Mouthwatering Cajun/Creole in San Jose

Hang Ten Boiler

★★★★☆ 3.9 • $$

"Food and service was great. My favorite is chicken catsu and garlic noodles. Very generous portions."

Kelly's Cajun Grill

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (56) • $

"YumWe were doing some quick shopping and we got hungry so why not try out "Kelly's" Cajun Grill as a Kelly, haha! The employee who was working, an older gentlemen gave us samples and that helped us decide what we wanted. He was super sweet and the portions were great! For $10 after tax, this is not bad! Definitely a place to go to. Try stuff before you get it!"

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."

Eat Eat

★★★★☆ 3.6 (279) • $$

"The best snail restaurant is in the town. 1st Check-in: We ordered: Oc Huong Xao Bo Toi 5/5; Nghe Hap Thai 5/5, Oc Mong Tay Xao Me 5/5, So Diep Nuong Mo Hanh 5/5, so Nhat nuong trung ca 5/5, sun ga chien gion 5/5 and Mi xao Hai san (my point:4.8/5 and my bf 5/5)2nd Check-in: We had Seafood Hotpot 6/5 and So Diep nuong trung ca 5/5Food:We love all the snail dishes. The taste is delicious. I am impressed with the garlic butter flavors. Service: At the first time check-in, we waited for 30' because of the full table. However, the staffs were very friendly and fast service. The 2nd time, the service was super. Ambiance: it is Vietnamese Restaurant - Family styles/quan nhau, so it can be loud but it is ok with my bf and me. Overall: 5/5"

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"

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."

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."

Kelly's Cajun Grill

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (113) • $

"I was walking around the Great Mall and got a hankering for a quick bite to eat. Nothing really looked that appetizing to me until I came across Kelly's Cajun Grill. From the time that we walked up, Joram was so nice. She kept offering us samples and honestly, I couldn't say no. I sampled at least four of the offerings and they were all fresh, delicious, and perfectly prepared. I ended up ordering the 2 Entree Combo with Honey Glazed Chicken, which was chalk full of yummy jalapeno peppers and onions AND the Bourbon Chicken over noodles. Everything was so fresh, even the noodles were fresh. We went over to the Chinese Gourmet Express before coming to Kelly's and hands down Kelly's Cajun Grill had the freshest offerings. The food was hot, the meat was tender, and the customer service was in point. I left completely satisfied!"

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."

After Bar & Grill

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (17)

"Come support your local, Latino owned, small business. Second time here in the last couple of weeks. The staff is super friendly and the food is good. We have several of the Po Boys and different flavored shrimp. They were all good and decently priced. They have musing playing but it's not too loud and obnoxious like some places. You can still easily have a conversation with your party. Previously Cajun Crackin but from my understanding all the food is the same. Just a new re-branding."

Lemon Crab

★★★★★ 4.5 (392) • $$$

"Hi everyone, I'm Eric with Stoneitup in San Leandro on YELP for your Tile or Stone projects.Well for my sons B day, he/we decided to go to this LEMON CRAB SPOT and boy oh boy did we enjoy of occasion of four, perfect for there four people per table joint, small hole/joint in the type of a place so it fills up fast.Beverages and beers, so what's missinG.."

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."

The Bywater

★★★★☆ 3.8 (766) • $$

"I'm not gonna lie, their entrees are a hit or miss, but their drinks are always on point and they have one of the best Happy Hours. I mean, who does a dozen oysters for $24?!? Their servers are also very friendly, especially if you land a table with Devon (shoutout to our favorite server).On our recent visit, we tried:-Shrimp cocktail: 5 super-fresh shrimp smothered in a bomb cocktail sauce. I was going to ask for horseradish, but that sauce was already packing. Wimps beware; spicy lovers rejoice!-Burger: OMG, I am still thinking of the yummy flavor. You needed a fork and knife to eat it as it was smothered in a delicious cheese gravy. Yummmm. I want another one right now.-Fried chicken: My fried chicken was undercooked during our last visit. This time, it was pure perfection. My hubby is also obsessed with their macaroni salad.-Poor man's beans and rice: I always get this when I visit. Smoky, savory, simply delicious.I'm a die-hard voodoo daquiry fan, but Devon directed me try a new cocktail. I don't remember the name, but it had bell peppers, cucumbers, gin, and other goodies. It's the perfect refreshing cocktail for a summer day. They are launching a supper club menu soon, so I'm excited to try that. Thank you, Bywater!"

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!"

Poor House Bistro

★★★★☆ 3.7 • $$

"With few and far between Nawlins food spots in the bay, this place can fill your need for some Creole cooking If you're in the San Jose area. The menu has the usual suspects from jambalaya n gumbo to fried catfish n po' boys sammies n muffaletas and of course beignets to top it all off! They also have a bar in the patio and a speakeasy under the Italian museum next door. Order food at the cashier, grab a pager, order a Hurricane or Michelada at the bar, plop a seat at one of many seats and enjoy! Come on a Sunday and watch the game while having some Creole cuisine and some dranks to boot. Wooooohweeeeeee!"

SJ Crawfish

★★★★☆ 4.2 (296) • $$

"Overall a solid place to get seafood boil, but not a place I'd go out of my way for. My friend and I shared Combo 3, which had 2 lbs of crawfish, 1 lb of shrimp, 2 potatoes, 2 corn, and 4 sausage. This was the perfect amount for us to share!We tried out the 49ers sauce, which was packed with garlic! Though it was advertised as sweet, it was actually quite savory and buttery. Pretty tasty! The shrimp was top notch! Cooked perfectly and they were juicy. However, the crawfish was just okay to me. Some were pretty big in size, but most were very small and possibly frozen (?)"

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."

Backyard Bayou

★★★★☆ 3.6 • $$

"Wow, I've been to many crab boils and this is by far the best! When I arrived I was prepared to wait, even though on their website it said no wait time. There were a few people waiting, I walked up and to my surprise my party of 2 got seated right away. It's a very small restaurant, a little too dark for my liking but it was fine. Tables are a bit too close together, few booths and a bar top. Servers were all young and very friendly. I ordered a selfie bucket, lobster Mac and cheese and garlic bread. Lobster Mac & cheese is out of this world! Not too fishy. Boil is 10/10Garlic bread 5/10 I will definitely be back soon."