The Seafood Chain With Deep LSU Roots, Thanks To Its Founder - Tasting Table

"Anyone who knows the stomping grounds of Louisiana State University (LSU) has likely heard somebody say, "Let's go to Mike Anderson's." That's not just a random dining choice; it's a restaurant tied to LSU Tiger culture for many decades. Mike Anderson's Seafood gets its name from the founder, legendary Mike Anderson himself, an LSU All-American linebacker in 1970. That places this restaurant chain in solid Baton Rouge territory, and not just physically. Culturally, the establishment stands for football, family, and sharing good food any day or night, win or lose."

"Anderson opened his restaurant near the LSU campus in November 1975, originally called Mike Anderson's College Town Seafood & Oyster Bar. In the early days, it was a simple operation doling out po-boy sandwiches, oysters on the half shell, plus fresh and boiled seafood. After outgrowing that humble menu, they expanded slightly to include a classic Cajun seafood gumbo and a shrimp salad - then relocated to West Lee Drive with the updated name of Mike Anderson's Seafood Restaurant and Oyster Bar. It still inhabits that same building today."

Mike Anderson's Seafood opened near the LSU campus in November 1975 and later relocated to West Lee Drive, where it still operates. The restaurant was founded by LSU All-American linebacker Mike Anderson and became closely associated with Baton Rouge and LSU Tiger culture. The original menu featured po-boy sandwiches, oysters on the half shell, and boiled seafood, then expanded to include Cajun seafood gumbo and shrimp salad. The menu now showcases a wide range of Louisiana-style seafood and game-day appetizers such as crabmeat stuffed mushrooms, New Orleans bon temps bread, fried green tomatoes, boudin baton, hushpuppies, and fried gator. Oysters are offered raw, chargrilled, and in a "Gaspard char'd" preparation with bacon, jalapeños, and mozzarella.

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