Seafood boils are really more of an experience than anything else. Whether you're eating it alone or with a group, you kind of have to be ready to get down and dirty with it and that's exactly what I did. I popped into this spot because I was craving seafood and it happened to be happy hour so they had $7 drink specials which I definitely recommend. But to be real this is not really a cost effective meal. Seafood is just expensive right now and there is no way around that. I got a boil with mussels, potatoes, sausage, corn on the cob and two lobster tails and it came out to about $100 with drinks. The drinks were strong too. I was definitely wobbling out of there even after all that buttery food. Everything was tossed in their Cajun sauce on medium and my mouth was on fire in the best way. I honestly can't even imagine what hot would be like there. Also random but actually clutch they have a mouthwash station in the bathroom so you do not leave tasting like straight garlic and butter. read more

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What a roller coaster tonight was. Let me start from the beginning.... I had called two weeks ago to make a reservation for my boyfriend's birthday for a party of 10. They confirmed it and said not to be 15 min late or they would be forced to cancel our reservation. I even called again to double confirm and we were all set. So we showed up early tonight and stood in the entry way for over 10 minutes before someone finally acknowledged us. (One employee stood in front of us that whole time with her back turned to us without a single acknowledgment). The restaurant was PACKED. No sign in sight that they had even attempted to reserve a table for us. So finally we grabbed a server and let them know we had a reservation for 10 at 7pm and they ran to the back. Finally what I believe to be the manager came up to us with a clipboard to help us. He claims the reservation was never made (I showed him the call log on my phone) and he apologized and asked me to write our name and number down. He said he would do his very best to get us in as soon as he could. So, we went next door for a drink while we waited. He called me about 30 minutes later to keep me in the loop (which I really appreciated) and to let us know that they were waiting on one party to finish eating and pay. I said not problem, thank you for keeping me in the loop. He had offered for half of us to go over and start, but I requested that we all get to have the experience at the same time and to let us know when our full table was ready. He called 10 minutes later to give me a 5 min warning and we all headed over. Once we got there, the service was INCREDIBLE. Great servers, quick service, split our checks without us asking, etc. the food quality was good and we were having a great time. THEN, the servers dropped the checks and we were still waiting for our payments to be made when the manager came over and urgently said "we need you to leave now". Uhh...what? After how patient we have been you are asking us to leave when our credit cards are not even with us (still with the servers)? I explained we were waiting for our payments to be processed and our party to use the restroom then we were leaving. But that alone was frustrating after how patient we had been with the whole situation. We also had barely been there for an hour after all was said and done. BUT THEN, while our party was still using the restroom, a family sat down at our open chairs and proceeded to just GLARE at us. They then started falsely accusing us of being rude, taking too much time to eat and saying we were verbally harassing their family members. (NOT true at all. We didn't even know they were there). They were truly about to start a fight with us. After we had been so patient and understanding, I was incredibly frustrated that the staff did not step in to help us on this matter until I turned around and had to ask someone to come over because this other family was heavily escalating the situation. The manager then stood there so we could all leave but that family continued to verbally harass our group as we left. I WOULD NEVER. SIT AT A STRANGERS TABLE AND STARE AT THEM UNTIL THEY FELT UNCOMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO LEAVE. THEN ACCUSE THEM OF HARASSMENT AND MORE. If this were my restaurant, those people would not have been allowed to stay. This was NOT a cheap meal. In fact, one of the most expensive seafood boils we've been to in the city. We were so patient tonight and for all of that, after the night turned around to not feel the staff went above and beyond for us, and to rush us out to accommodate bullies? No thank you. Very disappointed on how the night ended and we will need to take our business elsewhere for future birthdays and seafood boils. read more

I order from almost every location and it seems that this location is always an issue. Waited over an hour for Corn dogs that typically takes 5-7 mins to make per each one' for me not to be informed that my ticket was "lost in a rush" & after admitting it was lost in a "rush" that was not visibly there, had an attitude & said " there's nothing we can do about it' but make it over" no communication just irritated because yall messed up on yall end? annoyed with this location. do better, this is the second time. read more

Excellent service and delicious Cajun style seafood. Centrally located in the heart of Manhattan. I love stopping by for their Lunch special. Great spot for large parties since it is a large space and lively. read more

I've been to a Cap't Loui before but this was my first time going to this location near Columbia University and I can't believe I waited so long! I ordered the 1/2 pound headless shrimp and 1/2 pound mussels and it was so delicious! It also came with one potato and one corn on the cob. I loved that the headless shrimp was easy to peel and everything tasted so great! It's a pretty small restaurant with limited seating but we beat the lunch rush and so it was quiet for a bit with only us in the restaurant until more people started trickling in. Unfortunately, they did not have a lunch special menu but the prices are decent for what it is. read more

