A great po’boy can turn lunch into the only plan that matters, especially when crisp fried shrimp meet fresh French bread and the fillings threaten to escape with every bite. This longtime Lafayette favorite has been serving sandwiches since the early 1980s, building the kind of local following that makes a counter-service stop feel like a ritual.
The setup stays casual, but the details matter, from the bakery partnership behind the bread to the generous portions and easygoing outdoor seating.
Crisp seafood, fresh bread, and decades of neighborhood loyalty show exactly why Louisiana po’boys remain one of the state’s most satisfying everyday meals.
What I like most is how unfussy the whole experience feels. Order at the counter, find a spot, and let the sandwich do the work.
The result is messy, filling, and deeply local, with enough character to make a quick lunch feel like the highlight of the day.
Family Roots Still Shape The Place
A familiar name above the door means more when the family behind it stays involved. Glenn Murphree’s children, Ross Murphree and Becca Kennedy, now help carry the Olde Tyme Grocery story forward.
Ross serves as president of the Olde Tyme Grocery Group. Becca has described the family’s connection to Lafayette through the idea of service before self, a clear statement of what they want the business to stand for.
That history is worth remembering while choosing lunch. The menu belongs to a place with personal ties to its community, rather than an anonymous stop along the road.
For a first visit, keep the experience simple: order something that interests you, settle into the dining space, and give the everyday setting your attention. A lasting family business deserves more than a hurried doorway glance.
A Small Grocery With A Long Story
Olde Tyme Grocery sits at 218 W St. Mary Boulevard in Lafayette, Louisiana, just a short walk from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. St. Mary Boulevard is the road to stay with on the final approach, with the shop tucked into the neighborhood just off the university side of town.
The last stretch feels more like a campus-adjacent neighborhood than a commercial strip, with students, older storefronts, and local traffic tightening around the block. Once you are near the university and reach the 200 block of West St. Mary, you are essentially there.
Use legal parking around the property and surrounding streets, then head for the grocery entrance on St. Mary Boulevard. Brook Street runs behind the building, where the seasonal Murph’s Olde Tyme Snowballs setup is located, so that side of the block is another useful orientation point.
Start With The Shrimp Po’boy
Fried shrimp does not need much of a sales pitch when it fills a fresh French loaf. The Louisiana Gulf shrimp po’boy is Olde Tyme Grocery’s top seller, making it a sensible starting point for anyone meeting the menu for the first time.
The standard dressed version includes mayonnaise, ketchup, lettuce, and tomato. That ketchup matters when ordering: if you prefer your seafood sandwich without it, ask about changing the dressing before the kitchen begins.
Generous filling also makes portion size worth considering. Ask about a half sandwich if you want a lighter lunch or plan to save room for something sweet.
Anyone with a shellfish allergy should choose another option and discuss shared preparation equipment with staff. For everyone else, this is the signature order that explains much of the shop’s lasting appeal.
The Bread Has Its Own Local Roots
Even an overstuffed sandwich needs a good foundation. Olde Tyme Grocery gets fresh French bread daily from Langlinais Bakery, a local partnership that has lasted more than 40 years.
That detail is easy to overlook when shrimp or roast beef gets the attention. Yet bread holds the fillings together and affects every bite, so a steady bakery relationship is part of the sandwich’s identity.
Take a moment to notice the loaf before adding extra sauce or pulling the sandwich apart. The bread is not simply packaging for lunch; it is one of the ingredients connecting this counter to Lafayette’s food traditions.
If you are taking your order away, ask how best to carry it and eat it reasonably soon. Fresh bread and generous dressing make timing a practical part of enjoying a po’boy at its best.
The Olde Tyme Special Means Business
Ham, turkey, roast beef, and Swiss cheese share the loaf in the Olde Tyme Special. It is the choice for someone who wants several deli flavors in one sandwich rather than a single seafood filling.
The usual dressing adds mayonnaise, mustard, gravy, lettuce, and tomato. Read that combination carefully before ordering, especially if you have a strong opinion about mustard or prefer less sauce.
With several meats and gravy involved, this is a good meal to enjoy sitting down. Keep napkins nearby and resist the idea that a packed po’boy must also be tidy.
Ask about available sizes instead of assuming a whole sandwich fits your appetite. The Special makes a useful alternative for visitors who do not want shrimp, while still offering the generous style that makes Olde Tyme Grocery such a memorable lunch stop.
