Baton Rouge sports bar culture is an interesting creature. For the average college student, the solution is as simple as A or B. To catch their favorite team, many students simply turn to the bars of Tigerland for cheap drinks, loose rules and fun interactions with their fellow sports fans. Others turn to the downtown area, for a more relaxed, distinguished environment to enjoy the game.
However, each side has its drawbacks. While Tigerland is cheaper, the food options are severely limited, and many do not want to get as intoxicated as many Tigerland attendees tend to eventually become. On the other side, downtown bars can get a little too expensive when drinks and food are calculated together, as well as the complicated situation of parking that always comes with venturing downtown.
However, one relatively new addition to the sports bar and nightlife scene in Baton Rouge could offer up a middle ground between the two seemingly different worlds.
Opened in January 2018, Bengal Tap Room, on Third Street, 10 minutes off campus in downtown Baton Rouge, offers not only a wide selection of beer and cocktails, but also an established and chef-curated menu of food and a comfortable, hometown environment to cheer on your favorite team, no matter the sport. The inside area features a large bar and several booths.
The outside patio has several tables. TVs line the walls inside and out. Everywhere you look, there is a TV displaying the game.
“We wanted it to be that kind of neighborhood bar where you can come and hang out, very mellow,” said Montanna Mercer, general manager of Bengal Tap Room since the establishment opened. “But also somewhere where you can catch all of the games.”
As it is a tap room, the main focus is beer, but that’s not all the bar has to offer. Bengal Tap prides itself on its wide selection, and frequent rotation, of beers, liquors, and creative and fun cocktails.
“Everyone that works here is a beer nerd,” Mercer said. “We spend a lot of time familiarizing ourselves with our product, but also what is on the market…there is some kind of beer or drink for everyone.”
It isn’t all about the drinks. A sports bar is not a sports bar without buffalo wings, a big cheeseburger, or an endless selection of finger foods and appetizers. Bengal Tap has all of the classic bar food staples and sandwiches, yet chefs prepare them every day not only with a unique flair, but a dedication to quality food for every single customer. “Our kitchen and our chef does a really good job of putting out good, just delicious food, that is really consistent,” said Mercer. “We hand-make everything… we make everything in house.”
As a new addition to the downtown area, with all of its previously mentioned complications in terms of price and parking, the owners and managers of Bengal Tap Room hope to offer a median between high quality drinks and food, and a cheaper, more affordable excursion into downtown. “Our everyday lunch specials are something that you wouldn’t get at your typical sports bar,” said Tanika Storey, a manager with the bar since February of last year. “Typically Thursday through Sunday really, we have a variety of crowds.”
Mercer followed up on this, saying, “We kinda wanted, earlier in the day it’s not as much for college students, but it’s kinda catered towards people who are working down here, and who want to have a good home-cooked lunch, but without breaking their bank.”
The bar has its own parking lot, so you don’t have to pay the often ludicrous parking fees associated with downtown.
Owned by lifelong Baton Rouge residents, the people at Bengal Tap Room understand the local culture, and display a love of the city, and the flagship university that it hosts, rivaled by few. “They just wanted to give Baton Rouge more,” Mercer said. “I think they wanted people to visit Baton Rouge more.”
So the next time you want to catch the Tigers take on their next SEC opponent on the road, don’t settle for having to choose between expensive sports bar chains and the debauchery of Tigerland. Check out the Bengal Tap Room for good food, great drink specials, and a home-grown environment.

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Courtesy of Bengal Tap Room

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