Nyla's Burger Basket - Osyka

Typically I couldn’t care less about a celebrity visiting a restaurant especially when that celebrity in question is, for all intents and purposes, a washed up child star. However, I have to admit that Britney Spears was part of the reason that I was driving from McComb to Osyka, Mississippi for lunch at Nyla’s Burger Basket. Of course, I get mildly interested when anyone takes the time to designate one particular burger as his or her favorite, all the better when that person has a history of stabbing cars with an umbrella.

I’ll spare you the details of the kitchiness inside Nyla’s, just be prepared to come face to face with a lot of Britney memorabilia. Personally, I was more concerned about choosing what I wanted for lunch and taking advantage of the wifi. At&t isn’t known for quality coverage but reception was practically nonexistent in this tiny Mississippi hamlet.

As you might expect for a restaurant in Mississippi, Nyla’s is known for their fried food, specifically their onion rings and Cajun fries. Since I’m never one to turn down the prospect of a well-fried onion ring, a basket of Nyla’s specialty was first to my table.

Golden brown and not the least bit greasy, these onion rings truly highlighted the inherent sweetness of the onions.

However sweet the onions may have been, the flavor of these rings was otherwise bland. A few shakes with the salt shaker perked them up a little bit, but not enough to do these rings justice. I tried dipping them in the accompanying ranch dressing, but the thick and slightly tangy taste completely overshadowed the onion.

Next was an order of Nyla’s Cajun fries.

I’ve had mixed experiences with battered French fries and Nyla’s only adds to that confusion. Thickly sliced, battered, and barely fried, these fries had an alarmingly small amount of browning.

The Cajun seasoning was also in short supply. What actually dominated this basket was a dozen or so pillow soft and bland potato sticks

After trying and subsequently ignoring the sides, it was time to turn my attention to the star of the show, the cheeseburger.

I do have to give Nyla’s credit, they serve up a burger with an excellent bun to patty ratio. Sadly, outside of the proportions, this burger was a heaping helping of banality.

The patties were overcooked with a nondescript taste that was begging for the most basic seasoning of salt and pepper.

Fortunately, Nyla’s figured out one way to solve the problem of overdone beef, liberal amounts of mayo and melted cheese. This trick is like a band aid on a bullet wound but it’s better than nothing.

I wish there were nicer things to say about Nyla’s Burger Basket.  It’s a nice, homey restaurant with pleasant service in a small town, but I was more than irritated that I drove 20 miles out of my way to try such a lackluster burger not to mention frankly terrible French fries. At the very least, the onions rings aren’t half bad, but I suppose this is what I should expect when I look to Britney for guidance.

Nyla’s Burger Basket Address & Information

1071 Second St., Osyka, MS 39657 // 601.542.5032