I normally do not write reviews unless a place is exceptionally wonderful or exceptionally awful. My experience tonight at Cajun Kitchen warrant a bad review. My party of 9 arrived around 6pm to find it really packed but we still got a table. After ordering we were told it would take about 30 minutes to get our food because the kitchen is backed up, no problem. We asked for all water and it took about 20 minutes for them to come back with our water. Our food came out in batches after we constantly reminded them we are still missing food. My sister ordered a chicken tender basket that took nearly 40 minutes because the kitchen staff dropped the order slip on the floor. My husband ordered a shrimp po-boy and a basket of loaded fries. The fries took 50 minutes to come out and the po-boy didn't come out until after we paid our tab at around 7:20! Totally ridiculous! Not everything was bad tonight though. I ordered a half dozen of their Thai style raw oysters that was delicious. Tonight was my first and last time here. There are a lot of crawfish places in Houston. There's no need to wait an hour for anything. read more

First of all this was like my 2nd time eating here the first time was ok but this time me and my fiancé sitting at the bar eating talking we order the chef rice and some potatoes and turkey necks so I took 2-3 bites of the rice and I see roaches crawling all over the counter not 1 or 2 but several I quickly jump up and told her I'm ready to go out of all the restaurants I eat at I never experienced something so nasty and trifling like that if they come out like that in the dining room I can imagine how the kitchen look I will not be returning and then they expected us to pay for it until a manager step in and was like don't worry bout it after he seen them crawling everywhere totally gross me out read more

This place is the best place I have never eaten at. In fact, the service was so fantastic, they sat me at a table within 45 minutes and never took my order. I had to flag down a waitress several times and she would reply with "one second" before hiding in the kitchen never to return. We left after this incident and went to McDonald's instead. read more

Not impressed. The Kitchen Special crawfish had good flavoring but was so greasy. Also, I kept accidentally eating lemon seeds from the sauce, so it made my whole mouth bitter each time. Also, you don't get many crawfish per pound. I think it's because of the sauce they put on which makes it heavier. The garlic crab noodles were tasty. Do NOT get the Crawfish Creole Pasta. It was in a red soury sauce that was not good. Customer service was lacking due to not having enough employees. It takes awhile to flag down a waiter for anything like a drink refill. One star was removed for their pricing. This place has the highest priced crawfish I have ever seen at $11 per pound. Also, they charge an automatic 18% gratuity for 5 people and up. read more

This place was my favorite place for crawfish in Houston for a long time. Love love their garlic butter flavor and the fact that they are not stingy when asked for extra garlic. What draw me to this place besides their flavor was the price. It was $1 cheaper per lb compare to boiling crab. Needless to say I was so excited for crawfish to come back in season this year. I called in advance to make sure they have fresh/live crawfish. I was told that they have live crawfish at $8.99/lb. At the price of $8.99 per lb I was so willing to give in to my craving. To my disappointment, half of my crawfish were not fresh. You can definitely tell that corners were cut because half of my crawfish batch was a different shell cover, nicely blend in with the other half, which was fresh. When I complained to the waitress, she informed me that it's normal b/c we are not in season. That would make sense if they are not charging $9 per lb for fresh/live crawfish!!The waitress then communicated my concern to the owner, who also didn't think anything was wrong with it. Have this being an American restaurant, i'm sure my food would have been compensated for. I feel like I just got robbed. I guess I will have to find another place to get my crawfish. So sad b/c I really like their flavor but I refuse to support businesses that try to pull a fast one over me. I miss the old owner, I don't know why they sold this successful business to this new management who apparently only care about his bottom line. I should have know better when i came to the restaurant and what was once full house is now barely has any customers. read more

Cajun Kitchen - Tiny crawfish. I guess the season is over :-'( - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Houston, Texas

We got a few pounds each of the Kitchen Special and the garlic crawfish. We paid an additional $1 a pound for the Kitchen Special, but the majority of the bowl was filled with citrus and other flavorings, there were far less crawfish in that bowl than in the garlic flavor bowl. The server had said the crawfish were live and large, the ones we had were extremely small and weren't very good. The flavor of the Kitchen Special was great, but I felt like I was getting ripped off by paying more for less crawfish. We declined to order anything else and went down the street to Crawfish and Noodles to get some more crawfish. read more

