Kingfish Grill Baton Rouge

Never having tried Louisiana Gumbo, I ordered room service after traveling from 1am on to get to Baton Rouge, by noon I needed to order lunch. No menu in the room however, went on the Hilton Capital Center to find a brunch menu. Next, called down to place my order, all good so far. Got a call back about half an hour or so later and they didn’t have what was on the menu, and all the prices likewise were different. The food arrived about an hour and a half later, but I also knew they were slammed. The wait was well worth the Gumbo, best Gumbo hands down I’ve ever tasted. I would suggest menu’s in the rooms or directions about room service and menus at check in and update the online menu, it was not terribly difficult to look up, but it took some doing, and then wasn’t correct. The person on the phone was super friendly to ask what else I would like, since what I ordered didn’t exist and brought some extra cokes for the wait and cheesecake. I didn’t order fries but I guess they came with the sandwich, man, the fries were so darn good also! I would recommend their food, the restaurant is highly sought after, so the wait is expected to some degree, but the food is worth the wait, the service was accommodating so if not staying in the hotel for sure make reservations. The Kingfish is set in the Hilton Capital Center Baton Rouge, there’s an inspiring eclectic riverscape circle of cultural sites surrounding your dinning experience. Don’t forget to grab your bowl or cup of gumbo, the hotel itself is well worth a tour, or even a stay if out of town, for a much needed respite, or artistic inspiration. It is a historic hotel, it was left empty for over 25 years, the restoration is magnificent, and it does have a bit of a haunting feel FYI. The hotel was still working on opening old tunnels that run from the Capital Building to under the hotel, from the days of Gov. Huey Long (assassinated in 1935) so I didn’t get to see that part but it should be a cool tour once they complete the excavation.

I had a three-day conference at this hotel, and the Kingfish Grill had a special seafood lunch buffet for us, which was pretty good. I was impressed with the variety and quality of the seafood gumbo, etoufee, jambalaya, and fried catfish. I was also impressed with how the manager and chef came to check on us periodically. I was pleased overall.