I'm becoming a bit addicted to lunch on Main Street in visalia. We arrived and were the first ones in the door. They have a wonderful menu of traditional Cajun food plus quite a few specials. Decisions, decisions. My dad had shrimp pasta. Yummy, spicy and rich. I had the express lunch of unlimited soup, salad and pasta. This day, they had some yummy pasta with Italian dressing. Not very many salad options but fruit and steamed veggies were excellent. The pasta had sausage, chicken and shrimp mixed with spicy sauce. Yum. The soup was clam chowder. I could have done without the big chunks of potato but it tasted excellent. I dipped my bread in it. I recommend lunch. There was a drum set so it looks like there is live music. This would be too much for me but others enjoy it. I recommend. read more

Crawdaddy's has officially become one of my top favorite restaurants. During these times, I understand many businesses are struggling with being able to afford appropriate staffing. That being said, wife and I, including our little toddler decided to beat the Valentines crowd by doing dinner the day before. So we went to Main Street Visalia and many restaurants just didn't have it down with slow and terrible service. We walked out of a few restaurants finally made it at the end of the strip thinking we may have to go somewhere else. We have been to Crawdaddys before and loved it, but didn't think we would be able to get in. As we try to enter, they asked if we had reservations, which we did not. As I was getting ready to get turned away, staff jumped through hoops to accommodate us. Not only did they make sure our baby was comfortable by seating us in a good place, we immediately felt the love and comfort of a restaurant that take care of their customers. We immediately got our drinks and within 15-20 minutes we got our entree. The food was immaculate, drinks were on point and perfect balance of checking on us was amazing. My wife and I will be coming back. We highly recommend them! Oh and I forgot to mention the ambiance of the whole live music is on point. read more

Crawdaddy's - Gin and tonic, mijito - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Visalia, California

Great place for a Family gathering, we were able to reserve the second floor which was amazing. Love the French Quarter vibe and all the details that added to the ambiance. Dora was our helpful organizer and was there to guide me the whole way. She was also very knowledgeable about each and every part of the process. The food was good and everyone enjoyed their meals. read more

Wow!! Amazing!! Came for brunch and was expecting a bigger menu but someone made it possible to have lunch menu . CALAMARI, amazing! 10/10!! Everything was great , service, atmosphere, food. Definitely recommend read more

Nice ambiance. I liked the upstairs because it was quiet. The food was good too. We used a coupon that made the prices for the size of food decent. Without the coupon, it would be expensive. But nothing amazing about the place. Just a nice restaurant. read more

Terrible service. Never made it inside. I called three times, days apart, to make a reservation and confirm that reservation the night of. We had a party of 10. I was assured on every phone call that our table would be ready with a couple minute wait. I was expecting 15 minutes maybe 20 at the most. Or what's the point of a reservation? We arrive and the host didn't know where our reservation was, and then told us it would be a 40 minute wait! Not one person, including the manager, cared about the lack of communication among staff members. The whole party of 10 decided to not give them our business. Extremely disappointed. And not COVID related. read more

Food is not worth the money , these dishes are anything but authentic , the prices don't match the quality first and last time here

If you're looking for live music and delectable food come to Crawdaddy's.Perfect for a date night or night out. read more

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Atmosphere and customer service was awesome! Food was bland after trying different things on the menu the several times me and boyfriend went. Probably will only come back for drinks. read more

The only reason I give this place a two star rating was because the waitress was super nice and was great at her job. The steak I order was over cooked not once but twice from what I asked for meat was very tough and was a lot of salt on the steak. I know I will not be going back there for there food. read more

Went on a Thursday night they had a live band that was pretty awesome I ordered the gumbo and was disappointed it was served on a plate on top of rice instead of a bowl like soup the blackened catfish was delicious and i think the bartender forgot to put alcohol in my drink read more

Some the best Pea Soup I have ever had. This is saying a lot, as I have grown up enjoying the best Pea Soup made by my Grand Mother, and now my Mother, so cheers to you Crawdaddy's!! Well done.. read more