The crawfish was not gooooodd at al. It seems like they didn't pick out dead ones and let it soaked as the crawfish didn't taste fresh and somewhat plain. In the past, it was so much better. I'm not sure if this is a fluke. I hope they get better as it used to be one of my favorite crawfish places. read more

They have the best crawfish. Their crab legs and cajun boiled shrimp are good, too. Better than BC because there isn't a long wait and the cajun sauce they use is soooo goood! read more

Came here for the viet Cajun crawfish (never had it before), and was blown away. We ordered the fatass #1 spicy Kitchen special- it was enough for two people. Flavor was excellent and had just the right amount of spiciness. Service was great too. read more

Best grilled oysters in town! I had the oysters with the Vietnamese seasoning and the flavor was excellent. Could of ate like 20 they were so good but settled for a half dozen. These were definitely worth trying. read more

Delicious but the price is way higher than any other places. Plus, they charge you for gloves.

They revived 2 stars for flavor a little too spicy even when mild, but the main reason they get 2 stars is because unlike any restaurant I've heard of they do not charge their snow crab by the pound. They charge as just a cluster. So paying 17.99 for a SMALL cluster is a rip off..Huge no. Run away. There's too many places that give you more for less. Ordered via Uber eats. Will not be reordering. read more

Worst customer service experience ever. Sat here for 2 hours waiting for a simple order of 2 pounds of crawfish. When we spoke to the manager she stated that the waitress was new and she wanted to find out what the waitress did to ensure that we did not already get our food. She was more concerned about where the miscommunication happened rather than get me my food. Obviously the customers that came after us got their food way before we did. read more

What happened to Cajun Kitchen? I haven't been here for a couple of years but damn the quality has gone down. Crawfish was unflavored, crispy wings used to be the bomb but was unflavored with weird batter, catfish and shrimp basket was bland, fried mushrooms bland as hell. Oh and I almost forgot I got th crawfish puffs and it was literally a glob of cream cheese and piece of crawfish in a wonton. It was disgusting. The best thing there was the Corona and the strawberry mango lemonade. Such a disappointment when you're hungry as hell and it still don't taste good. Do yourself a favor just go down the street to crawfish cafe or crawfish and beignets. read more

I LOVE THEIR CRAWFISH!!! BUT, THEY HAVE THE WORSE SERVICE EVER!!!! Come in early if you want your food fast. if you come in late or on a weekend expect horrible & unfair service. sometimes a table may sit after you and they will get their foods first. they don't have a good system. They just do whatever. Those girls sit around and chat with each other instead of doing their job. Sometimes it takes an hour to get your food. sometimes it can take 10 mins.. they have a very poorly system. IF you order crawfish to go, make sure you double check it. I once order 10 lbs of kitchen special for $80. no problem paying that price for good crawfish. But when i came home and opened it, it was 10 lbs of PLAIN BOILED CRAWFISH. NO SAUCES on it whatsoever! if i wanted plain boiled crawfish i couldve went to the supermarket and got it for $2 a lb. read more

Love the kitchen special flavor here for the crawfish. It's unlike any of the other places I've had crawfish, and I don't find it necessary to use any extra mayo or butter sauce for dipping. The oysters were also very good, both the Oysters Thailand or those buttery Oysters Vietnam. The fried rice is a good side dish, but I want to come back and try the garlic noodles next time. read more

Ate a whole lot of crustaceans here. Had the fat ass xl with kitchen seasoning and chefs fried rice. Had a margarita and some sake to wash it down. Waitress was super attentive and friendly. read more

