A restaurant founded by James Vitrano and Abney Harper, known for its Italian-inspired menu including pasta, gelato, and pavlovas, and its partnership with Louisiana State University.
Abney Harper is a chef and entrepreneur, co-founder of Prima Après, a restaurant known for bringing Italian-inspired cuisine, including pasta, gelato, and pavlovas, to the LSU (Louisiana State University) campus. She...
Prima Après is a Northshore-born eatery that has established a new brick-and-mortar location in Baton Rouge, offering a unique concept where customers can choose their pasta, sauce, and toppings. It's also renowned for its exquisite desserts, including homemade pavlovas, gelato, and a variety of pastries, creating a beautiful shop atmosphere for both meals and sweet treats.
Customers generally praise the kind and helpful staff, responsive owner, and the lovely atmosphere. The gelato and chocolates are described as delicious and addicting, though some note the gelato may not be 'authentic'. The custom pasta concept is appreciated, with the Cacio e Pepe receiving positive feedback initially. Desserts like the strawberry cake and macarons are highly rated for flavor and texture, while some found cupcakes too sweet and Matcha lackluster. There's a strong appreciation for their beautiful and delicious King Cakes and other treats, drawing comparisons to French pastry boutiques.
Additional Details
The restaurant is a successor or evolution from the popular Sucre patisserie, bringing a similar focus on high-quality desserts and pastries to Baton Rouge. It has been featured by Williams Sonoma, indicating a level of recognition for its offerings.
Prima Après is suitable for lunch, dinner, or dessert, offering flexibility throughout the day.
Awards & Recognition
Featured on Williams Sonoma
5
I finally made it in after seeing the pavlovas on TikTok, and I’m so glad I gave this place a try. The staff were kind and helpful, and I really appreciated how responsive the owner was after my first visit. Excited to come back and try more dishes (and another pavlova of course).
The service and atmosphere is lovely. I’ve always had a positive experience with the environment and service.
Though I wouldn’t consider their gelato authentic, it is delicious and I would absolutely continue to purchase it, alongside their chocolates which are addicting!
I was very excited when they added pasta to their menu, and I especially enjoy their carry out, custom pasta business model. The first time I had it, I had their cacio e Pepe.
It tasted great and made me want to comeback.
Usually Cacio e Pepe is served with a bucatini pasta; however, because they did not have that, I ordered it with spaghetti. Unfortunately, it was not as good as the first time I had it because the sauce was too soupy, the pasta was over cooked, and they committed a huge Italian no no — they cut the spaghetti into tiny pieces!! Most Italians would freak out if they ever saw that.
That said, I still like this place and will continue to enjoy it before I move back to New England, but I would recommend they cook the pasta al dente & not cut the spaghetti.
A beautiful shop to get dessert and other pastries! They have a lot of options to pick from, we got the cupcake, Matcha, cake, and one macaron. The Matcha was lackluster, and I already knew that coming in based off of the pictures. The favorite was the strawberry cake that I ordered, not too sweet and had lots of flavors and textures. The macaron itself was pretty good too! The cupcake was a bit too sweet for me. Super friendly service, lots Of tasty options that will have me coming back, they also have lots of package gift items too!
I’ve been a huge fan of Sucre since they first opened on Magazine St years ago. I was excited to hear of the BR store opening! Their King Cakes are the most beautiful and delicious I’ve ever had, worth traveling the hour to pick up! All of their treats are beautiful and delicious. Reminds me of the wonderful French Pastry Boutique in Paris called Lauderie.
We stopped in to get some dessert for Valentine’s Day and it was such a perfect experience! I meant to get the name of the girl who helped us, but I totally forgot. Either way she was super helpful and friendly! We got a strawberry almond cupcake and an Affogato. Coming from a barista, I appreciate that the espresso was freshly ground and tasted great!! Definitely will be back :)
