Food, Service, Ambiance Staff was friendly, environment is cozy, food was great!!! We ordered: - Appetizer: Fried mushrooms - Mushroom Swiss burger w/loaded fries - Grilled chicken w/potato and grilled Veggies - Patty melt w/fried onion rings - Club panini w/fries read more

Decent food- not overly fancy. More casual. Service was fine, not all that busy. Appetizers came out hot, mushrooms were good, I added salt to them. Chicken Cobb salad was the best, very fresh and the chicken was grilled well. Fish was a little dry, and the bbq shrimp was ok, not overly flavorful. Glad we finally made it in- decent spot read more

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In short, horrible service experience on two different visits, and the food is not anything to overcompensate for the lack of decent service. The first time we dined here was in 2017, maybe, during which time the server slung our children's food across the table while setting it down-- french fries can roll off a plate with gusto! It was when the server placed the food back on the plate for the kids to eat as if we didn't all see what had just happened that put us off to coming back here. Fast forward to June 2026, it's a Saturday evening and the place my husband and I wanted to go was packed. We decided to give The Fat Pelican another try. When we walked in, there were only three tables occupied. As we stood there waiting for any signs of life from someone employed by this place, we could feel the stares from a particular table, as if trying to warn us to leave while we still could. But hindsight is always 20/20. A sweaty man emerged from the kitchen and told us we could have a seat wherever we liked. As we looked over the menu, I noted the shrimp plates all indicated (imported), which is pretty odd, being close enough to the gulf, and because our booth was right next to a poster celebrating some Louisiana Shrimp festival. I ordered unsweetened tea, which was more watery than tea, and patiently requested a soda instead, which he forgot about. One of the original 3 tables energetically waived sweaty man down, asking for their check so they could leave. Another quickly followed suit. The third table may have been playing mahjong-- they were clearly content in being out and visiting their friends. When it was our turn for what may have finally been the undivided attention of the server, we ordered. My husband ordered a steak. "We're out of steak"........ I ordered while he reconsidered the menu, really wanting to just abort the whole mission. There is a $1.50 up-charge for the loaded baked potato, which would have not been a big deal, but my husband's "loaded baked potato" was dry. We didn't bother to hunt the sweaty man down to ask for more butter, because we were both pretty frustrated. Because we were looking forward to a place that included dessert with their meal, we absolutely ordered the chocolate fudge cake. Look-- no shade on Duncan Hines or their brownies, but that is clearly what we each paid $8.99 for. You could literally taste the Duncan Hines, which was topped with ice cream and some confusing blue berries. It was a relief to pay out and leave, especially since the indie hits playlist had started its second loop. If you're still reading and wondering.. no one else came in to dine while we were there. There won't be a third time. read more

Eat here if you like eating soup with three toothpicks! Our waitress (maybe she was busy or having a bad day so I always try to give them the benefit of doubt) was not personable, felt like I was being rushed & I had to go into the back kitchen to grab myself a spoon and napkins, food was mediocre as well, the 14$ burger was not it & just basic, you get more food at whataburger for half the price & they taste better. The actual building and decor is nice though so I guess it would fit a casual dining experience, but this place just wasn't for me especially for the price point they try to sell their food. The rest of the Menu just seems like basic flash fried food. Nothing really stands out or seems unique, I got the Shrimp & Poutine, alcohol is like 15 bucks for a drink too read more

We love to eat at the Fat Pelican! Their patty melt is my favorite in town. The staff is always nice and the service is quick!