I'm going to be nice because we love the food. Plus you can go have dinner then stay to have some drinks and dancing. But this past Sunday night we went for dinner which was excellent by the way. But then we went downstairs to sit at the bar and listen to the band. After placing our order for 2 drinks we waited for about 20 minutes with no drink and nothing from the bartender like Im on it coming right up. He even took the guys glass next to us and refilled it with beer. That's all I wanted but got nothing. So we put our money back in our pockets and walked out. read more

Great place to impress a date live band great dimly lit atmosphere with nice bar downstairs, upstairs available for a more peaceful dining experience everything is 5 Stars on the menu absolutely delicious authentic Cajun cuisine, the blackened catfish with mixed vegetables and rice pilaf is one of my favorites I've also tried the spicy Cajun shrimp pasta also 5 Stars the staff is really friendly and welcoming you have to try this place read more

Crawdaddy's - Blackened catfish with mixed vegetables and rice pilaf - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Visalia, California

One of my all time favorite restaurants!! Their food is awesome, never have had a bad meal. The calamari steak is the best EVER! I am now living in Arizona but visit Visalia often. When I do I make sure to eat at Crawdaddys. Also, Dora, server there is amazing lady. Best server, always remembers me. She is awesome!! read more

For those of you who wanted to make a road trip to these small communities for a great experience of food live music Crawdaddy's definitely represents a good-hearted destination. I highly recommend the shrimp gumbo it is out of this world and highly recommended to being true to a Cajun flavored dish. However I would say go light on the bell peppers because there is a large abundance of then. To balance the dish a little less would be great. Also want to say that the service here is very good thanks for the hospitality read more

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NOLA this is not, but it's a solid try. Crawdaddy's is located at the end of Main Street, on a corner, and looks like it was imported straight from Bourbon Street. With the brick facade and black wrought iron railings, you can imagine someone dropping beads down to you. We sat in the bar area since the upstairs was closed for lunch. Service was friendly and our beverages arrived promptly. We asked for 12 wings, Cajun popcorn shrimp, and a full rack of ribs. Ask and you shall receive. The wings were good. The popcorn shrimp was a bit overly breaded but tasty enough. The ribs were juicy and tasty. All was a-okay. Stella was served nice and cold. So was the Barrelhouse pint. Our meal was fine. I can think of other places in Visalia where I would rather eat. However, I imagine that this place lights up at night since the bar is set up for a live band. If I had a live band playing, then I tend to be less picky about my food. Stop here for a cold brew and a hot band. Bring your own beads. Laissez les bon temps rouler. read more

I don't know if the service is different downstairs, but NEVER EAT UPSTAIRS! My co-workers and I took one of our friends out to eat here to say good-bye to him since he was moving to Texas. I've never eaten here, but we decided to eat here since we all worked down the street and it would be easy. THE WORST SERVICE OF MY LIFE. I've been a server before, and I have never treated someone like their waiter Ramon treated us. He never checked on us, everyone but him brought us our drinks, refills and our appetizers. When he took our appetizer order, and my manager told him we were going to order dinner also, he cut her off and said, "I'm only doing appetizers right now" and waived his hand in her face to shut her up. After we all FINISHED our appetizers, he NEVER came back to take our order. After sitting there for over 20 minutes with no one waiting on us, my manager had to ask another server passing by if we could order dinner. By then I was fuming and refused to order dinner. Out of a table of 15, only 2 people ordered dinner because we were tired of waiting. Our guest of honor had to leave after just having an appetizer, so he could finish packing for his move, and we were all hungry! Mind you, while we sat wondering when someone would get to us, our server checked on at least 4 other tables of 2 people all around us THE WHOLE TIME WE WERE THERE. He then had the nerve to try and charge us for the bread we ate, even though he originally told us it was complimentary. He later changed that and said it was only complimentary if we ordered a meal, I argued back telling him I would have order more than an appetizer and drinks had someone come and taken my order. He took the bread off, and gave me my bill. For one Appetizer, two alcoholic drinks and an ice tea, my ticket came to $32.27. I'm not proud of this, but I left no tip. As a former waitress, I always appreciate a good server, and NEVER not leave a tip when I eat out at a restaurant, this is the first, and only time. When I checked my recent history tonight for my American Express card, I glanced at the charge from Crawdaddy's and saw it had cleared for 56.58. I wasn't sure how much we actually paid off of the top of my head, but when I found my receipt and looked at the detailed history for my AMEX statement, I saw that Ramon had left himself a $24.31 tip, even though I specifically remember leaving him nothing for his horrid service. That's roughly a 75% tip! I am LIVID and am going to warn all of my friends at work to check their statements, and you better believe I will have some choice words for either the manager or owner of Crawdaddy's tomorrow. read more

