America's fourth largest city has a long standing tradition of Southern cuisine, particularly Tex-Mex, Soul Food and Cajun. There are dozens of Cajun restaurants scattered around the city offering authentic recipes from the great city of New Orleans and the Lousiana Bayou. Whether in the mood for crispy fried jumbo shrimp, blackened Louisiana catfish or seafood jambalaya, diners will find that Houston offers plenty of options to get their Cajun on.
Allegedly the first Cajun seafood restaurant in Houston to offer boiled crawfish, Ragin Cajun has become a Houston institution and has been featured on NBC Dateline, the Food Network, and various other TV and radio programs. Founded in 1974, this authentic Cajun restaurant offers all the Bayou classics, including fresh seafood gumbo with Gulf Coast shrimp and lump crab meat, Louisiana fried crawfish tails, Cajun chicken wings and hot boudin. Ragin Cajun also serves up a number of classic po'boy sandwiches like smoked sausage, roast beef, Cajun turkey and grilled catfish. The extensive drink menu includes a dozen different types of margaritas, martinis, hurricanes and a Cajun Bloody Mary. Take-out, delivery and catering are also available to customers.
Ragin Cajun
4302 Richmond Ave.
Houston, TX 77027
713-623-6321
ragin-cajun.com
This small Houston restaurant is often packed to the brim thanks to its award-winning Cajun cuisine, abundant drunks and festive atmosphere. Specializing in classic New Orleans-style Cajun and Creole recipes, Mardi Gras Grill serves up a wide range of tasty fritters, hearty soups and grilled meats. Guests can start off with an order of fried popcorn shrimp, catfish nuggets, Cajun boudin, or even deep fried farm-raised alligator. Mardi Gras' signature entrees include Louisiana broiled crawfish, chicken fried steak, fried frog legs, breaded soft-shelled blue crab and seafood jambalaya. The extensive drink menu features many classic New Orleans cocktails, dozens of imported and domestic beers and many French wines. Mardi Gras grill also offers catering and hosts live music on Fridays.
Mardi Gras Grill
1200 Durham Drive
Houston, TX 77007
713-864-5600
mardigrasgrill.net
This newer addition to the Houston Cajun restaurant scene already has several locations throughout the city. Boudreux's Cajun Kitchen uses fresh ingredients and classic recipes in the preparation of its authentic Cajun food. Diners choose from a wide range of seafood dishes like blackened catfish with shrimp and crawfish in a Monterrey Jack cream sauce, pecan-crusted trout with fresh lemon, and crawfish etouffee served with dirty rice. Non-seafood items include all beef patty burgers, fried chicken covered in gravy, and grilled chicken sandwich on a toasted egg bun. There is also a long list of Cajun side dishes like jalapeño cornbread, red beans and rice, Creole corn and green beans. Kids 12 and under eat free on Tuesdays.
Boudreux's Cajun Kitchen
5475 Loop South
Houston, TX 77081
713-838-2200
go-cajun.com
