Honorable Mention: Rama. Their chicken coconut soup is probsbly my favorite soup in town (rivaled only by the Brie and crabmeat soup at Mansur's) and the shrimp chien and some other dishes are tasty, but service is SLOW and the atmosphere is nonexistent.
Honorable Mention: Sonny's. Certainly not the best BBQ, but the AYCE ribs w/ 2 sides and Texas toast for $13.99 is an amazing deal. I also like the retro old-school feel of the place.
Honorable Mention: Beausoleil. The Mississippi Mule and sweet potato-infused rum punch are two of my favorite drinks in town, and the majority of the food I've been served has been stellar. Probably would've been ranked higher if not for the foul chargrilled oysters I was given on a recent visit.
Honorable Mention: Zorba's. This was one of my favorites years ago, and when they reopened they picked up right where they left off. I really like Albasha, too, just not quite as much as Zorba's, which is a little more authentic.
Honorable Mention: Parrain's. Their Tabasco/mustard-marinated fried catfish is the best fried catfish in the entire city, in my opinion. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to try much else, because the catfish is so darn good.
Honorable Mention: Capital City Crawfish. This relative newcomer to the BR dining scene offers up great poboys and boiled seafood, and the owners are super-friendly. The "sweet tails" -- crawfish tails fried in sweet potato batter and served with honey mustard -- are addictive. The only negative is its location.

10: Digiulio Bros. This place has really grown on me over the past year. Good lunch specials, surprisingly decent pizza, and perhaps my favorite brunch in town.
9: ZEA. Say what you want about this New Orleans-based chain, but both the food and the service on all of my visits have been exceptional. The Thai ribs, Asian almond shrimp, Sriracha hummus, and grits are all legit.
8: City Pork. A very welcome addition to the Baton Rouge restaurant scene. My go-to's are the Ozzy sandwich or nachos, washed down with an icy Swamp Pop. The monthly cochon de lait is great, too.
7: 9 Dragon Noodle House. Omi was at one time my favorite Chinese in BR, but not anymore. While admittedly I don't care for their ramen or noodle bowls, they have the best hot n' sour soup and fried rice in town. Their dry fried spicy beef, and sautéed liver dishes, are fabulous.
6: Delpit's Chicken Shack. I've been going here for over 20 years, and it's still the best fried chicken in town in my opinion -- better than Dominque's Stockyard, better than the State Police cafeteria, and better than the rest of the bunch. They have great lunch plates (smothered pig tails, anyone?) and the shack balls, pork chop sandwich, and homemade pies put it over the top.
5: Gino's. Not the best Italian I've ever had, but it's my go-to when I want Italian in Baton Rouge. The arancine, Mama's special salad topped with crabmeat, Veal Sorrentina, and almond cream cake are all top-notch. I've tried Nino's and some of the other contenders, but in the end I keep coming back to Gino's.
4: Sushi Masa. The quality certainly isn't the highest, but when you're a glutton like me, you just can't beat the price for decent AYCE sushi.
3: Dang's. Yummy banh-mi, pho, and noodle dishes, and a surprisingly superb chicken curry make this a top pick for a quick lunch or dinner.
2: Maison Lacour. I first tried this place years ago after my then-favorite restaurant, Chalet Brandt, shut down. I loved it then and over the years it has been my go-to place for "trying to impress" dates and special occasions. The romantic ambiance of the quaint little house, paired with fantastic food and service, has been a 100% guaranteed panty-dropper for me over the years.
1: Thai Pepper. I've been eating here since they first opened 15+ years ago, after Thai Kitchen moved to their Perkins location. Over the years ownership has changed hands a few times, but the food has remained hot, fresh, and delicious. The buffet changes daily, which makes it even more enticing. A guaranteed fantastic meal for under 10 bucks -- what more could you want? It's consistent excellence is what makes it tops in my book.

This post was edited on 4/28/15 at 4:03 pm