I came here for dinner a few months ago. The is one of those quintessential Cajun restaurants that you have to try. Everything here is good home cooking, comfort food, smothered in love and butter. I ordered the gumbo and fried chicken. Check out my pic with that dark, chocolate roux! There aint no better roux that a dark chocolate roux. This gumbo was so good and the seafood melted in my mouth. With the entree, you get so much food and rich food! Stuffed bell pepper, crawfish etouffee, fried shrimp, crab au gratin. And I am pretty sure the tartar sauce was made in house. The restaurant is a decent size. Mostly families come here to dine. There is plenty of parking and quick service. No reservations needed, but this place foes get packed. Everything was so good! You got to try it! read more

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The service is always good on to go orders with great safe sealed packaging so I enjoy ordering from here! The red beans and rice & vegetable soup are consistently good and fresh! The soup is overpriced but I continue to order it I was disappointed with the onion rings since they're usually delicious but were soggy this time so the container must've been closed when too hot since condensation was in container. Yes, I recommend this place, AGAIN!! Cheers! read more

Rachael's Cafe - Red Beans & Rice - Cafes Near Me - Lafayette, Louisiana

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Yes, a group of friends and I ate at Racheal. It was very good. One friend had gumbo. He said it was delicious. I had chicken fried steak. It very good. read more

Grilled seafood platter was great! Fried not so good---stuffed crab and shrimp appeared over fried or refried! Stuffing was dry! Multiple crab fingers and shrimp were well seasoned and delicious! read more

if I could give this place 10 stars I would this food is fantastic and tastes like my Cajun son in-law cooked it himself wooooo weeeee that's good 10 stars read more

Food is amazing always this place has been around for a long time and it's always a go to for a good home-cooked meal.

We came at lunch great service and ordered the seafood platter for me and my husband ordered a 9 dollar poboy that he was great and ate the other when we got home. He wouldn't share one bite with me it was that good. My seafood platter was good too but i thing I will order oyster poboy for me next time if you like fried oysters and I do. read more

Edit to add: The burgers are AMAZING! Get a burger with the jalepeno sourdough bun and pepperjack cheese, I promise it's not spicy but so so flavorful. Also the beef and vegetable soup is what dreams are made of. read more

Rachael's Cafe - Beef & Vegetable Soup - Cafes Near Me - Lafayette, Louisiana

I don't even know where to start--this place is absolutely phenomenal. We arrived around 11 a.m., and by 11:15 a.m., all the tables were taken, both indoors and outdoors. They offer daily specials for $12 a plate. My father ordered the steak and sausage with rice and gravy and lima beans. I went with the chicken fried steak, which came with two sides. I chose the mashed potatoes and seafood jambalaya. For starters, I had the Rachel Signature gumbo, a blend of shrimp, crab, crawfish, and sausage. It was hands down the best gumbo I've ever tasted. They should seriously consider entering the New Iberia Gumbo Cookoff when the time comes. My mom had the beef and vegetable soup, which was good, but I'd recommend exploring some of the other standout options on the menu instead. At checkout, I noticed they had a freezer stocked with items to take home. I picked up a quart of the crab and corn bisque, the Rachel Signature gumbo, a crawfish pie, and a crawfish-stuffed catfish. All of that totaled $54, and it was well worth it. This isn't just a charming mom-and-pop restaurant--it's a true gem for Louisiana soul food. read more

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Awesome seafood gumbo! We stopped in on a Thursday afternoon and even though it is super hot outside, I had to order a cup of seafood gumbo now I'm a gumbo snob who doesn't like okra. I wasn't that hungry so I only wanted a cup of. They brought a huge cup! It was dark and full of shrimp with some lumps of crab. Very good! I also ordered the crab cake appetizer. Big portion but a little too much bread in them so why I didn't give 5 stars. Hubby got the catfish and it was excellent. read more

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Love the quaint atmosphere. Food is good home cooked Cajun food. The wait is longer than you would expect. Nice place to sit and visit. Not a place to visit if you are in a hurry. read more

Food is delicious. Stopped by for lunch and tried the hamburger steak and fried okra. Both delicious and service was great.