It was nice to see the spacious, clean new digs of the Cajun Kitchen after a few years absence. I was worried Cajun Kitchen went out of business when they moved, and the telephone number changed (YELP's number is wrong too - the proper number is 281-495-8881, though the listed address on Wilcrest is correct.) Thank heavens the doors were open. We sat down this Thursday evening to our fix of the spicy (hot) garlic boiled crawfish. You may have to know to ask for them hot, failing which your loss. BEST IN THE GALAXY! Each crawfish has up to 15 or 20 bits of HOT minced garlic to lick off before decapitation. Order the bread to sop up the bottom of the bowl. Nose runnin, lips burnin, we really also liked the new House flavored crawfish, but there's only one best in the galaxy. I liked the tasty chicken and sausage gumbo, but it missed the mark cuz I craved the old seafood gumbo no longer offered. Don't miss the fab sweet potato fries with the little something extra that sets them apart. The tangy chicken wings were really good, as were the Vietnamese grilled oysters on the half, but weren't as unique as the mudbugs. I didn't find out if they still sell the fried catfish that rivals my favorite. The creme brule' bread pudding with ice cream and strawberries made me wonder why I had not found them sooner after the move. As with another review, Kim the owner remembered me as a lawyer/customer from the old place. The waitresses were cheerful and fast - there was no wait. But in defense of complaints about the wait, we've been to the old place when it looked like they were were giving away free hundred dollar bills, and a wait could be expected, but maybe worth it. It's family run and I'd give em a break or suggest a chain. The prices were very reasonable with the crawfish understandably a little higher than the competition. I tried to make it on one Heineken and some water (diet?) Next time 2 or 3 beers will be better. And wash your hands well before you rub your eyes. One of my favorite restaurants, wish it was a little closer and regret missing the last couple years. read more

My top 2 Favorite Crawfish places in Houston. Sometimes there is a little wait. If you have a big party get their a little early. There is always lots of parking. cajun fried rice is a must. The New owners are friendly and are not afraid to experiment with the menu. They have added lots of new good eats. Check em out. I'll update a review next crawfish season. read more

Kitchen flavor is the best. Always had a good experience here. Service and system is pretty standard for an asian restaurant. If you're asian and are complaining about the service or system, you are completely clueless. Yes there are things that any place can improve on. If you want to get pampered, go to a fine dining restaurant. I personally don't like to be bothered much when dining out. I enjoy my drinks and food and easy to please even if service isn't top notch. Maybe its because I've been a server and know how it is or maybe its because i am not a cry baby diner. I don't know. There are two type of diners. Happy diners and cry baby diners. Cry baby diners should just stay home and eat baby food. Y'all leave the house crying and all you do while you're out is cry. Restaurants get busy from time to time or are short staffed. Yes life happens. Be patient or expect delays. If you are going to be bitter? Well then bring a pacifier. Service is simple. Order your drinks and food and get your hands dirty. What else do you need? Everything on the menu is great. If you don't get your food, kindly ask for it. Be pleasant. Pleasant people get a pleasant response. The people who stop coming because of one bad experience, great! More room for everybody else that enjoys this place. Price? Give me a break. Its seafood! Stop complaining about price. Don't go out to eat if you're always looking at the price. People who usually complain about price are also bad tippers. Stay at home and make yourself a sandwich. Go save that dollar somewhere else. I'll pay that dollar anyday because the flavor is that awesome. Freshness? I eat here year round and the quality is consistent. If crawfish is not in season, expect it to sometimes take a dip in quality. Anyways if you haven't been here, well you are missing out. Go there, order drinks, a dozen oysters on the halfshell, fries, and the xl fatass(kitchen special flavor spicy). That's all you need. Enjoy your food and go home and think about your next visit. Or not! read more

