For tourists planning a trip to Louisiana, a visit to the capital city may seem an afterthought or backup alternative to the Big Easy.
But Baton Rouge locals will proudly tell anyone and everyone that their local Cajun, Creole, and Southern dishes compete with the best restaurants found in New Orleans.
From fancy destinations that celebrate the dining aesthetic to their more down-home cousins, the local restaurant landscape in Baton Rouge has much to offer.
Anthony’s Italian Deli
$$ | (225) 272-6817 | WEBSITE
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For more than 40 years, the staff at this deli have crafted some of the best muffulettas you will find outside of New Orleans. The menu includes a variety of po’ boys, including a pepperoni pizza version, as well as lasagna and spaghetti dishes.
The fresh salad selections are quite welcoming, especially the ‘muff salad’ with its olive dressing and the caprese salad. Save some room for the cannoli, spumoni, and other delicious desserts.
Elsie’s Plate & Pie
$$ | (225) 636-5157 | WEBSITE
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In a city known for its abundance of comfort food options, Elsie’s Plate & Pie sweetens the deal.
Named in honor of owner and Chef Paul Chauvin Dupré’s late grandmother, who began baking pies in 1944, this establishment honors Elsie’s memory by offering patrons some of the best pies imaginable.
In addition to the sweet crusty treats we all crave for dessert and their Seasonal Pie Nachos, the kitchen crew bakes a number of Louisiana-inspired pies, such as the Natchitoches Meat Pie, Crawfish Hand Pie, Louisiana Chicken Pot Pie, and Seafood Pot Pie.
Other staples–such as the hot crawfish melt, boudin burger, and fried seafood platters–round out this tasty menu.
Bellue’s Fine Cajun Cuisine
$ | (225) 356-7798 | WEBSITE
This low-key destination offers some of the best Cajun and Southern meals in Baton Rouge. You know that you have reached a down-to-earth spot when the website also announces that their kitchen staff can process your deer.
The smoked sausage, fried Cajun spiced turkey, pecan smoked turkey or boudin, and crawfish bisque go perfectly with the greens, rice, and other accompaniments.
Although the restaurant is far from the crisp linen and tablecloth destinations that serve Louisiana specialties in an elegant setting, Bellue’s Fine Cajun Cuisine offers dishes that match and frequently surpass those more refined locations.
Louisiana Lagniappe Restaurant
$$$ | (225) 767-9991 | WEBSITE
This destination for Cajun and Creole dishes first opened in 1984 in Destin, Florida. When the owners of that restaurant moved to Baton Rouge, they brought their love of Louisiana cooking back to the capital city when the doors opened here in 1998.
The restaurant serves all of the dishes you would expect, including a tasty corn and crab bisque and seafood gumbo that get high marks.
Favorite dishes include the shrimp and andouille pasta, chicken Acadiana, and bell peppers stuffed with shrimp and crab meat. The steak and seafood dishes will suit many tastes.
Mansurs on the Boulevard
$$$ | (225) 923-3366 | WEBSITE
Opened in 1989, this upscale eatery has occupied its current location since 2003. With its piano bar, crisp linen on tables, extensive wine list, and a business casual dress code for gentlemen, Mansurs sets the table with ambiance and exquisite dishes.
The char-grilled oysters, zydeco mushrooms, and Tchopitoulas shrimp cocktail are popular appetizers. Cedar-roasted redfish, duck Mansur, shrimp & grits, and the French Quarter crepes are popular lunchtime offerings.
Pontchartrain crab, steak and lobster, and the ultimate Alfredeaux represent a few of the dinner selections. With its award-winning wine collection and attention to service, a visit to Mansurs is an event to remember.
Mi Padres Mexican Grill
$$ | (225) 757-7800 | WEBSITE
Known for its fantastic fajitas, Mi Padres serves all of the popular dishes you would expect. The quality of their meals far surpasses many other establishments, especially their tacos, flautas, burritos, and quesadillas.
