Overall, go -- it's fun and feels like an Old World Pub, and don't go if you are in a hurry.
I have been a few times since I have lived in Baton Rouge. Any time you drive down S Sherwood Forest, you have to notice the double decker bus parked out in front.
The most recent time I went in was during restaurant week. I got the Mini Me Sliders, the Shepard's Pie and a giant slice of Caramel Cake all for $20 (Who else can't wait for Restaurant Week next year?)
My sliders weren't the most spectacular thing, though I did love that they used brie instead of some other cheeses, but then again, who doesn't love a good brie?
My Shepard's Pie, now that was great. It comes in a little crock that that is piping hot when they bring it to you. It is a giant entree. I was completely surprised when I was able to finish all of it last night. I normally am only able to eat about half.
Now, the cake, that was the most unexpected treat of the evening. The waitress asked me which dessert I wanted, and I couldn't decide. So, I told her to pick one and surprise me with it. Well, my waitress friend, you definitely picked a winner. It was a big, thick slice of moist cake with a caramel filling and the plate was drizzled in caramel sauce. It was outstanding. I was by myself at my booth, and I literally said, "Oh, my God" after my first bite.
The draw back was that the service wasn't very good the last time I went. I normally go in expecting to wait, but last night, my cup stayed empty a lot, and my waitress completely forgot to bring me a refill after she said she would bring me another. I also had to wait a long time to get my check so I could pay and leave. I suppose that that would have been a lot less noticeable, had someone else been with me, but it was a bit frustrating. My waitress was very apologetic, but she didn't offer an actually explanation for it either. Oh well.
The concept of this place is good, but unfortunately the execution is way, way off.
The price on the menu is less than the price they'll actually charge you. Watch out. It's systematic, unethical, and they're unapologetic.
The beer often has a slightly soapy taste to it - sometimes it's a very soapy taste. This has been going on for a number of months, despite my group of friends complaining on several occasions. I don't know what they're messing up, but it really ruins a beer.
The selection is unreliable - for instance they were routinely out of Smithwick's for months in a row.
All in all, Londoner used to be good - it became our default bar - but it's now disappointing and sad. You'll be happier if you go somewhere else.
The Londoner is one of my favorite restaurants in Baton Rouge. They have a wide variety of food, and an even better selection of beer and cocktails. This is the place I like to bring out-of-town visitors when we go out to eat.
I usually get the fish and chips or the shepherd's pie, but I've tried various things on the menu and never ended up with something I didn't enjoy. The avocado and tomato toast really hits the spot for a light Sunday breakfast, and the desserts (I've had them all) are spectacular and generously sized. Both the regular menu and the weekend brunch are excellent.
The atmosphere is fun, with lots of humorous artwork on the walls. They also have multiple TVs which are usually tuned to ESPN or showing a soccer match. My husband and I enjoy the dart boards while we are waiting for our food.
I deducted a star because this has become the kind of place that we don't go to unless we have a block of about 2 hours. Occasionally, we can get right in and out, but the majority of the time, even if it's not particularly crowded, it takes a really long time to get our food. Our servers are generally very attentive, frequently stopping by to refill our drinks. On one of our recent visits, the server actually seemed embarrassed by how long it was taking for our food to come out (it took about 45 minutes to an hour from the time we ordered until the food was ready). He was very apologetic and kept coming to check on us. So, I don't think it's an issue of poor service by the wait staff. It seems more like they are occasionally understaffed in the kitchen.
This place can be a bit pricey, especially if you are getting alcoholic drinks or dessert, but I don't think it's outrageously expensive, and there are plenty of options available at every price point, with many meals under $10 for an entree and side. It just depends on what you want.
Overall, I'd definitely recommend it, but make sure to go when you're not in a hurry.
