The Most Delicious Cajun/Creole in San Francisco

PoBoys Kitchen

★★★★★ 4.5 (294) • $$

"If you're craving a taste of Southern Cajun cuisine, this spot is definitely worth a visit! From the moment I walked in, the friendly staff made me feel right at home, and the charming NOLA-inspired decor added a touch of authenticity to the experience.I tried the shrimp po' boy, and it was absolutely amazing! The shrimp were fresh and perfectly seasoned, delivering that classic Cajun flavor that hits just right. Every bite was a delightful combination of textures and spices, making it a standout dish.On the other hand, the gumbo didn't quite meet my expectations. The flavoring seemed a bit off, though I couldn't pinpoint exactly what was missing. It might have been a one-off, as the rest of the menu seemed promising.Overall, this place offers a welcoming atmosphere and some delicious Cajun dishes. I'd definitely recommend giving it a try, especially if you're a fan of po' boys!"

Lobster Chef

★★★★☆ 4.2 (105)

"Lobster Chef is my new Cajun Seafood go to place in the Peninsula.The seafood is fresh and cooked to order whether a la carte or all you can eat.I believe what sets them apart from other all you can eat/buffets is that even if you opt for all you can eat, the food is also cooked to order.We will be back!"

Dumpling and Cajun Seafood

★★★★☆ 3.8 (172) • $$

"What a crazy fusion menu of Chinese and Vietcajun! I would 100% come back here for the cajun xiao long bao. The savory cajun garlic butter broth inside the handwrapped dumpling wrapper... SO GOOD! It was served fresh and you could even see the staff making these by hand. Made to order!KEEP IN MIND: They no longer serve happy hour here - even though it says it in the menu... We got the cucumber salad, which was simple and tasty, but bummed it wasn't discounted LOLThe Vegetable Noodle Soup tasted very hearty and homestyle. I liked the texture of the noodles and the broth was flavorful. A good amount of veggies!"

The Crab Bay

★★★★☆ 4 (519) • $$

"Me and my friend went here for our first time. The food was great. We got the combo 1. Combo 1 is you choose 3 type of seafood. We got the clams, crawfish, and shrimp. Their sauce choice is good. All their sauces are great. We were able to sample some before choosing what sauce we wanted on our boil. The garlic noodles were a little bland in my opinion. Not enough garlic flavor. We also got the fried calamari, which was so good. Crunchy and fresh. We also got the Cajun fries. Also good. Overall 4.5/5. The garlic noodle were a little disappointing.Service was great. Helen was so nice and seated us right away. She checked up on us multiple times when we didn't need anything, great service. She answered all of our questions about the menu right away. Definitely going back for the food and service.She was so nice enough to give us some claim chowder, and refilled our waters without us even asking. Great service. 6/5Ambiance inside is great. Great lighting inside. Plenty of seats for big parties or small parties. No outdoor seating."

Cajun House

★★★★☆ 3.8 (678) • $$

"This review is long overdue. I have visited Cajun house several times, and each time, I leave a happy boy! The food is fresh and flavorful. Combo C is our go-to, and it's a steal! The service is always excellent. Super friendly and attentive. The owner ( I think ) is super kind and chats up the tables. Bonus points: their 90s playlist hits every time we are in, and I am convinced it elevates the food's flavor.Go out and support this local business! **Pro Tip** Cross the street and get dessert at the ice cream parlor."

The Roasted Crab

★★★★☆ 3.6 (219) • $$

"This place has been open for some time and I finally got to visit with some work friends. I've been craving crawfish and I'm still on the look out for a spot that tastes like Crawdaddy's Cajun garlic butter sauce! My fave Milpitas location closed down =(First off, customer service is on point! They had at least two trainees serving us and they were very attentive plus friendly. Plenty of seating with a high ceiling, won't ever feel stuffy. Lots of tv screens for game watching as well. Food was served pretty fast on a Friday night. They don't serve the seafood boil in plastic bags but rather metal dishes.Eats:*1lb crawfish + 2 corns x2 with Oh Cajun sauce (original Cajun garlic butter), mild & medium*Lemon Pepper Fried Tofu*Garlic Noodles*Spaghetti + Crispy Chicken, comes with breadCrawfish was cooked well-- so easy to remove the shell from the little tails and they were nice n chewy without being rubbery. Sauce thickness is comparable to Boiling Crab. I like the mild spice and garlicky Cajun sauce. Corn was so good dunked into the sauce. Only complaint was without a bag trapping the heat, the food got cold quickly.Lemon pepper tofu was delicious! Would totally get this again. Garlic noodles were too sweet. Maybe no sugar next time? Spaghetti was interesting, more of an Asian twist. Not a seafood lover? They've got you! Plenty of options like Vietnamese shaking beef rice plates, steak, fried rice, chicken wings, creamy pasta, soups, salads, even escargot with different sauces like lemongrass garlic.Want even more seafood? Check out their classic fried baskets with fries, oysters on the half shell, shaking salmon over rice, scallops, mussels, Manila clams, razor clams, shrimp, lobster, and of course crab. Lots of seafood boil combos available too at market price.Full bar so choose your libations wisely.They serve complimentary sweet orange slices after the meal!"

