The Chimes Restaurant & Bar — Louisiana / Pub, Baton Rouge
The Chimes has been the LSU University Lakes area's anchor restaurant since 1983 — a pub with genuine Louisiana food credentials (100+ beers, excellent crawfish, and the full Cajun seafood menu) that has served the university community and the surrounding neighborhood through forty years of Tiger victories and occasional losses.
The crawfish boil — live Louisiana crawfish in the spiced boiling pot, served by the pound on newspaper with corn and potatoes — is the Chimes' signature and the experience that makes the restaurant a must for visitors encountering the Louisiana tradition for the first time.
The beer selection — over 100 draft and bottled options, with genuine Louisiana craft beer representation alongside the international selections — is the most serious in Baton Rouge and the reason the pub designation is earned rather than claimed.
The University Lakes location means the Chimes captures the full cross-section of Baton Rouge — LSU students, faculty, and the surrounding residential community all share the same crawfish tables, which is the specific democratic pleasure that the Louisiana boil tradition provides.
Best Occasion: Great for Group Birthdays
Crawfish by the pound for the group, 100 beers to choose from, and the LSU atmosphere. The birthday dinner that Tiger Nation provides.
Best Occasion: Works for Team Dinners
The crawfish boil as team-building — the communal newspaper table, the shared spiced pot, and the Louisiana tradition that breaks down hierarchies as effectively as any organized activity.