Stopped by today for lunch and ordered the shrimp and polenta. WOW. I wanted to drink the sauce with a straw !the cute waitress brought us some grilled bread to soak up the sauce which saved me the embarrassment of lapping it up like cat if you want good food with friendly service this is your place read more

I will never waste my time nor money on this place again. When I received my Cobb Salad the grilled chicken was half done and salted way too much. The chicken was supposed to be grilled but seemed to be fished out of the alfredo sauce. The person who brought me my salad had her purse slung around her shoulder and didn't have time to even bring the salad dressing with her. She seemed to be in too big of a rush to ask if we needed anything else. The waiter was very nice and did what he could to make our experience a nice one. I do not mind paying for a good meal, even though I ate what I could and paid, then left with the bad experience. read more

Great little restaurant in Monroe. Friendly staff, nautical decor and a nice easy vibe overall. It's a smaller menu but some great items. I had the BBQ shrimp NOLA style. It had amazing flavor. Had a ball of crispy grits too. Had crab cake appetizer that was full of crab. Everything was delicious. I'll be back. read more

The Fat Pelican - Crab Cakes - Southern Near Me - Monroe, Louisiana

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Great menu! Friendly Staff!! Delicious food. I ordered chicken pasta with scallops. Family had salmon plates and grilled chicken dishes. We all had creme brûlée and cheesecake. One of the best dinners I have had in a long time. I am so glad I stumbled across this place! We will definitely be back! read more

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Best bread pudding in monroe! Cheesecake was killer Chef Chris is the best chef in monroe!! read more

The Fat Pelican - Southern Near Me - Monroe, Louisiana

Very friendly staff with amazing food, every visit has been a pleasure. I really enjoyed the BBQ Shrimp. read more

The Fat Pelican - BBQ Shrimp with crispy grits - Southern Near Me - Monroe, Louisiana

Small quaint place. My husband really loved his barbecue shrimp. MY fried catfish was ok. We had a large group of 9 of us and the service was very good. They got us seated right and and brought our food out in a very reasonable short time frame. I would definitely go back and explore more items on the menu. read more

Food was great and service was even better. It was nice and clean. If your in the area I would recommend stopping by.

Staff so friendly They made suggestions based on my preferences and came back to check on my drinks frequently. Restaurant was clean and food was delicious! I will be back. Appetizer - Fried Mushrooms. -Shrimp and Polenta Lagniappe is a great menu item. read more

Visiting my Aunt in Monroe. This place was great! We had Fried Green Tomatoes and Fried Mushrooms for starters. The mushrooms were hand breaded and fried to perfection. For dinner I ordered the Shrimp PoBoy. While it needed some salt for my taste the bread was amazing. The Mushroom Swiss Burger had a wonderful taste. The homemade onion rings stole the show on my mothers Panini plate. read more

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The service was fast and the food was very good. We loved the smaller setting and the atmosphere was quiet and low key.

Not in Monroe very often and I'm touring the food scene. The service was great and the crab cakes are excellent!

Monroe welcomes The Fat Pelican as a new addition to the ever-growing list of restaurants to the area. I came across a BayouLife Mag online article by S. Evans that highlighted the restaurant's background and owners. Local native, Head Chef and owner Chris McKnight delivers Southern cuisine with his unique creative flair through carefully executed dishes at The Fat Pelican. His wife, Mandi McKnight (aka 'The Lady in Charge' according to her husband) runs the business aspect of the restaurant, including its successful design and renovation in only one sitting. Parking should not be an issue as there is a large shopping center parking lot adjacent to the restaurant. What caught my eye the most when walking into the restaurant was the multicolored wooden divider, separating the kitchen from the dining room. The overall decor gives a warm and welcoming ambience, which also reflects how the service was throughout my visit. For lunch, I had the grilled Gulf snapper atop a bed of Kale salad. The snapper was grilled ever so perfectly (not underdone nor over-cooked, it was just right), with each piece tenderly flaking off and each bite melting like smooth, rich butter. The crunch of the Kale salad made for great texture and flavor contrast. The bread pudding dessert was a great ending to a great lunch! Ooey gooey bread pudding goodness soaked in sweet rum sauce, paired with ice cream and fresh berries, had me in dessert heaven. It is refreshing to have solid Southern cuisine, prepared from locally available ingredients. I will be adding The Fat Pelican to my rotation of lunch spots. I want to thank the McKnights for a job well done on The Fat Pelican! Please support this new local restaurant everyone! read more

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Such incredible food and service! Can't believe it wasn't more packed! A VERY well kept secret!! We'll be back!!

