Capital City Classics: 1983 — 1995

George’s Southside (Since 1995)

8905 Highland Road

Step up to the counter at this longstanding eatery on Highland Road and take your pick from a menu that sprawls across multiple chalkboards. Sure, the vibe might be like a dive bar with creaky wooden tables, neon signs and dollar bills stuck to the ceiling and walls, but this place has been a family favorite for years. It even has an arcade room for the kids.

Following in the footsteps of the late, great location under the Perkins Road Overpass, George’s Southside has taken the baton as the old stalwart (there’s also a sister location on George O’Neal Road). Three decades of popularity on this corner of Highland Road and Staring Lane is a testament to the excellent, straightforward hamburgers and bar food George’s dishes out each day. Obviously, you should try one of the juicy burgers (our picks are the Heavy Hit or Mushroom Swiss), but don’t miss the jalapeño cheese fries, crispy onion rings, loaded po-boys and fried seafood platters.

Servings are hefty, but if you’re watching calories, there are several entree salads as well as the Diet Plate, featuring a hamburger steak with a side salad instead of fries. George’s truly is a spot for everyone. Just mind the sign that reads “No Whining.”

The Chimes (Since 1983)

3357 Highland Road

Few restaurants feel as quintessentially Baton Rouge as The Chimes. It’s the place where college buddies once lingered into the wee hours doing the “Around the World” beer challenge, and where a newer generation now makes memories on the rooftop patio while the sun sets behind LSU’s stately oaks. It’s where you bring your family or out-of-towners for Sunday brunch, hoping to snag a table under the iconic football mural, or crowd around the bar with fellow sports fans to watch the game. Tried-and-true dishes like chicken and sausage gumbo in a deep brown duck stock, the most decadent mac and cheese with smoked gouda, spinach and artichoke dip with crunchy bowtie pasta “chips,” and blackened chicken on a bun or atop creamy alfredo pasta all still taste just as good as the first time.

Dorothy’s Soul Food Kitchen (Since 1990s)

1221 Gardere Lane

Soul food doesn’t get much better than the heaping plates served at Dorothy’s. This Gardere Lane staple dishes out meat-and-three-sides plates that will threaten the structural integrity of a styrofoam to-go box. Tender pork chops, chicken and turkey wings are swimming in an oniony brown gravy, while collard greens, cabbage and yams are all prepared from scratch with fresh ingredients. Wash it down with an iced tea so sweet your teeth might hurt. A sign in the small dining room says “Bless This Kitchen with Love and Laughter,” but patrons are the ones counting their blessings for the comforting meals from owner Deneta Greely-Driffin, carrying on her mother Dorothy Lambert’s delicious legacy.

Zeeland Street (Since 1992)

2031 Perkins Road

In 2024, The New York Times finally caught wind of what we’ve all known about this inviting neighborhood restaurant: Zeeland Street is consistently one of the top breakfast and lunch spots in the city. Owner Stephanie Phares and her longtime kitchen team make everything from scratch, and that’s kept Baton Rouge families, business leaders and visitors coming back to the friendly Garden District hangout that still somehow feels like a hidden gem. Dig into the popular Mama’s Pot Roast lunch special, sandwiches named after nearby streets, or lighter fare like a black drum salad. And join the morning crowds for buttery biscuits “Miss Stephanie” makes by hand each day.

Read about more Capital City Classics here.