In addition to the favorites, the restaurant offers healthy bowl options, as well as crawfish enchiladas, and shrimp & crab enchiladas.
Dorothy’s Soul Food Kitchen
$ | (225) 757-1146 | WEBSITE
Those who enjoy soul with a hint of Creole will enjoy Dorothy’s. This small, unpretentious restaurant in a strip mall has the perfect mix of meals and sides. The exceptional collard greens, sweet yams, and cornbread are perfect with the smothered turkey wings.
Catfish, beans and rice, and other local meals available here offer the best example of a restaurant that offers local favorites at prices that most families can afford.
Cecelia Creole Bistro
$$ | (225) 615-7833 | WEBSITE
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This casual downtown bistro focuses on authentic Louisiana recipes. Begin your meal with the pork belly & andouille egg rolls or sweet & spicy alligator, appetizers done with Creole love and inspiration.
The redfish, shrimp & grits, pork porterhouse, jerk fried chicken, seafood pasta, and Cajun grouper capture the best trends of local culinary traditions that residents and visitors alike associate with southern Louisiana.
Lunch specials such as the French dip po’ boy and the fried green tomato BLT are very popular.
Parrain’s Seafood Restaurant
$$ | (225) 381-9922 | WEBSITE
Since opening in 2001, Parrain’s Seafood Restaurant has served a wide selection of platters and dishes that highlight catches from our local waters.
Southern appetizers such as hushpuppies, fried green tomatoes, and eggplant Pontchartrain prepare your taste buds for shrimp, tuna, catfish, crawfish, and other entrees. Fried platters, sandwiches, and turf specialties such as duck and pork chops give diners plenty of options.
BRQ Seafood and Barbeque
$$ | (225) 372-2674 | WEBSITE
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Chef Justin Ferguson returned to his native Baton Rouge after gaining acclaim elsewhere to open a seafood and barbeque restaurant in southern Louisiana. BBQ dishes follow the meat smoking traditions of Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, and the Carolinas.
The pulled chicken and pork, ribs, sliced brisket, and combos are accompanied by a selection of BBQ sauces that run from vinegar to mustard-based, as well as a spicy Louisiana rendition. In addition to sandwiches, the restaurant delivers a great variety of seafood dishes that run from grilled salmon to catfish Acadian.
Zeeland Street Market
$ | (225) 387-4546 | WEBSITE
This Black-owned restaurant in the Garden District offers perfectly priced breakfast and lunch selections. Pancakes, omelettes, sandwiches, and po’ boys include multiple options. Mama’s breakfast and the Zeeland slam are popular morning entrees.
Mama’s pot roast, the grilled black drum salad or plate, and the pecan smoked brisket elevate their tastes far beyond traditional diner fare. This Southern soul food destination will not disappoint.
The Chimes Restaurant & Tap Room
$$ | (225) 383-1754 | WEBSITE
A few steps from the Louisiana State University campus, Chimes has been a popular hangout for those who enjoy Southern and Cajun comfort food, along with an extensive selection of spirits and a ‘beer university’.
Appetizers include boudin eggrolls, fried gator, blackened shrimp nachos, and crawfish cheese fries. Whether you crave a traditional burger, a gator po’ boy, or their delicious lagniappe cake sandwich, the kitchen never disappoints. Main dishes include meat, seafood, and Italian-inspired options.
Jubans Restaurant & Bar
$$$$ | (225) 346-8422 | WEBSITE
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For those who enjoy Cajun delicacies in a fancy setting, this restaurant offers a fine dining experience that celebrates the region’s haute cuisine. Brunch specials include chicken fried quail and waffles, while the Waygu burger and a BLT with fried soft shell crab are lunch specials.
Exceptional options are available for the lunch and dinner appetizers, entrees, and sides. Begin the meal with duck & boursin crepe, crab toast, or boudin dip. Select from the finest seafood, poultry, or chops, and add sides such as maque choux couscous or tricolor Lyonnaise potatoes.
