Jackson Free Press

On a typical night at ISH Grill & Bar, you may see local doctors and professionals sitting at the dark wooden bar near the back, mingling and unhinging from their work day. The tables in the restaurant are glass with black lining. The walls are painted a golden yellow color. There is a large green couch behind the host stand, and the lights are dim, though not too dim.

Michael Johnson and his wife, NaTunya Johnson, both Jackson natives, opened the restaurant May 2, 2015.

"The name ISH came from a time (when) I was traveling to Miami," Michael says. "I wanted get some ideas from different establishments in the city. I knew that I wanted my restaurant to have a Miami-ish vibe, and that is when I knew I (would) call it ISH."

Before Michael was a restaurant owner, he trained at Vidal Sassoon and Dudley Cosmetology School in the late '90s. After NaTunya obtained her bachelor's degree in business from Mississippi State University in 1996, she worked with the management training team 
at Wal-Mart.

Michael was working as a cosmetologist when he met NaTunya, and the two had a Las Vegas wedding in 1998.

When they decided to open a restaurant, they had a shared vision for it: to cater to young professionals in the Jackson metro area.

Their predecessor to ISH was The Executive, located at 333 Northmark Plaza. The Executive catered to private parties and wedding receptions and allowed him to team up with DJs in the metro area and put on different events.

The owners say they want to tailor ISH to the Monday through Thursday Happy Hour crowd, where people can come in to enjoy time with friends and hold business meetings. The restaurant has signature dishes such as the ISH nachos, which have peppers and jalapeno and American cheeses, and customers can get the dish with shrimp, crawfish tails or beef. ISH has other food, such as shrimp and grits, steaks, breakfast foods and pastas. The bar serves a list of signature drinks.

ISH has a free mobile app where you can enter your name into drawings for complimentary VIP parking, VIP entrance, bottle service, food and more.

"My motto for is ISH is, ISH is the best of Jackson," Michael says. "This is the place for young professionals to meet to talk about business and hang out."

ISH Grill & Bar (5105 Interstate 55 N. Frontage Road, 601-257-5204) is open from 4 to 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., Friday and Saturday. On Friday and Saturday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., ISH hosts nightlife hours. Happy hour is from 4 to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, find ISH Grill & Bar on Facebook.