Great spot for lunch! The burger was delish - and 2 for 1 for the lunch special! We will be back for dinner.

Great place in Monroe. We stopped here on our way from Dallas to Jackson, MS - and we were not disappointed. I had the BBQ shrimp with crunchy grits, and my wife the chicken fried chicken. Portions were generous and food very good, if salty. The place looks quite upscale for Monroe's standards - but that's not setting the bar very high. However, service was very good and attentive. read more

The Fat Pelican - Chicken fried chicken - Southern Near Me - Monroe, Louisiana

Is kinda hard to find and looks like a regular Bar and grill on the outside. Inside it's a fancier restaurant. The BBQ shrimp and Creme brûlée are fantastic. Anyone looking for a upscale restaurant in Monroe should try it. It does fill up fast and the servers are not always the most attentive but food is 5 star. read more

The Fat Pelican - BBQ Shrimp Lagniappe - Southern Near Me - Monroe, Louisiana

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The Fat Pelican was Fabulous!! We we're passing thru on a trip to Texas for a wedding. We had blue burger, Pelican burger Red Fish and Shrimp & Polenta. It was all fabulous. Will be back if ever in town!! read more

Traveling through and happened upon this restaurant. Oh my my gosh!!! It is excellent. The service is great, ambiance is gYou can't go wrong here. read more

The Fat Pelican - Shrimp and Polenta Lagniappe - Southern Near Me - Monroe, Louisiana

The food here is great. I ordered the patty melt with fries and it was delicious! The fries were piping hot both times! And great service to boot! read more

Food: 0/5 stars I want to begin by pointing out that this rating is only based off of two items on their menu - The Beef Filet, and the Shrimp Polenta. Beef Filet: Looked to be around 9oz - The ounces were not stated in the menu. With this being a $32 steak you would think they would tell you how much meat you are getting for that price. Tasted like it had no seasoning, which wouldn't have been a huge deal if the steak itself had not tasted like it had gone bad. I worked at Texas Roadhouse for two years, and we cut our steaks in-house, so I know what a fresh steak tastes like... this was not it. It tasted like it had either been frozen, or it had been sitting out for too long. It honestly just tasted like it had gone bad, and with no seasoning to even TRY to cover that up... you can imagine how bad it tasted. I had one bite, my mother had one bite, and the practically untouched $32 steak remained uneaten on my plate. Shrimp Polenta: My mother ordered this as her meal, and the polenta was okay, again it had no seasoning so it was flavorless but I assume the sauce around the polenta was supposed to add the flavor... however, the sauce was not good. She ate the polenta as-is, but left the shrimp and the sauce. The only things we ate from this meal were our salads, my baked potato, and her polenta.... OUR SIDE ITEMS. Which were okay at best. Service: 3/5 stars I don't know what our servers name was, and I don't think he introduced himself. He was very polite, and remembered our orders without writing them down (as a server myself, I am always overly impressed when I see a server who is able to do that). He got us refills in a timely manner, and as far as the basic service aspects he did fabulous. However. If you are serving a table and see that their entrees have barely been touched, and when you ask for a Togo box they make a dissatisfied face and say "no, we will not be needing togo boxes," that isn't your cue to get the check. You should ask if everything tasted okay, ask what we are dissatisfied with, offer to replace the meals with something else, or offer to have a portion of the price removed. Every. Restaurant. I have worked at. Encourages its servers to do this if a customer is unsatisfied with a meal that they have barely touched. Now, if we had eaten half the steak and then said we were unsatisfied, that's different because people who do that just want a free meal, and I've dealt with those before too. But come on dude, you saw we had barely touched the food, asked if we wanted togo boxes, we said no and very obviously made it clear we were not happy with what we were brought, and instead of trying to fix it you rushed us out the door. read more

This was a great lunch spot we found by chance and very friendly staff! The club panini was delicious.

