Lafayette, Louisiana: Your Guide to Local Culinary Specialties
Lafayette, Louisiana: Your Guide to Local Culinary Specialties
Pay attention to the whispers of Cajun French being spoken on street corners and the pervasive sound of zydeco music coming from eateries and bars.
The center of Acadiana, or the French Acadian region of Louisiana, and the epicenter of Cajun and Creole cooking is Lafayette, Louisiana. Here, a variety of regional comfort dishes with influences from the Spanish, French, and Caribbean cultures are created using fresh, local products. Don’t leave town without trying these renowned local eateries‘ best Acadiana cuisine.
Hyper-local Cuisine
With water virtually everywhere and a lush, tropical climate, Lafayette has an abundance of colorful flavors that originate in its own backyard.
Where to try it: Social Southern Table & Bar specializes in craft drinks and hearty, farm-to-table cuisine.
At the Horse Farm’s Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market, fresh produce
Delectable Seafood
The fresh catch of the day is always available on the menu, with options ranging from shrimp and soft-shell crabs to oysters and crawfish.
Where to try it: Cajun Claws Seafood Boilers, which specializes in crawfish and shrimp boils, cooks local seafood in a variety of ways. Hawk’s Crawfish, which is only open during certain seasons, uses a unique cleaning technique called purging to ensure exceptionally clean and delectable crawfish. It’s only a short trip outside of Lafayette to go to both establishments. Come in May to celebrate the freshwater crustacean at the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival.
A local staple, a classic presentation of shrimp and corn polenta
Boudin Sausage
There is a lot of disagreement over whose recipe for this rice, pork, onions, green peppers, and seasoning-filled sausage casing—pronounced “boo-dan”—tastes the best.
Where to get it: Hot sausages and its well-known side dish, cracklins (fried pork skin and fat), are served at Bayou Boudin & Cracklin. Don’s Specialty Meats offers a range of ingredient combinations and has been awarded one of Acadiana’s best. At Wurst Biergarten, try the “boutine,” a hybrid of poutine and boudin (French fries and cheese curds mixed in gravy).
A local delicacy made of rice, pork, green peppers, onions, and seasonings wrapped in a sausage casing is called bouldin.
Plate Lunch
The plate lunch, which consists of a single dish of plain bread, two vegetable sides, and meat and starch smothered in gravy, has long been a low-key local favorite.
Where to give it a go: The rustic ambiance of Acadian Superette is ideal for enjoying a handmade plate meal. The Best Stop Supermarket in Scott provides a welcoming environment for enjoying Cajun delicacies, while Billy’s Homemade Boudin and Cracklins provides an extensive assortment of specialty meats. Another popular spot for lunch is Kartchner’s Specialty Meats, which serves filling plate lunches Monday through Friday and BBQ plate lunches on Sundays.
Plate lunch recipes with Southern, Cajun, and Creole tastes will satisfy desires.
Select Your Gumbo
For good reason, gumbo is a food that visitors to Louisiana must sample. This flavorful, spicy, soup-like dish is eaten over rice and can be made in countless ways.
Where to get it: Prejean’s is well-known for serving real gumbo and offers recipes for those who want to prepare it at home. Charley G’s version, with smoked duck and andouille sausage, is so good that they send it across the nation. A Cajun living history museum called Vermilionville is home to La Cuisine de Maman’s delicious gumbo.
All set to tuck into a bowl of rich sausage and chicken gumbo?
Getting There
Fly into Lafayette Regional Airport from large cities including Houston, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia, or from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY), the closest international airport to Lafayette. You can rent a car for the two-hour trip from New Orleans, or take a chartered bus or train to Lafayette.