Follow us @thehungryblackman on Facebook or IG to add amazing Black owned eateries across the United States to your foodie-indulgence list! Or subscribe to our blog by placing your email below for up-to-date emails and newsletters.
I don’t know anyone who has traveled to Baton Rouge to simply enjoy the cuisine, but they should because it’s worth the trip. New Orleans’ northern neighbor may not enjoy the national foodie reputation that New Orleans does, but Baton Rouge has a localized food scene that is worth diving in to.
We toured all of New Orleans and found that no eatery quite captured the regionalized cooking as much as Jay’s BBQ located at 4215 Government St, Baton Rouge, LA 70806; especially their delicious Po’ boy sandwiches.
Many non-Louisianans might have a hard time understanding what makes the Po’ boy so special. From the outside looking in, it’s easy to chalk it up to being simply a sandwich. It definitely is not. The standard sub has a softer, chewier loaf. Conversely, the Po’boy is served on a French baguette with a thin, crisp crust and a soft, light interior.
Jay’s Po’ boys come with one of their amazing variety of meats with mayo or a house made sauce, mustard, lettuce, tomato, and pickles. I started with their legendary ribs, which were already tender and tasty but enhanced even more with their signature homemade sauce. Following the ribs, we tasted various Po’ boys. Every sandwich we tried was amazing, but one was so good, I bit my tongue trying to savor every ounce of its flavor.
The Rib Meat Po’ Boy was my favorite. The sandwich had a bold and smoky flavor heightened by a side of Jus used for the French Dip that was so delicious I dipped everything in! It reminded me of having the creole version of a Chicago Italian Beef sandwich. The bread was crunchy and buttery with meat so tender we used a plastic spoon to cut through the sandwich to share.
The side item I most enjoyed was the BBQ beans which were like a souped-up cowboy bean. Jay’s has been around for forty years and is the city’s only Black owned location! You owe it to yourself to visit this scrumptious veteran BBQ space. You can reach them at (225) 343-5082.
