Baton Rouge is a town not exactly known for a deep Mexican history. But a plethora of restaurants around town offer those in search of “south of the border” tastes an option. Mexican restaurants in Baton Rouge vary from chains to local favorites, and fast food – style service to sit down dinners. I decided to sample some of the better known restaurants around town to see how they stacked up at providing the Red Stick with more sophisticated Mexican fare than Taco Bell.
Izzo’s Illegal Burrito
I never tried the “illegal burrito” prior to this article, and I always assumed this restaurant was over-hyped. I am not a huge burrito person either, so I was not expecting to be impressed. I ordered the regular size steak burrito. For a modest $6, I received enough food to feed several orphans or wild dogs. The burrito was made to order filled with rice, lettuce, tomatoes, pico de gallo, and ranch dressing. It was amazing. Though it was an immense amount of food, it was neither heavy nor greasy. Each ingredient was incredibly fresh, from the meat to the vegetables. One of my dining companions sampled the burrito in a bowl. This consists of anything that would normally go into a burrito placed in a bowl with thin, crisp chips on top. My other accomplice ordered the chicken nachos. The chips, covered in quesos and lettuce, were somewhat salty but still good. These items along with salads and quesadillas offer alternatives to the legendary burritos, though they pale in comparison. Izzo’s offers huge amounts of freshly prepared food at good prices.
A college kid’s dream, the restaurant supplies patrons with tasty meals for modest cost. The atmosphere is not the selling point, but it doesn’t have to be. The interior is massive, or at least seems so because of the high ceilings. Though several people around us were eating, it felt like our table was isolated due to the expansive interior. But the food makes up for the lackluster atmosphere, and Izzo’s reigns supreme as the king of all modest cost mexican restaurants.
Zippy’s Burritos Tacos and More
Zippy’s presents itself along the same lines as Izzo’s, moderately priced food with fast food – type service. Zippy’s does offer more menu choices than its counterpart Izzo’s. Tacos, empenadas, burritos, nachos, enchiladas, and salads all are available for low prices. I sampled the empenadas and a margarita. The drink selection was immense, as the restaurant offers several variations of frozen margaritas and daiquiris. The drink was smooth considering it was the cheapest margarita option, but was almost too frozen, making it difficult to drink. The empenadas consist of ground meat in a flaky, fried pastry shell. They lacked flavor, but when dipped in the restaurant’s queso, the taste improved. My dinner companion tried the chicken quesadillas on wheat tortillas. Zippy’s gives patrons options to choose wheat tortillas and other more health conscious ingredients. Customers can choose to have their meal prepared with nearly anything on it, from corn to rice to mushrooms. The quesadillas were fairly spicy and very flavorful, but lacking a huge punch. The quesadillas, as do many other menu items, come served with chips and salsa. The thin salsa provides a nice zip to the less flavorful selections. Zippy’s food is mediocre, but the atmosphere and low prices keep the restaurant a nice place to visit. Located in an old gas station, the restaurant is a fun place to eat, thanks to decor including a giant buffalo mounted on the wall and tin Corona beer decorated tables. Zippy’s is open late and offers late night eating to those in search of an alternative to drive through.
Ninfa’s Mexican Restaurant
Ninfa’s offers a more upscale atmosphere than Izzo’s or Zippy’s. With dim lighting and less dramatic Mexican decor, the restaurant offers a great place for a date. Mamma Ninfa of Houston founded this popular Mexican food chain. The allure of Ninfa’s is contained in one thing, the green dip which patrons receive with salsa and chips upon arrival. This sauce straddles the line of guacamole and salsa, it’s spicy but offers a less abrasive avocado taste. The sauce of mysterious origins gives Ninfa’s an edge over other restaurants that offer the regular salsa and chips. The service was impeccable and our food was out in record time. My dinner, the El Delerio, consisted of two chicken flautas, rice, and beans for around $10. The chicken flautas were long, deep fried tortillas filled with chicken and covered in sour cream and guacamole. The chicken was very flavorful, and though the flautas were fried, did not have a greasy taste. I also sampled the “CCQ,” as my server called it, or the chili con queso in layman’s terms. The queso was thin and had bits of pico de gallo mixed in. The dip was more cheesy than spicy, but was delicious when eaten atop the homemade fresh flour tortillas Ninfa’s makes. Ninfa’s offers a wide selection of menu items, all of which are prepared excellently, and good service and nice atmosphere add to the restaurant’s allure.
