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Chelsea's Cafe
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Thu, Fri, Sat
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
14 reviews for Chelsea's Cafe
For my full blog with pictures please visit http://jaydducote.blog...
Chelsea's Cafe is one of Baton Rouge's favorite establishments, and for good reason. The new version of Chelsea's opened after the original was closed down due to the demolition of the shopping center that it was in at the North Gates of LSU. Now situated underneath the Perkins Road overpass, Chelsea's has brought new life to the food and entertainment scene in the area. Chelsea's is known for their food, live music, good drinks, and relaxed atmosphere in a setting that is unique, original, and locally owned. It is a place that is 100% Baton Rouge, and towards the top of places to go to for any visitor coming to town.
Today I found myself at Chelsea's for lunch. I met the two lovely ladies from the Voodoo BBQ post, Natalie and Laura, as well as my brother Eric, CMac, and Corey. The six of us got situated at a booth and ordered a couple of apps for us to munch on as we chatted about life, work, and our LSU Tigers.
Hummus at Chelsea's Cafe
Spinach and Artichoke Dip at Chelsea's Cafe
The hummus at Chelsea's Cafe continues to be some of my favorite hummus in town. There are a plethora of Greek and Mediterranean restaurants around town that do an excellent hummus, but Chelsea's is really something special. They take the crushed chick peas and oil and place it on a plate with fresh, ripe Roma tomatoes, a large wedge of fantastic feta cheese, and finish it off with some great Greek olives and garnish. The hot pita bread that is served with hummus is also delicious and is another one of those perfect vehicles for delivering a quality dip to your mouth.
Our other appetizer was the spinach and artichoke dip. Served with same pita bread as the hummus, this dip was equally as tasty. Chelsea's uses large pieces of fresh artichoke in their dip, which sets it apart from some of the other SpinArt dips in town. It has that great balance of spinach, artichoke, cream, and cheese which makes spinach and artichoke dip a wonderful dish. My only complaint is that the pita bread, while just as good, does not accompany the spinach and artichoke dip like it does for the hummus. I would prefer a different dipping and eating method such as a homemade crispy chip or toasted crouton. I feel like a little crunch would go a long way in making this one of the better appetizers on the menu.
For my main lunch course I ordered one of my favorite sandwiches in town, the Fried Calamari and Parmesan Poboy.
The Calamari Poboy is simple and delightful. It contains golden brown calamari and parmesan cheese served on a soft, chewy, buttery poboy bread. It is served with french fries and a side of Chelsea's famous spicy tomato basil soup. The poboy itself was great. The calamari had the right proportion of chewiness and crunchiness and the bread was wonderfully baked. The tomato basil soup was as good as always and certainly towards the top of my list of best soups in town, but you do have to like a little kick. The french fries were average at best. They were a little soggy, but still tasted fine with a little Heinz.
The trip to Chelsea's was a great way to spend my lunch break on a Friday afternoon. We had a great group of friends, good conversation, delicious food, and all for an affordable price! Chelsea's used to be one of my more frequented hang outs. I'm not sure why that stopped because the food and the atmosphere are still as good as always.
Whoever gave/gives Chelseas less than 4 needs to get out of Baton Rouge right now and never come back.
Their food is creative, delicious, and SOOOOOOO perfectly priced! Great laid back atmosphere, SUPER FRIENDLY STAFF, and I love love love that the owner himself isnt too big time to serve you himself. What a champ. Plus, great live music and cool folks who come in. It's a diamond in the rough. It's not some fancy pants place with fancy perfect food - its just a comfortable place to go to have good eats and a glass of beer with friends.
I suggest the fried green FREAKING AMAZING tomatos.
I come to Chelsea's every time I'm visiting, and it's one of the highlights of my trip. I usually go for lunch, not the night time thing.
Baton Rouge, you should be so happy that you have such a wonderful , non-snobby, easy going, tasty food sort of place....you need it like you need all the people who leave after college to come back...you dont want to run this one off, too.
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I always fit in a order of the crawfish cakes in when I'm back visiting- and if possible squeeze in the tomato soup & grilled cheese. Great menu, good beer & drinks, friendly owner, nice stage, and attentive staff. Baton Rouge has got a glowing gem here!!
Every time I come back home to the Big BR, I try to eat at least one meal at Chelsea's. I love the laid back atmosphere and of course the Chicken Mojo sandwich. The live music is also great!
Although I love Chelsea's, I'm docking it one star because the of the wait time at the bar and because it is not open on Sundays. I know I know, keep the Sabbath holy, but when I'm in town just for the weekend and can't get my Chelsea's fix, I'm a little disappointed!
Over all, Chelsea's is one of those places that you have to go in Baton Rouge -- whether it's to grab a bite to eat or to catch a show, it has become a staple in the Red Stick.
