I've dropped in more than once. First to try their Crawfish Pistolette and another time for their Red Beans and Rice. While the setting is great, live music playing on one occasion, the food was unexpectedly bland and somewhat lacking. Having a partially Cajun background, I expected spice and flavor to shine through and I don't feel it did. The cornbread was not soft or fluffy. Red beans and rice had maybe 5 sausage and was overshadowed by the amount of beans and rice. Their lemonade is where I was actually impressed -- sometimes I think maybe I'll just drop in for the vibes and a lemonade. Waitresses were friendly and quick to serve on both occasions. I was sat within a few minutes. The area is small / medium. Groups over 4 or 5 might want to reconsider. There is decor on every inch of the place giving it a very cool feel. I wouldn't go out of my way here, but I'm glad I tried it. Would recommend to at least try it and maybe the spice level is great for others but I did expect a bit more. read more

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Great service!! Nice ambiance, live music! But food was very disappointing, very small portions for what we were paying and bland food. Everything needed salt and flavor. Expected a lot more from the reviews. read more

Evangeline Café - Gold Band Creole - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I had the crawfish pistolette for an appetizer. They were absolutely delicious and a large portion. I love the way the place is set up with the old-school advertisements on the table. It just feels like a really cool place. The service is always perfect and a lot of times the owner is there himself to thank you. The étouffée and jambalaya are amazing. Everything there is good. read more

Got takeout the other day for lunch - the #5.. poboy and gumbo cup. I was disappointed by the poboy. The bread and was somewhat stale and the ingredients just didn't seem fresh or substantial. The gumbo was alright, but, like the poboy, didn't seem particularly fresh either. Given the popularity of the place I still think it's worth another try, especially for dinner... Just looking at the pictures makes me hungry! read more

Evangeline Café - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I was in the mood for Cajun food and I really wanted to have more of a casual neighborhood feel, and this was the place. The ambient is great and it sets the mood for the food. The staff are really attentive and made lots of great suggestions. I ordered the seafood gumbo, it was not the best gumbo I've ever tried but it was pretty good and the seafood was fresh. I can't quite put my finger on what was off compared to what I've had but again it was good. In addition I ordered the seafood combo platter with fried shrimp and fried crawfish with a side of dirty rice, that was great! Overall enjoyed my experience. read more

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A must on our Austin visits! Food is always phenomenal, decor on point, and Liddy's awesome service was quite welcoming after our flight from NYC. Boudin, stuffed pistolettes, Jambalaya, and Po' Boys are a must! read more