Warning - looooong review. It's crawfish season! So, based on that day's Facebook posts on their page, bragging about the size of the crawfish this season, a fellow Foodie friend and I visited Cajun Kitchen for the first time last night. Each of us frequently dines out (together and separately) and enjoy trying new restaurants, ranging from hole-in-the-wall eateries to high-end fine dining restaurants, so cost is not an issue, but we still look for value in what we eat. We got to the restaurant around 7:30p on a Thursday evening, and while it wasn't yet full, there was a good crowd of customers. I barely sat down before my stomach was excited by the smells in the place, and it didn't help that I was already starving. Looking at the menu, we wanted to try EVERYTHING, but since there were only two of us, we planned to return with a large group of friends on a future date, just so we could "try one of everything". We started out by me ordering a Stella Artois beer (they only serve bottles), but was not offered a chilled glass, so when the server returned without one, I requested one - no harm, no foul, but the one I received was chipped on the rim of the glass. I didn't make a big deal of it, I drank the beer from the other side of the glass, and when I ordered my second Stella, I pointed out the chipped glass and asked for a new one - again, no harm no foul. We had two servers, one who took drink orders (I regret not asking her name for the sake of this post) and the other who took the food order (her name is Kim). We ordered spicy garlic wings until we could figure out what to order since there were so many appealing meals on the menu; the wings were good. For our main meal(s), we ordered and shared a half dozen each of the Oyster "Vietnam" and Oyster "Italy", and a Spicy Cajun Boil - the "Fatass" that included 3lbs of crawfish, 1/2lb of boiled shrimp, 1 cluster of snow crab legs, potatoes and corn; spicy level, "Kitchen" special flavor, then an additional 2lbs of crawfish extra spicy level, same "Kitchen" special flavor. My friend really enjoyed the Oyster Vietnam, and I preferred the Oyster Italy, but not overly excited as they tasted like they used the grated parmesan out of the green can - you know the one - but I haven't eaten that stuff since college before I knew about REAL parmesan. By the time we ordered, the place was getting crowded, so when our food was taking what seemed like longer than normal for boiling seafood, we didn't worry because the restaurant was almost full. Food came, we ate, and my friend who I consider a "crawfish connoisseur" commented that the texture of the crawfish was off, and they did seem a little chewier than what we have at our favorite crawfish spots, but we didn't complain, because it was still tasty. I really liked the spice level and flavor, overall, I wouldn't say the food was great, but it wasn't terrible, so I would return and try other menu items. And I should mention that no one ever came by to ask how the food was, people only came by to empty the trash bowls on the table. As we were slowing down, we noticed that right next to us, a table with four adults who were all eating crawfish had mudbugs that were easily double the size of what we had in our boil. So, when the "drink" server came by to clear our table, I asked why their crawfish was so much larger than what we had. She said that they ordered "jumbo size", so we asked where that was noted/posted, she said the server (Kim) was supposed to give us a choice when we ordered, I replied, "SHE DIDN'T!" So when Kim came back to our table, I mentioned it to her, saying if we knew we had a choice, we would have ordered them. Her response was a lame and insincere, "Sorry", then she said we ordered the boil, so there isn't an option, to which we replied, but we ordered additional pounds, again, she replied with a sorry, "Sorry" as she dropped the bill and walked away. After everything else that wasn't a great, but still good enough experience that evening and I still considered visiting again, that one act blew that lasted a few seconds within a 2.5 hour dining experience blew my top and ruined the evening for me - I was and am still pissed! I was a server for many years and I would never react to a customer in that manner - you always SINCERELY apologize, ask if anything can be done to rectify the situation and/or offer something (comped item, free item on the next visit, anything) to ease the pain. I should have asked to see a Manager at that moment, but I did not, so I am leaving this here. Finally, as a former server, I ALWAYS tip a minimum of 20% of the bill, but that little "Sorry" response from Kim pissed my friend and me off so badly that we both agreed to only leave 10% as we split the $104.96 bill. And, I left a note to Kim on the back of my credit card receipt to explain why she only received 10% and to let her know that we would not be returning - we waited long enough to make sure she read it. read more

My all time favorite crawfish joint! I used to love their garlic butter but now I'm hooked on the kitchen special flavor! It's a dollar extra but well worth it. It's similar to garlic butter but with a sweet and tangy kick. Crawfish never fills me up no matter how many pounds I order; so, I always get a rice plate with my meal. There are a lot to choose from, but the blackened shrimp dish is simple and great. It gets really crowded on weekends which is why service can really suck. But if you come during the off hours, its not too crowded and the girls are more attentive. read more

If it wasn't for the great food I would NOT go back to this place... The service is the worst, both times I've been! Expect to wait for a table on the weekends. The food is definitely more expensive than others that serve the same thing (crawfish 8.99 a pound) but it's really good. When mostly Asians are eating from their own, u know it has to be good! I probably would come back more if the service was better. Service a 3... Food a 5. read more

This is the best Viet-Cajun cuisine in Houston hands down! We visited Houston just for the viet Cajun cuisine and we tried here and Crawfish and Noodles and this was the winner by far. The service was faster and the food was miles ahead of crawfish and noodles. I highly recommend the dungeness crab kitchen style. It is unreal! Even for someone that lives in Seattle for 5 years. Don't disregard this place for anything less than a 5 star establishment. It is the only viet Cajun place worth visiting in Houston. read more

Great customer service! The server were very attentive and friendly. Food was great, love the Thai Basil crawfish!