Always great food and excellent price point Friendly staff. Oyster sandwiches are the best I've eaten in a while

I just got a quick to-go order of fried oysters and seafood gumbo. The oysters were just perfect. Best fried oysters I've had in 20 years. I miss Louisiana food, that's for sure. The gumbo was a touch more watery than I'd prefer but had plenty of flavor. Service was excellent, even though they could barely hear me order over the phone and couldn't hear my name. I wish I'd had more time in Lafayette to explore the menu. Definitely go here for your Cajun fix! read more

Visiting the area with okra gumbo on my wish list. Was not disappointed. The shrimp and okra gumbo was the best!!! Generous portions. Excellent friendly service. Will definitely come back next time I'm in town. Thank you for an awesome experience read more

Great food, nice people. Cozy. Food was hot and fresh, place was fairly crowded but the servers made us feel like we were the only people in the place. Will go again and again read more

Rachael's Cafe - Crawfish Etouffee, Red beans, fried shrimp and fried okra. - Cafes Near Me - Lafayette, Louisiana

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Rachael's is kind of like Fight Club, most people don't know about it, therefore no one talks about it, therefore rule number one-done. Rule number two-you don't talk about Rachael's even when you know about it, because I don't even know why. It's such a secret that I told my dad about it one day and he had never heard of it. Lived here his entire life, proudly calls himself the plate lunch king and had no idea it was there. Look, I don't know why it's like this. I didn't make the rules. I have an idea why this place isn't always packed though. It's in such a weird location. It's on a street that is at the moment filled with construction trucks because when Lafayette sees that there are some trees and a nice field they like to tear that shit down and put buildings up. The little strip mall where it is located is mostly abandoned so when I went looking for it one day I was sure I had made a wrong turn. You really have to be looking for it to find it. If you make it there, you'll be happy you did. I love the plate lunches here. Portions are super generous and home cooked. I taste a little bit of love in each bite when I get one of the lunches from this locally family owned business. And here I am breaking all the rules and letting you in on this secret cafe. When you know, you know. So go show Rachael and her family some love. read more

Rachael's Cafe - Steak & sausage in brown gravy and Lima beans - Cafes Near Me - Lafayette, Louisiana

Awesome food ... feel good food ... best gumbo and the shrimp stew is amazing simple put u have to try it

Very nice servers, typical Cajun Restaurant atmosphere, good, basic plate lunches and sandwiches. Recommended.

Can't see what the good reviews. Chicken is pieced meal together. Service is very unfriendly. Do not recommend

Do me on yelp and saw they had really good reviews and served a mean chicken fried steak. I told my server I really wanted chicken friend chicken. Without hesitation he told me they could make it. It did not disappoint- only I ate it all so fast and did not get a picture to post. Trust I will be back when in Lafayette. Friendly service, great food. read more

Girls having dinner. Gumbo very good. Crab cakes great. Crabmeat augratin a little watery but great flavor. Staff was outstanding. I will return read more

Food has always been so good here! Ordered the food to-go this time, and it's still as delicious as eating at the restaurant itself! Crawfish etouffee with smothered okra and seafood jambalaya with a side of catfish! Everything was so perfect and delicious, you know I licked every piece of that plate! Check @eatinglafayette on Instagram and Facebook for more Lafayette food things! read more

In the words of my sister, @robichauxsuire, "I am a connoisseur of gumbo and this is the best chicken and sausage gumbo ever"! I said it's even better than mine and my mom thoroughly enjoyed her shrimp and okra gumbo. Hubby said his grilled scallops salad was a one of a kind salad and our waiter, Brandon was a true professional and a great person to have greeting the guests! We will definitely be back. read more

Rachael's Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Lafayette, Louisiana

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Food is good and staff is friendly. I will add picture next time I go. Ambiance could be better....We sat outside so we were literally in the parking lot. read more

