Watts takes over a corner of Third Street
His Cecelia and event space will occupy 10,000 square feet
Cecelia Creole Bistro is already one of Baton Rouge's best restaurants. Now owner Brad Watts is adding space next door, giving his downtown restaurant more room for private dinners, late-night drinks and a second act after the main dining room settles down.
About the restaurant: Cecelia has built a reputation as one of the city's most dependable restaurants, with Chef Mark Reilly cooking some of the tastiest dishes in town, with a dedication to soups as his signature. (Our friends at The Advocate selected Reilly's red beans and rice 🔐 as the best in the city this week.)
The big picture: Watts, a veteran restaurateur who previously owned K-Street and still operates River Room on Laurel Street, is adding a second dining room to Cecelia by taking over the former Bengal Tap Room space. The move gives him about 10,000 square feet to work with, including 5,000 square feet upstairs that he uses for events. Cecelia already turns away larger parties because it does not have enough room—the former Bengal Tap Room space fixes that.
The strategy: Keep Cecelia running as usual for lunch and dinner, then use the new space to do what the original restaurant cannot. That includes:
- hosting parties of up to 20 in a private dining room
- giving larger groups a place to go without squeezing the main restaurant
- opening the new bar and dining area from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. for a later-night crowd
What it means: Like much of Baton Rouge, downtown has watched restaurants come and go, especially as profit margins got tighter after Covid. Watts' strategy gives a prominent stretch of Third Street a better shot at stability on a key block between Laurel and Main, while giving more people a reason to head downtown at night.
What's next: Construction is underway, with the larger footprint expected to open in May.