Crawdaddy's has so much potential: the location, the ambiance and the entertainment are all there, but the food is lacking. To start I had a beer and my friend had a glass of the pinot grigio. My beer was in a perfectly cold glass, just the way I like it. Unfortunately my friend did not enjoy her wine. We ordered the boudine balls, clam chowder, crab cake dinner and the gumbo. The boudine balls were okay, but the mozzarella cheese was still cold in the middle, I expected it to be melted since the balls were on the darker brown side of the fried food spectrum. I guess the oil they were fried in was just too hot. This appetizer was also supposed to have andouille sausage, but neither of us could tell it had any in it. My crab cakes dinner came with the clam chowder. The clam chowder was good and full of black pepper, it's a good thing I love black pepper! The only downside was the temperature of the soup, it came out lukewarm instead of piping hot. Shortly after the soup came, the entrees and the bread came out. The breadsticks were definitely fresh from the oven and went really well with the soup. The entrees however left much to be desired. My friend's gumbo had shrimp, crayfish and sausage. I don't know where Crawdaddy's sources their crayfish come from, but wherever they lived had to have been really muddy really really muddy because their meat tasted murky. They should check out Kelly's Crayfish which come out of the San Joaquin Delta...those taste delicious. On to my crab cakes. It came with three and I struggled to get through one because the kitchen did not clean the crab properly and I was biting down on crab shell :( The dish came with some sort of slaw. I enjoyed the tang of what it was dressed in, but the vegetables that it came with (no cabbage in this slaw...) were all different sizes, when I think of slaw I think of uniformly cut vegetables. The carrots, red onion and the green vegetable (either celery or green bell pepper, I wouldn't know I didn't taste it since I'm not a fan of either) were varying sizes and extremely sour/bitter, it almost tasted pickled. Sadly, we left hungry and ended up getting margaritas and mexican food elsewhere. read more

I don't know why anyone would diss this place. We loved it! We went upstairs for the upscale, quiet ambience. Lovely. (Downstairs is more of a bar scene). Head waiter took the napkin from our cups and placed into our laps. Our daughter is 17, and has limited experience with restaurants, and said she loved being in a "fancy restaurant." We let her order a strawberry daiquiri. Everyone was very friendly. I had blackened salmon with rice. They let me substitute a side salad for the veggies (I love salad-the Blue Cheese was good). Good sized portions also-we had leftovers the next night! So, though it's pricey, it can go for two meals if you're not a heavy eater, or, just add a side the second night. *Note* The salmon was yummy, and the lemon sauce was absolutely super delicious! And, the bread was bountiful. We used the Groupon and it really reduced price. In the end, with the Groupon and leftovers, it cost no more than a diner meal. Want to get great reward points AND get a reduced price? Use MyPoints! I do all the time. It adds up. https://www.mypoints.com?rb=22284248 read more

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A fantastic place to come for a warm environment and great food and drinks. Keith is wonderful, and the regulars are friendly!

I usually don't review local businesses, however tonight Crawdaddy's really shined tonight! The food was absolutely amazing! Not something you'd expect from Visalia. Appetizers, drinks, and entrees were totally on point. The band was really great as well! Highly recommended! read more

