Had an amazing crawfish sandwich at Bayou Cafe food truck when they came to the Eastern Wharf! It was huge and absolutely delicious! Incredibly tasty!!! Highly recommend!!! read more

Dirty, filthy place. Service is slow and the food was worse. I think their food is bought and they just heat it up. Do not recommend

You would think being on the Riverfront this place would be touristy, but is is most definitely a locals kind of place, at least sitting at the bar. Most everyone knew one another, and chatted at length with a local blues entertainer. We were there during an extended hours happy hour and ordered a well drink, Vodka with club soda and lime, for $2.50 made with Commodore vodka, from a local distillery. Pretty decent, so I had two! Food was decent also, an oyster poboy as if we were in NOLA, and chicken wings in their homemade hot sauce. Entertainment every night of the week around 9, so we might have to come back for that too. read more

Bayou Cafe - Chicken wings with their homemade hot sauce - Seafood Near Me

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Man I had an amazing night here. I ate elsewhere first, but made friends with someone who shared their shrimp po-boy and fries with me. It was OK, don't come here for just the food. They have great live music, I came in on Tuesday jam night with Eric Culberson. Think dirty blues. A woman whose name I cannot remember also got up and sang an original song called Catch & Release that had every person in the place up and dancing. They kept the energy up all night, the small space packed with smiling people. Crowd is eclectic, all ages, races, and types. Bartenders took great care of us - particularly Mike who helped me carry more beers than my little hands could manage outside to the eight strangers who all left as friends to go sing down by the river - only a good bar can bring people together like that. If you want a break from the usual on River Street, a place that's got all the character of a dive but without (much) sleaze, this is it. read more

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MUST MUST MUST try this place. The staff is extremely friendly, the drinks are good and the food is amazing. We were walking by while waiting to check into our hotel and saw the 11pm-7pm happy hour sign! WOW! The bartender told us that they have live music on the weekend and we should come back that night (Thurs) or the next night to here blues or Jazz. When we came back there absolutely was live music that you could hear from the patio seating or upstairs where it was a little more spacious. We got the shrimp po boy and the seafood Gumbo. The gumbo was about room temp. Not sure if this is how it's normally served but it was delicious with just being warm. Do your taste buds and pockets a favor and stop into this place. read more

Bayou Cafe - Happy hour is forever! - Seafood Near Me

We stumbled upon this restaurant. The menu looked good so we decided to check it out. Inside is fairly small. The view is great. There's only one waitress working all the tables. She was friendly but not super attentive. It would've been great if there was a least one other waitress. It got super busy at the end of our meal. We had a party of eight. The food came out sporadically so we all couldn't eat around the same time--the food would've gotten cold--that's how long the wait was in between. Overall, the food was good. We ordered alligator bites, fries pickles, shrimp queso, buffalo shrimp, and wings as appetizers. Entrees included crab and corn chowder, raw oysters, fish and chips, seafood broil, wings, and chicken tenders. read more

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So I tried the Bayou Cafe Food Truck on Saturday of Saint Patrick's Day weekend. I understand why I would have to wait one hour. However, there are apparently two separate lines, one to place your order, and one to pick up your order. There were no signs indicating this, and people got really confused while standing in the pick up line. Because the pick up line was so long with people who had not even placed their orders, the order line got purposefully stopped so the kitchen could "catch up" on these orders people have not even placed. Confusing, right? After waiting an hour to place our order and get our food, it wasn't even good. The boiled shrimp was so flavorless and each shrimp needed to be submerged in cocktail sauce. I also tried the alligator gumbo, which was eh. Yeah, just eh. For $20, I will just wait to sit in at a real seafood restaurant next time around. read more

Bayou Cafe - Flavorless shrimp and alligator gumbo - Seafood Near Me

Fun environment with live music. It's pretty dark inside. The service is good. I had the shrimp queso. The dip itself was delicious, however, the chips were stale. For my entree I had the blackened mahi mahi. The fish itself was delicious but there was too much oil sitting on the plate. read more

