Chicory-laced coffee and powder sugar-coated beignets have long been mandatory parts of the southern Louisiana diet. Coffee shops around Baton Rouge have taken this native love for legal stimulants and turned it into a social scene where customers can study, talk, drink, eat and start traditions.
 
Highland Coffees
Highland Coffees is just outside the north gates of campus, making it a popular study spot for students, said Robby Sexton, creative writing senior and employee. He said that the shop is the first place in town to roast their own coffee. It is popular for studying, and many customers come in every day. Their frozen blended drinks, $4, are popular, as is their brewed coffee for $1.50.
 
Brew Ha Ha,
A locally owned shop, Brew Ha Ha is known for its friendly, casual atmosphere, said Stacy Hennessy, ceramics junior and employee. The neighborhood shop is popular with law and medical students and businessmen. The shop has an open mic night for high school and middle school students on Friday nights. The store is known for its Ha-Has, which are frozen coffee drinks, $3.80. The store owner makes the shops pastries, the best known being the walnut brownies, $1.95.
Charlie’s Coffee
Charlie’s Coffee is a small coffee chain known for its aquarium-lined ceilings. People come for a quiet atmosphere and end up staying until closing time at 2 a.m., said Lauren Boudreaux, law student and employee. Their frappes, $3.82, and their pizzadillas, $3.95, keep customers full and hyper.
 
Coffee Call
As a Baton Rouge tradition, Coffee Call is known for its late nights – it is open until 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday, for 24 hours on Friday and Saturday, and closes at midnight on Sunday. The store is best known for its beignets, $1.50, and cafe au lait, $1.50.
 
 
Contact Julie Chance at [email protected]