I'm gonna saw 2.5 stars to be exact... The live music here is probably the best part, followed by the food, and then the service. This last Saturday night, the band was pretty decent, but it was super loud. So loud that conversation was difficult. We had a blast watching this 60 year old lady on the dance floor, trying so hard to draw attention to herself by sucking on a penis-shaped straw...pathetic, but I guess it sure got our attention! Ha! The food was pretty good...I had the burger which was nice and juicy and the veges were fresh, pretty and ripe...something you don't always get on a burger! Wish I would have tried the sweet potato fries, but I forgot to ask for them when ordering. Husband got the chicken fried steak...pretty meh looking...and tasting...why the hell can't anyone make a decent chicken fried steak?!? We ordered appetizers...Sampler platter..not much to speak of really. Nothing seems freshly made..like they just pull it out of the freezer, fry and serve. That sucks 'cause real Cajun food is damn good and impossible to find around here. And onto the service. The bar service that we had prior to seating was excellent. The (ahem...handsome) bartender busted out a fresh bottle of wine for me, which I certainly appreciate. Our waitress was another story. She was fairly MIA for most of the meal, only coming to take our order and drop off the food. We soooo would have had more drinks if she would have been around a little more. Pretty disappointing really. Had to flag her down to ask for mustard, and again for drinks, and again for the check.....gees. I wouldn't go back here unless invited along by someone else, and then, would prefer to just go for drinks and then go somewhere else to eat. read more

We came here because my mom,who has lung cancer, wanted to go somewhere special for my birthday. It started off ok, the waiter took out orders, drinks came out quickly as did the rest of the food. We were just getting started on our main courses when the waiter came and asked if everything was ok. At that point everything had been good and so we said yes. Shortly after the two people in our party who had ordered entrees with vegetables realized the veggies were cold. We asked one of the people serving water to get our waiter. It took a bit and when he came we let him know that the veggies were cold. The only response was ok and he walked away. I assumed that he was going to bring more veggies, but the next time he came by he brought a dessert menu. We asked what was happening about the veggies and his response was to say ," when I first came by I had already asked if everything was ok". I was shocked at his response and my son pointed out that when he first came by we didn't know the veggies were cold because we had just gotten our food. At this point he became defensive and said he didnt know what he could do for us. There was no effort to make it right and so we asked if those 2 meals could be discounted since the vegetables were cold and we were ready to leave. He did agree, but he was snarky about it. My husband wanted to talk to the manager and so the manager came to the table and said "I heard you guys wanted to talk to me. " He didn't introduce himself and after we complained about the attitude of the waiter he said ok and didnt respond. He didnt apologize or ask of there was anything he could do to make it right. In fact, he made a comment saying "well, it looks like you ate the food with a definite smirk. We spent over 200.00 at this restaraunt, but even of we only spent 20.00 I would expect to be treated better than we were. It wasn't about getting anything free, it was the attitude and complete lack of respect given to our complaint. I would never return to spend any amount of money at this establishment read more

Great place!! Fun time had by my husband and I. Came up from Fresno and enjoyed everything! Jennifer was our waitress and we will be asking for her again the next time we come! Owner came and talked with us and gave us a bottle of wine. Live music was great! Can't wait to come back with friends. read more

Not impressed with the entries here, and I love Cajun/creole fare. The jambalaya pasta did not temp my tummy in the slightest, and the avocado chicken wasn't anything special either. Maybe I need to try the steaks, or another speciality. The appetizers are pretty good here and the drinks are nice and strong though. I've dined here half a dozen times and have never left satisfied, but for some reason I'm really having a hard time giving up on this place. Maybe it's the super cute n'awlins design and atmosphere. Here's to one more try. read more

This place is good for a drink and show but not for dinning, came in for a nice dinner with wife and was asked how long we were going to stay. Waitress was rude and very pompous. If your a local you'll probably get more respect then the non locals, good luck read more

Came in excited, left confused. Came here for lunch. You can order off the menu or partake in their lunch buffet of salad and pasta, or chili relleno or enchiladas. That's where I was confused. Their theme conveyed a New Orlean's vibe, but I was offered an enchiladas option. Hmmm. Their menu seemed to be all over the place. Yes, there's Étouffée (which was the only dish that offered crawfish), Gumbo, Po'Boys, and Jambalaya. But there's also pasta, chicken wings, and burgers. Our server said "Our chili relleno and burgers are the best". Hmm not your "New Orleans" dishes? I ordered their Mac and Cheese. Yummy. But overall, the prices were a little much for what was being offered and the service provided. Friendly service but slow. Everyone in my party said the food was average. The food cannot justify the prices, especially if its for lunch. read more