Louie’s Café
$$ | (225) 346-8221 | WEBSITE
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This low-cost and fine-food diner has existed in the shadow of the Louisiana State University campus since 1941. Although it has moved a bit and changed hands a couple of times, Louie’s Café has been a traditional gathering place for the LSU community for generations.
The generous portions in the omelettes and breakfast combos will fill you in the morning. Biscuits, Louie’s Cajun hashbrowns, and the banana pecan pancakes are other popular options.
The burgers, clubs, po’ boys, and dinner specials such as grilled catfish Louisianne keep students, faculty, and staff coming back.
Red Zeppelin Pizza
$$ | (225) 302-7153 | WEBSITE
When climbing the stairway to ‘Pizza Heaven’, Red Zeppelin is a great place to visit. This Perkins Road pizzeria consistently scores high marks for the quality of the pies and service customers receive.
Since opening in 2010, the menu has included all of the popular pizza combinations, as well as some specialty pies such as Whole Lotta Love, The Mothership, the Bou Ray with its alligator sausage, and a vegetarian Heartbreaker with feta and artichoke hearts.
The oven-roasted po’ boys and calzones also have their fans on this stage of the best Italian food performers.
Roux 61
$$ | (225) 300-8880 | WEBSITE
Who needs their kicks on Route 66 when you can savor Canjun and seafood flavors at Roux 61? Similar to its sister restaurant in Natchez, Mississippi, the Baton Rouge destination brings some of the best oysters, shrimp, gator, and crawfish you will find on a plate.
The seafood platters come with the obligatory fries, cole slaw, and hushpuppies. Sandwiches, po’ boys, and specialties such as the seafood potato will appeal to all who enjoy fresh fish and shellfish from the Gulf.
Tsunami Sushi Baton Rouge
$$ | (225) 346-5100 | WEBSITE
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This popular downtown restaurant sits atop some of the best real estate in Baton Rouge, on the top of the Shaw Center for the Arts. Patrons partake of some of the best sushi, sashimi, teriyaki, tempura, and nigiri while enjoying unparalleled views of the Mississippi River and urban core.
For starters, many prefer the eggplant miso or ika fries made of tender calamari. Small plates, such as the Thai spaghetti, complement the sushi rolls.
Bento boxes are popular choices for weekday lunch diners. The sushi chefs have also developed rolls that reflect the local food culture of Louisiana.
Poor Boy Lloyd’s
$ | (225) 387-2271 | WEBSITE
This popular downtown Cajun and Creole destination has anchored the corner of Florida Street and Lafayette Street since the 1960s. American favorites fill the breakfast menu, with lunch options including more Southern and Louisiana fare.
Popular dishes include the red beans with rice and sausage, and fried catfish or oyster dishes. In addition to traditional sandwiches, diners can select from more than 20 po’ boy options.
A Delicious Destination along the Mississippi
Boats along the Mississippi River bring some of the best seafood from the Gulf and local estuaries, and this body of water also transports Southern cooking traditions from other areas of the region.
In Baton Rouge, local chefs and cooks take this fusion of food and culture and transform these traditions into some of the tastiest dishes you will find in the southeastern United States.
Nathan Perkins starts working at Birch Restaurant as an intern, focusing on SEO and content marketing. After graduation, he joins the team as a full-blown editor and coordinator. He collaborates with other editors, operates, and manages each post on the blog. On weekends, he spends most of his time camping or traveling, seeking Mexican food or café restaurant.
How is Gino’s not on this list?
How is Gino’s or Ruffinos not on this list? No Italian restaurants for that matter.
And how about City Pork, Maison LaCour, Itchibons, and a Mexican and a Greek restaurant are much better choices than some on the list.
How about Eliza?
Don’t see J Alexanders on this list. Key Lime Pie (more than words can say)
Service superb.