Take 35min, and crawfish still didn't come out. Servers didn't even come by to let us know the status. We finally were able to waive down the waitress, her response was "it's a busy restaurant, you can wait or cancel the order." Rude!!! I won't come back. There are 10 crawfish places in the area. read more

Absolute awful service. I sat for 45 minutes after ordering, no food ever arrived despite being checked on and re-clarifying the original order. Plenty of people around us were not only getting food but getting seconds of the exact thing we ordered. Only thing I got to try was a Thai Tea, which tasted rotten. Don't bother coming here, went to Crawfish and Noodles instead and had a MUCH better time. read more

One of my favorite places for crawfish! Service isn't as good as when they were at the old location though.I love the kitchen special - a little sweeter than the norm but not too sweet. My bf likes the basil, but we both always love the garlic butter. The fried rice and garlic wings are really good too. read more

It isn't crawfish season yet so these little guys are still small. Lots of work for very little meat. But hey that isn't their fault. We got their 2 lb kitchen special. Wow, it's amazing. I've had crawfish in many cities and this was the best I've ever had. The layers of flavor is wonderfully put together. The garlic butter and thai basil herbs is perfectly mixed with citrus from the orange and lemon. Definitely a must try. read more

The House special crawfish is my favorite of their sauces. It has garlic, onions and orange. Their mix rivals boiling crab's. I've also tried the Thai basil which is also very tasty. The bread pudding with pecans is another hit. Don't get their creme brûlée. It's very bland! read more

This place gets 4 stars because the oyster nachos were AMAZING! I believe they use wonton chips for the nacho component, which was genius in my opinion and the oysters were huge! You need to take multiple bites to eat these bad boys. I wish I took a pic, but my hands were already covered with garlic butter sauce from the crawfish :( . The crawfish were big! Lots of meat, but the price per lb was a bit pricy in my opinion, $8.99. You can find better crawfish places that sell it much cheaper. The chef fried rice was delicious! Lots of meat and shrimp! I think next time I'll just come for the nachos and fried rice if I'm extra hungry. read more

Best crawfish in Houston. Seriously. I probably crave crawfish from here weekly - not that I can afford it, but I still crave it. Better then Boiling Crab, better then LA crawfish, better then Jolynn's. The reason it's so damn good is the flavor and spiciness. I feel like each pound uses a huge tub of chopped garlic each - and i'm not complaining. Anyone who says they aren't a fan of crawfish is because they've eaten it everywhere but here. Side note, the spiciness is ridiculous - I enjoy it. But my stomach doesn't a couple of hours later. I haven't ordered any other dishes from here. read more

The crawfish was absolutely delishes . Although it was mild, the kitchen flavor was to my delight. My wife had the fried shrimp basket, which had a ton of flavor. This place was and is on my favorite list now. Not to mention the delivery service was excellent. read more

Had dinner here tonight with my hubby! The food was good and the service was great. The crawfish ($8.99/lb) wasn't the best I've had but it was pretty good. Hubby had the Italy oysters and he said they were "pretty good." The margaritas had a pretty good flavor but, could use more alcohol in the mix. The turkey necks were awesome though!! read more

This place is over priced. For just one Custer of snow crab is 14.99 they do not go by the pound. For the price you would think you get better food and service. read more

Came here just last Sunday even though I knew it wasn't crawfish season yet because they posted on fb that they had live crawfish. They were pretty decent sized and decently priced as well. I have to admit, their seasoning can be hit or miss but I got the kitchen special this time and it was delicious! I usually go to crawfish and noodles, but would definitely come here more often with this type of quality. Way to start off crawfish season! read more

Good service very attentive the server comes back and checks up very often. The price isn't bad and it's a good size menu. You got to have the kitchen special sauce whenever you order boiled seafood. You don't have to ask for sauce they bring it to you already first time for that. read more

Hands down my favorite crawfish/crab place in houston, and we all know houston has the best crawfish anywhere. The sauces are extremely flavorful and spice levels accommodate all eaters. Other dishes are also great, examples are the crab fried rice and garlic noodles. This place gave me gout I ate here so much--had to cut down from 3x to 1x a week lol read more

Good food. Fast service. Would come back to fulfill my crawfish cravings! Thai basil flavor is delicious!

I ordered their loaded fries from uber eats and guess what....... I was basically served egg and mayonnaise with absolutely no fries at all. Very unprofessional and stupid. If you want to get your money's worth, stay away from them, calliope's has better food and service. read more