Stopped here for St. Patty's Day. Wife and I had drinks and appetizers. There isn't much N'awlins food here. Just food drowned in Tabasco... We tried the Boudin Balls. Which is supposed to be Crispy rice balls stuffed with Andouille sausage and Mozzarella. But it wasn't crispy, and the rice was over cooked and you couldn't taste the sausage. We also had Brushetta. Which was grilled sourdough with tomato,garlic and basil. But, it came out on soggy bread( should have used french bread) and had no flavor. The bread should be rubbed in olive oil before grilling. It was plain... Popcorn shrimp tasted frozen. Its a shame, because if they actually made fresh food from N'awlins, it would be awesome. read more

...at least the waiter was good. For the price the food was not worth it. Dinner for two for just under 100.00 The fresh fish was undercooked and the table next to us complained that their lobster was overcooked. The crabcakes were good. Probably won't return. read more

One of our new favorite restaurants. My husband brought me here for valentines day and the service,ambience and food was amazing. We have been back twice since and both times just as great. Love their basa filet and their crab cakes. Did not care for their jambalaya (being from the south its just not the same). read more

beautiful bar, friendly staff, and awesome vibes, but the jambalaya was pretty bland, tasteless, and lacked spice that should be ubiquitous in Cajun food. If you want a drink, go to this bar, its nice, but I wasn't impressed with the Cajun food (it should have SOME spice) read more

I must admit I've only been once. I'm from the south so I love Cajun and creole food. This just did not satisfy. The food was ok, but just not there in terms of spice and portion. I ordered the fried catfish and only got one fillet. Catfish is so cheap and at the price they charged I felt ripped off that I didn't get at least two. The food was ok quality, just not better and felt overpriced. read more

Love the atmosphere. Live music and just a very "Cheers" like bar section. Great food. This is a beautiful restaurant and is so fun for a date or meeting up with friends. Kind of kid friendly, they are accommodating, but, it's very loud at times. read more

Honestly, this place is pretty terrible. I never get seafood on the west coast unless it's fresh crab or salmon from Alaska.. This was a huge mistake I could have easily avoided. The atmosphere of this place was great, the bar tender was great, everything else was complete dog sh*t. The prices were an insult to injury. Obscenely priced for the worst food I've had in years. The onion straws were like a Burger King angus burger without the burger or bun, just deep fried factory floor shavings. The artichoke hearts taste better out of the jar in the Whole Foods parking lot. Long story short: food is not worth the money. Stop in for a great drink and scream Stella at the people on the second floor but don't even think about ordering food. read more

Keith and the team are awesome! Would definitely recommend coming back just for the service alone!

This review is for upstairs dining, not the downstairs "bar/music" area. The service my wife and I received was superb. Timing was excellent, from drinks and apps to entrees and desserts. The servers that waited on our table were there when we needed them. The food was very delicious. I ordered the prawns with a jalapeno cream cheese sauce, which was wonderful (albeit not spicy for it being a "jalapeno" sauce). My wife's steak was cooked to perfection. Crab cakes for appetizer and chocolate dessert were flavorful as well. All told, the meal cost about $80 for the two of us, so this is a place just for special occasions for us, but is a place we will return to. read more

My family & I had lunch here on Sunday, August 25. The server was the only waitress. Although she was nice, service was a little slow. Food was good, not great. Loved the dipping sauce served w/ the sweet potato fries, but the fries themselves weren't crispy & were all tangled together. Our table had the shrimp poboy, steak poboy & blackened catfish. All ok. Nice change, but won't be a favorite of ours. read more

The food was cold when it finally did come to us. The drinks were very very little alcohol with a lot of juice for pricey drinks. The bread pudding bites smelled and tasted like fried shrimp and the sauce that came with it was tasteless and the texture was odd. The service was absolutely horrible. I would give zero stars if that was possible. read more

The inside was nice and they have Tvs all around for sports. I ordered the calamari appetizer and it was rubbery and tasted like it was poured from a bag of stuff you could get at the store. I had the fettuccini Alfredo with shrimp. It was way over priced and the sauce was thin. My friend had the filet mignon. She seemed to enjoy it and the steak was a decent size compared to other places I've been. The wait staff was nice and very attentive. The food is way over priced for the type of restaurant it is. I could of went to Ruth Chris steak house and spent another $20 and had a much better meal. read more