Cap't Loui - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

It's a small spot with maybe three tables for groups of four. This was my first visit. I have to admit I've been affected by the recent research exploring why so many fast-food places taste the same. That was the case here. I ordered the fried fish po'boy and Cajun fries, and it tasted identical to a spot just a block away (the one with "Crab" in the name, for those curious). I ate it, but nothing about it made me want to come back. The fries were covered in BBQ seasoning that tasted just like Lay's BBQ chips. They were doused with it, and I couldn't finish them. I didn't bother taking pictures since food can look unappealing sometimes. The cashier was courteous, and the wait time was reasonable. Small but important sidenote: they had a "Grade Pending" sign tucked in the corner near the entrance. I noticed it on my way out, which felt a kinda sneaky. read more

service was phenomenal and the bathrooms are very clean and nice. I liked the complimentary mouth wash dispense, quite the life saver. Had no problem with the food, very well done and seasoned good. The gloves were very nice and durable too. read more

Omg love the food here. I had fried calamari and fries, it was amazing. The calamari were so tender and fresh. The fries were cooked just right, have already been back 3 times read more

Cap't Loui - light and tender calamari - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

Always a great experience here! I ordered the half lbs of clams and head-off shrimp, with a side of favorite - garlic noodles! My partner opted for the fried shrimp, which came with a good portion for the price ice. The person in charge was warm and friendly. We witnessed him chatting with several customers, making everyone feel welcome. The venue was cold. read more

Cap't Loui - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

Very good ,The seafood is delicious and not too expensive. I've eaten at this brand many times at many branches. I recommend it. There's a promotion on Thursdays, which is good. read more

Cap't Loui - Very good - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

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I got the lobster roll meal and the dessert, the staff were attentive and very nice. Everything came out to a decent price just for one person and I had three glasses of wine. I would definitely be back read more

This restaurant charges an automatic 18% gratuity for tables as small as four people WITHOUT telling customers that they're doing this.

Spent $170+ on three seafood platter with whole lobster, clams, and crab legs, plus an order of garlic noodles and calamari. EVERYTHING was way over cooked. Rubbery. Inedible. Noodles were brittle. Lobster, what little was there, way overdone. Clams were ridiculous. Rubbery and cold. Crab legs were dry and meat impossible to get at. In total, all the meat from the three seafood platter could fit in my coffee mug. I will never ever order from this place again. read more

Favorite place to visit in New York. I come each time i visit my sister. Fast friendly service. read more

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Great food and great service. The location is perfect and not too overcrowded. Great restaurant for date night

They have the best seafood boils--fresh, flavorful, and always cooked just right. Love this place definitely a place to visit

I have passed this place quite a few times over the past few years and was like let's check it out. I'm glad that my impulsive side won out. From start to finish everything was pretty fantastic. Our hostess/waitress was pretty much on top of everything, and we did not have to wait more than 2 minutes for anything. Overall, the food (and drinks) were pretty fabulous. My partner and I went with the two pick boil (shrimp and mussels) plus sausage. Shortly after digging into the bag, I wished that we added one more crustacean to the mix. While the two pic boil was enough, I think that I was being greedy with the consideration of adding one more seafood item to the bag. We did add an order of fried calamari to our feast, but it did not compare to the seafood boil. Looking forward to visiting again. read more

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It's my first time there. I arrived on a Sunday and was able to park on the street right outside of the restaurant!!! That's a Win! Elevated train can be heard which means there's a train nearby. What brought me there -- Birthday celebration over seafood! Venue clean. The person attending to us was attentive. Fried shrimp perfectly fried! Lemon pepper Fries MMMM! Soft shell crab yummy. Bathroom clean! They offered mouthwash which I thought was genius (no I didn't use it lol) for anyone wanting fresh breath. read more

Great place. And amazing staff they're super attentive. The food was great. My only wish is that they put more sauce inside the bag. Also I ordered a lemonade drink and it had no flavor. it tasted like watered down lemonade :( Overall great place for some seafood boil. read more

Cap't Loui - Watered down lemonade (extra for pouch placement) - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

We ordered a few things here via ubereats for dinner the other day: the fried shrimp basket (came with fries), and sides of garlic noodles and coleslaw. We were impressed by how crispy the fries were even though they were delivered and the noodles were very flavorful (not to mention that they were a relatively unique side to offer in the first place). We wished that there had been a few more shrimp in the basket serving, and that they had been dipped in a thicker batter (may be just a personal preference though), but overall we really enjoyed our meal from here! read more

