First thing’s first. There’s a question everyone in Baton Rouge has about Jabby’s Pizza as soon as they hear about it: How is it different from Lit Pizza?
The answer is, on the surface, that the two don’t differ tremendously. Both are build-your-own, flash-fired pizza concepts. Both offer a wide array of cheese, from mozzarella to feta to goat cheese, though Lit brings dairy-free options and Jabby’s offers brie. Both let you choose from tons of proteins beyond pepperoni like andouille or meatballs, though Jabby’s adds duck and prosciutto to the mix. Jabby’s offers barbecue sauce made at its parent restaurant, Stroubes Seafood & Steaks, while Lit carries a broader menu of finishing touches and drizzles like pink salt or sriracha.
But in truth, unless you have very particular taste in toppings, it’s unlikely that there’s an order at Jabby’s you can’t get at Lit and vice versa. But is that such a bad thing? Who says there can only be one play in Baton Rouge’s custom flash-fired pizza game? After all, look at Blaze Pizza, the flash-fired chain with a location nearby in New Orleans. It’s a predecessor to Lit. The concept wasn’t invented here. So why shouldn’t the Stroubes team try their hand at it?
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With that in mind, I ordered one of Jabby’s signatures that is unique to the restaurant to get a taste for the difference. The Duck & Fig pizza combines a fig glaze, brie, duck, caramelized onions and arugula—the prosciutto was my own addition. In effect, it’s basically a flatbread, which I think is one of the beauties of a build-your-own pizza place: You can craft a pizza, or you can create something that’s closer to a flatbread or an open-faced panini in its ingredients and execution.
The final product is mild and savory-sweet, with the pungency of the brie balanced by the sugar of the fig glaze and the pepperiness of the arugula. The duck is a little smoky, and the prosciutto is a wise addition to the protein menu—it crisps up beautifully in the brick-fired oven. The crust is firm with more of a crunch to it, which is good news for those who favor a crust on the structured side that can handle plenty of toppings.
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Overall, it’s a solid competitor on the local pizza market, and a welcome addition to the Prairieville-adjacent part of the city near Alexander’s Highland Market, which has often been skipped over by new or interesting restaurant concepts until the past year or so. Jabby’s is definitely worth a try.
Jabby’s Pizza is at 18303 Old Perkins Road, Suite 116, and open daily, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Fast Break is a 225 Dine series that celebrates lunch in Baton Rouge. Follow along as we tour different dining options for a quick bite around the city. Read more from the series here.