Capital City Classics: 1958 — 1964

El Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant (Since 1962)

8334 Airline Highway

El Rio Grande isn’t just one of Baton Rouge’s oldest Tex-Mex joints. It’s also one of its most colorful. Everywhere you look, there’s a splash of bright blue, green or yellow, instantly communicating to newcomers that they’ve landed somewhere festive and fun.

The Airline Highway mainstay has been run by the Urdiales family for three generations, and it’s beloved as much for its food as it is for its little quirks. On the bar sits a kitschy pink flamingo named Cisco that you stick in your seat to hold your spot if you step out to smoke—unless a group of regulars “kidnaps” him again, as they did not long ago, sending owner Raul Urdiales playful ransom photos. In one corner, a Christmas tree stands year-round, redecorated for every holiday (stop by this month to see its Halloween getup). And if you’re throwing a party, each of your guests is given a vibrant sequined sombrero to don.

The menu is old-school and scratch-made, focusing on Tex-Mex staples like burritos, fajitas, enchiladas, tacos, tamales, tostadas and margaritas. But in-the-know patrons can also order a few off-menu items that have been passed down through the years.

Dearman’s Diner (Since 1958)

7633 Jefferson Highway

When you step inside Dearman’s, it’s hard not to feel that you’ve stepped inside a time capsule. The checkerboard floors, the cherry-red booths and the retro “Dearman’s Drugs” wall art are all reminders of the restaurant’s origins as a neighborhood pharmacy and lunch counter. Even after a 2016 fire forced the diner to close its doors for nearly two years, the eatery returned looking much the same. The unfussy menu, with an emphasis on burgers, fries and milkshakes, is similarly timeless. You can also get a taste of what Dearman’s has to offer outside of Bocage thanks to the new Dearman’s South Dine N’ Dash food truck, parked at Brickyard South.

Tony’s Seafood (Since 1959)

5215 Plank Road

As the self-described “largest seafood market in the Gulf South,” Tony’s has earned its reputation as Baton Rouge’s go-to spot for fresh-catch ingredients. Inside, live catfish swim in tanks while fresh crabs, oysters and shrimp rest on beds of ice. And then, of course, there’s the crawfish. The Plank Road landmark moves a staggering number of mudbugs: about 100,000 pounds a week in peak crawfish season. On the takeout side, patrons can choose from a “greatest hits” list of regional heavy hitters including Cajun boudin, crabmeat au gratin, crawfish étouffée, red beans and rice, and seafood gumbo.

Frank’s Restaurant (Since 1964)

8353 Airline Highway

Since the ‘60s, Frank’s has been the kind of place that makes breakfast feel like an occasion. The restaurant has built its reputation on biscuits—big, fluffy and proudly billed as the “best homemade biscuits in the world”—as well as its welcoming, down-home vibe. Though the biscuits are the star, the rest of the menu is classic southern comfort: country-style breakfast plates, hearty fried seafood platters, stacks of sweet cream buttermilk pancakes and the like. Family-run for three generations, Frank’s officially grew beyond its original Baton Rouge home in 2004 with the opening of a second location in Prairieville.

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