Cap't Loui - Coleslaw, Garlic Noodles, Shrimp Basket - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

One of the best seafood boils you will find in nyc. The garlic noodles and the funnel fries are to die for. The drinks are also amazing. A must try restaurant. read more

Got the fisherman platter with soft shell crab and seafood boil with shrimp, sausage, corn, and potato. The soft shell crab was 3 LARGE whole crabs and was so hot and crispy. Loved seasoned Cajun fries, too! Seafood boil was pretty tasty and 2 pounds was enough for two. And the funnel cake fries and delicious! Great pricing and service, will def be back! read more

Cap't Loui - Funnel Cake Fries with Vanilla Ice Cream - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

I've ordered their seafood boil via DoorDash twice now - both times I got shrimp and mussels dressed in their signature sauce (with an extra request to have that extra spicy haha) and with a side of garlic noodles. Their sauce is so TASTY! And their shrimp has been good both times - I got the head-on shrimps. I like getting the garlic noodles on the side and alternating between eating it as is and then dipping it in some of their thick, delicious sauce. The mussels I've gotten both times are a little on the smaller side, but they are still pretty good and I'd definitely get them again! The fact that they give you additional garlic noodles or fries for getting two boils is pretty generous (and just portion-wise, they are definitely way better than another place that does Cajun closer to the Harlem area). The boil also came with potatoes as well as orn the second time I got this (I only got corn the first time haha but I love me some corn). Really filling and definitely allows for a second meal! I'll probably be ordering from them quite a few times in the months to come :) read more

Cap't Loui - Pick 2 Cajun Boil - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

I ordered takeout from Captain Lou, and it was surprisingly good. I was a bit nervous, but the seafood boil was excellent. They added the extra spice I requested, giving the dish a perfect flavor. I recommend if you enjoy seafood boils. read more

I have ate there several times and the food was good but this time the food was totally overcooked and when I tried to return it I was told they couldn't do it over because I didn't have the receipt but I had the charge on my card and the actual food. They told me to come back tomorrow and speak to the manager when I called the next day. I was told they couldn't help me even though I still had the food. Bad service! Looks like I won't be going back! $200 down the drain! read more

Omgee! I've been searching far and wide in Philly trying to find a seafood boil in a bag place but didn't have any luck. I was soo excited to find one in Harlem!! This place is everything seafood and I'm here for it all. Here's how Capt. Loui works, so first you decide what seafood you want in your bag. They have mussels, clams, lobster, king crab legs and many more. Then you choose if you want your meal to be a single or a combo. If you get a combo your able to get free noodles or a whole lobster. Next you can add any sides such as extra corn or sausages and last you choose either Louisiana or lemon pepper sauce. Overall I decided to get clams, shrimp, sausage, and mild Louisiana sauce. My bag also came with corn and potatoes. Oh and I got free garlic noodles with my combo. My meal was extra delicious and it was fun to experience eating out of a bag lol. Now I can finally say I had a seafood boil. Yayy! I definitely recommend this place that offers a great customer service and wonderful food. read more

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Food was hot and tasty!! Service top notch. Ambiance was fine!! Our server was pleasant and friendly. Fries came with the calamari.

This restaurant was a nice spot when it was open. During the pandemic I was a big disappointment as I spent over $200 and got partial food as if it was eaten out of. I called and made a complaint online and the company never addressed the issue. They definitely lost a customer in me and I dined at the establishment often whether I checked in or not. Bad businesses should be SHUT DOWN! read more

Cap't Loui - Opened the bag and there's no lobster meat in the tail only claws attached to the shell - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

After waiting at the entrance for about five minutes, we were finally greeted by someone who seated us. Once at our table, we waited another fifteen minutes with no menu, no water or anything else. Finally, after flagging someone down she asked if we ate anything. After staring at the completely empty table with the the white table cover free of stains I told her that we did not have any food. Shortly after we received our menus and began to look them over. As soon as we were settled on what we wanted another staff member mentioned that there was a larger party who needed a table so he asked us to move. At this point, I was slightly irritated over all the waiting and then needing to move but I really wanted to try the food so I shrugged off those small mishaps. On to the food...my friend and I ordered the snow crab leg boilers and the fried shrimp with fries. The flavor of the boiler was really good ( mild, Louisiana ). The corn and potato really soaked up the flavors and it was a great addition to the crab legs. I wish there was more than 1 small piece of corn and potato. Next time, I will make sure to get additional corn and potato in the bag. The fried shrimp was also very good - the breading was light and it was fried to a crispy perfection. Of course the adult Capri Sun was bomb! I don't remember what the name was but it is the one that has Prosecco in it. All in all, I would recommend Loui Loui to satisfy your seafood craving ! The food is good and fresh and the atmosphere is chill and relaxing ! Although there was a wait to be seated and served, I never felt rushed. I would definitely return and try the other drinks and other boiler options! read more

