Photo courtesy of Visit Shreveport-Bossier.
Greens and cornbread from Chef Hardette Harris's Us Up North dinner.
I usually travel with a packed schedule, not wanting to waste a minute of time exploring a new place. But hon my recent road trip to Shreveport, I decided to leave spaces in my agenda. This wasn’t intended as down time, but as opportunities to just explore the North Louisiana city—particularly when it comes to food.
I arrived with the understanding that Shreveport is a truly American city, which can sometimes bode less-than-well when it comes to culinary intrigue. Shreveport wasn’t founded until 1836—after the Louisiana Purchase and after Louisiana had already become a state. Its namesake, Captain Henry Miller Shreve, a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, cleared a blockage from the Red River, making it navigable. Today, many of the nineteenth century storefronts remain, alongside the modern interstates. But even without the confluence of cultures that the eighteenth century brought to South Louisiana, Shreveport has many long-standing restaurants that suggest a multi-generational culinary legacy. These were the restaurants I was most interested in exploring, as well as those on the path to longevity.
Chianti
I arrived in the very late afternoon, and I had to start somewhere. So, Chianti was my first stop on my gustatory journey. This Sicilian restaurant tugged at my heartstrings with its wonderful smells. I found a menu of family recipes that have been served in Shreveport since 1987, including many dishes of veal scaloppini, served in a traditional style. I ordered the Scaloppini Al Limone, and its texture and flavor transported me straight back to my mother’s table, where I grew up eating the delicacy freshly butchered from my great uncles’ shop.
The menu names its dishes in Italian and features lamb chops, shrimp, and salmon, in addition to veal. It is a step back into the old world. The creative salads, desserts, and environment make for a steeped-in-Sicily dining experience. chiantirestaurant.net.
[Read this—"Shreveport Eats—Our neighbor to the north has an impressive food scene"]
Rhino Coffee
The next morning, I awoke ready for coffee. Rhino Coffee serves its brew made from beans roasted sustainably in Shreveport, with carbon emissions substantially lowered as compared to traditional roasters. The shop also offers cold brew, pour over, and espresso in a friendly atmosphere with knowledgeable baristas, as well as a hearty menu of pastries and lunchtime food. rhinocoffee.com.
Courtesy of Visit Shreveport-Bossier.
The shrimp salad and pie at Jacquelyn's Café in Shreveport.
Cush’s Grocery & Market
Part grocery, part wine store, and part restaurant, this family-operated market has been around for over thirty years. The interiors are decorated with paintings by multiple Emmy- and Oscar-winning author and illustrator William Joyce, and books, groceries, and dry goods (like imported Italian pastas) line the walls. I judge a place like Cush’s by its tomato sauce; for me, it should be balanced, and not too sweet. Their tomato sauce with Italian sausage passed the test, and the meaty chicken salad, mounded into the two halves of a perfect avocado, makes a lovely shareable lunch. The brownie with ice cream, simple as it is, made me crazy with delight.
If I ate there regularly, which I am sure that I would if I lived in Shreveport, I would be taking home their beautiful steaks and cheeses and prepared foods every time I dropped in. cushsgrocery.com.
Chop Shop
With a little time before dinner, I headed over to check out Chop Shop, a whole animal butcher. In addition to the meat counter, the shop offers a weekly “Supper Club”—a chef-prepared take-and-bake meal featuring a rotating menu of their sustainably raised meat with vegetables sourced from local farms.
Chop Shop also supports neighboring farms by partnering with them to sell local products like soups, honey, vegetables, pickles, dips, and other products. chopshopshv.com.
"Shreveport has many long-standing restaurants that suggest a multi-generational culinary legacy. These were the restaurants I was most interested in exploring, as well as those on the path to longevity."
