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Inside look at Barcadia

KGB pictured above. Photo courtesy Barcadia.

Good news, Baton Rouge—Nick Hufft and his beloved Curbside burgers have finally returned to the Capital City via Barcadia.

Before we get to the meat (pun intended) of why you will want to reunite with Curbside’s delicious fare, let’s talk Barcadia. If you haven’t been to the New Orleans location—or the ones in Dallas or Fort Worth—here’s the scoop. It’s basically a grown-up arcade with quality food.

At the new location, I spotted several giant Connect Four games, an air hockey table, a few giant Jengas and numerous classic arcade games. Plus there’s a great wrap-around, poured concrete bar in the center of everything, making it easy to grab a beer while you play.

For those of you who used to frequent Serranos, the Barcadia team did a complete overhaul. It is virtually unrecognizable from the inside.

The space is evenly divided between the bar area and actual tables, so you may have a little wait to be seated. But that gives you the perfect opportunity to snack while you beat your friends at Jenga. Appetizers include twists on the typical bar food fare, like perfectly fried housemade pickles, fried cheese curds (!!!) with marinara dipping sauce and Korean barbecue wings.

Now, the part you really came here for: the burgers. The classics—like the KGB, featuring a fried egg and praline bacon, and The Brian 2.0, an update on The Brian with pork belly preserves, blue cheese and fried onion strings—return with some new “repeat offenders.” Standouts include: the Green Chile Cheeseburger (pepper jack cheese, fire-roasted green chilies, applewood-smoked bacon, honey gastrique tortilla crisps and cilantro crema) and The Smoking Joe[l] (sharp cheddar, applewood-smoked bacon, PBR-braised onions and hickory-smoked sauce).

If none of those really appeal to you, you can build your own. However, I’ve learned to trust Hufft’s judgment when it comes to burgers (fellow Curbside fans will recall one burger special featuring bacon and peanut butter, which sounds questionable but was incredible). All burgers come with fries and their amazing pickles on the side.

Barcadia is open seven days a week, 5 p.m.-2 a.m. The restaurant and bar expand hours to 11 a.m.-2 a.m. starting Wednesday, Feb. 18. For more information, click here.