The family behind Willie's Restaurant is giving new life to one of Highland Road's most familiar addresses. The Historic Highland Road Grill opens its doors at 5 p.m. Thursday for dinner service inside the former Sammy's Grill building at 8635 Highland Road in Baton Rouge, taking over a space that had served the neighborhood for decades before closing this summer.
The restaurant is owned by Willie Chapman, his wife Kayte Chapman, and his sisters Emily Hazelwood and Amanda Singley, according to 225batonrouge.com. The same family has run Willie's Restaurant on Coursey Boulevard since 2009, and as Business Report notes, The Historic marks their next step beyond that longtime Coursey Boulevard location. Per The Advocate, doors open at 5 p.m. Thursday for dinner, with the new restaurant filling the 8,300-square-foot space Sammy's Grill once occupied.
The Historic will run as a modern Cajun and Creole restaurant much like Willie's, but with its own distinct menu, the outlet reports. The opening weekend is expected to lead into an extended soft-opening phase, and according to 225batonrouge.com's reporting, dinner service during that stretch is planned Thursday through Sunday.
A Menu That Blends New Dishes With Old Favorites
Diners can expect a mix of entirely new creations alongside dishes pulled from Willie's own playbook. The same report states that the ownership group plans to bring in some of Willie's Restaurant's specials, folding them in alongside items inspired by Sammy's Grill's long run on Highland.
Early menu previews shared in that account include a pesto hummus, a hot honey cauliflower appetizer, a sausage-and-boudin dish billed as “2 links,” an affogato and a Coke float for dessert. Willie Chapman told the outlet he drew inspiration for the concept from classic Baton Rouge spots like DiGiulio Brothers Italian Cafe and Gino's Restaurant, as well as newer eateries such as Chow Yum and Overpass Merchant.
Familiar Faces and a Familiar Building
Some of the staff who worked at Sammy's Grill have been rehired by the new ownership group, the same account notes. The building itself also keeps a piece of its past: the notable glass block wall behind the bar remains intact as part of the new design.
Sammy's Grill had operated on Highland Road since 1988 before announcing its closure in June, according to WAFB. The restaurant said at the time that its lease had come to an end and that the property owners had chosen to move in a different direction, closing out nearly four decades in the same building before The Historic stepped in to take its place, as first reported by WBRZ.