Bayou Cafe - Mahi mahi- fish is great but soaked in oil. - Seafood Near Me

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This place is ok. The service is nice but the food is meh. We came in at 12:30 and there was one table of two when we got here. It took quite a while before we got our food. I got the shrimp scampi and I couldn't even eat half of it. It was bland and the cornbread was dry. For that much money, I would somewhere else. The server was nice and funny, but kept forgetting to refill our drinks, and we were eating cajun plates. Since he only had one other table, I'm not sure why it took so long. Almost everyone at our table of 7 ate only 1/4 to maybe 1/2 of their plates because they weren't all that amused with the food. So much waste, and it wasnt even stuff you would want to box and take home, so it went in the trash were is belonged. The building is nice, the service was ok, the wait time is dumb, and the food was almost ok. There are so many better places to eat, guys read more

Bayou Cafe - Cajun Shrimp Scampi - Seafood Near Me

My boyfriend and I came to Savannah for the weekend. This was our first dining spot. We came in for a late lunch close to 4:00. We sat right down at a table with a nice window view of the river. Our server was prompt and friendly and took our orders quickly. I ordered a cup of seafood corn chowder for an appetizer and the Cajun sampler with red beans and rice, etouffee, and seafood gumbo. My boyfriend ordered the alligator gumbo. My soup came out and was nice and hot and a great consistency. I did feel it was bland and lacking in seafood pieces. This made me weary of what the rest of the food would be like but luckily I had no reason to worry! The red beans and rice were very tasty and topped with some nicely seared sausage. I loved the etouffee. It had a great flavor and some nice chunks of crawfish. I tasted my boyfriend's alligator gumbo and it was really good. My least favorite was the seafood gumbo. I liked the brown roux on the other items better than the red sauce on the seafood gumbo. Just a matter of personal preference. I recommend checking this place out! We finished our meal and took our beers to go to continue our exploration of Savannah. read more

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We made a stop in Savanah on our road trip and just stumbled upon the riverfront area. We stopped just hoping to walk around and maybe grab a few trinkets to take home with us. The menu for Bayou Cafe was right off the beaten path so I stopped to take a look and see what they had. I wasn't even hungry, but I saw "deep fried blue crab claws", stopped reading and hurried inside. It's a very small and intimate spot. Very quaint and full of character. If you're looking for the Cajun version of Oceanaire, this isn't it. It's not the prettiest, but it has charm and character. Our server was VERY personable and friendly; it almost felt like we were stopping at a friend's house. There weren't many people there initially, but the place did start to fill up shortly after we got there so we ordered quickly. I had the etouffee and crab claws, he had the salmon sandwich. Everything came out rather quickly, hot and fresh. I've never had etouffee before so I have nothing to compare it to, but it tasted exactly as I imagine it would having had other creole dishes. I'd highly recommend this place for a first date or something. Definitely the kinda place where you don't have much else to focus on outside of each other lol read more

Bayou Cafe - Seafood Near Me

Update: We stopped again in June 2018 for lunch. The waitstaff are still slow to greet, slow to serve, ignore you most of the time. However, the food was amazing. The chef came out with my boiled shrimp plate and mentioned how fresh the shrimp was. He was so right! I haven't had shrimp so fresh and flavorful. I'm not a corn on the cob fan but after taking a bite, I am a convert. The corn was the freshest I've ever had and delicious. A wonderful lunch and I enjoyed the friendliness of the chef. read more

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Man, the reviews for The Bayou Cafe are all over the place. People either love it or hate it. Five or one star reviews with very little in between. Just a note The address listed, 14 N Abercorn St, is incorrect. If you google maps that address you will end up at the wrong place. The Bayou Cafe is right off River Street and the actual address is 4 North Abercorn Ramp. This place is an absolute dive, which maybe the reason some of the reviews are bad. Small seating area and with no doubt this is a dive bar. The food is cajun and is surprisingly good. When we walked in for lunch we were the only customers in the place. Normally not a good sign. I figured it would be meh or even suck but I was pleasantly surprised how good the food was. They have homemade catsup and hot sauce on the table which is also very good. Our waiter, who was also the bartender, is a Kid Rock doppelgänger. He took very good care of us. Recommend. read more

