Baton Rouge’s culinary scene has experienced unprecedented growth within the past few years. With trendy, modern restaurants like The Overpass Merchant, Cocha and Kalurah Street Grill opening within the last two years, the Capital City is slowly establishing itself as a national destination for cutting edge foodies. This trend shows no signs of stopping as a slew of restaurants opened their doors this summer, adding to every student’s ever-growing list of places to try. The Daily Reveille selected the five major 2017 summer openings.
French Truck Coffee
2978 Government Street
Your daily caffeine fix just got a lot trendier. Popular New Orleans-based coffee franchise French Truck Coffee opened its first location in Baton Rouge earlier this month. The Mid City location is the sixth and largest store, in addition to three in New Orleans and two in Memphis, Tennessee, and it keeps the iconic shade of yellow that French Truck diehards have come to know and love. To set themselves apart from other small batch coffee roasters, they also serve an extensive breakfast and lunch menu all day.
District Donuts
7415 Corporate Blvd.
Doughnut franchise District Donuts is well on its way to becoming a household name. What started as a small-batch specialty doughnut shop in New Orleans’ Lower Garden District has transformed into a well-known brand with five locations, including one in Towne Center that opened in late May. District offers a rotating selection of specialty doughnuts every day, but the real knockout is the savory food. Try the miso praline bacon & egg biscuit or the steak, egg & queso taco for breakfast, served until 11 a.m. For lunch, pair the fried chicken slider with a side of cheese waffle fries and a Nitro Cold Brew, and thank me later.
The Ruby Slipper Cafe
3535 Perkins Road
Brunch in Baton Rouge just got better thanks to the recent opening of New Orleans-based breakfast franchise The Ruby Slipper Cafe. The recent addition in the Capital City is the chain’s eighth total location. Extending past usual brunch fare, The Ruby Slipper offers New Orleans brunch favorites, like the Shrimp Boogaloo Benedict or the Bananas Foster Pain Perdu. The open, exposed look gives the restaurant an industrial and clean feel. You can definitely expect to see lots of pictures geotagged here on your Instagram feed this semester.
BRQ Seafood and Barbeque
10423 Jefferson Hwy.
In June, Baton Rouge gained another key player in its renowned barbecue scene. From Michelin recognized chef Justin Ferguson, BRQ Restaurant is a barbecue seafood hybrid concept. The food at the restaurant, similar to the décor, is classically southern with a twist. The eatery’s look is easy-going yet refined and reinforces the adventurous dishes, like a brussels sprouts and kale salad or goat cheese shrimp and grits. Go for the food, and stay for the four delectable house-made barbecue sauces.
Flambée Café
8210 Village Plaza Court
If there’s anything Baton Rouge knows how to do right, it’s pizza. Flambée Café, from the owners of Bistro Byronz, opened in June, and they’re setting themselves apart by making tartes flambées, Northern France’s paper-thin, crispy crust version of pizza. The tartes range from simple to daring ingredients and aren’t more than $13. They also offer tartines, open-faced sandwiches, and other French favorites. The concept alone is worth the trip to this chic Parisian restaurant, but be forewarned: once you try one of their tartes flambées, you’ll think twice about ordering Domino’s again.