12 Crawfish Staples in Houston

(Source: Visit Houston)

It’s that time of year again! Crawfish season came early again after warmer winter weather throughout the region. We pulled together a list of the 12 mudbug staples in Houston along with a few picks from our local readers in a Battle of the Mudbugs to help you navigate this delicious time of year. Whether you prefer Vietnamese or Cajun style boils, Htown has them all!

(Pro Tip: If you don't know the proper way to eat crayfish, need beer pairings, or want a great recipe, check out our Crawfish Season in Houston page.)

Cajun Style

　　(Source: Visit Houston)

Crawfish Shack

Many locals believe Crawfish Shack has the best crawfish in the Houston region - it received the highest number of reader votes in our poll. We’ll let you decide after making the trip out to either the Magnolia or original Crosby location. The menu is pretty straight forward offering only fresh crawfish, gulf shrimp, and snow crab. Order your heaping serving of crawdads as mild, medium, spicy, or meaux (mo) spicy depending on what style you prefer. Diners can also get crawfish etouffee, gumbo, or sausage and red beans on the side.

　　(Source: Visit Houston)

BRENNAN’S OF HOUSTON

Chef Danny Trace shares his acclaimed Texas Creole Crawfish boil recipe here. But if you’re looking to sit down at his iconic Midtown restaurant, be sure to sign up for one of his highly attended boils in the restaurant’s courtyard.

(Source: Visit Houston)

BB'S CAJUN CAFÉ

Montrose favorite BB's Cajun Café offers a menu of Texas Gulf Coast and New Orleans-inspired favorites. The café serves buckets of juicy Cajun-style crawfish in addition to 15 different po’boy varieties and salads. Wash it all down with a wide selection of frozen daiquiris and margaritas. And best of all, BB’s Montrose location is open 24 hours! 

　　
(Source: Visit Houston)

RAGIN’ CAJUN

Laissez les bon temps rouler! This one-stop-shop of a Cajun restaurant pulls out all the creole cuisine stops. Ragin’ Cajun serves up a steaming bucket of spicy crawfish served with potatoes and corn on the cob. The local Houston chain offers a wide variety of other Cajun favorites including their famous gulf-caught crab and shrimp gumbo. Don’t forget the NOLA beignets for dessert! 

　　(Source: Visit Houston)

88 BOILING CRAWFISH & SEAFOOD

At Memorial’s 88 Boiling Crawfish & Seafood you’ll definitely want to go for the “88 Special” – a seasoning mix of lemon pepper and Cajun spices all drenched in garlic butter. Get one boiled potato and corn on the cob with every 2-pound order.

　　(Source: Visit Houston)

BOUDREAUX’S CAJUN KITCHEN

Boudreaux’s puts a new twist on an old favorite. “Kitchen Recipe” crawfish are boiled alongside tart lemon and orange slices, along with garlic, butter, and onions. Boudreaux’s offers a traditional style boiled and soaked crawfish in authentic Cajun spices. Don’t want to peel? Try a heaping plate of dirty rice and crawfish étouffée. 

　　(Source: Visit Houston)

DANTON’S

Hungry for crawfish but want something more than the traditional boil? Head to Danton’s for crawfish bisque, sautéed crawfish tails, fried crawfish tails, crawfish enchiladas, crawfish magnifique, crawfish étouffée, and crawfish po' boys. Chef Danton Nix also serves his own flavorful crawdad boil to compliment the different menu options.

　　(Source: Visit Houston)

BOIL HOUSE

Boil House is all about authentic Louisiana mudbugs. Tucked away in the historic Heights neighborhood, the small restaurant offers little more than a friendly place to sit down for a bountiful bucket of crawfish. That being said, you’ll also find Cajun classics like homemade sausage, Boudin empanadas, and jalapeno pecan pies on the menu. Boil House offers a carry out service and catering. 

　　(Source: Visit Houston)

THE CAJUN STOP

The creole jewel of Houston’s EADO neighborhood, The Cajun Stop brings the heart of Louisianan cuisine. Crawfish, shrimp and crab legs are all boiled to perfection while Cajun and Mardi Gras music plays throughout. Cajun Stop’s po’boys have also been named the best in Houston each year since 2009 by Houston Press.