I arrived at 7:05 on 2/27 and we stood at the hostess stand till 7:12 and no on greeted us. Several servers walked by and no one even greeted us. I tried to flag on down and ask him if we were supposed to seat our selves and he ignored me. I finally went over to where the pos system was, where what looked like the manager and a waitress were talking. I asked if we were supposed to seat ourselves and the manager vaguely replied no, and asked us where we wanted to sit, and then proceeded to say "let me find some menus." We sat down, and a waitress promptly came over (before I had even opened my menu) and asked us if we wanted an appetizer, we hadn't even placed our drink orders yet. We ordered our drink and she quickly brought them out. Immediately after a waitress dropped several plates of food  directly in front of our table. I sat drinking my beer and thinking that this place was not running well that evening. They weren't particularly busy, just looked very unorganized. We waited for over 10 minutes and no one came back to take our order, so I left my money for the beer on the table and walked out. Seems to me they need to get it together. Poor customer service and disorganized staff don't make for a successful restaurant.
Review Source:I went mid afternoon on Saturday. There were very few customers so the atmosphere was cozy and quiet. I ordered the Fish and Chips and was disappointed, first by the portion size vs cost 12.00 and second because the chips were Luke warm and very salty while the fish could have been cooked in a microwave. The outside was cool to the touch while the inside was piping hot. My money would have been better spent at the grocery store buying a large box of fish sticks and french fries. Beer was cold so the 60 mile round trip was not a complete waste of time.
Review Source:This place is pretty cool. The atmosphere is really nice and open. I have to give them credit for their beer list. It's small but good (it has Fuller's London Porter which is basically all I ask for in my pubs). Â The steak and ale and the Shepard's pie were both excellent and the service was friendly. I hear that a lot of people come here to watch soccer and that they definitely encourage that. It is definitely worth checking out at least once.
Review Source:Great food and plenty of fantastic beers on tap. Â Stopped in here while vacationing in Baton Rouge and was happy to find a watering hole where microbrews and imports were a'plenty. Â I'm a Seattle beer-snob and this place put the "check in the box" when I needed something other than BudLight. Â Liked this place so much that my boyfriend and I went there two times during our 5-days in ol' Red Stick. Â Food was great - I had the fish & chips and they were delicous. Â Staff is very friendly and they welcomed us out-of-towner's with a smile and even chatted us up about the football game we attended. Â If I ever go back to Baton Rouge, I'll absolutely be back.
Review Source:Really cool place to grab lunch, dinner or to just hang out and have a beer. It's a restuarant/bar so it's an ecclectic mix of people (families, college kids, young professionals). The beer selection is good. The prices are decent (think Outback price level). The menu is diverse enough that anyone can find something to enjoy but there are also some British "staples" like fish and chips and bangers and mash. It can be a bit loud though (lots of big screen TV's playing sports and 80's/90's music on the loud speakers) so I wouldn't recommend it for a quite, romantic dinner.
Review Source:This is a fun place that is smoke-free. That noise you hear in the background is my lungs cheering. Â The food is good, do yourself a favor and get the enormous shepard's pie. Weekend brunch is quite tasty. This is a spacious location and it rarely feels crowded. As one would expect there are frequently soccer matches on the television. The patio and it's giant t.v. is nice for the smokers. People are friendly, service can be a hit or miss, but you get table service in the bar area too, which is nice trade-off.
If the parking lot is full in the front, don't be discouraged. There is a lot behind the building and the Londoner has a rear entrance.
I will definately be a regular here. They have a great beer selection. The food was better than I thought it would be. Most places like this don't season the food and it seems like the only thing offered is ground meat. They have a diverse menu here tho. Good selection of appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts. Also, it was a beautiful day so we sat outside. They had the game going and music in the background. : )
My husband had the STEAK ROYALE. It comes with handmade mashed potatoes and toasted bread. The steak and mash were covered in a creamy sauce with mushrooms. I don't like mushrooms but I took a bite anyway and was jealous I hadn't ordered it. I had the Chicken Tikka Masala. I'm not sure why I ordered this considering Bay Leaf Indian is right down the road and I feel like no one can top their CTM. I'm glad I tried it at The Londoner. It almost ties Bay Leaf. My husband actually liked it more than Bay Leaf. He likes a more original taste where as I prefer the creamy rich super flavorful type. Anyway, of both dishes we tried, I would have both of them again.
I have been here a couple of time. Â Overall it's not the best nor the worst. Â Service is always decent, food decent for bar food, drinks decent. Â I have had the reuben and the steak pie, both good. Â It's nice to sit outside on the deck if it's nice out. Â Also has a cupcake place right above it if you want dessert afterward. Â Oh yeah and the curry fries are different and good.
