Looking for the perfect place to catch your favorite sporting events on big-screen TVs while enjoying tasty, scratch-made food prepared with fresh ingredients? Your search ends at Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux in D’Iberville.
Walk-On’s opened in September and quickly has gained notoriety as a great place to have family dinners, date nights and cocktails with friends while watching the game of your choice on one of 54 big-screen TVs.
“If you’ve never been to a Walk-On’s Bistreaux before, you will be amazed at the atmosphere, comradery and energy that is in the air,” says General Manager Eric Reynolds. “We take the traditional sports bar mindset and amplify it to a level that exceeds any gameday experience you’ve ever had.”
Walk On’s first location was opened in Baton Rouge in 2003 in the shadow of LSU’s Tiger Stadium and has grown to over fifty locations in nine states. They even brought a famous sports figure on board.
“Former New Orleans Quarterback Drew Brees joined the Walk-On’s team as a co-owner in 2015 and has been able to help boost the notoriety of our brand tenfold,” Reynolds says. “There’s always a chance for Drew to show up at any of our 71 Walk-On’s locations. You never really know when the big man will walk in!”
Walk-On’s has a diverse menu featuring classic American dishes, as well as Louisiana-inspired fare. With starters, salads, wraps, tacos, burgers, sandwiches, seafood, specialties and regional classics, there is something for everyone.
“It really is some homemade, scratch cooking back there,” says Service Manager Robert Alford. “I was trained in Baton Rouge in culinary school, spent a lot of time over there. This is the real-deal Cajun food; it really is. It’s straight out of New Orleans.”
On my visit, we started with the alligator bites, which are made from farm-raised, white-tail meat. Each morsel is hand battered and fried to golden perfection. The tender meat has a mild flavor that pairs well with the Cajun- seasoned batter and is served with a Dijon horseradish for dipping.
For our entrees, we had the Zydeco salad of mixed greens, cabbage, candied pecans, jalapeños, red onions, bell peppers and pepperjack cheese, topped with sweet chili- glazed fried shrimp and a vinaigrette with Tabasco pepper jelly. We also had the bayou pasta, featuring linguine topped with fried shrimp and a crawfish cream sauce. Both entrees showcase the quintessential flavors of New Orleans, with just enough kick to keep you coming back for another bite.
We ended our meal with a southern dessert staple: bread pudding, but not just any bread pudding — Krispy Kreme donut bread pudding. To say it was decadent would be an understatement. It was the perfect ending to our meal.
“Walk-On’s is more than a restaurant, it is an experience,” Reynolds says. “The energy, atmosphere and food are truly unique to our gameday culture. Everything that we do is sports related, from the design of our basketball-court benches to our décor that is locally inspired by our sponsorships of local leagues and student athletics.
“Our ‘staff’ are not employees, but rather teammates. We are all playing for the same team, a team that inspires us to be something great and deliver the most amazing experience for our guests.”
Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux is open seven days a week 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., with later hours on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant has an extensive beer and drink list and is the perfect place for family and friend groups of all sizes. A loyalty program allows patrons to earn rewards and get access to exclusive perks and events.
Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux
11181 Mandal Parkway, D’Iberville
(228) 207-0237
www.facebook.com/WalkOnsDiberville