Pastime: Nostalgia wrapped in French bread
Nestled under the shadow of the Mississippi River bridge on South Boulevard, The Pastime Restaurant & Lounge isn’t just a place to grab lunch—it’s a living museum of Baton Rouge culture. Beer, pizza, poboys and LSU football. The short list of what matters in this town, all under one roof.
Pastime has been feeding Baton Rouge since the mid-1940s and has been a local historic landmark since 2007. It’s an LSU football pregame institution, too, a straight shot down Nicholson Drive from Tiger Stadium. Stepping inside feels like entering a time capsule, where the walls are lined with decades of LSU memorabilia, neon signs and the stories of generations of locals, politicians and college students who have pulled up a stool at the bar or grabbed a seat in its two-section dining room—one filled with big-screen TVs, the other for a quieter experience. It also has an ambiance that reminds me of Pinetta’s back in its Perkins Road heyday—only with the lights on.
Unlike my business partner, Mukul, who is something of a fru-fru foodie snob, I’m more of a give-me-the-basics, but make sure it’s cooked type of guy. Which is why The Pastime, in all its aged glory, is my kind of place.
First-timers should probably get a stone-deck pizza or the fabulous 10-hour roast beef poboy, but the cheeseburger poboy captures the restaurant’s no-frills, scratch-cooked philosophy. This place pays tribute to time-honored execution; modern culinary trends need not apply.
The poboy is anchored by a half-pound of fresh beef, split into two quarter-pound patties, seared on a seasoned flat-top grill. The burgers are blanketed in 100% American cheese, melting into every crevice. The result is a satisfying and comforting bite. What elevates Pastime’s burger poboy is the traditional New Orleans French bread: puffed and airy inside, with a shattered-glass crust on the outside. Get it dressed however you like, but I recommend adding grilled onions.
Go to the counter, scan the large overhead menu, scribble your order on a notepad, then take a seat and wait for your name to be called over the PA system, letting you know a Baton Rouge classic is ready to eat.
Timing is everything: get to The Pastime during peak hours, and there may be a wait for your food. That leaves more time to wander through the four-room restaurant and bar and take in the walls covered in LSU and Baton Rouge memorabilia.
—JR Ball