Serrano’s Salsa Company
Serrano’s operates under false pretenses; it is not exactly a “Mexican” restaurant. Those who investigate will find the restaurant offers more of a Cuban infused menu, relying on the salsa in the restaurant’s name. Serrano’s has a lighter atmosphere than Ninfa’s. This on campus dive takes a fun approach and a bar-like atmosphere. Besides offering great international food, Serrano’s also serves as a great place for after LSU games, with a live band and drink specials. Serrano’s, unlike other Mexican restaurants, uses a white cheese instead of a yellow cheese, giving the food a more interesting flavor. The plain queso dip with white cheese is extraordinary, though heavier than other quesos. I sampled the Serrano’s chicken casserole, a cheese lover’s dream. The meal consists of chicken, cheese, pico de gallo and onions mixed into flour tortillas. The server blends these at your table, mixing the pico and onions in to your tastes. The meal, despite pico and onions, is not very spicy, but the heavy white cheese and high quality chicken meat keep it flavorful. The casserole results in 4 or 5 tortillas depending on the server’s wrapping skills, which is plenty of food to feed two people. My dining buddy sampled the empanadas, which differed greatly from the more basic meat pies at Zippy’s. Here, the empenadas contained nuts and tiny pieces of carrots which gave them a more exotic taste. We closed out our meal with a half order of sopapillas. Serrano’s excels at taking usual Mexican dishes the extra mile. With dessert, they drizzle their sopapillas with condensed milk along with the usual honey. This gave them a heavenly sweet taste, and made them the best sopapillas I have eaten in the course of Mexican dining in my life.
Superior Grill
Superior Grill is steeped in deep tradition here in Baton Rouge, as well as in its original location in New Orleans. With special events like bands on the weekends on the patio and Wednesday night Nick Saban, Superior is a great place to go enjoy drinks with friends. The margaritas are legendary for their smooth taste and strong alcohol content. The food often takes a back seat to the restaurant’s party atmosphere, but Superior offers a solid menu with a couple of surprise items. My personal favorite is the restaurant’s hamburger. The burgers are made on the grill with the same meat used in tacos and fajitas, giving them a unique Mexican flavor. The restaurant also offers great ribs. The queso at Supeior is greasier than the queso offered at some of the other Mexican restaurants, and some menu items do fall short of amazing. However, my puff taco,a small fried shell with fresh chicken inside, was superb. The restaurant does offer the incredible salsa. This thin, deep red sauce was the spiciest of all the salsa sampled. Superior is a restaurant built on atmosphere, the food is touch and go, but overall Superior is a safe bet for a good time and a nice meal.
Moe’s Southwest Grill
Moe’s offers another fast-food style option for Mexican eating. The chain has locations all over the south, but has just debuted in Baton Rouge. Moe’s prices were unbelievably cheap. For $7.36 I enjoyed a huge burrito called the “Joey Bag of Donuts,” chips, queso, and a Dr. Pepper. All of the food is named after strange things that made Moe laugh. This kind of practice normally gets on my nerves, but the fun atmosphere of Moe’s and cheap prices for good food helped me to get over it. My dining companions and I sampled the margaritas, which actually tasted more like the margarita flavored snowballs I ate when I was little.
But Moe’s solidified its place in my heart when a man appearing to be either the owner or the manager brought us out free chips and queso because he said that we looked like we were having fun. The chips did have enough salt on them to cause me to swell instantly, but it’s the thought that counts.
The friendly service, along with a good selection of fresh food at inexpensive prices, launced Moe’s to near the top of my list of Mexican restaurants around town.