Last of the Great Roadhouses

By Country Roads Magazine

For a small town situated between two of Louisiana’s biggest food cities, St. Francisville carries its weight in the Louisiana’s culinary scene. There’s high-concept Southern sustenance glimmering in the embers of the open hearth at Restaurant 1796, the Michelin-recognized menu at the St. Francisville Inn, and the quintessential small-town charm of The Magnolia Café, for starters.

But for those ready to sample a genuine St. Francisville icon, South of the Border, the recently-reopened roadhouse on U.S. Highway 61, is a must-do addition to your itinerary.

Generations of St. Francisvillians made memories at this roadside restaurant and bar, with its vintage neon sign and menu of Southern comforts. Opened in 1947 as a bar/lounge less than a mile south of the state line dividing West Feliciana parish from Wilkinson County, Mississippi (which remained dry until the 1970s), “the Border” quickly evolved into a Highway 61 institution serving up family-sized portions of fried chicken and catfish, mustard greens and cornbread “hoe-cakes,” beef tenderloin, fried green tomatoes with Crawfish Nyma sauce and other beloved mainstays, alongside cold beer, cocktails, and once-upon-a-time, even a few craps games in the back room.

“PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THIS RESTAURANT BECAUSE THEIR FAMILIES WERE RAISED HERE.” —BARRETT HOLLINGSWORTH

For more than seventy-five years, South of the Border had an integral place in West Feliciana’s community fabric, until 2023, when the iconic neon sign finally went dark. But it only took a little over two years for St. Francisville (and Baton Rouge, and Woodville, and Natchez) to decide they couldn’t live without the Border’s signature Crawfish Nyma sauce. Last fall, local business owner Barrett Hollingsworth (he also co-owns another St. Francisville mainstay—Birdman Coffeehouse) set about resurrecting the restaurant, to the delight of residents and road-trippers alike.

Fried soft shell crab at South of the Border

Hamburger steak with helpings of lima beans and stuffed potato casserole

Hollingsworth isn’t interested in reinventing the wheel, and he’s worked hard to ensure the spirit of the Border infuses the restaurant’s latest chapter. “We grabbed the old menu, which was still sitting on a shelf,” said Hollingsworth. “I had one of the old kitchen managers sit down with me, and we went through the things that worked, things that didn’t work. And we made our plan to re-open.” The previous owners provided a collection of memorabilia to display on the walls (including the recipe for Crawfish Nyma sauce), and Hollingsworth has even located the neon signs that originally shone from the rooftop out over Highway 61. Currently being restored, the signs will soon be reinstalled, so look out for them to be attracting passerby to this—last of the great Louisiana roadhouses, soon.

“People care about this restaurant because their families were raised here,” said Hollingsworth. “Their grandpas and grandmas were engaged here, would come dancing here. Every day I get a story from someone passing through, memories from their childhoods.”

For travelers, who have historically been as much a part of the legacy of South of the Border as area residents, Hollingsworth recommends dishes like the fried alligator, the boiled seafood, the redfish, and the Border Cake. “Come,” he said. “Taste a piece of history.”

Visit South of the Border at 14945 US-61 St. Francisville for lunch or dinner from Thursday–Sunday. theborderon61.com.