Dreaming of jambalaya, etouffee, or a bowl of spicy gumbo? As Mardi Gras approaches, you may be wishing you could find some great Cajun food in Dallas—and you don’t have to visit the Big Easy to get the great flavor of the city. Here are the best Cajun restaurants in Dallas—you’ll feel like your tastebuds died and went to the Big Easy.
Best Independent Cajun Restaurant in Dallas
The Alligator Café
Voted “Best Cajun” by the Dallas Observer for the past four years running, The Alligator Café should be first on your list when you’re cravin’ Cajun in Dallas. The restaurant, run by Chef Ivan Pugh, features classic Cajun menu items made from scratch. If you’re in the mood for traditional Cajun food, order a cup of shrimp and oyster gumbo or a blackened catfish po’ boy. If you want to get a little adventurous, try Cajun with a Tex-Mex twist and order the crawfish enchiladas. That’s a specialty you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else!
The Alligator Café also offers tried-and-true Cajun sides like red beans and rice, collard greens, and fried okra. If you have room, finish it all off with bread pudding or the sweet potato pecan pie. This award-winning restaurant can’t be beat when it comes to amazing, authentic Cajun food in Dallas, and the prices are reasonable (nothing on the menu is more than $13—most entrées are around $9).
Visit Eatgator.com to check out the full menu and print a coupon! The Alligator Café is located at 4416 Live Oak, between Peak Street and Carroll Avenue and is open Monday through Saturday.
Celebrating Mardi Gras All Year Long
Mardi Gras Café
Want to celebrate Mardi Gras all year long? Drop into Mardi Gras Café, a Cajun restaurant and blues bar that calls itself “the French Quarter in Dallas.” They have a $5 lunch special as well as live entertainment on Mondays and Fridays. While not as creative or authentic as The Alligator Café, the Mardi Gras Café menu still has Cajun staples, including grilled andouille po’ boys, crawfish etouffee, and catfish. Don’t pass up the tart white cherry bread pudding or the Creole mustard cream dipping sauce. What you’ll really be going for are the drink specials and the atmosphere—go on a Saturday night to get the French Quarter effect and cheap shots.
Visit MardiGrasDallas.com for more information. The restaurant is located in the Medical District at
2720 N. Stemmons Freeway.
Pierre’s Mardi Gras Café
If you don’t mind leaving the Dallas city limits, Pierre’s Mardi Gras Café is worth the drive. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Pierre and his wife relocated to the DFW metroplex and opened Pierre’s Mardi Gras Café in Arlington. The menu has all the Cajun classics and is fairly limited, but you’ll end up ordering the same thing every time anyway: Pierre’s Famous Gumbo. A delicious mix of shrimp, crab, beef, Patton’s hot sausage, turkey, chicken, and secret-recipe roux will keep you coming back time and again. Don’t want to leave Dallas for Cajun food? Pierre will ship New Orleans to your door! Check out the e-café and order half-gallons or gallons of gumbo and red beans and rice, as well as homemade bread pudding and Cajun smothered porkchops. You can even order pralines in original, coconut, rum, or chocolate.
Pierre's Mardi Gras Café is located at 2816 S. Cooper Street in Arlington. If you want to order a taste of the Big Easy instead, visit Pierresmardigras.com
Best Cajun Chains in Dallas
Boudreaux’s Cajun Kitchen
Boudreaux’s Cajun Kitchen is technically in Richardson, but it takes the cake (or should I say takes the bread pudding?) for best chain Cajun food in the Dallas area. At Boudreaux’s, you order and then sit down, so go at on off-time if you don’t want to face a line. Even if you have to wait, it will be worth it—the food is fresh and the servings are plentiful. In addition to normal Cajun dishes like blackened alligator and seafood gumbo, Boudreaux’s offers a few pasta dishes and fresh fish dishes that make it stand out from its competitors; consider trying the Pasta Lafayette (crawfish and shrimp in a Monterey jack cream sauce) or the Pecan-Crusted Trout.
Visit Boudreauxs.net for to look at the menu; the restaurant is located at 720 East Campbell Road in Richardson. Sign up to be an “Honorary Cajun” and collect points to put toward future meals.
Razzoo’s Cajun Café
If you’re in the mood for Cajun food in Dallas but are with a picky eater, Razzoo’s is a good middle ground. In addition to all the usual Cajun specialties, you can also order ribs, a cheeseburger, or a Caesar salad. Start out with the Rat Toes (jalapenos stuffed with shrimp and crab and then fried) and try either the Jalapeno Catfish or the Tchoupitoulas (it’s hard to say but easy to eat—hickory-grilled chicken piled over smoked ham, mushrooms, and potatoes and topped with a secret sauce).
Visit Razzoos.com to read more about the restaurant. The Dallas Razzoo’s is located at 13949 North Central Expressway.
A Hometown Cajun Success
Dodie’s Cajun Restaurant
Last but certainly not least is Dodie’s Cajun Restaurant. Dodie’s started out on lower Greenville in 1989 but has now expanded to seven locations throughout the DFW metroplex. The McGuinnesses—who started the restaurant and continue to run it—are New Orleans natives, so it stands to reason that their cuisine is authentic! Their recipes come from within the family and include a Dodie’s exclusive: Cajun tamales. Soft-shell crab po’ boys and shrimp Creole are just a few of their other mouth-watering Cajun offerings.
Visit the original location on 2129 Greenville Avenue until it moves next to what used to be Terrelli’s. To check out the menu, visit Dodiesgreenville.com.
