It’s time, Baton Rouge. After years of watching our local dining scene evolve, we felt it deserved its own year-end retrospective, immortalized forever in print.
Yes, we still have plenty of (great) Cajun and Creole options. Yes, we have become a magnet for trendy poke and bubble tea spots. And yeah, we’re overrun by chains—and residents who flock to them.
But we’re so much more than that. We’re worthy of a stunning, open-air beer garden with 50-plus craft beers on tap—and the best grilled cheese ever to pair them with. Our skyline might not be as recognizable as other metropolitan cities, but it’s still worthy of a great rooftop bar—in fact, we have room for several. We’re worthy of international, authentic flavors, of Asian street food and Spanish tapas and Mexican nopales and mezcal. We’re worthy of Louisiana fare that’s not just brown and fried, but proves our cuisine can be elegant and innovative and still downright delicious.
