Oct 7, 2019

Cajun CrawfishThe flavors of Cajun cuisine come from the Acadians who found safety in southwest Louisiana after they left Nova Scotia in the 18th century. Many Cajun meals started out by combining many ingredients in a single pot to create an aromatic and spicy combination. Although some people have refined the ingredients and techniques over time, the flavors remain the same. Here are some of the best modern Cajun restaurants near Lafayette, LA.

1. Bon Temps Grill

Bon Temps Grill on Verot School Road in Lafayette is a neighborhood bar and grill specializing in Cajun flavors. The menu includes a wide selection of Cajun dishes including NOLA shrimp and grits, jumbo lump crab cakes, and crawfish pot pie. You can also get Cajun jerk chicken and BBQ alligator Doria. The Boucherie board for two is a great selection if you want to try a few different flavors. It comes with mesquite-grilled sirloin, ribs, shrimp, tuna, sausage, and boudin, and you can choose two sides to go with it.

2. Prejean’s Restaurant

Make sure to check out Prejean’s for a complete Cajun experience. There is live Cajun music every night, and the décor includes Acadian relics. Big Al, a 14-foot alligator captured in the Grand Chenier swamp, sits right in the middle of the dining room. From the menu, make sure to try the seafood Gumbo, the fried crab cakes, and the crawfish enchiladas. The crawfish étouffée is also a great choice and comes with a side of Louisiana white rice.

3. Don’s Seafood Cajun Restaurant & Oyster Bar

The recipes used at Don’s Seafood Cajun Restaurant & Oyster Bar’s kitchen come from Cajun traditions. Some of the specialties that you have to try at this restaurant include the seafood combo which comes with stuffed shrimp, fried catfish, fried shrimp, fried oysters, and shrimp étouffée. There is also a 1/2 catfish and 1/2 red beans dish on the menu, and the Fourchon. This comes with fresh gulf shrimp topped with jumbo crab cream sauce and served with sweet corn grits. The catfish Acadian, Louisiana catfish topped with crawfish étouffée, is also a must. If you’re a gumbo fan, then be sure to try some of Don’s seafood gumbo or the chicken and andouille gumbo.

4. Blue Dog Cafe

Make sure to stop by the Blue Dog Cafe for modern Cajun dishes. Owners Andre and Jacques Rodrigue created the restaurant with the intent of celebrating family and the family dinner table. The boudin balls are always a great choice to start, and for a main dish, the chicken sando is fantastic. The shrimp and grits are some of the best in the area. You can order dishes for the table or choose an entree for yourself. There is a selection of Poboys, or you can get crawfish enchiladas that come with cumin Mornay, chili braised purple hulls, cilantro, and creme fraiche.

Stop by one of these Lafayette-area Cajun restaurants for traditional Cajun flavors where you can get a taste of dishes made from recipes handed down from generation to generation.

 

Image via Flickr by BPPriceSteffen Zahn  | CC BY 2.0 | Cropped from original