for both a quiet dinner and a louder night out.
The Room
Grace is two rooms with two moods. The ground-floor dining room is large, over a hundred seats, with frontage that folds open to Dauphin Street for an indoor-outdoor feel and a steady, sociable hum rather than hush. Up the stairs, the rooftop bar and lounge runs warmer and livelier, with lounge seating and a downtown skyline view. Lighting is low and flattering in both, tables are generously spaced downstairs and clustered around the bar above, and the dress code is smart-casual. Service is attentive without being formal. For a client dinner, ask for a downstairs table away from the street doors, then move up to the roof for a nightcap.
Best for Impress Clients
Book Grace to impress a client because it gives you two settings in one address. Start downstairs, where the spacing and the seasonal menu, the duck breast and the lamb shank osso buco, carry a serious conversation, then take the deal up to the rooftop bar for cocktails over the Mobile skyline. The kitchen plates with enough polish to signal you chose well, but the bill stays reasonable for the South. Picture a Thursday: a quiet corner table downstairs through the osso buco, then two old-fashioneds on the roof as the downtown lights come on. For more rooms that close a deal, see our Mobile dining guide.
Not for a hushed, white-tablecloth tasting-menu evening. The street-facing dining room is large and sociable and the rooftop runs loud on weekend nights, so quiet-room purists should look elsewhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Grace worth it?
Yes, for one of the most flexible upscale rooms in downtown Mobile. Chef Mark Strickland trained under two James Beard winners in Aspen, and his seasonal cooking, the lamb shank osso buco and the pan-roasted duck breast, holds up against the price. The draw is the pairing of a polished dining room downstairs with a craft-cocktail rooftop above, so you can have a serious dinner and a lively nightcap without changing venues.
How do I get a reservation at Grace?
Book directly through Grace on Dauphin or by phone at (251) 380-6947, and reserve ahead for weekend evenings and the rooftop. The downstairs dining room seats over a hundred, so a midweek table is usually easy, but the rooftop bar fills on Friday and Saturday nights. Ask for a downstairs table away from the open street frontage if you want quiet. See our Mobile dining guide for more downtown options.
What should I order at Grace?
Order the lamb shank osso buco or the pan-roasted duck breast as your main, with the seasonal wontons or the veal and goat-cheese stuffed mushrooms to start. The crawfish mac and cheese is the Gulf-South side to share, and the in-house pastry chef will build a personalized dessert with notice. Mains run roughly $26 to $42, so plan on $30 to $55 a head with a cocktail.
Is Grace good for a business dinner?
Yes. Grace works well for impressing a client because it offers a polished, generously spaced dining room for the conversation and a rooftop cocktail bar for after. The seasonal menu plates with enough care to signal a good choice, and the downtown price keeps an expense account comfortable. Reserve a downstairs corner away from the street doors, then move to the roof for the close.