By Jeanni Ritchie
I hadn’t been to Pitt Grill since the late 80’s when we’d arrive hungry after a night at the Lighthouse. I remember having to pay for our meals after ordering, a rule they still follow for the late night crowd today. Apparently dine and dash is still a thing!
But the breakfast crowd inside the 24-hour diner wasn’t going anywhere fast. Customers were eating while working, dining with friends, and sipping coffee as they started their day.
Servers were friendly, the food was hot, and prices were low. For a restaurant that has been around almost as long as I have, the interior was surprisingly well-maintained. Clean trumps renovations in most eyes.
For someone who loves breakfast so much, I’m not sure why I’d overlooked Pitt Grill. Perhaps it’s the lack of signage. I suppose when you come up on 50 years you expect people to know where you are! Perhaps my teenaged brain associated Pitt Grill with partying and didn’t recompute when celebrations took place over waffles instead of whiskey.
It wasn’t until Pitt Grill surfaced on a list of local restaurants who served authentic Gulf shrimp and residents started extolling their virtues that I remembered the popular diner.
I won’t forget again!
Not only was the food good, they serve breakfast 24 hours a day! How many times have I gotten in my car craving eggs and bacon only to discover it was after 11 AM?!
And it’s not just breakfast! Want a Philly Cheese Steak Po-Boy at 9 AM? You got it! All menu items are available 24/7.
With one exception. There is a M-F Dine In Breakfast Special from 5-11 AM with four breakfast combos for about $5-$6 each. Talk about rollback prices!
This is a restaurant who cares about their customers on fixed incomes.
I ordered Option A: 2 Biscuits and Gravy, 2 Eggs, and 2 Strips of Bacon for $6.29. I also ordered a Country Cream Waffle. Either dish alone would’ve filled me up; I ate about half of each for the variety.
Other menu options include Breakfast PoBoy, Pancakes, New Orleans Style French Toast, Country Boy Breakfast, Omelettes, Egg Sandwiches, Egg Bowls, Po-Boys, Club Sandwiches, Burgers, Wraps, Soups, Chili, Salads, Fried Green Tomatoes, Hamburger Steak, Fried Shrimp, Catfish, Country Fried Steak, Fried Chicken, and Sweet Potato Sticks. There are over 100 menu items, sure to satisfy every diner’s palate.
Coke products, mimosas, Bloody Mary’s, beer, coffee, iced coffee, and malts and shakes are on the drink menu.
Kids meals include the Humpty Dumpty (one egg, bacon, grits, and toast), Shortie (two pancakes with bacon), Punky (Cajun pan toast), Chicken Little, Huck Finn (fried fish), Ranch Hand (burger), and Grilled Cheese. Milk and juice is included with the breakfast meals; fries and a drink are included with the lunch/dinner meals.
For a full menu visit pittgrill.net.
I cannot praise this menu and meal enough. To say it is one of Cenla’s underrated treasures is an understatement. The next time you want to #eatlocal, remember Pitt Grill.
Pitt Grill is located at 2360 North MacArthur Drive, Alexandria. They can be reached at 318-442-9675. They are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
