Take in a weekend of meat pies and river walks in Natchitoches, Louisiana
I’m not going to lie: Meat pies were all I could think of on the four-hour drive north from New Orleans to Natchitoches (Nack-a-tish). I’ve always been a fan, a fervor stoked annually at Jazz Fest, where Mrs. Wheat’s dishes out beefy hand pies. Helen Wheat had street cred—she was born in Natchitoches before moving to New Orleans. Now run by the family’s third generation, Mrs. Wheat’s Foods thrives on in the Seventh Ward.
Answering an 80 percent beef, 20 percent pork siren call, I was drawn to the city that started it all, at least in Louisiana. Natchitoches, besides being the backdrop for the film Steel Magnolias, is famous for its meat pies, earning it the designation for the state’s official meat pie in 2003. My mission: to get away for a weekend of tasting meat pies. Turns out, there’s more going on in this sleepy Louisiana town, on the plate and beyond.
FRIDAY
Begin the weekend by checking into the locally owned downtown Church Street Inn, a 20-room boutique hotel in a former bank building. The inn exudes lagniappe, offering free Wi-Fi, daily hot breakfast, and wine happy hour. Best of all, the staff treats guests like family. From the second-floor balcony, I could spy on Merci Beaucoup, called Mercy’s by the locals. Popular with a robust breakfast club of retirees, this little breakfast-lunch spot has been feeding folks since 1991. Their meat pies were tasty, a slightly loose, spiced-meat filling tucked into a tender baked crust and served with a cayenne-spiced sour cream on the side for dipping. I also had to taste their Cajun stuffed potato, a monster spud swabbed with crawfish étouffée, a jumbo fried shrimp planted on top.
Walking is the best way to explore Louisiana’s oldest permanent settlement. Established in 1714 as a trading post, four years before New Orleans was founded, Natchitoches reminded me of that wild child’s more reserved maiden aunt. This bucolic town of about 17,000 residents offers a reset from city life. Natchitoches oozes Southern charm; in fact, it was recently named one of 2025’s Cutest Small Towns in the South by World Atlas.
Jefferson and Front streets are dotted with local shops, including the circa-1863 Kaffie-Frederick General Mercantile Store, two floors packed with everything from garden tools to the perfect salt cellar I’d been looking for. Up a few blocks, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame displays an impressive collection of sports memorabilia saluting the state’s finest athletes, from Shaquille O’Neal to Archie Manning. Good to see that LSU’s winning coach, Nick Saban, is finally making those ranks in 2025.
For dinner, the choice was a well-packed Mayeaux’s Steak and Seafood on Front. A martini paired perfectly with a warmup of mini meat pies, densely packed and spicy. A tender medium-rare-plus ribeye, stuffed potato, and sauteed mushrooms rounded out the meal and necessitated a postdinner stroll. River views were one reason to pop into Patio Cantina. A mezcal for sipping was another.
SATURDAY
Meat pies for breakfast? Yes, at Lasyone’s Meat Pie Kitchen, the downhome spot opened by James Lasyone in 1967. Breakfast included a gargantuan portion of the hand pie, eggs, and grits. This pie stands alone, with its blistered, just-fried crust and meaty filling spiked with green onions, bell pepper, onions, garlic, and red pepper. Ask for pan drippings on the side if you want a brown gravy dunk.
I burned off breakfast downriver exploring the Cane River National Heritage Trail managed by the National Park Service. The trail includes Creole plantations like Oakland, with its main house and 27 outbuildings on-site, a portal into the region’s dependence on enslaved labor and its antebellum past. Up the road, it’s also worth a visit to Melrose Plantation, established by free people of color around the turn of the 18th century. Later, it became an artist retreat and the home of the legendary folk artist Clementine Hunter, whose work is on display.
The Mariner’s Restaurant deserved a stop for cocktails with a view. Chef Ben Fidelak and his family bought the restaurant during the pandemic, revamping the modern Creole menu and upping the wine list to Wine Spectator award-winning status. The inside dining rooms are formal and spacious for groups. I preferred the casual outside vibe on the multilevel patio overlooking the water.
Flying Heart Brewing offered a different slice of the local dining scene. Housed in a refurbished cotton gin building outside of town, this family-friend spot specializes in pizza. I was impressed with how well the Mediterranean pizza paired with a cold glass of Louisiana Amber, just one of six craft brews on tap. My only question was, is it possible to have a meat pie pizza?
SUNDAY
When a guy named Stoney Brown is cooking breakfast, all I can say is yes. Brown is behind Tasty Boy food truck, parked along funky Rue St. Denis downtown. He and his wife have local roots and moved home from Austin to be closer to family. Brown ditched his restaurant management past to be his own boss. Here, he’s the one-man-band making breakfast sandwiches layered with homemade sausage, a patty of crispy hash browns on the side. If I had time to stay for lunch, his killer bacon cheddar smashburger would be the natural choice.
It’s a fun shopping street, with a little pocket park for chilling and munching. On the second Saturday of the month there’s a block party, with artists, vendors, and live music making the scene.
Although it was time to head back home, leaving this mecca of meat pies and easy country living was tough. Good thing I stopped at the French Market Express on the way out of Natchitoches. Located off I-49, this is no simple gas station convenience mart. Inside, coolers are packed with Cajun meats and sausages. I stocked up, but naturally most of my cooler space went to frozen meat pies, bound for my home freezer to satisfy when the craving hits again.
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