Cap't Loui - Adult Capri Sun - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

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Note I'm giving this place 3.25 stars, but since that's not an option, I'm rounding to 3 stars. So, here are the deets: First off, I must reveal one thing pretty quickly--I'm originally from Louisiana (grew up there and didn't leave until after college), so I have some pretty strong feelings about what a place like Loui Loui should be like. So while I feel that, overall, L2 is OKAY, they really don't provide a super authentic slice of what the the good ol' bayou is. Trust! Again, it's okay... but it's not great. Let's first talk food. Now, for those of you who follow my reviews, you know I like to eat, and big portions are A+ for me. While L2 does serve plenty of seafood when ordering up... shrimp, mussels, etc... the portions of crawfish are pretty skimpy. I mean, who really eats just 10 crawfish? In Louisiana, it's usually 3 pounds minimum... so what they serve up is really just a tease. Next up, let's talk their "sauces--what they douse their bags of seafood in is far from what we serve up in Louisiana. Ours is rarely greasy, but Loui Loui's is all buttery and stuff. While butter tastes good (I'm no fool), it's just not authentic. Oh, and that sad plastic bag the food comes in. Ugh. I see this too frequently outside of Louisiana. It is really bothersome to me. You RARELY find this in Louisiana (if ever). Seafood should be transferred to a paper bag or bucket before it comes to the table. Plastic = tacky, tacky, tacky! As for the fixins at L2, these are pretty good: corn, potatoes, and sausage. However, I'm not sure what the noodles down in the bottom of the bag are all about. I love me some pasta, but in Louisiana you'd never find pasta down in a boilpot. Having customers pull noodles up from the bottom of a boil bag is just plain STUPID. L2, please just put the pasta on the side. [Oh, and I've never seen pasta served at a true boil in Louisiana unless it's like baked Mac & Cheese on the side... but whatever, it tastes good, so I'll take it.] The rest of the good: --Servers are nice here --Drinks are strongish The rest of the mediocre --Bartenders are slow --Why pay so much for 6 small slices of sausage; ummmm it's one of the cheapest things they could source. How about at least one link per bag. read more

Cap't Loui - Fish basket - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

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I had the "Pick 2 Cajun Boil" with headless shrimp and snow crab legs smothered in medium Louisiana sauce. If you're like me, you like to feel the spice as soon as it hits your tongue. This took me a minute to feel any spice. Next time I'll go up one more. Someone else had mild lemon pepper and they loved it. One negative thing about my order--the shrimp tasted as if it was cooked the day before and microwaved for my cajun boil. It was so rubbery and overcooked... this didn't make me feel okay for the price I paid. It just wasn't enjoyable. Tip: try shaking the bag around until the flavor is all around it as the garlic can fall to the bottom. In conclusion, 3/5 for me due to the overly disappointing shrimp. read more

Cap't Loui - Pick 2 Cajun Boil - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

Went for a seafood Sunday boil & had some crab legs, shrimp and mussels. could have done without the shrimp they were not the best. the rest of the food was hot and flavor with the cajun house spice. the service was mid since gratuity is already included. They didn't even offer any happy hour specials. music was so kiddy like we were in a disney restaurant so that ruined the vibes and ambiance because it was so much taylor swift. read more

Cap't Loui - Pick 2 Cajun Boil - Get a Free Side - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

My go to sit down seafood spot! Love the Cajun fries and fried calamari. The shrimp and snow crabs in Louisiana sauce is always amazing! read more

Cap't Loui - Pick 2 Cajun Boil - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

I can say on FLAVOR is amazing. But it takes away from my overall experience, because even with simple requests they still don't get it right! The EXTRA CRISPY request on shrimp for delivery/pickup Is always soggy! I asked for extra lemons , and I get only two per big order. read more

Ordered in last night. Everything came hot and fresh. Food was packaged well. I had the fried shrimp with garlic noodles (+$1). The shrimp were plentiful and the noodle serving was pretty big. My friends had the fried oysters with fries and a steam bag of crab legs, mussels, corn etc. Both were pleased with their meals. I would definitely check out this restaurant again. Perhaps going to the restaurant itself for the experience. I also think what's available for order does not reflect the entire menu. I'm curious to see what else they offer. read more

