With so many good eats in town, it can be hard to narrow down exactly what you want.
Fine dining or fast food? Mexican or Italian?
To me at least, barbecue always seems like a glaringly obvious choice when I find myself in a pickle (and when I want to eat one). Luckily for us Colonels, Thibodaux has two nearby barbecue restaurants to satisfy our craving for barbecue.
Big Mike’s Barbecue and Smokehouse
Big Mike’s offers a variety of classics that you would expect at any barbecue establishment.
With an array of burgers and sandwiches to choose from, ranging from beef to chicken.
The menu is sure to satisfy any craving in a heaping portion that will fill you up.
My personal favorite has to be the BBQ Blues Burger, a whopping ½ pound of barbecue sauce-drizzled beef topped with blue cheese, a slice of brisket, bacon, onions, lettuce and tomato that never fails to leave me as stuffed as I am satisfied.
Barbecue classics aren’t the only items that Big Mike’s offers, however.
For seafood lovers, the menu offers a choice of deep-fried catfish either on a platter or on a sandwich. Crawfish-filled boudin is also offered and is advertised to be made to order.
Big Mike’s barbecue sauce is house-made, advertising itself as the “only sauce you need” for grilling nearly every kind of meat imaginable. It is available for purchase both online and in their Thibodaux location.
Whether you purchase a shared appetizer or a “pit plate,” a plate consisting of a specialty smoked meat of your choosing, in addition to two side items.
Big Mike’s Barbecue is sure to give you a bang for your buck. Its generous portions and flavorful dishes are sure to leave you coming back for more next time you crave barbecue.
Alumni Grill
Boasting a whopping six burgers alone, Alumni Grill has a sandwich for virtually anyone.
Founded by Chef Minh Le, a Chef John Folse Culinary Institute graduate, Alumni Grill is another obvious choice for any nearby student looking to grab a quick bite of barbecue.
Le says that the establishment is “more of a neighborhood-type grill,” with the intent to “[keep] it affordable” for anyone in the nearby community interested in swinging by.
For seafood lovers, the Home Run burger is topped with a pepperjack cheese sauce containing Louisiana crawfish.
For meat lovers, the Alumni burger is topped with pulled pork and bacon in addition to its 6-oz beef patty.
As for lovers of the classics such as myself, there is the Old School burger, topped with lettuce, tomato and onion—just as described in its name.
A burger of the month is also an option. This month, proceeds from the Holy Cow burger will benefit St. Mary’s Nativity School in Raceland. This special is a massive burger containing two beef patties topped with bacon, a cheddar spread, fried jalapenos, sauteed onions, lettuce and tomatoes.
The grill offers a brisket sandwich, two clubs (Buffalo Chicken and the Alumni Chicken), as well as three poboys—shrimp, roast beef and hamburger.
The menu doesn’t stop there, either, with a selection of desserts available for the end of your meal.
A bourbon-caramel bread pudding is available, as well as a variety of different milkshakes and malts. The restaurant offers a rotation of weekly or even daily dessert specials that staff can offer in-house.
There you have it—two plentiful restaurant options that will satiate all your barbecue cravings.