Cajun Bowl - San Bruno

★★★★☆ 4.1 (217) • $$$

"Typically I order takeout from here because its just so quick and easy and still tastes delicious at home.I'm really a fan of their sauce! we get the super ultimate sauce and its perfectly garlicy, tangy, and lemony. Usually I just get the mussels and shrimp but recently we got the snow crab and its a great change from the usual! Their add-ons like sausage, potato, and corn are good too!In fact we keep the sauce for the next day where I can make some more seafood on my own and level it up!"

Cajun Bowl San Mateo

★★★★☆ 3.6 (88)

"This isnt my first time coming here. I came here since they first opened, NOW they serve ALL YOU CAN EAT ! Super good ! Great service. We always get great service when we come. No matter the time or day. All staff is nice.Staff was so nice and attentive, made sure we had refills and kept asking if we needed anything else . Food was piping hot and everything tasted fresh. Every round was made quickly! We waited about 15-20 mins for the next batch to be brought out. All side dishes were hot and crispy as well. I always order the ultimate sauce with medium spice. Definitely will be coming back often .18% tip added automatically to all you can eatFee charged for wasted food. No take outs for AYCE"

Brenda's Meat & Three

★★★★☆ 4.2 • $$

"This was our second visit to Brenda's Meat & Three. Both of our visits were wonderful and the staff were all very welcoming and helpful. The food was absolutely delicious, and really has a homemade quality to it.We had the fried chicken both times and found it to be crispy, moist and flavorful, especially when adding the included pepper sauce! For sides, we really enjoyed the red beans and rice, the coleslaw and the side salad. All tasted fresh. And the biscuit... the biscuit... honestly, without a doubt in my mind, it was the best biscuit I've ever had. I would go back for that again and again!The first time we went, we also tried the beignets, which were served up hot and fresh. We ordered those, just because, and were not disappointed, but honestly, we walked out of there feeling pretty full! We remembered that on our second trip and decided to pass on dessert. However, I did everything in my power not to order the blueberry cobbler that was on special... I'm gonna have to go back on another day just to get that, lol!We'll be back... the overall experience was definitely 5 stars... great service and a delicious meal! Oh, and sorry I didn't take any photos... I was really hungry and I wasn't about to stop eating at any time to snap some pics... next time!"

NOLA Restaurant & Bar

★★★★☆ 3.7 • $$

"I loved the ambiance here with all their Christmas decorations. It's very cute and spacious. We were seated right away on a Saturday and the service was attentive. The jambalaya was my favorite, it had a lot of flavors and meat/veggies. The gumbo was a little salty, but still good. I wouldn't recommend the BLT chicken salad. I feel like the dressing wasn't as good as expected and the fried chicken pieces came out soggy."

Cajun Bistro 7

★★★★☆ 4.2 (531) • $$

"I came here around 2 AM on New Year's Day after an event in downtown San Jose. Surprisingly, there wasn't much of a wait--we only waited about 10 minutes for a table of four. I ordered the 3-pound seafood boil combo with 2 pounds of crawfish and 1 pound of clams. When the server let me know they were out of clams, I swapped them for mussels, and he even gave me 2 pounds of mussels to make up for it, which was awesome. I went with the original Louisiana sauce at a spicy level, and honestly, this was the best seafood boil I've ever had! The sauce was perfectly sweet and spicy, and the seafood tasted super fresh. Some of my crawfish even had eggs, which was a nice surprise! I don't usually get mussels in my boils since they're hit or miss, but these were so meaty, flavorful, and just perfect. Even better, none of the crawfish had that muddy taste you sometimes get at other spots.I love how this place is open til 4am, I sometimes be craving seafood boils at the most ungodly hours of the night. Will definitely be back!"