Cap't Loui - Fried shrimp - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

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Let's start with the host She was very nice. They let me do walk-in because they had tables available. Because of COVID they only seat 4 tables out of 9 Spacing is on the smaller size. Make sure to try and make reservations, it's still a pandemic. Hand sanitizer, extremely clean, spacing between customer are perfect. Food We got the Cap't Lou broil bag with shrimp, crawl fish, lobster and snow crabs. Comes with 3 small corns 3 potatoes in the bag. I recommend to get lou's sauce. A little spicey but worth it. You get a bib and plastic gloves that should say enough on how you should dress. Very messy so be aware. Pricing is on the high side but it's seafood so you pay for what you eat. The bag is great for two average size people and well leave you full. Pricing came out for just food about $110 with 18 percent tip. read more

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It's always nice to see new places pop up in Harlem. Randomly walked by Loui Loui one day and had to find out what they have to offer. Food is very good . For quite some time I've wanted to try crawfish, wasn't a big fan but everything else I tried was very good. I've visited twice and overall I've had fried shrimp; broil shrimp, lobster and crab legs all with the lemon garlic sauce. That sauce is amazing! The price is fair for seafood. They only offer soft drinks, so if you're looking to have an alcoholic beverage with your food not going to happen. Your food comes in a plastic bag; which I can see how some people might be a little turned off by that. But nonetheless the food is very good and the place is very laid back. Definitely a good spot to kick back and and enjoy some tasty seafood. Updated review: although the food is good; the restaurant is terrible at fulfilling their online orders! I placed an order through seamless which was marked to be delivered within 30 minutes. The order never arrived; when I called the restaurant they said the driver picked up the order and it should be arriving shortly. The delivery tracker was stationary the whole time and showed no movement. I started to worry if something was being done to my food so I called the delivery guy who then said that he was still at the restaurant waiting to pick up my food. I called the restaurant back twice and both times they didn't picked up; then they changed the delivery time to extend it to an extra 20 minutes. I had to cancel the order. I can understand having busy nights but you should never just blatantly lie to your customers!! So don't waste your time ordering from them. read more

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Now I see why this place has almost 5 stars. I ordered the pick 3 with snow crabs, shrimp, crawfish, and received a free order of mussels with the order. My side was the garlic noodles. You must select get it in the bag! It was delicious. So flavorful and great portions. Spicy level Hot! It definitely had a nice kick of spice I ordered for take-out via website and it was ready on time. A must try! read more

Cap't Loui - Take-out order - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

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This restaurant was amazing. Great happy hour selection, great service, cute atmosphere, and awesome food. I got oysters, and shrimp basket for apps from their happy hour menu, which is M-5 from 5pm to 7pm. The oysters tasted fresh and the shrimp was well fried. The fries were thin and crunchy. For the main course, I got shrimp and snow crabs which came with potatoes and corn. Got the mild Louisiana flavor. It wasn't spicy but the seasoning was very flavorful. Every bite was delicious. We also got seasoned fries on the side. It was crunchy and had the right amount of seasoning. The pricing was good. I have ate at places like this that I felt was overpriced and didn't taste as fresh. This place was reasonable. Two people can share and it will be enough. Definitely coming back to this place. read more

Cap't Loui - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

It's odd that we ended up here since my husband is allergic to shellfish but when you want to go out on a Friday during lent and your husband isn't eating meat you get creative! He looked at menus at every restaurant on the block and decided on Loui Loui. He got the fish and chips and he loved it! 3 big perfectly cooked pieces. He really liked the lemon fries that they came with. Most importantly, his shellfish allergy didn't get in the way at all, they must do a good job of keeping foods separated. I got the heads off shrimp boil with the lemon sauce, heat level = hot. It came with one little corn cob, one piece of potato, and a portion of shrimp that was a lot more generous than expected. It was so delicious! I do wish that it came with a side though. I didn't know if I should order one off the bat, and the portion size was good so I didn't order one when my food came out, but after eating about 10 pieces of shrimp and seeing that I still had several left I really wished I had ordered the garlic noodles. Oh well! The reason I deducted a star is that several times during our meal, full trash cans were wheeled through the restaurant and out of the front door. The guy handling the trash would stop at a customer's table and talk a little with the trash can right behind us then wheel it out and do it again. Another time he brought out her container of leftovers while also wheeling out the garbage with his other hand. This grossed me out. If you HAVE to take trash out through the dining room, do it as quickly as possible and don't do it while holding someone's food! read more

Cap't Loui - Shrimp boil. Great portion but hard to take a picture of - Cajun/Creole Near Me - New York, New York

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