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Was looking for something to do on a pretty quiet Tuesday night on River St and were about to head elsewhere until a few locals leaving a bar suggested we check out The Bayou for their open mic/music night. The way they explained it was that it was an open mic but the artists are always great. We followed along and walked into the middle of a 3 piece band playing. The place seemed like a cool little spot on the river but for us it was all about the tunes. The place is bigger than what we saw. We went upstairs to check it out but, it was closed and just the downstairs was available for hanging out. We ended up chatting with one of the artists who we ended up watching play later on. He was bouncing around on a tour from Portland and was leaving to head back the next morning. After the music ended, a few artists took things to the porch... including an artist named Myles. Myles has no affiliation with the place... he was just live drawing people for cash and we saw his amazing work on the way in. My friend was pretty hammered and suggested Myles draw me ASAP and it sounded like fun. We all hung out while Myles did his work and a couple of guys jammed on guitars. The music was great and Myles had the best stories. This went on til 3am and we all had an absolute blast. I'm sure The Bayou Cafe wasn't thrilled with our antics but, we had one hell of a night and appreciate them harboring our good times. If you ever encounter Myles down there (thin, older, black gentleman drawing people) stop and tell him that Scott & Andrew from Charleston say hello and then have him draw you, if not for the finished product, for the great time you'll have hanging with Myles. Plus he does an amazing job with his work too. read more

Bayou Cafe - a band playing in a dimly lit room - Seafood Near Me

Great food at great prices but don't use the ladies room... Went during happy hour with well drinks priced at a happy $2.50 Low Country Boil with shrimp and crab legs was lip smacking good. The atmosphere is casual with friendly staff. The ladies room had not been cleaned in a while but had soap, water and paper towels to clean hands. I would definitely go back for the food. read more

Bayou Cafe - Entrance - Seafood Near Me

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Great live music and barn feel atmosphere. We enjoyed the selection of drinks and food was decent. The service on the other hand was the worst I have had in Savannah. The bartender (Taylor Kennedy and she spelled it out for me) was incredibly rude and straight up nasty. We ordered one fried platter and one steamed platter. I specifically asked her if the crawfish were fresh prior. She said "absolutely" and when they came out, they were obviously the frozen ones. They were still good but not the same as fresh. I ate them and kindly ask her if she was sure that they were fresh. She haughtily insisted they were and gave me some story about how she "saw them alive with her own eyes" and how scared she was of them. I said ok I'm going to call your bullshit and you didn't have to make up a story-- they were still good but who orders previously frozen crawfish right? Can you bring me a live one? She was incredibly defensive, yelled at me to pay my tab and leave, threw the check at me (we had a tab going) and then came back and told she charged my card and I had to pay for it. I was pretty upset at this point but quietly fuming. She came back over and yelled at me again stating that normally they were fresh but they ran out of the live ones. I told her all she had to do was inform me of that prior to serving up a platter of mushy crawfish and it was her job to check not mine. It's a shame because this place is fun and food is decent. I won't be back and I doubt the people I was with will either. Even the band last night was shocked at her attitude, tone and words. I hate to judge a place on one employee, but I was informed by two other regular patrons I've never met before and another employee that this wasn't just her having a bad day. Apparently the owner/manager Vic knows about her bad days and attitudes and hasn't made the necessary changes in staff or care to. Sad. Sad. Sad. Anyhow, best of luck to them and make sure they haven't run out of fresh crawfish by having your server bartender confirm before ordering. Update: I was invited to a company dinner and got the steamed platter again. Our server was excellent and the food was decent but took forever! 8 people and we got there relatively early prior to crowds. We waited for 83 minutes for food. I understand we had 8 ppl, but over an hour is crazy. Our server was very apologetic and said the kitchen had "issues" read more

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Order chicken fingers and fries for our kids at the IOH art and music festival. Fries were warm, but chicken was soo cold. They seemed like the pre-done kind and I honestly wonder if the they just forgot to cook them / heat them up. read more

This place is a real dive. I'm saying it In a good way. You know it when on the the bottom of the stairs leading up to the restaurant there are about a 100 cigarette butts strewn around. This place is known for its live music at night. The place is so small that the musicians will be right on top of you. This place is not for everyone. I really liked it. For those who don't want this atmosphere, there are many other restaurants right on the river. More genteel. Our waitress, Beverly, was very sweet and accommodating. Really catered to our needs. Her personality and look fit the Restaurant perfectly. She would be perfectly at home in the Keys. I ordered the Bayou sampler which had Shrimp Etouffe, Jambalaya and Alligator gumbo. Really enjoyed it. The fish sandwich was also very good. The fried alligator bites and crawfish bites were also very good. . All in all, a good experience. Would love to go there at night when the music is playing. I could spend the whole night here. read more

