Whether it's business or pleasure that brings you to Shreveport-Bossier, there are loads of places to eat. Of course we have all of the big chains, but what about the smaller mom and pop places? Here are the best places to get a taste of northwest Louisiana.

(Disclaimer: I've lived in Shreveport my whole life and have eaten at just about every place in town, but not all of them. As of the writing of this post, these are the BEST places to get some grub as I know them.)

Fine dining

Some people point to Ernest Orleans and rightly so as the food is great. However, I LOVE Ristorante Giuseppe. The atmosphere is classy, and the food delicious. They have gluten free options and the catch of the day is outstanding.

Cajun food

This one is the toughest for me because there's so much good stuff out there. Gun to my head and I had to recommend just one. I would say Herby Ks. Herby K's has been a seafood staple for Shreveport since 1936 and in 1945 they introduced the 'Shrimp Buster' and they call it famous for a reason.

Tex-Mex

I might get flack for this, but the BEST Tex-Mex place in town is Nicky's. Yep, you read that right. I did not say Superior. Why? I love Superior for what it is: a place to drink ridiculous amounts of margaritas and eat good food. But Nicky's, man, Nicky's is my weakness.

Generous portions (the chef salad al carbon is the best salad in town), quick service, great chips and hot sauce, and not expensive. I love this place! (Pro-tip go to the one on Klug Pines in Shreveport, or south of I20 on Airline in Bossier)

Chinese Food

If you have a hankering for Chinese food there are a bunch of choices but the best? Lucky Palace.

Lucky Palace has it right: from the huge, melt-in-your-mouth crab rangoons to the impressive wine list. This Chinese food joint has it figured out. I'll admit it's weird when you first walk into a motel for Chinese food, but trust me on this. I've never had a bad meal at Lucky Palace.

Barbecue (BBQ)

Any time my in laws come to town one of the first things they have to do on their visit is stop by their FAVORITE BBQ joint. And by no coincidence it's my favorite, too. Podnuh's meat is lightly smoked and melts in your mouth. And the sauce? Oh man, that sauce! Go to the more expensive places and you'll get a good meal, or go to Podnuh's.

Pizza

I might break hearts here, but the best pizza in town is Smitty's, or their companion store Stocky's Pizza in Haughton.

Oh, this pizza and I have history. Love at first bite, I swear. The crust is thin and slightly crunchy, the sauce is light and sweet, the cheese soft and slightly salty. The combination of it in your mouth is in a word 'heaven'. I could eat a pizza from either business every day of the week and be happy.

The last time my wife and I went to Stocky's they offered gluten-free pizza and the Lady Stifler remarked that it's just as good as regular pizza.

Cupcakes

Well I can't say I know of every cupcake place in town, but I can say I've eaten my fair share of cupcakes from Buttercups Cupcakes.

Light and fluffy the icing is sweet but not overly so. If you have a sweet tooth. This is your stop. (Gluten free options on Tuesdays). Go for the Red velvet that was featured on The Food Network or grab one of my personal favorites (peanut butter or cappuccino).

Breakfast and Pie

Strawn's Eat Shop is another local eatery that was featured on The Food Network. Strawn's is a MUST for breakfast foods. The highlights to me are: the pancakes that are nice light and fluffy served with a heaping helping of butter and syrup; the biscuits that are only served during breakfast; and the hashbrowns.

Other than those standouts, it's your normal breakfast fair. Make sure you save room for dessert, get a piece of the world famous Strawn's strawberry pie with whipped cream that's a mile high. Heavenly.

Donuts

First thing in the morning go to Southern Maid Donuts, ask for a dozen fresh and a cup of coffee (or milk if that's your thing). Then, sit down and take a bite and know that life will never be better than it is right now. I don't understand what makes Southern Maid so amazing, but I don't care. As long as they're hot and fresh and in my belly. I'm happy.

All you can eat casino buffet

I would be doing a disservice if I didn't mention the casinos even if they're not locally owned. I'm not going to talk about their fine dining options (as I rarely have $100's to drop on dinner) I will however talk about the all you can eat buffets. The best one in my humble opinion has always been Horseshoe's.

Don't get me wrong, I love me some DiamondJacks and Sam's Town, but I feel for the best mouth-watering selections and desserts (with fresh made cotton candy), you've gotta hit up the Horseshoe.

Boiled Crawfish

Nothing is more Louisiana than crawfish, mudbugs, crayfish or whatever you want to call them! I'm wacky about those little guys.

There are lots of local options for the bugs but my favorite is in Dixie Inn at the place called the 'Crawfish Hole #2'. I like how they boil the bugs with onions and lemons it really adds to the flavor (if it does add artificially to the weight). They also have poboys, and burgers for the less adventurous. Call ahead and make sure they have crawfish in stock! Here are quite a few more options on Yelp.

These are all my favorites, the places I would recommend to anybody visiting from out of town. Feel free to share your favorites in the comment section below.

Next time my personal trainer gets on me for not losing weight, I'll point to this and say it was all for research.

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