Wanted lunch on a rainy day. I was surprised the place was packed at 11. We were greeted by friendly staff to have a seat. We ordered waters with lemons but only received one lemon. We told the waitress about it and she didn't end up bringing the lemon until our food came because she forgot. I also was not thrilled by the fact that none of the staff had on face masks. For safety precautions, I kept my mask on throughout my entire visit until it was time to eat. I ordered the chicken fried steak lunch special. I must say that this was an amazing meal. The white gravy was thick and creamy. I even ordered a side of smothered okra. Best okra in town!!! I am not too keen on this place not following covid guidelines but overall I enjoyed the food. read more

Rachael's Cafe - Country fried steak mashed potatoes black eye peas with smothered okra - Cafes Near Me - Lafayette, Louisiana

Amazing food, casual cafe vibe, stellar service. Highly recommend the corn and crab soup with it's huge chunks of crab. Worth getting a frozen quart to take home! read more

The food was amazing! The seafood gumbo tasted like an old maw maw made it! And the crab plate/platter was outrageously good. The staff was wonderful, too. Jaycee (JC?) was our server and she was super friendly and really anticipated our needs. It was a fantastic experience. I will come back here every time I come home to visit. read more

Excellent food Fast service Reasonable prices Where else can you get such large helpings ? read more

Rachael's Cafe - Chicken fried with steak fries and white gravy! - Cafes Near Me - Lafayette, Louisiana

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Every time I come here it's busy, but the wait is never long. The staff is always very attentive and smiling. The owner is so sweet. No matter how I'm feeling when I walk in I leave with a smile. I love the atmosphere here! If you're looking for home cooking but not the dirty dishes, I highly recommend coming eat with your new family. read more

Fried chicken is really nice, juicy, baked sweet potato was perfect, lots of seafood to choose from and we but her stuffed peppers to cook at home , nice seafood gumbo ‼ read more

LOVE their "Fit" meals - sweet potatoes & grilled chicken is soooo good. Staff is friendly and their service is great, even when it gets super busy. Usually a bustling place, but for a good reason!! read more

Great food!! This was my first time ordering food from this restaurant. I had read great reviews and all of them were accurate. The food was delicious. Will definitely be going back! read more

Chicken Fried Steak is a favorite of mine. Rachael's Cafe cooks it perfectly! I enjoyed it recently along with mashed potatoes and Lima beans. Do yourself a favor and go to Rachael's for lunch or dinner! read more

Super delicious great selection of different foods very friendly staff and adequate seating since she expanded

Very friendly staff! The food was awesome. So good bought extra for freezer and later!

So this morning, on the radio, my wife heard a vote from Developing Lafayette, about best restaurant gumbo in town. Our vote has usually been for Chris' PoBoys - Robley Drive, but several people recommended Rachel's Cafe, so we thought we would try something new, and stopped by for a couple of cups of gumbo. I don't know how the food is yet, because we got it to go after we realized that better than half the staff wasn't masked, and utterly unrepentant about it! The distance in between occupied tables was also not 6ft, at least not for all of them. And there was obviously no attempt concern. There was the server, no mask in sight, right on top of us. **Update** So, the food was very good, but I guarantee you that it will only be pick up for us from now on, and only if they start prepping food with proper precautions. I think next time we'll just go back to Chris' - at least they run a clean place and they give a damn about being responsible. read more

Would eat there every day if I could. Love the fit meals. Wonderful atmosphere. Waiters are delightful and very helpful.

The atmosphere is very family friendly and welcoming. The star of the show was the seafood gumbo which is probably the best I've had from a restaurant. The rest of the Café Special was good but left some to be desired in the taste department. Overall, it was a good experience, the only thing that may stop some is that it is pricey. However they have a Daily Plate Lunch M-F which is definitely more affordable at $12. read more

Rachael's Cafe - Seafood Gumbo - Cafes Near Me - Lafayette, Louisiana

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Everything on the menu is fabulous! The gumbo is just like my grandma made in the 70's and not like some restaurants where you might get 3-4 shrimp, not here! If you haven't been yet your missing it! read more