Historic Downtown Shreveport Cafe Closes

There are several buildings in and around downtown Shreveport that we're lucky to still have around. Some of the most well-known ones would be The Strand Theater, The Logan Mansion, the Spring Street Museum, (which is the oldest building in downtown), and of course, the legendary Municipal Auditorium.  If you want to see a behind the scenes tour of the Municipal, check that out HERE.

Get our free mobile app

But there are several other, maybe lesser known buildings that have just as much history and legacy that are still around.  And one of those is the old KSC Cafe.  It has actually gone by many names over the years.

The unique building, located between several sets of railroad tracks on Louisiana Ave downtown, first opened 100 years ago in 1923 as the Queen Cafe.  It served railroad workers and passengers directly across the street from the original Union Station. It became the Roosevelt Cafe twenty years later, in 1943, then Ablon's #2 in 1945.  That name is still in tile outside the front door.

From 1946-1963 it was known as Fox's/KCS Restaurant, and the just KCS Restaurant from 1964 until it closed in 1971, which was two years after Union Station closed, burned down, and then demolished.  Without the station right next door, the cafe lost it's regular flow of customers, forcing it to close.

The building sat empty and abandoned until the current owner, Greg Solomon, saw it, and realized its potential.  After digging to find the owner, (who didn't even realize he owned it) Solomon was able to purchase the building and did a complete restoration, salvaging old pieces of the original tin ceiling, some of the original floor, and even beautiful transom glass to complete the front.  The historic building was brought back to life in 2020 as T's Comfort Food before becoming Northern Louisiana Comfort Food in 2022. And if you didn't get a chance to eat there before it closed, you really missed out on a gem.

Solomon did a wonderful job on the restoration, and it would be a tragic shame if this beautiful building was left to fall again into disrepair.

The good news is, the building is now available for lease.  And it comes with all tables and chairs, kitchen equipment, and even a huge billboard sign space on the roof.  Check out the complete Real Estate Listing HERE