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Karen and I paid a second visit to this Cajun eatery, and it has solidified our reasons for putting it among our top three favorite restaurants in eight months of eating our way around the Austin area. The cafe is on the west side of Brodie Lane, a mile or two north of West Slaughter Lane. Google maps says it is 11 miles or 23 minutes from Turner's Crossing. It's an easy drive and, I kid you not, this place is absolutely worth a visit if you like good food or are eager to try something new. Karen and I are adventurous diners and enjoy finding meals different from the ordinary. This place offers outstanding food pretty much impossible to find in the usual places. We have broken bread in Cajun joints, nice cafes and high-end restaurants in New Orleans, and are delighted to find a place with authentic Cajun eats so convenient to us here. And now to the meat of this review. The first item listed under the Cajun and Creole section of the menu grabbed me by the eyeballs and practically called my name. It is the Hank Williams Platter ($15.99), featuring jambalaya, crawfish pie and filé gumbo. Well, what else would you expect on a platter named after Hank Williams? (And now that song has been running through my head for the last few hours.) It turned out to be a real treat. Spicy, but not overpowering. Of course, there were three bottles of hot New Orleans sauces on the table to add more fire if you enjoy burning off your taste buds. The crawfish pie looked exactly like an empanada, but was filled with crawfish tails in a creamy sauce. Can you say yummy? The filé gumbo was a mound of rice imbedded with chunks of tender chicken and andouille sausage. The jambalaya was a rich broth full of rice, chicken and more of the spicy sausage. If you are familiar with these Cajun dishes, you will not be disappointed. This is the authentic, real deal. Karen chose the fried oyster basket ($14.99), which came with French fries and the best cocktail sauce we have had. Probably because the chef had a heavy hand with the horseradish. That amped-up sauce sure beat plain catsup for the fries too. I know because I helped eat them. Karen noted that the oysters were all plump and succulent. We split a sizable dessert of bread pudding, which was sweet and firm with a topping of some pecans and praline sauce. We still brought half of that home. Our waitress, a friendly and efficient server named Jennifer, was helpful in answering questions about dishes with which we were not familiar. ------------- Following are notes from a previous visit to Evangeline Cafe: ------------- Karen and I both like good Cajun food and now have found a third place to put in our rotation of New Orleans-style restaurants. The first two are near us in Buda, while the Evangeline Cafe is in southwest Austin. We tried it for a late lunch/early dinner, and were impressed with the quality of the food. Karen decided on the small, fried oyster Po-boy, and didn't leave a bite on her plate. She said it was delicious and filling. There was a second, bigger size on the menu, but what she ordered was just perfect for her appetite. I went with the "maw maw chicken and sausage gumbo," a big bowl of tasty Cajun creativity. It had some heat, but I had to sample each of three separate bottles of Louisiana hot sauce on the table. All added a little more kick to the dish, but it really didn't need extra seasoning to be outstanding. The place was not crowded in mid-afternoon. I understand seating can sometimes be an issue in the evenings, especially on weekends, when live music is playing. The menu offered a broad assortment of Louisiana dishes, while the Cajun vibes and background music certainly added to our experience. Decor is probably best described as New Orleans kitsch. read more

Always good food! Best cajun from the Louisiana banks. Live music on the side, what a treat! read more

Evangeline Café - House Cabernet, good selection! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Austin, Texas

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A humble cajun restaurant with some outdoor seating (+bees), decent food, and friendly service. It was a bit busy at the end of lunch time, so service was a little slow. As for food, the gumbo was not memorable, except that the sausage was pretty tasty. The grilled shrimp po-boy was not bad, since it had a good amount of protein in it, but the Evangeline (thousand island) sauce overpowered the flavor. For $9 it's a good deal, but my overall experience was just average. I may come again for a quick to go lunch. read more

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I almost hate leaving a review for this hidden gem in South Austin. Sometimes you discover a place so cool, you want to keep it to yourself. Cute. Cozy. Hip. Creative. Pretty petticoat junction girls meet Austin and Louisiana. The decor is busy but fascinating. You just KNOW those walls are whispering lyrics from the ghosts of a Texas Warbling Man. Even the tabletops left me squinting to see more... to read the coins or caps pressed into their surfaces. We were seated quickly. Greeted promptly by our smiling server. Order taken. Salads delivered. All this before I was able to nudge my dining companion with a grin, pointing out some of the more interesting eclectic art. I had the catfish. Hubby had a Po' Boy. My 84 year old mother, who ordered shrimp (which is why we braved the Texas Freeze on the coldest day of 2022 in the first place). Everything was piping hot. Perfectly cooked and the portions are ample without being ridiculously over-served. I ate every single bite. We'll be back. We are committed now to tasting our way through the menu. I do want a different table next time. I need to explore a few more square yards of smile worthy walls. read more

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Glad we got here early because this place filled up quickly! We stopped in for a bite between Dr appointments today and we were pleasantly surprised. I'm originally from New Orleans and I'm somewhat picky about my home State food. My husband got the catfish lunch special which he quite enjoyed. I got the shrimp lunch special as the jambalaya that I ordered wasn't quite ready. Our son got the gumbo with a shrimp pie and dirty rice. Everything was hot, fresh and flavorful. We will be back to try other items and try to catch some live music! read more

Felt like I was in NOLO for lunch. Yummy fried catfish poor boy with fresh veggies and jalapeño mayo. Fries were served hot and crispy just like I enjoy them. The lunch specials are a bang for your buck. read more

Always a fantastic meal and a good price. The service is very friendly. Love stopping here.

