July was somehow hot and cold, bringing steaming bowls of noodle soups and chilly Italian ice to Baton Rouge.
This month’s arrivals included international-inspired concepts like Noodle Bowl (serving Chinese-style hand-pulled noodles) and Starbox Falafel (with Arabic-inspired sandwiches, plates and salads), plus menus loaded with Dubai chocolate-everything.
Check out these July newbies and other spots that made their way onto our radar recently. Did we miss a new eatery or biz? Have a hot tip? Email us at [email protected].
Starbox Falafel
4353 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd.
Starbox Falafel arrived July 4 and is the latest restaurant to join Baton Rouge’s well-established expanse of Middle Eastern concepts. Owner Aysar Mohammed, who is Palestinian, was aiming for what he describes as authentic Arabic food. Behind the counter, it’s also possible to spot hot, glistening chicken and gyros turning on spits, ready to be sliced for sandwiches, combo plates and salads. Whole eggplants rest on a grill. A worker turns them with tongs until they’re just charred. Their pulp is the base ingredient in the restaurant’s fresh baba ganouj. Dubai chocolate fans will find plenty to get excited about, including crepes and mini-cakes that feature kataifi (shredded phyllo) made in-house.
Jeremiah’s Italian Ice
4343 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., Suite A
The frozen dessert brand opened its second Baton Rouge location July 11. The shop offers Italian ice, soft-serve ice cream, Jelati (its signature Italian ice layered with soft-serve) and more. The fast-growing U.S. franchise grew its sales from $28 million in 2021 to $58 million in 2023, according to Franchise Times. The company went from 60 stores in 2021 to 136 in 2023. Read more about the franchise here.
Noodle Bowl
2648 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd.
Noodle Bowl opened July 15 on South Sherwood Forest Boulevard, offering hand-pulled noodles made in-house daily by staff, including owner Chen Hai Wang. Besides the standard noodles made with flour, water and salt, the menu also offers rice noodles and tomato noodles, which are all made in house. Knife-sliced are available, too. Customers can sample the noodles in stir-fry plates, cold noodle bowls and, of course, noodle soups with savory broths and add-ins like bok choy, scallions, cabbage, beef, shrimp, squid and more.
Also on our radar
• BREC’s Howell Community Park and Erie Street Park both saw ribbon cuttings in June, marking the end of years-long efforts to see each of the north Baton Rouge parks completed…