Service was great but food needs some work. Nothing fresh. French fries were still frozen. Cocktail sauce was like jello.. how is that possible? Fried fish was fried with old oil and was crunchy. Grilled shrimp salad had shrimp with tails... seriously? For a $12 salad give me more than 8 shrimp and only lettuce, tomato, and cheddar cheese. Place needs to take some pride in their food preparation. Will not be coming back. read more

Great Chicken and Sausage Gumbo but the place really needs a good general cleaning from top to bottom. Servers are friendly but their is something to be said for the need to improve on the cleanliness of the place. The fried catfish needs to have the belly skin removed before frying (the belly skin is the black, oily, sandy portion of the fish that gives it a somewhat muddy flavor). There was no seasoning on the catfish. I could not sit there and consume a meal let alone go in and take a look at the kitchen. This would have me steering clear of this city's best chicken and sausage gumbo. Kind of out of sight out of mind. Come on Dempsey's invest a little back into the place. read more

Three for three. I just moved near to the Dempsey's on Coursey and I am amazed at the food. Had Red Beans and Rice with fried chicken and it was fantastic. Went back and had the smothered chicken and that is the best lunch I have had in years. Went in for a quick burger, and it was again, great. Fresh meat and ingredients. Great Service, fair prices. Cant beat it. Randy read more

Well, tonight was a totally different experience. It was a remember it being like before. Food was great as well as the service... read more

After a week of overpriced seafood in Destin, this was worth the freeway detour for a shrimp poboy. Loaded with hot crispy shrimp. A $10 whole sandwich was enough to split between 2 people. Yum. Hole-in-the-wall. read more

Had the seafood gumbo with a side salad and french bread. Very tasty gumbo, although the first taste seemed spicier than the rest. Funky, tangy vinaigrette was odd at first but became an acquired taste; bread was tasty enough. Pretty solid fare, I'd say, in my early exploration of Baton Rouge. To be continued ... read more

Very good for fried seafood and pooboys. Owner operated. Friendly. Very busy for lunch. Go early or late to lunch. Not that busy for dinner.

I ordered the soup and a half catfish po boy. The soup was a crawfish, corn, and potato bisque. Everything was delicious! The bread was soft and the fish was seasoned very well. We ordered to go so I can't comment on the wait staff, but the young lady who took our order was very nice. Definitely plan on returning. read more

I was very excited to try authentic gumbo since I make a pretty mean pot of it back home in Florida. I thought the gumbo was decent, but it was REALLY salty. I couldn't even finish it because of the salt content. I wish I had more time to explore other gumbo options in the area, because this one was just decent at best. read more

Love the food here! Best gumbo and fried pickles in Baton Rouge. We love to eat here when we're on this is side of Baton Rouge. The wait staff is friendly and it's just a good, laid back kind of restaurant to get fresh seafood. read more

I have been to Dempsey's on a recurring basis for the past 15 years, and they do not disappoint. The biggest issues regarding the restaurant are listed in other reviews--they are a tad slow and it's a very small location (however, before the early 2000s, they were even smaller as they only had one shop in the shopping center instead of two). I have had a large variety of meals there and have found virtually all of them to be good. There are three minor downsides to the restaurant. First, parking is a problem--it really isn't Dempsey's fault, it is the fault of the shopping center and the adjacent auto repair store which threatens to tow vehicles in its lot (even after business hours). Second, most of the items are fried--they do have some grilled items, but not many. Third, the French fries are not good at all--they are not seasoned well, and there is something about them that keeps me from ordering them; on the other hand, there are many who love them--they seem to have a "cult following." To compensate, they do have other sides--they do make an excellent stuffed potato, so it's worth shelling out the extra $1-$2 to get the stuffed potato in lieu of fries. read more

Not too bad, definitely not as good as the recommendation. I am still trying to find out what a good Po-Boy is other than just a chewy french style bread and then some fried seafood or other meat on it. My best experience with a po-boy was at a Papadeaux which there is not even one here, and it was great. I would think that being here in Louisiana they would have great po-boys, oh well. Other than that the service was good and the location appeared clean, I guess that is what makes a great restaurant here. Ok, maybe I am just spoiled being from California where food standards are very high, especially in the area of taste. I guess I will keep trying to find a good Po-Boy. read more

Great food, friendly service. The boudin balls are AMAZING! And don't forget to order the fried veggies.

It's a hole in the wall kind of restaurant (my favorite kind). The food was delicious.. I had the special soup today, potato, corn and crawfish chowder... It was thick and creamy and the crawfish wasn't fishy at all... I'll be going back! read more

I bought three bowls of gumbo on this wintry day and it was the worst ever. It was very "floury" as if someone didn't stir in the flour well when making the roux. And also the chicken and sausage gumbo had so much grease separated on the top that I was unable to stir it around. I was so disappointed. On the upside, the bread was nice and soft. read more

Very crowded at lunchtime, go before 11:15 or after 12:45. Thursday's special is smohered chicken and you will slap your mama after eating it! Gumbo's are good as well and he seafood stuffed potato is excellent. read more

The chicken & andouille gumbo was outstanding & the service was excellent! Can't beet the price!