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Let's start with the food. $15+ /person and I ordered the combo with 3 liquid based options like etoufee, gumbo and I can't remember the last one. They were good i think and I was starving so I inhaled them. I can't tell you what each one tasted like because we were so late for our next event, that we had to eat as were signing the receipt. They were super short staffed and it showed. The service was super slow because it was pretty much 2 people and I'm pretty sure one was cooking and the place was packed. The food took over an hour to get and drinks were once every 45 minutes. I felt bad because they were just so swamped, not sure if it's normally that bad but it was awful. The woman who served us may have been the owner, not sure but she looked super stressed out. She tried to talk to us initially but quickly got overwhelmed. I suggest going when it's not crowded and when you see more than two employees. read more

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Husband and I went to savannah today and came to grab a bite to eat. We noticed the place was kinda empty but it's also shift change. It also looks like they have live music as well. I don't know who our server was because she just came in and it was kinda back and forth between this guy and the blonde hair girl. We ordered two sweet teas and only ended up getting one and it was pretty sour. We didn't really say anything and the refill of it wasn't as sour so I don't know what really happened. We ordered alligator bites as our starter and they were pretty good. Our entrees weren't amazing. My husbands alligator gumbo was lukewarm and small. My low country shrimp boil was okay at first but my shrimp were pretty grainy and it was kinda bland. Our server( the blonde hair girl) sat at the bar on her phone most of the time and didn't really check on us that much. It seems most of the staff was having a chat about getting screwed about the upcoming saint patty's day festival which I can understand and some other chit chat about the news. Not to shabby I just think we caught them on an off day. If we're ever back in Savannah we might try them again but most likely not. However seems like a great bar the bartender seemed pretty chill. read more

Bayou Cafe - Low country bowl - Seafood Near Me

We stopped by this place on our afternoon trip to Savannah! The menu sounded good and the location was convenient. When we walked in, there were no seats available, but the waiter found us a table and chairs from upstairs, which was extremely nice of him! The place is a little run down and needs a cleaning. Our waiter was excellent and he made sure we had everything we needed. The service from the kitchen was disappointing though, as it did take us about 45 minutes to get our meal, which was only a Caesar wrap and a cajun sample platter. The food was just as disappointing. The chicken in the wrap tasted old and the dressing had a funky taste.The cajun sample platter was not good either. The jalapeño poppers were the only good thing. We did hear another waitress talking to the table beside us about how they only had two cooks and could not do anything about the service. read more

Just had a nice experience at the Bayou Café! Located in the North Historic District of Savannah. I've always been a fan of "hole in the wall" types of places, as I used to work at one. I mean it as a compliment. The main level has about 10 tables, a bar that could tell some great stories, and a small stage for evening/nightly entertainment. Located right on the water, you get great views of the Savannah river. In the time we were there, we saw a huge container ship, a large river boat, among several others, which provided great entertainment for our 1.5 year old daughter. Staff were very friendly and accommodating. We were greeted by Beverly, a down-to-earth, very kind woman who kept our drinks coming and told wonderful stories. Got to talk with the owner for awhile. He told us about his passion of trying out new hot sauce recipes when his peppers are ripe and ready to be used. He was a very nice guy! We had a variety of Cajun and Southern cuisine and it all was delicious. It took awhile to arrive, but was made to order and was well worth it. They have a nice kids menu, so our daughter was able to not only enjoy her own meal, but also taste some of our meals. My husband raved about the catfish nuggets and Alligator gumbo. Our daughter also loved her first bites of both! The breading on the nuggets was delicious and the Gator was nice and tender. My mother and father-in-law split the muffaletta and the Shrimp Po' Boy. The Muffaletta was true to tradition and very tasty. Best dish, by far, was the Shrimp Po' Boy, comparable to New Orleans and the Gulf. I also tried their chicken caesar wrap with grilled chicken, wrapped in a tomato basil tortilla. All in all, if you are looking for a speedy place with your every day food, this would NOT be the place for you. If you don't mind waiting awhile (and being nice about it, as the sign on the bar says!) with good conversation and music at night, this place is right up your alley. Right along the cobblestone boardwalk that will take you to shops and restaurants overlooking the Savannah River, we sure are glad we stopped! read more

