Darrell's

Lake Charles, Louisiana
So... the city of Lake Charles... what is there to do here exactly? I don't have the slightest clue. I tend to use this place as a pit stop that roughly marks the halfway mark between Baton Rouge to Houston. If I feel like gambling, L'auberge du Lac is the casino of choice. But, now I know exactly where to go if I want a great po-boy.

Darrell's is the spot that not only McNeese students know about, but probably known by the entire city of Lake Charles. On the outside, it looks just like any other hole in the wall. The food on the other hand, was way better than I had expected.

If you come here, the one thing that everyone should try out is Darrell's Special with their unique Jalapeno Mayo condiment, that they make themselves. You can pick from the large (which is a foot long) or the small (6 inch). I suggest you get the large, just so you can have some leftovers for later if you don't finish it all.

Well, this big guy comes with three kinds of meat: ham, turkey, and roast beef. It also comes with three types of cheese: American, Swiss, and Provolone. It comes dressed with lettuce, the roast beef gravy and either mustard, mayonnaise or their jalapeno mayo.


When I started eating this sandwich, I immediately noticed how awesome the bread was. It is really unlike any po-boy bread that I've ever had. It was toasty and buttery on the crust and really soft on the inside. The combination of meat was amazing. It's certainly a mouthful and a handful. Because of all the gravy and the jalapeno mayo, it makes it a pretty messy experience, but it's SO worth it. I love a sloppy sandwich, they usually taste better that way (for me anyways). The roast beef stood out more than anything. The meat was tender and the hot gravy had the perfect amount of saltiness. The jalapeno mayo stood out a lot too. It brought in a good amount of heat to the po-boy, which I thought was excellent because it prevents you from using hot sauce.

This po-boy was great, the downside of it for me was the American cheese. I'm really not a huge fan. The flavor of American cheese cuts through the flavor of the others so much that you can't really taste anything else. I didn't know at the time that it came with it on, and I'm not entirely sure if you can ask to have it without it either. What I really wish that this place had were some french fries, but then again they don't fry anything. I didn't complain though. A bag of chips worked out just fine.

If you're ever in the city of Lake Charles or in the need of a pit stop, now you know where to go. Darrell's is the place to be for an amazing po-boy.




Darrell's - 119 W. College Street, Lake Charles, Louisiana