A staple of the community since 1947, these hamburgers have fed generations of Lafayette families and students.ย 

This week, Southern Living put out a list of 20 great burgers across the south, highlighting two ถถา๕h spots: Judice Inn in Lafayette, and Port of Call in New Orleans.ย 

Founded by brothers Alcide and Marc Judice, the restaurant at 3134 Johnston St. has been a beacon of consistency over decades. A simple burger with secret sauce and a bag of chips is the go-to order, and the business finally entered the drive-thru era in 2023ย โ€” but they still have no plans to add French fries to the menu, citing tradition.ย 

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John Hoerner delivers an order to a waiting customer as Judice Inn celebrates 75 years of business on Saturday, April 2, 2022, in Lafayette. To celebrate its anniversary the iconic burger shop featured everything on the menu, from cheeseburgers to beers, for $1.00.

The Lafayette community has embraced the tradition over the past 79 years, often filling the same booths week after week. For their 75th anniversary in 2022, second-generation owner Greg Judice said, "the true people that really love our food love it because it has not changed. We have not tried to fix it or change it. They love what they had 30 years ago. They love what they had 60 years ago. And they eat that same product today."

Southern Living named these 20 burger restaurants on their "20 Legendary Burger Joints in the South" list:

  • Gilbert's 17th Street Grill, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

  • Butch Cassidy's Cafe, Mobile, Alabama

  • Ron's Hamburgers & Chili, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas

  • Phillips Drive-In, Laurel, Mississippi

  • David's Burgers, Arkansas

  • Ed's Drive-In, Jackson, Alabama

  • The Varsity, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Burger Boy Diner, Louisville, Kentucky

  • Port of Call, New Orleans

  • Beacon Drive-In, Spartanburg, South Carolina

  • Borroum's Drug Store & Soda Fountain, Corinth, Mississippi

  • Dyer's Burgers, Memphis, Tennessee

  • Champ Burger, Houston, Texas

  • Brown's Diner, Nashville, TN

  • Laha's Red Castle, Hodgenville, KY

  • Judice Inn, Lafayette, LA

  • Latham's Hamburger Inn, New Albany, MS

  • Texas Tavern, Roanoke, VA

  • Jim's Drive-In, Lewisburg, WV

  • Melvins' Hamburgers and Hotdogs, Elizabethtown, NC

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@theadvocate.com.

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