Review Source:I've been to the Londoner twice now, and both times had a less than fantastic experience. The first time I went they were having some sort of trivia night, but the mic was set up WAY too loud. You couldn't be anywhere in the place and not be deafened by some guy using an asinine fake voice to ask retarded questions to maybe about 3 tables worth of participants in the whole place. After reviewing the menu and beer selection, nobody in my party was enthusiastic about staying, so we left. The second time I went, I was just going to meet a friend for a beer after work. Obviously I had been there before and knew the beers were expensive, but I figured I'd bite the bullet for a night. I got there and it had a nice cozy feel at first, but the staff was entirely inattentive. I feel as if I could've walked up to the bar, poured my own beer, and walked out without them even caring. I went upstairs (a dangerous little rickety staircase with no lights on it whatsoever) and sat with my friend and ordered a pint of strongbow. You'd figure at an english pub they would serve imperial pints, but that isn't the case. I got about a 4/5 full standard 16 ounce american pint. Let me tell you, the only thing that pisses me off more than a 16 ounce "pint" glass, is not getting my pints filled to the top. After dropping off my "pint" the waitress promptly disappeared into some little back room for the next half hour. My friend and I talked a bit until a raucous group of terribly drunk kids came up and sat by us. They were so loud and disruptive we couldn't hear each other, but the management made no attempts to quiet them. I decided to get out of there as soon as possible, so after about 15-20 minutes of looking for the waitress, she finally popped back out long enough to give me my check. With a tip, my approximately 12 ounce "pint" came out to almost $9. I can go to Fox and Hound and get a pint and a meal for that much, in a much better atmosphere. While the Londoner isn't all that great, it does have nice decor and other people seem to like it, so I won't rate it 1 star. But I can guarantee you I won't be going back... places like this annoy me. No care about customer satisfaction at all, they just want your money for their highly over-priced beers that aren't even filled all the way.
Review Source:Went for Sunday brunch. My boyfriend ordered his meal with ham on the side, because he does not like bacon. When the meal came out, it came with bacon. When asked why, the server said "hmm, well, I think they're out of ham..."
What they SHOULD have done was ask us what we would have preferred, rather than just making the decision for us. Neither of us like bacon (I can't even eat it because of a health problem). The food was okay, but we left unhappy.
Your restaurant should be about your customers' satisfaction! :(
We went for Sunday brunch/lunch. Service was great, there was a soccer match on and it wasn't too crowded. We ordered the Hampton Cheesy fries for an app which were AWESOME! Salty cheesy yummy! Â My hubby ordered the Steak and Ale pie, and liked it. Very filling. I had the Tomato soup and the grilled cheese toast. Beware! The tomato soup was extremely salty!
The other two folks had been there before and enjoyed their meals but nothing stood out except the desserts
The table shared the Toffee pudding which was OMG good! And the fried cheesecake. Get this. Cheesecake filling rolled in a crepe like outside with cinnamon sugar and deep fried.. YUM! Of course it's then drizzled with your choice of topping, caramel, chocolate or fruit.
The Londoner is def, a BR Gem. :)
I found myself here over the weekend, after having been at a wedding. The selection of beers is great, and the cheese fries were EXACTLY what one expects from cheese fries: super cheesy and covered any number beer-accompanying toppings (bacon, chive, etc) Â
The wall juke box was playing the most annoying of 'alternative rock' - but they had every ESPN channel possible rolling on their TVs, and it wasn't so loud that we couldn't talk across our table.
I'd definitely return on my next visit to Red Stick - looking forward to trying the rest of the menu which has some hits and misses on this site.
Also - I can't tell if there is a private dining room upstairs? It seemed there may be some private function space as there is a large staircase.
Another review for a place that I heard great things about so I decided to buy a 225 Best Eats coupon for it. Sure its out of the way from my nook by LSU (9 miles to be exact) but the food and beer selection looked scrumptious so I was in!
