It’s easy to get seduced by the donut.
Ever since District Donuts debuted in Baton Rouge last summer, we’ve been enamored with the creative, festive and unconventional flavors of donuts dished out daily at the eatery. Sometimes, when faced with donut varieties like dreamsicle cheesecake and matcha pomegranate, it’s easy to forget that there’s an entire savory menu worth exploring.
But I’m here to tell you, District’s sliders are the business.
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As far as miniature handheld lunches go, it doesn’t get much more convenient than these guys, complete in their own individual carrying cases (though a napkin is advised to protect against sauce splashdowns). You can opt for two cheeseburger or chicken sliders with fries as a Brown Bag Meal combo, but don’t be afraid to break out of the suggested meal to sample all the different sliders you want. Each brings something distinct and delicious to the table if you’re dining in—or the passenger seat of your car as you’re running errands, as was the case with my lunch.
First off, the bread—no mere bun. District Donuts prides itself in being a from-scratch bakery, with bakers even kneading dough out in plain view of customers to prove it. It shows in these soft, sweet little buns, which hold up even against a soaking of juicy meat and sauces.
The Chicken Slider comes stuffed with a crispy fried chicken thigh, a sweet and spicy slaw and candied jalapeño, while the Pork Belly Slider is stacked with roasted pork belly, pickled onion, micro radish sprouts and a roasted garlic-anise creole mustard. The candied jalapeño on the chicken adds a level of sweetness that plays off sweet notes in the slaw to layer up the already salty, savory chicken for a well-rounded slider that’s both creative and approachable.
The pork belly, meanwhile, is a bit mustard-forward, but it works. The tanginess of the mustard (plus onions) cuts through the heavy richness of pork belly to keep you from getting bogged down in fattiness.
Before this, I had honestly never looked beyond donuts and coffee at District, but now I’m feeling like I’ve got a new go-to takeout order to add to the rotation. Together they came in under $10 (the pork belly has a bit of a markup to the chicken and cheeseburger sliders), which I’ll gladly pay for a quick and easy lunch with this much flavor and originality.
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District Donuts is located inside Towne Center at 7415 Corporate Blvd. and open 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, with lunch starting at 11 a.m.