For bar food, this place is pretty good. There were several vegetarian options, although I ate grilled shrimp which were done nicely and the fried green tomatoes that everyone goes on about. Yummy. The stuffed mushroom appetizer was good too- crawfish and creamcheese stuffed mushrooms that were then battered and fried. Not greasy at all, but they were coated with a little too much cayenne- not so much hot as much as too powdery, if you know what I mean. On a week night it was a fine place to relax with friends for about four hours. The waitress was really nice to my child also. Shiner Bock on tap and the wine was not half bad either.
A friend took me here and I was pleasantly surprised due to the location being kind of odd, but whatever. It's Baton Rouge.
Crawfish cakes. Awesome salad. I like the atmosphere (I hate light, hahaha). The musicians were chatting with us while they were setting up. It's intimate but open. Very easy to chat with people here. Good to watch a game in the back. Staff is friendly.
Food is excellent. Nothing is lacking, really.
Definitely okay for a first date if you're not uptight people and you like to have fun, otherwise...go to Mike Anderson's or something.
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Located under the Perkins Rd. overpass, this isn't an ideal spot to take a girl on a first date, if she's never been there. She'll think you're taking her under an overpass.
When you walk into Chelsea's, there's a giant chalkboard neatly written upon in bright colors, and with the old, hardwood floors and cool, clever, musically-themed paintings on the walls, the whole place exudes the sort of vibe you would look for, culturally, from this part of the US.
Chelsea's offers live music (see website for event calendar) and a menu which includes such items as Crawfish Cakes ($6.95), Chicken Florentine ($9.95), and, of course, a Fried Catfish PoBoy, dressed and served with fries, for just $7.95.
Yes, I will definitely probably be back. ,': D I just made myself hungry, looking over their menu.
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This is a really great restaurant that anyone in Baton Rouge must experience. The atmosphere is great and the food is always good too! The new location of the restaurant fits its style really well. The night life is always a fun time. They almost always have live music or a cool DJ playing. The drinks are reasonably priced as well as the food. I strongly suggest this place!
Only Nazis don't love Chelsea's.
OK, I'm kidding.
But seriously. Fried green tomatoes, awesome salads and poboys, awesome atmosphere. I love that the new building has two separate bars so that you can listen to the band or just sit with your friends. Very smart move.
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Chelsea's is the quintessential college resturant/bar. They're very eclectic with exposed brick walls as well as fun paintings and art. The new location also did a great job with the double bar areas and the increased area for shows and readings. The outside area is nice to sit in if the weather is good but not so much if it is rainy because there's no roof!
Chelsea's, for the most part, has fabulous food. The sandwiches, pastas and everything else is wonderful. Their salads are HUGE! I'm also impressed with their range of vegan offerings (even though I'm not even a vegetarian) which are just as tasty as their meaty counterparts.
My only real complaint is the waitstaff, which can be a little flakey at times. But I've never had a bad experience there and its a great place to hang out and eat.
I was reeling from culture shock when I came here so I really do owe this place another shot before judging. The space was large and accommodating to our large group. Service was good and from what I hear the burger is quite good. But still, you know how you meet a friend of a friend that has been talked up so much and then you finally meet them and your friend is all "hey so didn't I tell you she was awesome" and you are left saying totally false crap like "oh her shirt was really pretty..." to deflect from your real thought which was "what is the big friggin deal with this chick?" Well, that was my first impression of Chelsea('s). I'll bet the next time we meet I'll think she is every bit as charming as everyone else says she can be and I'll be able to compliment more than her architecture and apt service.
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I must be a Nazi because I never saw why people liked this so much. Now I guess I should preface that with I have never been to the new location, however, whenever I did go there (by that I mean the old locations) it just seemed too much of a college crowd for me. The food was so-so the live bands that played there just plain sucked. Like I said, I've never been to the new location, I just went when it used to be in the shitty shopping center (that has since been torn down) off of W. State St. near LSU. Yet, I doubt somehow that the location change improved this place any. There are other restaurant/bars worthy of going to in the South Down's area than this place. Let the college kids have their fun at Chelsea's and go to an establishment for grown ups.
Great place to eat well on the cheap. Great sandwiches and entrees, cold beer, and usually some pretty good shows. As somebody else said, give the staff some time, you'll either get your food in five minutes or twenty. Hey, it's good either way so enjoy.
I would say I love this place for the most part. You have to be tollerant with the staff on occasion it is a very laid back, but busy atmosphere. Unfortunately they are relocating right now. I think this will affect their clientelle. They have the best (for the price) smoked pork loin in au jus, with garlic mashed potato, and lemon garlic green beens. They also give you free homemade bread with garlic butter. They have a great selection of beer on tap and if you like a little sass from the waiting staff and a very laid back atmosphere this is the place for you.