This place is so good. I ordered shrimps and polenta, and it was the best shrimps and grits that I've had. There were plenty of fresh and delicious jumbo shrimps. The sauce was very flavorful and well seasoned without being salty. The wine list is pretty impressive as well. read more

The Fat Pelican - Shrimp po-boy - Southern Near Me - Monroe, Louisiana

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The food was so delicious we couldn't waste time photographing it because we wanted to jump right in. We started out with Arbita and Ouachita Brewing Co Amber beers. So smooth! Then we ordered the Fried Pickled Okra. It is served with spicy catsup but ask for some Ranch dressing, too. It's good either way...or both. We each got a dinner salad and the veggies were fresh and crisp. We split the Shrimp & Polenta...delicious...in order to save some room for the Creme Brûlée for dessert! All so very good that it was well worth the drive from Ruston, LA (30 miles) for a wonderful dining experience. The staff was eager to please and it is an enjoyable atmosphere. We'll be back! read more

The Fat Pelican - Southern Near Me - Monroe, Louisiana

Monroe, you don't know how good you have it. For a foodie from Seattle, this is an amazing restaurant. The Shrimp & Polenta dish was amazing. The Sean Minor Pinot Noir, a perfect matching at reasonable pricing. Right down to the banana cream pie. Great service throughout and ambience to boot... you can't beat this. Enjoy. read more

The Fat Pelican - Southern Near Me - Monroe, Louisiana

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Great service although I was there early in the eve! Had the blackened redfish with potato's and vegetables outstanding for a place so far from the sea! read more

I love this place. It's very laid back, the Food is Great. The people are so friendly. I've been here 3 times and I will keep coming back. My Wife and I love it. A Great find in Monroe. read more

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Never had a bad meal at the Pelican. Local folks, fresh food and good service. The redfish and the Pelican Burger are our favorites.

A bit of a splurge when having dinner with an old friend, but definitely worth it. The atmosphere was excellent and the food was perfectly balanced with seasoning. A gem in the Monroe restaurant scene. The staff was also helpful. read more

Nice atmosphere and bar area. The special was fresh flounder stuffed with shrimp and mashed potatoes with some type of sauce with a kick to it. One of the best sauces I've tasted. Wife had chicken pasta that beats any Italian joint in town. The only con I have to say is the tables were wobbly. Would recommend and will return to try other entrees. read more

The Fat Pelican - Chicken pasta - Southern Near Me - Monroe, Louisiana

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I ordered the shrimp and polenta entree. To be honest I was expecting a place with overpriced dishes with small portions. But to my surprise the dish was $22 and the portion was pretty big. As for the taste it was pretty good especially the cherry tomatoes that are in the dish. It could have used a little bit more spice but besides that it was a pretty good dish. read more

The Fat Pelican - Shrimp and Polenta! - Southern Near Me - Monroe, Louisiana

Don't try the (spinach dip) it was like eating cream cheese. The salad and croutons were great. A bit over priced for the quality.

Closed Mondays But it is worth waiting for! I visited Tuesday night for dinner and though I had come for the fish I ended up with an outstanding ribeye special. Attentive staff and nice guests at the bar made for a memorable visit. read more

Shrimp and Polenta...quite frankly one of the best meals I've ever had! Creole flavor shrimp, tomato base with a kick of spice. Absolutely perfect! read more

The Fat Pelican - Shrimp and Polenta! Word traveler foodie and have to say one of the best meals I have ever had! - Southern Near Me - Monroe, Louisiana

Great little restaurant! Ambiance is nice and service was wonderful! We tried the fried ravioli for an appetizer. It was good. Want to try the bbq shrimp next time. The table behind us had it and it looked wonderful. I had the shrimp and polenta. It came with 10 large, succulent shrimp and was delicious! Serving was a good size. I couldn't even finish half of it. My husband had the Cobb salad. It was fresh and delicious as well. The chicken breast on it was well seasoned, tender, and moist. Will definitely come back to this place! Other items on the menu that I definitely want to try. read more