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    Ema's Cafe

    3.9 (56 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 2:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    Ema's Cafe Photos

    EMA'S CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Intimate
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Ema's Cafe

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    Delicious French Toast - thick French bread almost like a custard!
    Susan J.

    A little worried as we were the only people here (but it was 10:30 on a Monday morning)....but the quick service and delicious food were perfect! My French toast could not have been better! A thick and custard-y center with fat slices of French bread cooked perfectly! His biscuits and gravy were also great, thick sausage patties atop a split biscuit covered in gravy with side of thick cut potatoes. Make this your stop for breakfast; we are so glad we came here!!

    Cajun Benedict soo good
    Steven M.

    Beignets were perfect. The cajun Benedict was amazing! Great atmosphere and service! I definitely recommend.

    Crab Cake Benedict
    Macs R W.

    First morning in Lafayette, looking for an authentic Cajun brunch. Ema's was magnificent. Bright and attractive decor, intimate seating. (Turns out Ema's and Bailey's are the same place, Bailey's being the dinner side.) We split the seafood Benedict dishes, crab and crawfish, with grits. Delicious, prepared just the way we asked. Service was attentive, and we enjoyed the little fresh fruit amuse bouche. For the value, the tab was surprisingly economical. A wonderful start to our exploration of the town.

    Angie T.

    If I had to chose one of my best restaurant finds this year it would be Ema's Cafe, hands down. Let's talk about the atmosphere first. It's so bright and cheerful in here thanks to the big windows and colorful decor. It feels upscale but it's casual. I had the seafood omelette with a biscuit and a side of bacon. I highly recommend this dish! The omelette was cooked perfectly and was full of shrimp, crawfish and crab meat. Absolutely delicious. The biscuit did a nice job of soaking up all the leftover gravy and the bacon was awesome-cooked nice and crisp with none of undercooked fat that I dislike. My next visit I had to take it to go but that didn't affect the quality of the meal whatsoever. I tried the Cajun Benedict which comes on your choice of an English muffin or their biscuit. I had the English muffin and while it was delicious I'd definitely go with the biscuit next time. It was seasoned perfectly and I didn't add a thing to it. Go give Ema's a try! And don't forget their sister restaurant Bailey's next door for Sunday brunch!

    Cheese grits.
    Tara P.

    The milk gravy or ( white gravy ) at Breakfast was the best I have ever had. Eggs were over cooked for what was ordered and the cheese grits less than mediocre. I guess when ordering cheese grits, my expectations are high when thinking cheese would be incorporated into the grits not sprinkled shredded cheese. Considering there were many, Best Chef metals on the wall, unfortunately that sets expectations pretty high. I am Not a chef, but when I think of cheese grits I think of incorporating heavy whipping cream and cheese into the grits to make a rich and creamy grit dish. Chicken fried steak was also great.

    Cajun Benedict
    Amy N.

    One of the best Benedict dishes I've ever had! Ordered the Cajun Benedict and the chicken fried steak and eggs- ALL SO GOOD and cooked to perfection! I'd love to come back to taste the rest of the menu!

    Beignets

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    Review Insights

    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

    The grilled balsamic salmon from here is great. I ordered it on Waitr and got $5 off using code Local5!

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Excellent brunch and service. Similar to the French Press with better prices. Will definitely return

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    11 years ago

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    Page 2 of 2

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    The Cajun Table

    The Cajun Table

    4.3
    (248 reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$

    This restaurant is known for their crawfish unfortunately I visited for a weekday lunch and they…read morewere posting a sign on the doors after I had walked in stating they don't serve crawfish until 4pm weekdays, 3pm on weekends. This may have been part of the reason its wasn't all that busy on a Tuesday lunch. Similar to some other restaurants in Louisiana I've visited, they have a side with a bar, to-go area and high tops, and a more family oriented side of the restaurant with a bunch of low top tables. Fried pork rinds are served with every table. They have daily plate lunches and the one day I came it was chicken fried steak. However, it's not usually a good idea to order CFS outside of Texas in my experience. Therefore, I ended up ordering the catfish and shrimp platter, served grilled instead and added a $5 strawberry margarita. The entree comes with a side salad but they only have seelct dressings and none which I would typically order, so i just settled on honey mustard. Margarita- for only $5 it's not bad and comes with either sugar or salt rim Catfish and shrimp platter - seasoned with a blackened seasoning but it wasn't spicy. The catfish filet was small and tasted like it was previously frozen. The shrimp were also small and didn't taste much better. Not sure I'd return if ever in Lafayette, as I was really looking for a more festive environment and more grilled options.

    Responding to Chelsa K.'s 1* review. As I am someone who was in the restaurant when it happened…read more I just think it's funny how you aren't mentioning y'all came in as 6 people and then wanted accommodations for 30 people during one of the busiest times of the night. Or that they argued with the amazing manager for nearly an hour total after being told they couldn't accommodate that size party. They're also leaving out the part where people from their group marched in and seated themselves, stood over occupied tables waiting for guests to leave, insisting the hosts clean the tables, and made the entire restaurant uncomfortable. This had nothing to do with race and everything to do with behavior. Any group acting like that would've gotten the exact same response. In short, do better. Y'all came in and ruined everyone's dinner because y'all don't know how to plan ahead. Stop blaming people for your mistakes and take accountability.

    Photos
    8 EMPTY TABLES. All clean. All ready to go. But somehow they were all off limits to me.
    8 EMPTY TABLES. All clean. All ready to go. But somehow they were all off limits to me.
    Crawdads
    Crawdads
    The Cajun Table

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    Half Shell Oyster House

    Half Shell Oyster House

    4.0
    (176 reviews)
    2.6 mi
    $$

    Love love love the chargrilled oysters! I came in and had the chef's special chargrilled oysters…read more Omg, it was so good! My server wasn't the best. She was very friendly but forgot that I ordered a crab cake. I let her know and she was like, do you still want it. Kinda awkward , so I said no. I really wanted to try it :-( Also, after I ordered my dessert which was the banana foster cheesecake she forgot that I wanted her to close and bring my check. I'm sure it was just an off day for her. I will still go back and have oysters. Food is really great!

    From start to finish, this was a memorable evening. Our servers a young man and lady were…read morefantastic: attentive, friendly, and made the night even better. First Course: We began with the oyster sampler featuring Charbroiled, Bienville, Orleans, and Rockefeller styles. Each had its own unique flavor profile, and together they made a great introduction to the meal. Second Course: A crisp romaine and spring mix salad paired with a crawfish, crab, and corn bisque. The bisque was rich and comforting, perfectly balanced by the freshness of the salad. Main Course Highlights: Almond-crusted paneed chicken finished with roasted red bell pepper aioli. Grilled portabella mushroom stuffed with Gulf blue crab, shrimp, peppers, and spinach, topped with lemon aioli and parmesan. Filet Orleans (which I didn't try since I don't eat beef, but others raved about it). Dessert: The finale was a Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding drizzled with a decadent sauce -- warm, sweet, and absolutely delicious. Overall, the combination of excellent service, creative dishes, and indulgent dessert made this Yelp Event a true standout.

    Photos
    Grilled fish
    Grilled fish
    Try the portabella fries!
    Try the portabella fries!
    Bananas Foster Cheesecake

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    Bananas Foster Cheesecake

    Ema's Cafe - cafes - Updated August 2026

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