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Great service. Went based off of Yelp reviews to try the seafood gumbo and I must say I was not impressed. My rice was too soft and it just seemed like more of tomato paste and okra than what was advertised. Lacked flavor. Only fresh thing in gumbo is the blue crab meat and even that was kind of gritty. I also ordered the crab cake which was delicious but just a little over seasoned. read more

Bayou Cafe - Crab cake - Seafood Near Me

Nice bar....only thing open on River Street on Christmas night. Great live music and well priced drinks. Barbecue pulled pork nachos ....to die for. So flavorful!!!! Come if you are looking for a good time. Also highly recommend the bayourita. read more

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Bayou cafe is amazing! Dante the bartender is excellent! We got 2 beers a CC & a SB, not sure what they were cause I'm drunk but know they are local beers. Had the peel & eat shrimp, excellent! Horseradish, cocktail sauce & seasoning was great, would come back! read more

Bayou Cafe - Bar - Seafood Near Me

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I recently purchased a sandwich from the bayou cafe food truck. It was a flounder o'boy sandwich. It was great. The flounder was fried beautifully. Very crispy. They also give me this red sauce that taste incredible with the fries. I would buy food from there again Damien Williams read more

I spent a week in Savannah and visited the Bayou Cafe twice. The food was really good, and the staff was very friendly. Both nights I arrived after which means that there was live music, both times the music was great. Good local craft beer in a "locals" atmosphere. The next time u am in Savannah I will definitely stop by this place again read more

Bayou Cafe - View from the bottom of the stairs - Seafood Near Me

Great sauce! Don't know what it was called (can't remember)... I went through this place on a little food tour. I had crab claws? Tini-tiny things like smaller than fantail shrimp. read more

Bayou Cafe - The sauce was AMAZING - Seafood Near Me

Ok, so this place ain't for the faint of heart. It is on river street. Everything inside is just a little run down. Basic tables, plastic cups etc. That being said, the staff was very friendly. The kitchen was slow and it took us over 35 minutes to get our food (shrimp and grits, and chicken finger and shrimp basket). We heard them tell a table behind us that the kitchen has stopped taking orders because they were about an hour and a half behind. That being said, it was probably my favorite meal in Savannah. The shrimp and grits with friend collard greens on top. The grits are a grit cake, not creamy grits. The sausage and shrimp had great flavor and the fried collards were great! Didn't knew I even liked them like that. So if you are not in a rush and are ok eating somewhere unpolished, this may be a great dive for you. read more

Pulled into Savannah on a Tue night and didn't expect much to be happening. Wow! I was in for a great surprise. Walking toward the waterfont I heard some great live music - Blues!! My fav. I climbed the steps to Bayou Cafe and found a great little place - a little dark inside but full of people jammin to the great Blues. It was close to 10 PM and I was able to order some food. The Shrimp Po-Boy was off the hook great. (One of the best I ever had) The steamed shrimp were great also. The music knocked my socks off! It turned out it was an open mic night and the people that hit the stage where all great. The first few acts were all Blues - and they kicked ass. Then there was a guy that did some form of Reggae ballad and he was great. Then there was a girl that sang (a newer form of music) and she had so much feeling and soul in her voice and songs that it moved me. I loved Bayou Cafe and I can't wait to return. I've posted some images. read more

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Review is for the bar only, I didn't have any food at this establishment. It's a bit of a dive, but a wonderful place to hang out for a fun low-key night. On a Wednesday evening we came to the Bayou Cafe and was able to listen to live music by Thomas Claxton, who definitely wasn't expecting such a rowdy crowd on a weeknight. Regardless, he did an amazing job playing some covers as well as his own music. He interacted with the crowd, took requests, and was a good humored musician as the entire bar attempted to sing along with him during some songs. The bartender was prompt and responsive - serving us drinks all night like a pro. The bar itself is tiny downstairs, there's an upstairs as well with pool tables and games - but we stayed downstairs for the entirety of the evening. There's a list of songs on stage which they 'require payment' for - it's nice to know they have a sense of humor! Check it out for a couple drinks and live music if you're searching for a chill vibe. Or, bring 10 girls with you and turn this dive bar into a dance party. Either way, it'll be a good time. read more

