The Fat Pelican

Excellent food, service was great, and lunch was quick so we could get back to work. I have celiacs and was very pleased the staff could tell me what was gluten free.

I shared a Philly cheese steak and a BBQ burger with the girlfriend
French fries = A
Philly = B
BBQ burger = A

Have become a regular here for lunch. Great specials. Recommend the burgers. The black and blue burger was outstanding. My wife had the American burger and enjoyed it. She licked the plate on the loaded fries Service was very good. Will definitely come back for more.

Yum. Best chipotle chicken wrap!!! Loved that it was served with green beans and roasted potatoes. Will eat here again!

I wasn’t that impressed with the lunch menu, but the salmon was very good. I’ll have to go at night when there is a different menu. Service was very good and decent prices for fresh, well seasoned food.

I got shrimp remoulade salad. It was good, but the portion was small. I expected a $ 12 salad to be larger.

This is my favorite restaurant in the Monroe/​West Monroe area. The food, staff, and atmosphere are fabulous. If you haven’t tried it, do. You won’t be disappointed. The prices are a little high as others have commented, but in my opinion, it’s worth every penny.

Absolutely excellent. You simply must try the pork with the sweet potatoes. We almost didn’t go in because the parking lot was practically empty, which is usually a bad sign, but I am so glad we did. Best meal I have had in a while.

I ordered the shrimp and polenta entrée. 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.

This place has not been open long, and the word has not spread yet. I eat at restaurants all the time, travel a lot, and am a bit of a foodie, so I hope this place gets the recognition that it deserves. A real chef works here and it shows.
I went in with 5 other people who also had not eaten here before. We each ordered different things to share. There was not a SINGLE dish that we did not love from the salads to desert. Everything that you may recognize as common fare is in fact expertly made with specific touches that makes it out of the ordinary.
The shrimp and polenta was the best I have had, expertly seasoned with just the right amount of spice. The shrimp were fat, juicy and not over cooked. Try the meat pie appetizers. The pastry is perfectly flaky and the filling is spot on. The crème brûlée has a touch of vanilla bean that makes it stand out. The cheesecake is nothing short of amazing.
Try this place, and I would love to hear your thoughts.

This place has potential, but it just wasn’t hitting on much when I visited. I was home in Louisiana for a special birthday dinner for a long-​time friend and the restaurant did a great job of being accommodating to our group of 10. However, the food wasn’t much to write home about. My chicken penne pasta was small in portion and lukewarm. The taste was just ok, a tad spicy, but not very flavorful. Honestly, it tasted more like jarred cheesy alfredo sauce. A couple of friends had shrimp poboys and though I didn’t taste it, it looked a little dry. What did look pretty good was the fried chicken sandwich on a bun. I didn’t taste it, but it looked really good. I did nibble on the hand cut fries and those were pretty good. There were flies that were more than a little distracting and maybe it was because we were sitting near the door but it just wasn’t the most comfortable environment. I was only there because of our special dinner, but now that I’ve tried it, I don’t feel the need to go back. I hope they do well and work to improve on some of the dishes.

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 décor 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!

We split a couple of apps and both were excellent and larger than expected– the stuffed pepper was the best I’ve ever had and not too spicy. The drinks were good and priced reasonably for a fine restaurant. There were two other large groups so a great place for a crowd

NO NO NO… this place was dirty and disgusting. There was food on the floor underneath our table, And the cleaning product they use to wipe off the tables was so overwhelming it was almost like you could taste it in the air. I asked for a hurricane to drink and was told they did not have a mix to make one, I asked if they could not make one by scratch and even offered to tell them the ingredients. Still told no. then I asked if the bartender can make a mai tai and I was bought basically fruit juice filled with grenadine. When I questioned the mai tai I was basically challenged and told that the bartender never made mistakes. My husband and I ordered dinner he had a pork chop and I had what they «called» gumbo… The gumbo arrived and I could find only two small pieces of sausage in the entire bowl there was no chicken or any other type of meat in it. The pork chop that my husband ordered was thick in size and did not look to cook. Upon cutting it open it was bloody bloody and wall on the inside… I thank God he did not eat this! We asked to speak to the owner/​manager and was told she was unavailable. We quickly told our waiter that we wish to leave at that time… Neither of us had eaten anything nor were any apologies given or any suggestions for substitutions. My husband and I travel quite a bit and visit several restaurants of all types for what we like to have as unique experiences we had visited some of the best… The only uniqueness about this particular restaurant was how disgusting it was!

Great food and really nice environment… the chef even came out to introduce himself. I recommend you trying this place!

Hands down one of the best restaurants in Monroe, LA. This will be become one of my usual dining joints!

New restaurant to monroe area. Has a very clean and well decorated atmosphere and a quiet place to dine. Food was just ok but service was great. My husband got Shrimp and grits dish and grits were better than the shrimp. Tails were also left on Shrimp. I got the pelican burger med well but it came out well done with burnt marks on patty which messed up the flavor. The hand cut fries were tasty and the best part of this dish as well. We went for lunch yesterday. Plenty of room in the parking lot and exterior of business is well cared for.