Meatballs Bring A Different Kind Of Comfort
Red sauce takes lunch in a different direction from fried seafood. Olde Tyme Grocery’s meatball po’boy features homemade Italian-style meatballs, giving the menu a hearty option with its own clear personality.
The sandwich is served dressed with mayonnaise. If that pairing is new to you, ask about the standard preparation rather than assuming it follows the same dressing as the shrimp or the Olde Tyme Special.
A sauced meatball sandwich calls for a little patience at the table. Open the wrapping carefully, keep it underneath as a landing spot, and take manageable bites instead of challenging the entire loaf at once.
This is a useful pick when your group wants different fillings from the same counter. It also shows why the shop is worth exploring beyond its best-known seafood order, without needing to abandon the po’boy format.
Lent Changes The Lunch Rhythm
Some days call for more planning than others. Lent is Olde Tyme Grocery’s busiest season, with Ash Wednesday and Fridays bringing especially strong demand for seafood sandwiches.
The seasonal crawfish option features crispy fish topped with crawfish étouffée. Fried catfish po’boys are also offered on Fridays, so the day of your visit can affect which filling is available.
Call ahead if one of those choices is the reason for your trip. Seasonal offerings and availability deserve a quick check, particularly when you are fitting lunch into a tight schedule.
Give yourself extra time during the Lenten rush and have a second choice ready. A busy counter is easier to enjoy when you are not racing the clock, and a little flexibility keeps a seafood lunch from becoming a small scheduling crisis before you even sit down.
A Patio Makes Room To Linger
Lunch does not have to end as soon as the last shrimp disappears. Olde Tyme Grocery has outdoor dining spaces, including a covered patio and a back patio, that give the meal a more relaxed pace.
Choose your seat with the weather in mind. A roof helps with shade, but outdoor dining still depends on heat, humidity, and whatever Louisiana’s sky has planned that day.
A po’boy, chips, and a cold soft drink fit the setting without needing much ceremony. Keep your food wrapping handy, especially if you are sharing bites or managing a sandwich with generous dressing.
The patios can also be reserved for gatherings. Contact the shop directly about arrangements, space, and availability rather than assuming a large group can arrive without notice.
For an ordinary lunch, simply ask which seating areas are open.
Know The Counter Routine Before Arriving
Head to the deli counter rather than waiting for a host to seat you. Olde Tyme Grocery follows an informal ordering setup, with seating toward the back and orders brought to the table.
Have your sandwich choice, size, and dressing preferences ready. Asking a few clear questions at the counter is easier than trying to change an order after food preparation starts.
The supplied schedule lists Monday through Friday hours as 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday as 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday as closed. Confirm current hours before making a special trip, particularly around holidays.
For menu questions or timing, call 337-235-8165. If you have food allergies, discuss ingredients, frying oil, and shared equipment directly with staff rather than relying on a sandwich name to tell the whole story about how it is prepared.
Save A Little Space For A Snowball
A cold spoonful of shaved ice offers a different finish from another heavy bite. Murph’s Olde Tyme Snowballs adds a Louisiana sweet treat to the Olde Tyme Grocery visit, with flavored syrups turning ice into dessert.
The snowball stand reaches back to Glenn Murphree’s original setup. That makes it part of the business’s story, not merely an extra item attached to the sandwich menu.
Check whether the stand is operating when you visit, since its availability should not be assumed from the grocery’s hours alone. Ask which syrup flavors are offered that day before settling on a choice.
If dessert matters to your lunch plan, consider a smaller po’boy first. Leaving room is easier than discovering a snowball only after a whole sandwich has already claimed every bit of your appetite and most of your afternoon enthusiasm.
The Specials Deserve A Second Look
The familiar shrimp order is not the entire conversation. Olde Tyme Grocery also offers daily and nightly specials, giving repeat visits a reason to wander beyond the usual sandwich choice.
Past offerings have included muffulettas, pot roast, a Zydeco Quesadilla, and a crabcake po’boy. Treat those as examples of the range, not a promise that every dish will be waiting when you arrive.
Nightly promotions have included reduced prices on selected whole po’boys after 5 p.m., with ingredients changing by evening. Check the current offer and price directly before planning dinner around a deal.
Look at the specials before finalizing your order, then compare them with what you actually want to eat. A bargain is useful only when it suits your appetite, and sometimes the right choice remains the shrimp sandwich that first brought you through the door.