I decided to go on a random Tuesday night, and I was surprised to see how packed it was! Their location is not an ideal one for parking a ton of people, but they do have a sketchy parking lot in the back for your convenience if the front lot fills up. That aside, I really enjoyed the ambiance when I walked in. Don't go in expecting fanciful decorations, take this bar for what it is, A DIVE. A dive with very knowledgeable bartenders and an extensive beer selection.
Before I came in, I looked at the menu online and had decided on the Bangers and Mash. Thank God the guy next to me steered me away from that, saying it was bland. As a girl from South Louisiana, there are few things I hate more than bland food; but I digress. As I sipped on my Lazy Magnolia beer brewed in Bourbon Casks (TO DIE!), I decided to partake in a couple of appetizers. Based on the suggestions from the bartender and my new friend sitting next to me, I decided to order the Stuffed Jalapenos and the Chicken Skewers. Not exactly English pub food, but the Chicken Skewers came with a curry sauce so I figured that was close enough. When my plates were placed in front of me, both dishes looked delicious but when I started eating, I didn't experience the same bliss. The jalapenos were stuffed with cheese, then wrapped in chorizo, then deep fried which sounds amazing but the flavor and greasiness of the sausage was a little much for my taste. The chicken skewers were good, and the curry sauce was EXCELLENT, but I think the dish as a whole was missing a little something. Maybe a little more of the Indian seasoning on the chicken?
Regardless of the food being not so good, my experience as a whole was top-notch. I would definitely come back for some drinking and sports talk, but next time, I'll try some traditional English pub fare rather than the American favorites with a twist.
Going by my 1st experience, I'll be returning to The Londoner to try more of the food & beer. The atmosphere was great, & the staff was friendly. The steak & ale pie was very flavorful, & since I hung out at the bar a bit before eating, the bartender gave me a little tutorial & sampling of some of the beers offered - very helpful. I think I have a new favorite beer: the Kilt Lifter!
Review Source:Servers need to be a little more knowledgeable if they want us to really exprience the ambiance and offerings. Â
Cheese fries were huge and tasted good, however the fries could have been fresher. Â
Fish and Chips was quite salty...and I already had the cheese fries so I couldn't touch my "chips"
Steak and Ale Pie was very good and HOT. Â Be careful ordering this one. Â It was still steaming when the last bite went down. Â
Overall, I might come back to have beers with friends if it's their idea, but it won't be mine.
Went for a Sunday arvo lunch. Liked the look and feel - menu was genuine in terms of choices. The fries with white cheddar and applewood bacon was a nice appetizer and much better than you run of the mill "cheese fries" that everyone makes. I had the Shepherd's Pie which was good but could have been even better if it was drier - there was a slight oiliness to it. A friend had the steak and ale pie - that was very nice and will be what I order on our return trip - which I hope will be soon. Looks to be a good place to go and hang out with your mates, have a few beers, throw some darts and just enjoy yourself. Therefor an outdoor deck which - when completed will be a nice option on the right evening.
Review Source:This restaurant is really just fantastic! Â A couple of my friends and I came here for dinner one night, and we just couldn't be more impressed with our experience. Â Firstly, the cheese fries here are some of the best cheese fries I've ever had - they're just stellar! Â For the entree, a few of my friends got burgers, another ordered the fish and chips, and I ordered the Steak and Ale Pie. Â Everyone was pleased with their meals, especially me. Â The service was fast and attentive as well. Â Overall, the experience was a great one; I'm looking forward to returning again soon!
Review Source:the food is top-tier meat-and-potatoes fare. Â the menu is short and simple, and absolutely delicious. Â the interior is comfortable, spacious, and clean. Â the beer and wine selection is expansive. Â this place is near perfect.
i have one complaint, though, and it's the only thing keeping this from a 5-star rating: Â their wait staff needs to be knowledgeable about the beer and wine selection. Â of course i wanted a pint or two with my dinner, but the waiter couldn't answer the simplest questions about the beers. Â when my wife asked what kind of "hefs" they have on tap besides blue moon and purple haze, he responded with "what do you mean, like half-size beers?" Â i don't think that it's unreasonable to expect a waiter at a bar that serves many beers that are uncommon on this side of the atlantic to be able to answer a few questions about them.
besides that, this first experience was largely splendid and we shall return soon.