Didn’t score tickets to the Tigers SEC showdowns on the road? Luckily for you, Baton Rouge is full of so many different places to watch the games, hang with your fellow LSU fans, and dine on great food and cheap drinks. There are countless locations all across the 225, but here are five particularly fun places to check out the upcoming away games.
1. Pluckers Wing Bar
Pluckers Wing Bar was founded by two alumni of UT-Austin in Austin in 1991. The popular wings and beer joint expanded quickly, and there are currently two open in Baton Rouge, located on Nicholson across from Tigerland and on Bluebonnet.
With delicious wings, both bone-in and bone-out, over 20 sauces and rubs, as well as a full menu of sandwiches, salads, and appetizers, Pluckers has food for every type of game day fan. Not to mention, Pluckers has a different drink special for every day of the week, and a full menu of beer and cocktails provide a wide selection for the big game.
Pluckers combines great food and drinks, and a fun, enthusiastic environment to join a few friends and watch the Tigers take on their next opponent on the road.
2. Walk On’s Bistreaux and Bar
Founded by two friends, both of whom were walk ons (hence the name of the establishment) on the LSU basketball team in 2003, Walk On’s Bistreaux and Bar delivers great food, refreshing drinks, and an atmosphere centered around LSU athletics.
Located right off campus at the corner of Burbank and Nicholson, and featuring a large indoor bar, an outdoor patio with a bar, and several tables with beer taps ON the table, Walk On’s has a wide array of beers, wines, and cocktails available, from local IPAs and wines, to your classic imports.
The menu features classic bar foods with a Cajun twist, a particular classic being the boom-boom shrimp po-boy. As it is in LSU’s territory, and founded by two LSU athletes, you are guaranteed to never be cheering on the Tigers alone.
3. BJ’s Restaurant/Brewhouse
While not a local establishment (with 205 restaurants in 27 states), BJ’s, located in Baton Rouge at the Mall of Louisiana off of Mall of Louisiana Blvd, is nevertheless a terrific location to watch the Tigers.
It holds a unique stance in the local restaurant culture, in that BJ’s is not just a restaurant, but a brewhouse as well. 15 house-crafted beers, from dark stouts to hard ciders, are served daily, as well as a wide selection of liquors, wines, and even a small selection of house-crafted sodas.
With a menu so large even the Cheesecake Factory is blushing, anything, from spaghetti and meatballs, to steaks, to a Nashville hot chicken sandwich, is open for you to chow down on while the Tigers chow down on their opponents. A relaxed environment and large, beautifully designed bar, all add up to make BJ’s a terrific choice for those away game weekends.
4. Bengal Tap Room
A relatively new addition to the local sports bar scene, Bengal Tap Room combines the relaxed, fun environment of your hometown’s favorite bar, and the high quality food of a high-end restaurant, for an experience quite unique to the downtown area.
Located on Third Street in downtown BR, with its own parking lot so you can avoid paying ludicrous downtown parking prices, Bengal Tap Room features a constantly rotating selection of beers, and drink specials for every game day. A strong menu of bar staples, with a homegrown twist, will fill the stomach of any hungry Tiger fan, and the beautiful interior and outdoor patio can fit any party.
5. The Chimes
Almost as classic to LSU as the football program, The Chimes, just off campus on Highland, has been serving LSU students and faculty, Baton Rouge citizens, and visitors to the capitol city since 1983.
An incredible beer selection provides a beer for just about anybody that visits, with 79 beers available from all across the country, and the world. Cocktails and wine are also available for those that do not care for beer.
However, where the Chimes really stands above other locations is the food. As traditionally Cajun as traditional Cajun food can get, the po-boys, seafood platters, and boudin balls that make up just a small portion of the menu are enough to satisfy a large party, and the options don’t end there. For the best combination of good beer and great food, it doesn’t get any better than the Chimes.
So the next time the Tigers hit the road to defend their Baton Rouge pride and take on their next SEC opponent, don’t bemoan the missing out of tickets; check out many of the different locations the 225 has to offer, for great food and drinks, fun with friends, and an environment to help cheer the Tigers on from home.
