Legacy

Living in a city like Baton Rouge gives students a great chance to sample the amazing food the area has to offer. If students aren’t willing to cough up big bucks that upscale restaurants force you to pay, sticking with local restaurants may be your best bet.

Luckily, there are two options close to campus that are known for having the best homemade food in town: Roul’s Deli and Akasha Market.

Located in the Northgate area of campus, Roul’s Deli is a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered. Because of its close proximity to other Northgate favorites like Serrano’s and Chimes, Roul’s Deli is sometimes forgotten about when looking for a great meal.

Walking into Roul’s can be overwhelming to those who have never been. The building resembles a shack, but offers a warm atmosphere that’s complimented by its employees. Paintings of Bourbon Street, various women and poised tigers line the colorful walls.

Aside from the dozens of horse flies buzzing around and the overwhelming smell of grease, Roul’s offers a pleasant experience other restaurants seem to have forgotten.

Sam Coker, civil engineering junior, says it’s the warm and friendly atmosphere of Roul’s that keeps him coming back.

“Besides the fact that the burgers are great, the service from Roul and his workers are always awesome,” Coker said. “It’s one of the reasons I come in once or twice a week.”

Roul’s burgers have been voted numerous times as being the best in town. According to Roul Saymeh, owner of the deli, “The burgers are seasoned beforehand and we cook them for about three minutes. This way they keep most of the homemade seasonings and juices.”

Located behind Reggie’s bar in Tigerland is Akasha Market, a small convenience store that doubles as a deli.

The store is small, with only a few aisles of items for sale, but serves up another one of Baton Rouge’s best hamburgers. Despite the market not being the most up kept place in town, its outstanding food keeps customers coming back.

The store’s owner, Mohammed Akasha, believes his burgers are the best in town because they maintain the natural flavor of the meat.

“We use 80/20 chuck ground beef. You can’t go wrong with it,” Akasha said. “The burgers are seasoned with a mixture of Mediterranean, Cajun, and Italian homemade seasonings. We cook the burgers until the juices aren’t pouring out onto the grill.”

Jennie Armstrong, mass communication junior, said her first Akasha experiencewas satisfying.

“It took a while to actually get the burger,” Armstrong said. “But it was delicious and well worth it.”

Photograph by Benjamin Oliver Hicks