A Baton Rouge Restaurant Roundup

Travel

Jul 29

Well. This is it, my last full day in Baton Rouge for a while (until I book a vacation down here, which has been known to happen many times in the past). In honor of that last day in Baton Rouge I wanted to share with y’all my favorite restaurants that I’ve discovered while I’m down here and I highly recommend you trying them out as well.

Another Broken Egg
If you want brunch on the weekend or if you want brunch for lunch, this is your place to go. Also, the hot chocolate is a wonderful addition to any day.
Bayleaf
Yes, this might be the only Indian place in Baton Rouge, but it is by far some of the best Indian food that I’ve ever had, outside of India. If you’re new to Indian food start with the butter chicken, the saag paneer, and regular naan.
Bistro Byronz
Sure, there’s sandwiches and salads, warm dishes and pastas, but the real highlight here is the blue cheese chips as the appetizers. Do it.
Burgersmith
Yes, the burgers are great. You can get whatever you want on them. The sides here are delicious though. Especially the sweet potato tots.
Chelsea’s Cafe
This is my favorite restaurant in Baton Rouge. The answer is always, always, something involving foccacia bread. Whether it’s grilled veggies of foccacia, grilled cheese, or the pesto bread that is always the answer.
Chimes East
When people come to Louisiana for the first time, this is the place to take them. In one quick appetizer run you can get hush puppies, boudin balls, crab legs, blackened alligator, and more. Then you can top it all off with a poboy.
Fat Cow
This is a little bit of a fancier burger, but it’s a good burger. There is nothing bad to be said about fresh mozzarella on a burger. Nothing at all.
IPO
A tapas place in Baton Rouge, who would have thought? I highly recommend the gnocchi. And the bacon caramel popcorn.
Izzo’s Illegal Burrito
I didn’t really like burritos before Baton Rouge. Izzos gives me the joy of not having to have cilantro in/on or around everything (or you could add it by the handful if it’s really your thing). There’s also queso, which puts it about a million steps above Chipotle.
Monjunis Italian
This is one of my two favorite Italian places in the city. The red sauce is sweet and unlike anything I’ve had up North. The bread and sauce they give you at the beginning is enough to fill you up on and you can always split a meal.
Pinetta’s European
This is my other faovirte Italian place in the city. The red sauce is spicy and unlike anything I’ve had up North. The pastas are served in a cast iron skillet piping hot to your table – and it’s so dark that it makes a great date place.
Rotolo’s Pizzeria
We discovered Rotolos far too late in our Baton Rouge life, but it has defaulted to our favorite comfort food. We all highly recommend the calzones. Not the pizza, the calzones. I specifically recommend the angry pig. It’s hard to argue with bbq sauce, cheddar cheese, and jalopenos. We call that winning.
Tsunami Sushi
There are a handful of great sushi places in Baton Rouge, but this one has the best view. It’s convenient and right downtown. Another great date place.
Yvette Marie’s Cafe
This place is more of a catering company. They make salads, sandwiches, and have cake. They also have one hot plate every day. This is some of the best cake I’ve ever had (oh yeah, and the sandwiches and salads are pretty good too), and it’s located in an antique shop that’s super cute.