Photos by Cassidy Reese
Louie’s Café
Open since 1941, Louie’s Café provides restaurant – goers with a classic lunch counter atmosphere.
Located just outside of LSU’s campus, the eatery offers students a convenient stop to relax and enjoy delicious food.
People can enjoy Louie’s popular hash browns or bite into their classic Big Cheesy Lou. Breakfast served 24 hours a day at Louie’s features pancakes, waffles and omelets such as their original “The Mitchell” omelet.
The kind and enthusiastic staff at Louie’s Café makes it a great place to go from Tiger Stadium, or if you’re just looking for a late night snack on your way home from Tigerland.
Atcha Bakery & Café
Greek and Lebanese food is a healthy and tasty alternative to fast food. Atcha Bakery and Café, located at 3221 Nicholson Dr., offers a variety of Greek and Lebanese dishes at a relatively low cost.
They serve the usual chicken schawarma, hummus, gyros and falafel, which are inexpensive and a refreshing change from fast food and pasta.
For dessert, they offer a variety of baklava and pastries that are sinfully delicious and start at only $0.99. There also is a small area in the café where international food items are sold.
The ambiance is cozy and basic, but the food is the real and worthwhile attraction.
Silver Moon Café
The Silver Moon Cafe, located on Chimes St., is the quintessential hole – in – the – wall student eatery.
Home of “Mama’s Cooking,” patrons can order a wide variety of soul food and classic Louisiana eats.
Serving gargantuan portions of red beans and rice or smothered chicken and pork chops, the Silver Moon Cafe is good home cooking at affordable prices.
With limited seating, the place can get a little cramped – sometimes patrons share tables, but that’s all part of the ambience.
Try the daily meat and vegetable special.
Chelsea’s Café
Known for its live music and night life, Chelsea’s eclectic menu offers a variety of foods from chicken fried chicken to artichoke ravioli.
Their thick and moist homemade foccacia bread is served as soon as patrons are seated. It comes with whipped garlic butter with enough garlic to put Emeril Lagasse to shame.
Hummus lovers must try Chelsea’s hummus. The garlic bean paste stands out from others with its spicy kick. Served with lots of pita bread, the appetizer comes with a large block of feta cheese and freshly chopped tomatoes enhancing the flavor of the hummus.
With a decent selection of vegetarian and vegan choices, Chelsea’s executes these dishes with lots of flavor. The grilled cheese on focaccia is the best anywhere with its thick, sweet bread and obscene amounts of cheese. The curried vegetables could please any vegan.
Home-cooked daily specials, such as pork chops or fish topped with etouffee please patrons looking for comfort food. Add a side of white beans and rice or mashed potatoes with gravy to complete a bonified Southern meal surprisingly found at a bar.
Fleur de Lis
Fleur de Lis offers the kind of pizza that started it all. The interior of the restaurant looks like it might house the mafia and the outside might leave diners to believe it is a Miami Vice version of Pizza Hut.
But the food is the great, greasy pizza franchises wish they made.
The pizza blends the perfect amount of cheese, sauce and toppings to give customers a good slice of the Italian pie. The restaurant does not pretend to have health conscious natural ingredients.
Fleur de Lis may be bad for eaters’ health, but it tastes so good.
Roul’s Deli
Roul Saymeh asks every person that walks into his Highland Road establishment if they want the best hamburger or philly cheese-steak sandwiches in town.
While it may come off cocky at first, once a customer has one, most cannot deny the statement. All sandwiches come generously dressed, including seasoned french fries.
Roul’s secret? Fresh ingredients – nothing is frozen and everything is made to order. For the same price as most fast food places, Roul’s offers double stack hamburgers and a wide variety of po-boys for under $6.50.
With the homestyle food, hospitable service and relaxed atmosphere, Roul’s is becoming a hot spot for students who want a serious burger on a tight budget.
Café Reggae
Hidden on West Chimes Street, Café Reggae is not a place to order lattes, but rather a colorful bar featuring a full menu and buffet.
The menu incorporates Jamaican classics like jerk chicken and Mediterranean style dishes like falafel.
“Jerk” is the key word at Café Reggae. Patrons can choose from honey jerk wings, honey jerk ribs and a delicious jerk chicken wrap.
Sweet potatoes are part of the Jamaican diet, and this restaurant knows their sweet potato fries.
At only $2.29 a basket, they are a steal and can generously feed three people.
The best surprise at Café Reggae is the festival, fried sweet bread.
It tastes like a combination of beignets and Chinese fried donuts.
The sweet treat may be small, but its taste is delicate and savory.
Rama
Offering high quality international fare at low prices, Rama is a more exotic hole in the wall restaurant.
Rama specializes in Thai food, but also offers a variety of Asian delicacies.
Rama gives diners Thai favorites like Pad Thai with all the spice of authentic Thai food.
Sample any of the exhaustive menu’s items to taste genuine Thai food at its best.
The restaurant’s near-microscopic size and unassuming exterior might not reek of international flair, but the food proves itself to be the best place in Baton Rouge for Thai.