Drago’s is bringing charbroiled oysters back to Baton Rouge.
After the seafood restaurant closed its Baton Rouge location in January, Drago’s is bouncing back with a new spot in Perkins Rowe. The restaurant will host a grand opening at 6 p.m. Sept. 2 at 10111 Perkins Rowe.
“We’re so blessed to have a second opportunity to make a first impression,” said Drago’s owner and manager Tommy Cvitanovich.
The Metairie-born seafood chain started in 1969 and became famous for its charbroiled oysters. It has six locations — five in Louisiana and one in Jackson, Mississippi.
The Baton Rouge location, near the Interstate 10-College Drive interchange, opened three weeks before the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, and business never recovered, Cvitanovich said. Hotel occupancy rates on Constitution Avenue plunged, a big point of business, and ongoing construction on College Drive didn’t help either, he said.
When golf simulation bar Loft 18 offered to buy out the lease, Cvitanovich saw an opportunity, leading to the location’s closure in January. He always had the plan to eventually reopen another location in the city, but it took longer than expected.
“This restaurant is going to have that same magic in Metairie, and I’m not going to tolerate anything less,” he said.
Details indigenous to the area
The 7,300 square-foot spot sits right on Perkin Rowe's Town Square.
On Thursday, the restaurant bustled with opening day preparation. Line cooks practiced making dishes, dollies wheeled packages inside, managers bounced from section to section, bartenders stocked shelves and waiters-in-training gathered in the dining area.
The building was formerly Kona Grill, which closed about six years ago in 2019, and locals may remember its massive fish tanks. One got knocked out for the Drago’s takeover, a spot now housing the iconic open-concept oyster station.
“It took everything in me not to make it a lobster tank,” he said.
The other fish tank, which still stands, is located beside the host stand.
“I wanted to put trout and redfish in here,” he said. “Wildlife and Fisheries won’t allow it, but I did get part of what I wanted. I do have oyster shells in here. I really wanted it to be indigenous to this area.”
Drago's Owner and Manager is working on getting a permit to house trout and redfish at his restaurant's new Baton Rouge location, which will open Sept. 2 at 6 p.m.
Cvitanovich said Drago’s may have the best patio area in all of Baton Rouge.
“I’m really looking forward to the patio atmosphere of this restaurant,” he said. “You know, opening up the square to this restaurant on Perkins Rowe, where you have beautiful sunlight and trees. We have a beautiful fountain, a bandstand.”
The gardens are manicured, and the buildings are beautiful.
“This is going to be as close to having a restaurant in the French Quarter without being in the French Quarter,” he said.
What’s new?
Drago's Owner and Manager Tommy Cvitanovich stands in his new kitchen at Perkins Rowe on Aug. 21, 2025.
There’s one big thing Cvitanovich will debut in Baton Rouge: He’s adding a grab-and-go breakfast section in partnership with PJ’s Coffee. It’ll open about a week after the grand opening, likely Sept. 8.
The menu is a mix of PJ’s Coffee drinks (about 15-20 options) and three PJ’s Coffee breakfast sandwiches: sausage, egg and cheese on a biscuit; bacon, egg and cheese on a biscuit; and turkey sausage, egg and cheese on an English muffin. They will also offer croissants, strawberry croissants, beignets and homemade quiche.
The grab-and-go is separate from the regular breakfast menu for those dining in. That menu includes dishes like salmon toast, chicken and waffles and king cake pancakes.
Cvitanovich says the new section was inspired by his love for the coffee shop atmosphere. If everything goes well, he may bring the idea to the Metairie location as well.
“I’m a coffee shop kind of guy,” Cvitanovich said. “I go to coffee shops almost every morning. I love coffee.”
The menu
A half serving of Drago's BBQ Shrimp.
The restaurant will have the same menu as the Metairie location, including staples like charbroiled oysters, gumbo, lobster and barbecue shrimp.
Cvitanovich has a few favorite dishes: the Fleur Des Lis shrimp, which is made with fried shrimp, roasted red pepper aioli and horseradish.
Steak is among his favorites, too.
“For a seafood restaurant, we do a really good job with steaks,” he said. “Our bone-in rib-eye is outstanding.”
Every steak is sous vide’d, a French cooking method where meat is sealed in a bag, placed in a circulating water bath and slow-cooked at a low temperature of 130 degrees.
There’s also the Shrimp Ruth, a dish with cooked tomatoes, lightly seared shrimp, buttered risotto and sautéed spinach. It was named after its inventor, an employee at the original location in Metairie named Ruth Jenkins, but people called her Mama Ruth.
A half serving of Drago's Shrimp Ruth.
Jenkins made the dish to feed various members of the Cvitanovich family, and it was eventually added to the menu. To this day, Cvitanovich loves adding seared tomatoes to any hot seafood po-boy, or even just a chicken club on ciabatta, because of Mama Ruth.
The restaurant will be dinner-only for the first few days, but by the end of September, Cvitanovich hopes to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The Baton Rouge staff includes a mix of new hires and longtime veteran staff from other locations. Cvitanovich hopes to have a family member working at the location every day, whether that’s one of his two sons, daughter or nieces.
“I love what I do,” he said. “I enjoy being around people. I enjoy serving people. I enjoy talking to people.”
Drago’s, 10111 Perkins Rowe, Baton Rouge. Open 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Friday and 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday