The Gregory

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

The Gregory occupies the ground floor of the Watermark hotel in downtown Baton Rouge — a building that once housed the Louisiana National Bank and still carries that weight in its bones. Vaulted ceilings, vintage murals, and traditional Louisiana architecture meet contemporary design in a space that feels both rooted and alive. The marble-top bar anchors one end; the Mississippi River and the state capitol are a short walk away.

A Kitchen Built Around Southern Roots

The restaurant's premise is straightforward: take the deep flavors of Cajun and Creole cooking and push them somewhere new without losing what makes them worth eating. The culinary team researched the local dining landscape thoroughly before opening, and the result is an American menu that leans hard into Southern technique — wood-stone oven, Spanish Josper oven, cast-iron grill — while sourcing fresh, local, and organic ingredients. The wine program has earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence (2024), a mark of the care that extends from the kitchen to the cellar.

F&B Director Jeremy McKnight brings decades of hospitality experience to the operation, with a background spanning independent restaurant ownership and large-scale management. His focus on precision and team development shapes the service culture throughout the day.

From Beignets to the Vault Burger

The kitchen runs from early morning to midnight. Breakfast brings traditional New Orleans beignets, shrimp and grits with Gulf shrimp in New Orleans-style BBQ sauce, and fried green tomatoes topped with jumbo lump crabmeat, remoulade, and hollandaise. Weekend brunch adds chicken-n-waffles with pepper jelly syrup and banana foster French toast crepes.

Come dinner, the menu shifts toward dishes like Ora king salmon, softshell crab linguine, and the Vault Burger — a brisket-and-chuck blend on an artisan bun with caramelized onion, sharp cheddar, and housemade pickle. Lighter starters include pork and rabbit boudin and smoked shrimp rillets. Late-night bar bites — The Gregory Gumbo, almond-crusted duck tenders, a classic wedge with Nueske's bacon lardons — keep things going until midnight.

Private Dining and Everyday Occasions

The Louisiana Purchase room and The Vault accommodate private events for up to 32 guests, with flexible seating suited to everything from business dinners to celebrations. Happy hour runs daily from 2 to 6 p.m., often with live music, and the bar stays open through midnight every day. For locals and visitors alike, The Gregory functions as a full-day destination — the kind of American restaurant where the food is serious but the atmosphere never is.