Best Cajun Food in Dallas: A Fat Tuesday Guide

Fat Tuesday gets lost in the shuffle with Valentine’s Day, some years. But honestly, it should be the other way around. Dallas has some wonderful Cajun food, and we should feast like kings year-round.

Cajun food is steeped in historical and cultural distinction. The cuisine can be traced back to about 14,000 French Canadians deported from northeastern Canada for refusing to submit to the British king. Some of these exiles made their way to southern Louisiana, where they acclimated to the bounty the gulf state provided while also mixing and mingling with Native Americans, Black Creoles, Germans, Spaniards and Italians, according to Global Foodways.

When Hurricane Katrina ravaged Southern Louisiana in 2005, displacing residents, the cuisine spread more rapidly to new communities, including North Texas. Much of the best Cajun food today can be found at food trucks, but there are also restaurants, some high-class, others with live music, and all of them laissez les bons temps rouler.

Best Restaurants

Nate’s Seafood & Steakhouse
14951 Midway Road, Addison
Nate’s has been throwing parties with great food in Addison since 1998. It’s always a festive atmosphere, with live music every Thursday night and on Sunday, the Red Beans and Blues Jam with CT Davis starts at 7:30 p.m. (If you want to join him, just bring your instrument.) You can get seafood boils, classic seafood dishes, po ‘boys or steak. Nate’s has it all.

Restaurant Beatrice
1111 N. Beckley Ave., Oak Cliff
This restaurant near the Bishop Arts District truly deserves recognition for its innovative Cajun dishes. While Cajun food is usually a party-like affair, no one ever said it can’t be upscale, and at Restaurant Beatrice the refined dining experience is ideal. Don’t miss the seasonal Mardi Gras menu with deeper cuts of Cajun and Creole dishes; be sure to try the jambalaya or house-made andouille sausage. When the weather is right, the communal-style seafood boils on the patio aren’t to be missed.

Charlie’s Creole Kitchen
2129 Greenville Ave., Lower Greenville
This Lower Greenville spot has dive bar vibes, with upscale plates of Cajun favorites. One thing we can get here that we’ve also only had in New Orleans is cheese fries with a brown gravy; a plate of these will save your life after a long weekend. They say their Crawfish Monica in a cream sauce is better than Jazzfest. We’re suddenly flustered. Did we mention the Blackberry Crown Frozen Lemonade? Do we need to mention anything else?

The Free Man Cajun Cafe and Lounge
2626 Commerce St., Deep Ellum
The Free Man Cajun Cafe and Lounge in Deep Ellum hosts an annual Mardi Gras party on Fat Tuesday. The rest of the year, it’s a fantastic spot for Cajun plates, muffalettas and live jazz music. Check out the full music calendar, which is full of live local acts. We go for the food; the entertainment is a bonus.

Bayou Cat
2505 E. Arkansas Lane, Ste. 131, Arlington
Don’t be intimidated by the long line upon entering. It’s there to impress and to demonstrate how efficiently the staff works. Bayou Cat specializes in fried catfish, oyster baskets, hot sausage poboys and Louisiana meat pies. You can also get traditional Louisiana-style boiled crawfish. Randazzo and Dong Phuong mini king cakes, Big Shot sodas and other small treats you can only get in New Orleans can be found here, along with some of the best Cajun food in North Texas.

Bucky Moonshine’s
2912 Elm St., Deep Ellum
Bucky’s has big energy, like that found in the French Quarter, along with the best gumbo in the city from chef Ivan “Bucky” Pugh — we can’t leave the restaurant without a bowl, even when there for brunch, which includes bottomless mimosas and a DJ. From muffalettas to boudin balls, catfish Pontchartrain and Atchafalaya, they have all the staples, plus some dishes with local flair, like crawfish enchiladas.

Vegan Food House
832 W. 7th St., Bishop Arts
Yes, you can have meatless Cajun food. The fried oyster mushroom po’boys at Vegan Food House are just as flavorful as a hot sausage po’boy. The green gumbo contains spice, in case you have any doubts. Visit them in Bishop Arts for boudin without dirty rice and lion’s mane Buffalo bites. You can’t miss the space along West 7th Street – it’s the peacock-teal house.

Southern Classic Daiquiri Factory
6751 Bridge St., Fort Worth and 3030 Ross Ave., Dallas
Based on the decor, you’ll see that Southern Classic Daiquiri Factory celebrates all of Louisiana, not just the half below Baton Rouge. The menu showcases the best of the boot-shaped state with Natchitoches meat pies and crawfish pies, catfish Atchafalaya, Bourbon Street pasta and various frozen drinks named after cultural significance.

Food Trucks

E5 New Orleans Seafood & BBQ
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From peddling boiled seafood from an apartment complex to a food truck on Park Lane, E5 Seafood has built a cult-like following over the past six years. The business has grown into a one-stop shop for everything you might be craving: turkey necks, pig feet or its trademark E5 NoLa Red Beans and Rice. Follow them on Instagram for details on their massive crawfish hauls.

Jaykusteaux Custom Cuisine
2897 W. Pioneer Parkway, Dalworthington Gardens (Arlington)
This food truck is one of about four in a parking lot in Dalworthington Gardens, which is inside Arlington. (Yes, they have bored cops. Be warned.) Get past that, though, and you’ll be dazzled by the grilled shrimp and chicken over mounds of creamy Cajun pasta at Jaykusteaux. The wait can be long now that the secret about this spot is out. Just be patient; it’s worth it. But don’t speed.

Boudamnn
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Boudamnn has mastered the art of boudin, even though they’re not Louisiana natives. The pork, vegetable and seasoned rice mixture is used without pork casing in a variety of menu options: egg rolls, grilled cheese sandwiches, tortilla wraps with chicken strips, and red beans with rice.

Spicy Tails 2 Geaux
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This food truck has amassed a loyal following. You can find them at events around town, but lately they’ve been parking at an AutoZone in Aubrey, which is northeast of Denton.