Having just returned from a trip to New Orleans, my wife and I were really excited to try this place out considering the great reviews it had. Unfortunately we couldn't have left more disappointed. We ordered the gator bites ($15) and ate about 3-4 before giving up on them. Very very tough and chewy, even for alligator. We've had plenty of fried alligator before. These were either old or over cooked and had no flavor in the batter. The sauce on top was fine but that's about it. We also had the stuffed catfish ($20) and the Speedy's catfish ($19). Both were very bland on a bed of bland white rice and had little sauce. The catfish just didn't seem fresh and over all the dishes were lacking the flavor we were expecting. You can't just sprinkle cayenne powder or whatever that is on top of everything and expect it to be great. The Cajun food I consider good has been marinating in flavorful sauces. Frozen Zatarain meals from HEB have more flavor and kick than the food from this place. With all of the experience listed on their website, I highly suggest these owners take a trip to Louisiana, have themselves several authentic Cajun meals, and come back to readjust their menu accordingly. This place is nowhere near being ranked the number one in Texas as it states on their website. They're not even number one in Austin. The only thing authentic is the decor. Sadly, it seems like the passion for cooking authentic Cajun food is gone and you can taste it. We won't be coming back as this was an unfortunate waste of $70. Update: Curtis, you've got to make a change, man. You're posting the same basic reply to a lot of unsatisfactory reviews on here but clearly not standing by your own word when it comes to doing better. I want Evangeline Cafe to succeed, but these bad reviews are going to keep rolling in unless you actually do something different. read more

This place is the best. Andy Gator shrimp po boys and beautiful dark haired women. You could open this place in any Louisiana town and no one would complain at all. read more

Evangeline Café - Evangeline's cafe - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Huge fan of Evangeline Cafe!! Always a good meal, and the best Cajun-Creole food in Austin! read more

The poboy bread was just wrong; it wasn't even heated. Gumbo tasted a bit like burned dishwater with greasy bits of sausage floating about. Also, the country fried steak my husband ordered had absolutely zero flavor. We won't be back. Grew up 45 min outside of Louisiana and this is as far from creole OR Cajun as you can get. Not a single item was finished. We left full plates, paid and went elsewhere to eat a proper lunch. It was that horrible. The server was super nice. That warranted two stars. read more

I will be back to do a proper review, because this place was so so good. We chose a few appetizers to share. Wow! We were so glad we did. So very very good. I will be back. Until then, check the photos of the amazing food & a few if their interior. Such a great little place. I will be back. read more

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I can't count the times I've eaten at Evangeline. Last update was 2009 and back then this restaurant was well on it's way to cementing it's reputation as South Austin royalty. Then, there's Curtis Clarke. That spry moustache and a firm handshake for all his repeated patrons. Men at least. I'm sure Curtis has kissed more women that Richard Dawson. It's all good starting with appetizers which I recently started with on the patio. Well, almost! Yep, a covid-19 review folks. On the first day dining I got near extreme jealousy from mom who hasn't got out much. A fried shrimp po boy with house made signature sauce sans lettuce with the best gumbo in town. OK, mom was pissed. Next day, I had picked out a car I wanted to buy. I bought her off for driving me down there with...yep, you guessed it...A glass of merlot. Followed immediately by Oysters Contraband. House made chips with a fried oyster with Evangeline sauce and spicy sausage crumble. Next, the best gumbo in Austin. DARK ROUX ahead. Knowing that the owner is from the Lake Charles area, it's basically unmatched whether you pick the land option or the sea. Not to much andouille (preferred) in this cajun staple. Roux fest friends; and it's in my opinion perfect. Other faves include..everything. Fried, grilled, it doesn't matter..It's gonna be amazing! read more

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Amazing food and great service every time we go!! The pistolettes were delish, don't pass them up!

