Cajun Bayou Food Trail
In Lafourche Parish, venture off the eatin’ path into an epicurean haven.
Venture less than an hour south of New Orleans and you’ll find yourself in the meandering, bountiful bayous that comprise Lafourche Parish, where the Cajun food is as authentic as the people who prepare it. These far-flung communities have carried generations of culinary tradition into modern life.
The best way to experience the heart of Cajun culture is through your stomach, which is why the helpful folks at Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou created the Cajun Bayou Food Trail, an introductory guide to the finest local cuisine found up and down the bayou, from Thibodaux to Port Fourchon. From platters stacked with fresh-caught seafood to both simple and fine dining atmospheres, each of the twenty restaurants along the trail boasts some of the most flavorful examples of South Louisiana cuisine in the region.
The trail map includes a wide variety of longtime favorites like Rose’s Cafe and Spahr’s at the Station—beloved local establishments that have cooked Cajun comfort food for decades. If you’ve never purchased a Bloody Mary by the gallon, now’s your chance! However, a word to the wise—do your liver a favor and don’t attempt to outdrink a Cajun. Eating like one’s a safer bet (and one you won't regret later).
Like any authentic Cajun destination, Lafourche Parish is home to several specialty meat and seafood markets. Stop for a bite of boudin or try the famous Cajun beef jerky as a roadside snack at Bourgeois Meat Market, which has been in business since it first opened in 1891! If you’re a true epicurean (or just a sentimentalist), you can take a taste of the bayou home with you in the form of smoked sausage, or, when in season, fat sacks of crawfish from local establishments like Holly Marie’s Seafood Market in Raceland or Punch's Seafood Market in Lockport.
Whether you're grabbing a fried shrimp po-boy for your next boat ride or sitting down to a celebratory meal of sizzling chargrilled oysters, every taste along the Cajun Bayou Food Trail is worth savoring. Once you’ve filled your voracious appetite at five stops along the trail route, return your stamped passport to the Visitor Center in Raceland for a free t-shirt as a souvenir from your edible endeavor. To plan your next appetizing adventure in this slice of Cajun foodie paradise, visit lacajunbayou.com/foodtrail.