This Walking Tour of Downtown Baton Rouge will Leave Your Belly Full!

Roast Beef Poboy at Poor Boy Lloyd's

We all know that there's a lot happening on Third Street downtown, but that doesn't mean we really know the ins and outs of downtown dining. If you really want to see what the city's central area has to offer, take a look at the new Baton Rouge Food Tours. Recently I took a little stroll downtown with Kim Harper, who runs the shows, and my belly sure thanked me in the end.

We met at Poor Boy Lloyd's which is a staple at the corner of Florida and Lafayette. While everyone with our group was a local, Kim gave us the history of the Poor Boy (or poboy as they're more widely known) as well as the history of the ownership. We then popped in at Stroubes for a little soup tasting, which was welcomed in the chilly weather. Kim also gave us some history facts about the old buildings surrounding including the old state capitol, along with some statues near North Boulevard Town Square. You might be thinking... "But Jay, I'm not a tourist, so why should I care about taking this food tour?" While it's obviously ideal for out-of-towners, locals can also enjoy taking a walk around the area, trying places you might not visit too often, and learning a few fun facts along the way.

Crab, Corn, and Brie Soup & Duck and Andouille Gumbo
at Stroubes

Next we stopped by the Lobby Café for some mouthwatering mini muffalettas. This is a cool little spot and has an old speakeasy below the dining room that the owners turned into their apartment. We took a walk up the road to get a nice view of the State Capital before we sat down to some warm fried green tomatoes topped with lump crabmeat and hollandaise at The Little Village. There were actually a couple of people in the group who hadn't had a fried green tomato before, so that was fun!

After that, we landed a stone's throw away at Restaurant IPO for one of my favorites, the Duck Popper. Check it out if you haven't tried it. Our last stop on the chilly tour was at the Kingfish in the Hilton Capitol Center. There we had a warm bananas foster sauce with some cheesecake bites and hot coffee. It was a fun day and I definitely recommend tagging along on one of the Baton Rouge Food Tours! For more information check out their website: http://batonrougefoodtours.com/

Muffalettas at The Lobby Café

Fried Green Tomatoes with Lump Crab Meat and Hollandaise
at The Little Viallage

Grilled Duck Stuffed with Green Onion Cream Cheese,
Jalapeños & Tasso, Wrapped in Bacon,
Tossed in a House Made Roasted Jalapeño Bacon Peach Pepper Jelly
at Restaurant IPO

Beignets Foster at Kingfish in the Hilton