Not good food, prices are high for what is served. I've had better frozen fish sticks. $70 for 2 I expected better service and better food. They messed up my plate and took off food of it and gave it back messed up. Salad was sad, gumbo was burnt. Only good thing was my husband's beer. read more

Food quality has gone from 5 stars to 2 Stars... We were here last night and left saying "Wow, dinner was Meh...Big Let-Down!!" +Chicken & Sausage Gumbo: Very very watered-down, half a 1 chicken, didn't see any Sausage. And Zero Flavor guess it was just too watered down. But lots and lots of white rice. +Seafood Gumbo: Also very watered-down, 2 pieces of possibly 1 shrimp, everything else must have disintegrated into nothing or it was too small for the Eye to See!! And again...no real flavor. Too much liquid added to the roux. IDK +Stuff Pork Chop: Overcooked, very dry. No savory brown gravy! The waitress brought some out later after mentioning it was missing. Boudin pecan pesto was as tasteless as plain jane Thanksgiving cornbread. +Shrimp basket: Good. As simple as it is, it'd be tough to mess up. The wait staff was Great and Friendly as always but we were there for the food. But the food wasn't what it used to be. Sad Night. :( read more

TLDR: a solid place to scratch the cajun itch in Austin Came here for lunch on a Saturday. The restaurant was absolutely popping, and wait time for an inside table was ~45 minutes. we were able to be seated immediately outside, and there was a nice breeze that day, so we went with that. We started with the fried pickles, as well as a cup of gumbo for myself. The fried pickles were pretty solid. nothing super remarkable, but who doesn't love fried pickles. The gumbo was really solid, a bit watery, but still some of the best I've had in Austin. For my main I had a shrimp poboy.The base components were good, but the shrimp was overly fishy and didn't really come out well. overall, it was alright, but certainly nothing worth writing home about. Overall, really solid little place. 3.5/5 read more

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We had a stuffed crawfish pistolette for our appetizer which was creamy and delicious and was not spicy at all. I ordered the catfish with crawfish macque Choux and it was creamy and spicy! Make sure you enjoy spicy in your food before you order this dish. It is was a phenomenal dish and would definitely have it again. I tried my fiancées dish: gold band creole and the shrimp was probably one of the best fried shrimp I've had. It has a creamy tomato base with strong tomato flavor. It was moderately spicy as well. The shrimp makes the dish. For dessert we had the pecan pistolette and it was warm, drizzled with caramel and powdered sugar. I'm usually not the biggest fan of pecans, but this was DELICIOUS!!! The service was fast and very attentive. read more

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Love the food here ! The service is always excellent also ! Try the red beans and rice and a pecan pistole for dessert ! read more

Very disappointed. Been here many times and generally pretty happy with the place. $18 for a bowl of noodles and maybe 12 tiny crawfish? Shameful. The pistolette was mostly bread and very little cheese sauce. Do better. read more

I used to have lunch there once a week, until I noticed that they also serve Frogs Legs!! That means the frogs are still alive and thrown in trash cans with their chopped off legs, served on your plate!!! You are eating their legs as they die an agonizing and slow death in the garbage can. This is so so so inhumane. read more

Great little spot. Fantastic creole food! We had stuffed cat fish, alligator, frog legs, po boys and the most amazing fried pickles I have ever had. It's a noisy crowded place in a strip mall, definitely nothing fancy. But their air conditioning worked and the food was fantastic! And full bar read more

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We visited Evangeline on a weekday for lunch. The wait was about 30 min. It was a bit chaotic since there were a lot of people trying to get in for lunch and the host was having a hard time keeping track of everyone on the list. I guess this is a sign that the place is popular and their food is delicious. We ordered the avocado stuffed with shrimp as an appetizer. It was alright, I don't think I would order it again. For entree, my friend had the crawfish etouffe and I had the shrimp creole. Our entrees were definitely way better than the appetizer. The portions are really good for lunch, they are not big and you won't be dozing off after your meal. The etouffe was creamy and delicious. I enjoyed the creole, the flavors were really good and the shrimp was tender and flavorful. I wanna go back and try their PO Boys next time. read more

