Best Baton Rouge Restaurants of 2016

I'm omitting the ones that are considered fine-dining, such as Ruth's Chris, Ruffino's, Sullivan's, Madison Lacour, and Juban's; and will focus on the other tier of restaurants.

Now I haven't eaten at every BR restaurant in 2016, but these are the ones I frequented that left an impression on me and I wanted to bring attention to them.

I highly recommend everyone who is local to visit these places and try them for yourselves, and also provide your own suggestions.

Honorable Mentions - Bay Leaf, Chimes East, & Zea

5. Little Saigon/Dang's - I feel for Vietnamese you can't go wrong with either of these. Delicious pho and bahn mih at both locations. I visit Little Saigon more due to proximity but both are worthy of being called the best Vietnamese in the city.

4. Palermo Ristorante - A relative newcomer to the BR dining scene but one that's making a name for itself with fresh pasta and North Sicilian cuisine. The pasta carbonara I had there was excellent. Hard to find one that good outside of Italy.

3. Sushi Yama - BR has about 50 sushi restaurants but Yama always gets my business. In the 10+ times I've dined here in 2016, my meal has always been perfect. Fresh fish and the snowcrab apple salad may be my favorite starter at the moment.

2. Beausoleil - Encroaching on fine dining but just casual enough to where you can eat delicious food while wearing just about anything. One of the few restaurants in BR that reminds me of New Orleans: a changing, chef-created menu based on seasonal ingredients. And one of the few places you can get sweet breads.

1. City Pork Brasserie - My #1 for 2016. Each time I dined here in 2016 I left saying "why don't I eat here more?" From the house made charcuterie and cheeses to the creative entrées to the interesting and delicious specials (like a fried softshell crab grilled cheese), City Pork does everything right.