The Front Porch

★★★★☆ 3.9 • $$

"Happened on THE FRONT PORCH while getting ice cream around the corner from Mitchell's on San Jose Avenue. TFP offers Southern cuisine in the Bernal Heights area. What caught my eye was Its quirky surroundings, both outside and inside. Then the menu...FRIED CHICKEN!!! Host and waitstaff are friendly and great with questions re: menu. Nightly dinner from 5:30PM-9:30PM. Brunch offered Saturday & Sunday from 9AM-2:30PM. I've not yet tried their famous brunch because it's simply so popular, brimming with people waiting to get in. ONE DAY... Thank goodness they offer their famous FRIED CHICKEN - both CHICKEN & WAFFLES and a 10-piece bucket for dinner as well. TFP's fried chicken is moist, crisp,well-seasoned with herbs, and one of the most delicious fried chicken I've had! Here's the kicker - it's a cornmeal-coated fried chicken! You have got to get this 4-piece dinner plate, Chicken & Waffles or 10-piece bucket!Ordered:ARUGULA SALAD - honey crisp apples, rojas family farms pomegranate, fugu persimmons, nueskes bacon lardons, smoked pumpkin seeds & sherry vinaigrette. Passed on Option to add blackened shrimp or chicken. Very fresh, green salad that whet my appetite for what was to come. BUTTERMILK BRINED CALAMARI w/ Zatarains aioli. Love calamari and this was nicely crunchy on the outside with tender calamari inside. Good starter!FRIED CHICKEN 4-PIECE DINNER - features Rocky Jr. free range chicken, garlic mashed potatoes , braised ham hock collards. The cornmeal fried chicken did not disappoint! Crispy, hot and flavorful with its seasoning! Very happy they offer it in a bucket. The potatoes and collards were a good accompaniment to the fried chicken. A must plate of yum!BLACKENED WEST COAST SOLE w/black eyed pea hoppin' john, sautéed spinach & beurre blanc. While this dish was equally as good, well-seasoned and tasty, cannot get past the fried chicken! I'd return again to try their GULF SHRIMP & GRITS, VEGAN HATCH CHILI JAMBALAYA, or GUMBO W/CHICKEN. The standing order is the FRIED CHICKEN plate or bucket!"

Shaking Crab

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (695) • $$$

"My daughter wanted seafood boil for dinner tonight. So she found Shaking Crab nearby us. Theres a big parking lot across the street and a limited front parking spaces. The place was crowded but we put our name on the list at the front door. She ordered the C2 platter, garlic butter sauce, and explosion spice level. I got the C4 platter with garlic sauce, and mild level. What's cool is that we can just pour everything on to the table and eat from there. But be ready for a hot mess. Overall, the flavor was not bad. Once the food was delivered, the waiter never once return to ask how we're doing (we needed a new glove because the crab poked through), and never offered to refill the water. Other than the poor customer service, the food wasn't bad."

Cajun Crack'n

★★★★☆ 3.9 (191) • $$

"This location is closed but the restaurant is now called Afters Bar & Grill. My review I left on that page:This review would've easily been 4 stars but this happened more than couple of times. They still use the Cajun Crackin on doordash but the restaurant is named differently. It is either the employees are not doing their job measuring the seafood or they are on purposely cheating the customers. You guys need to do better. There is something called integrity and honesty. I went to an actual Cajun Crackin in Milpitas and when they brought out the shrimp I thought it was underweight as well. For almost $20 you'd think you'll be getting your money's worth."

Supreme Crab

★★★★☆ 3.5 (515) • $$

"We traveled about an hour to get here for their crab buffet and although, over all selection for a Buffett is limited, it was well worth it!!Everything tasted amazing (even the fried chicken!) they had clams, muscles, regular kid fair, and of course endless snow crab ... which was fresh and tasty, prepared Louisiana style... Great selection of Asian foods, and soups, even had red bean sesame balls! We will most certainly be making the pilgrimage more frequently!It's obviously set up as self service so there is no weight staff other than the plate clearers which come by frequently. You pay and even get your drinks upon entry and help yourself for everything else. The staff was accommodating and friendly. None of the food was left empty at any point."