We came to support our friend who sang that night and the live music is incredible and sounds awesome in this relatively small bar. The food was also delicious and freshly made. Downside and why I gave it 4 stars is the wait. We waited an hour for our two meals. Also refills took a minute. Everything else was good and we will come back. Not sure if they were short on staff or something. read more

Dark, dank and damp are a few adjectives to describe the Bayou Cafe. The drinks, service (not a place to visit if you're in a hurry) and food are exceptional, however, and if you're there on a Thursday night, even better. The Eric Culberson band usually plays on Thursdays, and they're the best free concert you'll ever see! It's true, just ask Eric! The old building is really cool, and you can see cargo ships passing by the windows with the neon "open" sign struggling to blink out its alert. I've had peach cobbler there and it was unbelievable! Ok I had about 10 beers first, but I still believe it was unbelievable! Visit this place, and you'll leave with more friends than you came in with! read more

Bayou Cafe - Eric Culberson Band - Seafood Near Me

First time at Bayou Cafe. I had the Cajun burrito and it was excellent. It was very filling and a dish that 2 could easily share if you're don't want to be stuffed. My wife , who claims to be a connoisseur of crab legs , had the CLs and quickly said they were some of the best. My son had the mahi-mahi tacos and for 3 tacos under $10 it was a bargain and also great. Overall a good experience and would definitely come back when in the area. read more

Amazing. Hole in the wall to the extreme but the food is on point! The gator bites were delish and the crab corn chowder might be some of the best I've ever had! We are super glad we stopped in to try this place for lunch! We will definitely be back when we visit Savannah again. Try it, you won't be disappointed! read more

Let's just say I am glad that we decided to come to the Bayou Cafe! Erin provides "GREAT" customer service. I will tell you have to try the Georgia streamed shrimp. I will definitely tell the rest of my friends and family to stop here. We sat by the window and watched the boats pass by while enjoying the music. Once again we truly enjoyed our service from Erin. She is definitely a asset to this business from what I see!! Ask for Erin lol!!! read more

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We stopped in hoping to get some dinner but luckily the waitress told us that the kitchen was 40 minutes behind. I could see 2 tables nearby that were totally annoyed that there food was no where to be seen. This is what I would consider a dive bar and the inside is not very clean. We grabbed a drink and left. read more

First time ever in Savannah, found this place on google search. Decided to give it a try, we came in to an almost deserted restaurant. Seating is free for anyone so my group and I (three in total) found a spot. Drinks and food orders were taken around 6:30. Food did not arrive until after an hour later. Other groups who came in after us (two other three person group) was given their food before us. Service was somewhat okay. Waitress was nice but only gave excuses for the wait time. Food eventually came but was less than appetizing. Fried oysters were soggy. There was a hair in my tarter sauce. Unacceptable and raggedy. read more

Bayou Cafe - Tarter sauce with single hair in it - Seafood Near Me

My friend and I attended Paint Nite in the upstairs room at Bayou. We had a couple of beers from the upper bar, served up by a nice bartender. The place is extremely tiny and the stairs are steep so don't drink too much upstairs lol. Located right on River St. Nite: wear flats because those cobblestone streets are super slippery on rainy nights. read more

I'm giving this place 2 stars because the muffuletta was decent and they let us sit on the porch with our dog. If rating on service, cleanliness and overall experience I would give it a 1 star. I walked in to ask if we could have our dog on the deck and the bartender who was rude and completely drunk replied"uhh yeah ok" wow great customer service. I had to repeat my order , 3 times(which was one sandwich) before she understood. No one came to check on us and when I went in to pay the bartender said" I'm the only person here" I saw at least 2 other people with Bayou Cafe shirts on. Not to mention there was only 3 other people in the place. Do not waste your time visiting this place.. it's honestly a joke and disgrace to the amazing river walk . read more