Heron
This jam-packed restaurant has a clean, sophisticated vibe, with a modern pan-Louisiana menu, nodding to New Orleans, the Gulf, as well as local farms and traditions. Chef Blake Jackson, who opened Heron in November 2024, calls it “Nouveau Louisiana Cuisine.” My eyes were drawn to the Seafood Tower, offered in “heron” and “egret” sizes, but I especially enjoyed the combination of beef bourguignon with grits.
The cocktail program at Heron is worth exploring in its own right. There are many playful, but knowledgeable, twists on traditional cocktails—such as the Get Out My Bees Knees with its touch of ginger, and my favorite, the Lost Paper Plane, made with aged run, Amaro, Montenegro, Aperol, and lemon juice. I recommend making reservations ahead of time. heronprovenance.com.
Photo courtesy of Visit Shreveport-Bossier.
Regional ingredients from Chef Hardette Harris's Us Up North dinner.
Us Up North
If you can put together a group, any trip to Shreveport should include a meal at Chef Hardette Harris’s Us Up North Kitchen, where the James Beard nominated Harris is preserving traditional North Louisiana food. In her embrace of local traditions and foodways, she has even written a traditional North Louisiana menu that reflects the culture and agriculture of this region, which was adopted as the Official Meal of North Louisiana by the Louisiana State Legislature.
The private experience, which must be booked ahead, treats guests to specially-prepared local delicacies while educating about the native foods of North Louisiana based on its geography and local fauna and flora. I had fried catfish and greens, which I enjoyed while Chef Harris talked about how and why the food of North Louisiana was different from the food of South Louisiana. It was fascinating, reminding me that culinary Louisiana always offers something new to learn. usupnorth.com.
[Read more about Chef Hardette Harris and Us Up North in these stories from past issues: The Us Up North Kitchen and Small Town Chef Profile—Hardette Harris]
Jacquelyn’s Café
Another traditional food experience in Shreveport, Jacquelyn’s Café has been around since 1983. It is the kind of place that gives old school lunch spots their good name and loyal following, with a storytelling staff that have been there for decades. There are club sandwiches and pie by the slice and a combo plate that contains a cup of red beans and rice, jambalaya, and shrimp etouffée. Their spaghetti and meatballs is mountainous. jacquelynscafe.com.
Koi Asian Fusion
A newer institution, which opened its doors in January of this year, is the beautiful Koi Asian Fusion. Opened by the Chu family, who have operated the Imperial Cathay restaurant in Shreveport for many decades, this new venture reflects the past, present, and future of their family’s culinary legacy.
There is an interesting bar program, featuring cocktails made with Asian liqueurs and flavors. The nonalcoholic cocktails are also carefully crafted, not too sweet and very refreshing.
The menu offers an exciting and meticulously prepared variety of dishes, with flavors drawn from across the Asian continent. Some highlights were the scallion pancakes with chicken meatballs and the lobster buri-bop with house-made kimchi. That’s not to mention the extensive sushi menu. Reservations are recommended, but if you are spontaneous, you may be able to find a seat at the bar for full menu service. koishreveport.com.
Photo courtesy of Visit Shreveport-Bossier.
Pan seared miso black cod with seasonal vegetables and rice at Koi Asian Fusion in Shreveport.
Frank’s Pizza Napoletana
You cannot leave Shreveport without a stop at Frank’s. The dishes are built from local ingredients prepared in the Italian tradition, and the mozzarella, sausage, and pancetta are made in-house. They boast of the food being so fresh that they don’t have a freezer—except for the small one that holds their gelati and sorbetti.
The Arancini with crawfish tails made me totally forget about crawfish beignets. There are also small kid-sized cheese and pepperoni pizzas. The staff is friendly and there’s a sense of fun in the room that is infectious.
Although it is known for its pizza, another Frank’s specialty worth considering is the orecchiette Bolognese.
After my whirlwind eating spree in Shreveport, I return home with a new understanding of Louisiana’s great Northern city, a place of family legacies and innovative takes on classics, where the citizenry is devoted to their restaurants—the old and the new. And I’ve only just scratched the surface. frankspizzanapoletana.com.
