Bistros are remarkable in that they somehow manage to be both fancy and casual at the same time, much like a necktie with Taz on it. Feel gussied up without too much fuss with today's Groupon: for $15, you get $30 worth of bistro fare at Bistro Byronz in Shreveport.
A new twist on a former Baton Rouge institution known as Byronz, Bistro Byronz offers tasty comfort food in a relaxed, neighborhood setting. The various menus incorporate old favorites with new French-inspired entrees to create a tandem bike ride through culinary deliciousness. Lunch centers on a bevy of big-mouthed sandwiches like the Byronz, which stacks ham, salami, and Canadian bacon with cheese, dressing, lettuce, tomato and black olives on homemade bread ($8.45). Though bowls of the signature corn and shrimp soup ($5.95) and baskets of fresh, fried bleu cheese chips ($4.95–$8.95) make a meal unto themselves, actual entrees can be obtained during lunch and dinner. Sesame-seared tuna is served with Asian glaze and wasabi creme ($15.95), whereas a fork-tender pot roast creole comes sided with mashed potatoes, gravy and homestyle green beans ($13.95).
Bistro Byronz provides a charming, Old World setting replete with dark woods, warm lighting, and tables and chairs teleported from a sidewalk café. Despite a steady stream of customers, the unpretentious neighborhood spot manages to treat patrons as family, recognizing them by name and offering to appear in their holiday photos.
Reviews
Inside the Other Side featured Bistro Byronz and 78% of Urbanspooners recommend it.
- A classic French bistro that offers a New York style atmosphere and French-Louisiana cuisine. Opened in July of 2008, this neighborhood bistro offers an extensive and flexible catering menu that’s perfect for office meetings, engagement parties, baby showers, birthday gatherings and any other get-together you may be throwing. – Pat Gill, Inside the Other Side
- Our server was wonderful and attentive, and before we left, we had sampled the blue cheese chips, all the soups and the cajun pot roast. All the dishes were tasty, and we loved our cocktails, as well as the diverse drink selection. The menu peaked our interest, and we will certainly be back! – Sarah, Urbanspoon
Bistro Byronz
When Mike Kantrow founded his original sandwich shop in 1979, he thought the name Byron's looked too boring. So, as he explains on his restaurant's website, he scratched the s and added a z to the end, giving birth to both a local legend with the Big Byronz sandwich and a local controversy over how to pronounce "Byronz." "If you want clarification on how to say it," Mike explains, "don't ask me."
While regulars may fight over phonetics, few argue over the flavors infused in Bistro Byronz's southern-styled bistro cuisine. Hearty entrees anchor both the lunch and dinner menus, inviting diners to dig into the roasted potatoes that flank a French-cut pork chop marinated in Abita root beer. Comfort dishes soothe the soul, such as tender pot roast that wades in creole gravy and the signature Byronz sandwich with three types of meat, cheeses, dressing, and black olives.