Evangeline Café - Crawfish Etoufee - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Austin, Texas

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This place is still one of the best places I have had the pleasure of enjoying anywhere, and I travel a lot...all over the world. Austin is one of my homes and Evangeline one of the very best restaurants I have experienced, so I drop in whenever I am in town. It is not a Michelin rated stodgy place so don't get your panties in a bunch. It is the food, the people, the ambiance and the love that goes into this place that makes it stand out. Sit down, order an Abita Purple Haze and just spend a couple minutes looking around you. Check out the walls, the various photos, the history, animals and the table tops. Shut up, stop thinking for a couple minutes and just listen to the conversations going on around you. If you are lucky they have some local musicians playing their hearts out as you enjoy your experience. Pretty much everything there is food at its finest. If you have never been there try it and have an amazing food experience. If you have been there why the hell are you reading this??? Go get some great tasting food and an Abita! read more

Great food, ambiance, music. Small inside but great food. Worth any wait Mardi gras time its nuts but once you eat there you will see why read more

Phenomenal....service, food, wait time, ambience...all phenomenal! Will be our new go to in Austin!

Great poboys, pretty cheap beers, and solid fried gator. Highly recommend this little taste of Nawlins

I used to love this place. Frequented it regularly with friends. I moved away from the area and was no longer able to come back. What I remember prior to moving was flavorful entrees and chips with Evangeline sauce. I have since moved back to south Austin and asked my boyfriend if we could order from Evangeline's. I was stoked on it. I unfortunately was under the weather, so we had to order to go. He ordered fried crawfish and rice. I ordered a fried oyster Po-Boy with Evangeline sauce. I hoped it came with the chips and Evangeline sauce as a side like it always did when I ate in before. It didn't. Not only that, but my Po-Boy came completely dry. No sauce of any kind. My boyfriend said his fried crawfish and rice were completely unseasoned and that the crawfish tasted like unseasoned bread crumbs. To say we were disappointed was an understatement, especially for the price we paid. read more

Why have I been missing out on the Vegetarian Gumbo? The Gumbo is on par with my favorites in Louisana for sure. Great food, music, and service. It's like stepping back to a time when Austin was an island of chill. read more

This started out as a complete train wreck. I've not had an experience with a hostess go this bad since my Boudro's review but the food salvaged it in the end. Even at 2:00 in the afternoon this place is packed. They have like seven waitresses in a small space which is brilliant to get the flow moving. The interior has been decorated long before most of the neighborhoods sprang up do it is a local institution. I started out with the gumbo. I was confused at first whether something in the massive pot got burnt or I don't know what Creole spices are. You know that taste? Something got scorched and the whole pot has that taste? But it was faint and while I order a lot of gumbo I've never been to Louisiana. So while the table was mixed in their opinion of my gumbo I trusted the chef. Well actually, with a table too full of Louisiana Hot Sauces I solved the problem! I went large for lunch and tried the Macque Choux. I liked it a lot! The thing has a bit of heat so beware if you don't like a little. It was basically a grilled catfish on white rice with a lot of spice (I would say like Old Bay but someone more informed will Mock me). Covered on the top was a clear corn & crawfish chowder. The whole thing worked well. read more

Evangeline Café - Macque Choux was a grilled cat hush and corn/crawfish chowder that I liked. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Great little Cajun spot with good food and wonderful service! A little bit of Louisiana in the heart of Texas! The oyster po-boy was fantastic, along with the boudin & alligator bites! Cold Abita beer! The pecan pistolettes were surprisingly unique and incredible! Never had anything like them! Well worth a visit!!! read more

First time here. I had a po boy, it was alright. The bread was fresh. The piece of fish was small. The gumbo was bland.The shrimp pistolette was the best. My daughter had a bowl of gumbo and it was watery and bland. read more

Love the cajun vibes and the wait staff is great. Lunch specials are a good deal. My husband loves their hamburger and po boys and I get a seafood basket. read more

Food was good, service was good. Went at lunch time & they had good lunch specials I would def go back!