What happens when you combine a love of smoked meats and old world delis? You get City Pork in Baton Rouge, LA. If you love pork, or eating, as much as I do, you’d better find a way to make it here quick!
We stumbled into City Pork in Baton Rouge while on our Louisiana Craft Brewery road trip, and I must say I couldn’t be happier. The founders of City Pork were inspired by old world meat markets and wanted to bring the high quality and craft feel to something they were passionate about: charcuterie. Not sure what that is? Don’t worry, they have a huge sign explaining it. :-)
Charcuterie boards have been hiding on the menus of fine dining establishments for the past few years as an upscale version of tapas or a replacement to that boring old cheese board. What the founders of City Pork have done is demystified charcuterie and made it accessible to the masses by using those old world deli secrets to make simple and delicious meals.
When Lauren and I stopped in we were in a small group which gave us the opportunity to try a good amount of what was on the menu. Most dishes feature their insanely tender and delicious pork that has been smoked for over 17 hours. We had that on their signature Big Pig (pictured at the top) smothered in southern style cole slaw, and on their version of the Cuban Sandwich which combined the pork with ham, swiss cheese, and house-made pickles on a po-boy.
If you are looking for something lighter (at least in comparison) you can also order a house salad or their City Club which both include hefty portions of their house cured bacon.
One of the other aspects I enjoyed about City Pork Baton Rouge was that the deli portion of the restaurants included local favorites like boudin, andouille sausage, and tasso for purchase to eat in-house as charcuterie or take-out for later consumption. For a complete Louisiana experience, City Pork also features a soda made from real sugar cane called Swamp Pop, and one of the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted.
Our meal was so delicious we managed to polish off every bite which left us with a bit of a conundrum. We were going to get back to our hotel smelling like delicious pork and we didn’t have any leftovers for our traveling diva, Zoe. Good thing City Pork had us covered though, they actually sell smoked pork skins just for doggies.
The menu at City Pork may be small and simple, but that is the key to their current success. By focusing on making a few key ingredients incredibly well they are able to serve a menu that is always fresh and definitely satisfying. If you find yourself ramblin’ by Baton Rouge and you have a hankering for some delicious meats City Pork should definitely be on your short list of best places to eat in Baton Rouge.
Details for City Pork Baton Rouge
2363 Hollydale Avenue
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
225.300.4550
cityporkdeli.com
The food looks so good! Definitely looks worth visiting when in Baton Rouge!