There are lots of places in Baton Rouge to get poboys, including almost every corner gas station, most of which are blah. This place is solid - good seafood, good bread, fresh toppings, made to order, price is right. Usually a 15+ minute wait time for food, but it's because they're cooking it for YOU! It's worth it. read more

One of my favorite winter places. Why? The Gumbo of course. I've had plenty of gumbo in my day. Cajun gumbo tends to be chicken and sausage/andouille. Dark roux, intense flavor and hearty. This is the one! I like the half and half option. A cup of gumbo and a 1/2 fried shrimp PoBoy. Always excellent. For lunch, bring your appetite if you like the traditional lunch specials like hamburger steak with rice or mashed potatoes and green beans. The only problem is the building is too small, but they do a brisk take-out business. I wish I could watch them cook their gumbo. read more

Love the food here. My favorite that keeps me coming across town was the flan. I would give five stars but I just found out they are not making the flan anymore. Come on guys bring the flan back read more

They make my absolute favorite chicken and sausage gumbo ever! (And I know my gumbo) my go to is the half shrimp Poboy with a cup of gumbo.

The food is always good! This is a family-friendly, good southern style food restaurant. Server Meagan (sp?) provided awesome customer service with kindness and professionalism, never needed a thing - she brought whatever we needed before we even asked. read more

I had the seafood stuffed potato, seafood gumbo & messy fries. Everything was GREAT! Will visit again soon :)

Will never return. Last week I came in to grab my pick up order and they told me 15 minutes but when I showed up I had to wait an additional 15. While I was waiting at the counter I saw a very large roach crawl from under the counter and disappear. I didn't even really want to eat my food at that point but it's Louisiana and I understand roaches are inevitable at some point. Also, it was a Wednesday night, not very busy so what took so long? I have only had tried this place a couple of times and enjoyed the food for the price. So I tried Prairieville location and the to go service was again bad. Will write review for them too. It's unfortunate. read more

My Boyfriend's Fried Catfish was too fishy. He said they did not remove the dark belly thing. And the Jambalaya was too salty; not very hot; a little on the cool side. My Crab Cakes and Stuff Potato were delicious. You could see the lump crabmeat in the Crab Cakes; and they did not have a lot of breading in them; mostly crabmeat. I am going to try to take my boyfriend there one more time. Maybe he can get something else. Or, I will just have to get mine to go. read more

I ordered the large fried shrimp salad to go The presentation of the salad was awesome and they want skimpy on the shrimp...very delicious!

We just ate here for the first time and it was amazing! I got a half grilled shrimp poboy with the soup of the day which was a corn shrimp bowl of amazing. Really amazing food. Hidden gem for sure. Thank you guys! read more

Awesome oyster po-boy and great gumbo. If you are looking for a break from the chains give this place a try. Good friendy service and fair quantity. The bread pudding is a must. My wife had the catfish and loved her's as well. read more

I live in Houston, but come to Baton Rouge for business fairly often. I try to go to all the local joints, that way I get authentic food. I had the shrimp poboy with fries and it was great. It was obvious the shrimp were from the area as it tasted like it was fresh out of the water. The shrimp was fried perfectly and seasoned beautifully. The service was great as well. My waitress was extremely friendly and very attentive. I definitely will be coming back and referring everyone I know. Don't mind the exterior or the decor. It's not appealing, but it is clean inside. I have found that hole in the walls can have some of the best food. read more

Very good seafood for a decent price. Waitstaff is incredible. Atmosphere can range from very quiet and mostly filled with elderly folks, to completely packed and somewhat loud. Overall, a great restaurant that I would recommend to anyone who asked. read more

Consistently great gumbo! This place is quickly turning into a lunchtime favorite for my entire office! You've can't leave there without trying the boudin balls or the flan... read more

Very good and not overpriced. Had the catfish half poboy and gumbo. Also had boudin balls which were delicious especially with the remoulade sauce. My wife wife had the messy fries that were slap your grandma good. read more

We were from out of town. It appeared to have some good review. The service was a little slow, but it was a game day. This is a place the locals go with a fair amount of out-of-towners. I was here for the gumbo. It did not disappoint. I got the chicken and sausage with fried chicken. I thought it was excellent. The wife got the hamburger steak. She said it was good. We also got a side order of onion strings. They were very good. read more

A family favorite. We've eaten here several times including today. I had fried pickles and steak Po-boy with a side of Louisiana chowder. Good service and sweet tea. read more

My first time to eat at Dempsey's on Coursey just happened. I had the boudin balls for an appetizer with a platter of catfish, fries and seafood gumbo for the entree. Everything was hot and fresh, it arrived quickly with a smile. I was VERY pleased with the taste of everything. The seafood gumbo I ordered another a quart to go I was so impressed. The prices are about on par with any other restaurant of this type so I was not shocked at the price. Everything was fantastic. A must visit. I will be returning for many more visits. read more