　　(Source: Visit Houston)

CRAZY ALAN'S SWAMP SHACK

Alligator tacos, fresh gulf shrimp and oysters, Andouille sausage jambalaya, catfish, lobster, and of course Crawfish - the Swamp Shack has it all! The Shack is espcecially hopping during crawfish season. Their spicy cajun bath boil promises a true Cajun culinary experience. Head down to the Kemah Boardwalk or East Houston locations for some good ol' N'awlins seafood.

Vietnamese Style　　

(Source: Visit Houston)

WILD CAJUN

Wild Cajun’s extensive Cajun/Vietnamese/Japanese fusion menu offers crawfish any way you could imagine. It’s probably the only crawfish restaurant where you can get a made-to-order sushi appetizer. With three locations across town, Wild Cajun features per-pound orders of fresh crawfish and appetizers like fried gator, boudin balls, calamari, and fresh gulf oysters. Don’t forget to finish with beignet strips for dessert! learn more

　　(Source: Visit Houston)

CRAWFISH & NOODLES

Head to Chinatown for some of the best pairings of Cajun and Vietnamese crawfish dishes. Just off Bellaire Boulevard, this local favorite offers one of the spiciest crawfish boils in town. Try the fried soft shell crab and seafood noodles for an alternate to the mudbugs. During crawfish season, the restaurant can be very crowded, be sure to call ahead for reservations if in doubt. 

　(Source: Visit Houston)

LA CRAWFISH

LA Crawfish offers the traditional Cajun boil. But you don’t want to miss their amazing Crawfish Pho selection. Chose your heat level, style, and then dig in! The cayenne and sweet garlic butter pair perfectly for an unforgettable crawdad experience. You won’t have to go far to find LA Crawfish, the Houston chain has locations scattered throughout town.

Other Local Picks　　(Source: Visit Houston)

CALHOUN'S CRAWFISH CO.

Calhoun's Crawfish Co. is some of the best crawfish this side of Louisiana. The Baytown staple serves up the spicy mudbugs diners know and love by the pound and even by the sack. Add corn, mushrooms, cajun sausage, or potatoes for an additional price. 

(Source: Visit Houston)

CRAWFISH CAFE

Crawfish Cafe serves up traditional Cajun and Vietnamese style crawfish just outside of Chinatown. The popular spot ranked high in our reader poll due to its expertly-prepared crawfish boils and other menu items like fresh gulf oysters, crawfish eggrolls, and cajun calamari. You can also ask for "jumbo crawfish" for an additional cost. learn more

Crawfish Festivals

TEXAS CRAWFISH FESTIVAL

April 29-30

The 30th Annual Texas Crawfish and Music Festival takes place in the historic 1900's railroad town of Old Town Spring. It is one of the largest and longest running festivals in the Houston area, showcasing tons of local, regional and national music entertainment, featuring local artists and vendors, and serving some of the tastiest mudbugs in the South. The festival has over 50,000 lbs of crawfish, live music, vendors and family entertainment. It is a wonderful family event and fun for all ages.

CRAWFISH FESTIVAL IN THE HEIGHTS

March 4

For a decade the Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce has held an annual community Crawfish Festival in the Heights. It is an open to the public free admission festival including live zydeco music, the finale of the Idol of the Heights singing contest, performances by students of local schools, exhibit booths and exclusive shopping opportunities, kids rides and attractions, and, of course, crawfish and beer!

KEMAH CRAWFISH FESTIVAL

March 24-26

Head down to Kemah’s Lighthouse District for a zydeco-filled crawfish boil! The Kemah Crawfish Festival offers great food, beverages, live music, and activities for children. Cajun musician Wayne Toups headlines Saturday night at 7pm. Admission $8.00 - kids under 12 are free.

THE WOODLANDS CRAWPHISH FESTIVAL

March 25

This annual Festival is hosted in Town Green Park providing a day of family fun with live music, kids' activities, authentic Louisiana crawfish, BBQ, fried catfish, networking and a chance to bring awareness for Pulmonary Hypertension, hence the "PH" in the name.