CreoLa

★★★★☆ 4.1 • $$

"We have been coming to this place for 3 years now . This time we were celebrating our daughter's birthday and she wanted some Creola for Brunch . We love the corn bread muffins I buy them by the dozen. Our favorite plate is the beef short ribs . Also the crispy boudin balls are so delicious , must try ! I tried Crawfish & Shrimp Etoufee for the first time and it was soooooo delicious!!! MUST TRY ! Trust me ! Funny thing is I don't do sea food, only thing I eat is (Peruvian ceviche ) , but I wanted to try something new and omg it's my new favorite plate , so tasty such nice delicious flavors I loved it . They are so nice , their service is so friendly and welcoming, she asked us where we would like to seat we were the first ones there . Also our birthday girl spilled her drink and the waiter was so nice and came to quickly help us clean it and remade her vanilla lemonade. It was great , thank you for such a great service and food . We really love this place ! Oh and we all love the music playing every time we come is very enjoyable to hear the instruments."

Claw Shack

★★★★☆ 4.3 • $$

"Since moving to the South Bay from New Orleans, I've been on the hunt for the seafood boil spot that reminds me the most of NOLA (my fave out there is Big EZ), and this is the place!! Like most seafood boil spots in CA, claw shack does Asian/cajun fusion style seafood, which is exactly what I was looking for. My go-to order is a pound of crawfish with the shambalang sauce, corn, and a side of garlic fries with extra garlic. - crawfish - usually frozen during the times I've ordered which is fine. The crawfish are a good size and don't taste overly frozen. Not mushy and have a nice bounce/chew while also not being too dry. - shambalang sauce - sooooo good. Perfect mix of savory and tangy with a hint of acidity. This sauce is what reminds me of Big EZ back in NOLA. So flavorful! - garlic fries - also soooo good, and another South Bay dupe for my fave seafood boil garlic fries in NOLA haha. The fries are so crispy yet also so perfectly seasoned. I like to save the sauce after I finish up my crawfish and dip my fries in them--this elevates the garlic fry experience so much. The restaurant itself is a bit small, but wait times usually aren't bad. A lot of times I'll skip that too and just order to-go online or through their app. Still tastes the same even after the drive home!"

Gentilly

★★★★☆ 4.2 (315) • $$

"Came with friends (group of 5) during SF Restaurant Week and ordered 2 sets of the dinner special. Altogether, we got to try the Bam Bam shrimp, Pork BBQ ribs, Southern Catfish dinner, Maw Maw's Gumbo, and classic beignets. This was all just enough to fill us + 2 extra orders of Cajun fries, so you might imagine that the portions are on a smaller size. However, I have to comment that the food was amazing, and I especially loved the Catfish (very tender), the BBQ ribs (which was actually very meaty), and the Cajun fries (the second batch did not come out as crispy as the first batch did). Service was great! Our server checked in often and was very receptive to our needs. I would recommend to come check out the restaurant if you're looking for a classy, high-end restaurant vibe while also being able to enjoy live music entertainment and the bar at the restaurant front!"

Crabby Crabby

★★★★☆ 4.2 (214) • $$

"We LOVE crabby crabby and have been coming for years, they used to not be so crowded and every time we came we had an odd fear they would be permanently closed. They changed owners a couple years ago and now have an interesting blend of traditional Cajun broil and Mexican food. The interior was also redone into more of a broil theme and there are plenty of TVs to watch the game.You still get to dump the bag on the table and make a big mess and every orders comes with a bib and gloves.The thing I love is they are ultra ultra consistent, the broils are always made to order so your seafood is freshly prepared. There are other Cajun broils where the crawfish or shrimp are cooked to mush from sitting in a giant pot a long time.Fried catfish and fries: We always get this and our little hack is not getting potatoes with our seafood and using dipping the french fries in the cajun sauce instead. The fish comes super super hot so be careful, we break it in half to let them cool down faster. Just writing this making me hungry for them. Shrimp + Snow Crab with Corn and Sausage: We'll get this medium or mild depending on our mood, it's always satisfying and hits the spot. If they forget utensils for the crab you can ask for scissors and a crab shell cracker, if you are advanced you can use parts of the crab to pick out meats from other parts. They have a rare taco here made of beef intestine I haven't seen anywhere else, these are prepared well and tender and look great with the distinct mini rings from slicing the intestines. They have combos and specials that save $$$ so you can check the placard near the door or the posters on the outside window. They also do takeout if you want to get the super spicy version and sweat privately at home."

El Rincón De Jorgito

★★★★☆ 4.2 (18)

"It's a good place to go eat. The ceviche was delicious and the service was nice. Thank you, Kyoko."

Cajun Crack'n

★★★★★ 4.5 • $$

"Came for dinner with my friends on a Tuesday night. The place was decently busy, but there was no wait at all. The service was great, and our server, Gio, was very attentive. The restaurant was also clean. We ordered two combos, but they didn't feel like they weighed 6 lbs together. The food was good, though."