Serio’s Po-Boys & Deli
Sandwiches. Lunchroom.
CBD: 133 St. Charles Ave. 504-523-2668. Map.
Breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday.
Very Casual
AE DS MC V
WHY IT'S ESSENTIAL
The transformation of the Central Business District into a neighborhood of hotels continues. This has improved the quality of the many small lunchrooms that dot the area. Serio's--a maker of one-at-a-time, handmade sandwiches, has always been one of the good ones.
WHY IT'S GOOD
Serio's specializes in poor boys, made by ladies who look as if they've been at it for awhile. There's the most comprehensive list of potential fillings you're likely to find--liver cheese, anyone?--and all of them are of good quality. The bread and the dressings are fresh and crisp. A board of plate specials features all the standards.
BACKSTORY
Serio's opened a few feet from where it is now in the 1950s, when the downtown area was bustling and multiple lines formed in the dining room every day at lunchtime. That scene continued for a long time, as the place evolved from a bright, utilitarian space into a darker, much less busy restaurant, always patronized primarily by locals.
DINING ROOM
The place is a total shrine to LSU sports. There are icons of that mania everywhere you look. The food comes from what looks like a cafeteria line in the rear. You place your order, pay for it, then wait to pick it up. You find a worn-out table in the worn-out room, unroll the paper wrapper from the sandwich, then go to town.
ESSENTIAL DISHES
Ham poor boy.
Roast beef poor boy.
Fried seafood poor boys.
Muffuletta.
Daily specials, especially red beans, baked chicken, and beef stew.
FOR BEST RESULTS
Specify that you want the sandwich cut into two pieces. Open the sandwich and move all the meat, cheese, and dressings from the right half to the left half. Throw away the extra bread. You now have a modern poor boy, instead of the old-style, less meaty example Serio's has made for six decades.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
This place is in a perfect location for a genuine poor boy shop (which it is) with a bright, inviting outlook (which it lacks). The business of the future here will be increasingly that of visitors, who may not get the LSU obsession and the other quirks from the past. The place needs renovation.
FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.
- Dining Environment -2
- Consistency +1
- Service -1
- Value +2
- Attitude +1
- Wine and Bar
- Hipness -2
- Local Color +1
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Good for business meetings
- Open Monday lunch
- Quick, good meal
This review was updated with new information on 10/5/2009.