Overall food was fine but salty. I wouldn't come back or recommend it, but I'm not upset that we ate here. Ambiance is slightly better than a KFC or BK in that the stew is served in a real bowl. But all other food comes out in the cheap red plastic baskets. Cole slaw is served in plastic take out cups. Staff were friendly enough but generally this is self serve. We had the large stew plate with both red beans and sausage & shrimp and corn etouffee, seperated on the bowl from one another by a pile of rice. The etoufee was solid in flavor but not much shrimp. The red beans and sausage was lackluster. My fried catfish plate with can fries was very salty. The seasoning was good but I need to keep dusting off my fries and fish before eating them to avoid a sodium overdose. The fries were perfectly crispy (not soggy, not burnt!). The cole slaw was fine, vinegar style not mayo. Prices were relatively reasonable. Water from the dispenser was tepid. The bathroom was clean enough. They have high chairs and booster seats. Parking was easy. read more

Roux Dat - Large plate with red beans and sausage on one side, shrimp and corn etoufee on the other - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

My family and I are always up for trying something new in the area . This place came up in my yelp on a Monday morning , so we waited until lunch time with an empty stomach to try ! Came in around early lunch time , steady flow in customers, and we ordered on the front desk . I ordered the spicy chicken po'boy sandwich with a Side of chicken, sausage and okra gumbo Hubby ordered alligator po'boy sandwich ( like whatttt when the hell have I ever seen alligator on a menu ?) with a side of Cajun fries and a small gumbo , same as the one I ordered as a side . My daughter selected the fried chicken with a side of fries And of course for dessert we ordered beignets. - btw super exciting because I for one have never tried one nor my daughter . - what stuck out for me , was that the gentleman behind the counter suggested bringing beignets out a little after our food came. That to me is hospitality. Food was ready in a quickly manner , considering only two employees running the place and orders coming in from online and walk ins. First bite of my sandwich , amazing ! Needed an extra kick of spice ? Looked to the side of my table and multiple sauces - plus slap ya mama sauce ! Yes !! Gumbo was the best I've ever had , fries were crispy and flavorful , sandwich was a burst of flavor and textured components from the soft French bread to the crunch pickles and perfectly seasoned spicy fried chicken , And don't get me started on the beignets. Imagine biting into a crispy soft warm pillow . Amazing experience overall . Will come back! read more

Roux Dat - First bignet ever ! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

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After seeing reviews for this place I was excited but ended up being very disappointed by the quality of my food. The jambalaya I got was not jambalaya. It was more of a tasteless, soupy gumbo with very little rice that I had to mix myself than actual jambalaya. The seasoning of the meat and rice also wasn't there so everything wasn't good. Very disappointing especially since I paid over $15 for my meal. read more

Roux Dat - "Jambalaya" - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

After working up an appetite after an interesting adventure on the boardwalk, my fiance and I decided to give Roux Dat a try. I was a bit hesitant to eat Cajun/Creole food since my previous experiences have been pretty underwhelming, but Roux Dat was a pleasant surprise. The jambalaya was well seasoned and very delicious! I wish I ordered a larger size! Just in case if COVID is still going on while you read this review, they don't currently offer indoor seating but do have a few tables and chairs for outdoor seating. read more

Roux Dat - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

I've only had to go food from this place, and it's been very good I especially love the beignets

$8 for a tiny serving of mac and cheese and the rest of the food had the same price/serving ratio. read more

Roux Dat - $8 for this serving (less than a cup) of mac and cheese. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

Came here for late lunch after a long day at the beach with my friends. I ordered the shrimp, chicken, and sausage jambalaya (jambalaya) and my friend got the pulled pork sandwich to try both. It was actually my first time trying Jambalaya and the dish did not disappoint! Stew like texture sauce with chopped up veggies with protein with rice. A lot of flavors I'm not familiar with. Far from what I'm use to eating (Japanese stew). The meat were really chopped up and pulled apart so I couldn't really distinguish between the three proteins I've got . I'm guessing it's from slow cooking in the pot. Generous portion for a generous price so it did satisfy my cravings! Pulled pork sandwich was obviously good. Although my friend and I wished we ordered the catfish or poboy instead of shying away from deep fried southern comfort food. Overall, the experience of trying this place was great! Fair to say this place has now inspired me to try different southern comfort food restaurants. read more

Roux Dat - Pulled pork sandwich - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

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This is a lovely little lunch spot in Capitola. Parking is easy; the restaurant is located in a shopping plaza / strip mall. You order and pay at the counter and they quickly brought out our food. My friends and I all ordered a Jambalaya. The jambalaya is made with chicken, shrimp, and sausage, and comes with spiced rice and bread. The jambalaya texture is more of a stew. At some other restaurants, the jambalaya is just a rice dish and less "stew-y". The dish was savory and captured Cajun flavors. The one pictured in my review is a small, but I recommend the large because you get a lot more for only $2 more. But the small was enough to make me feel satisfied, which was important as I didn't want to be overly stuffed before going on our Santa Cruz adventure! read more

Roux Dat - Jambalaya - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

The food was great! I loved the maque choux, and the po' boys were great! Service was quick.

Can't resist a name like dat! They do a decent cajun menu, a crispy Spicy Fried Chicken Po'Boy with a solid breading. Went for the 1/2 & 1/2 Roux Dat Stew: Spicy Shrimp & Corn Etouffee and Chicken Gumbo with Okra & Andouille Sausage separated by a wall of white rice. Comfort food for sure, an easy eat. The Corn Bread is the best thing by far, with cajun season and a bed of butter. The Beignets didn't travel well (I used Grubhub), but I can't blame that on them. I'm sure they're great when fried fresh. Sure, why not? Cajun is hard to find, and they do a fine job. read more

New to the area, I found this little gem of a restaurant tucked back in a strip mall. The menu consisted of Cajun stews and Po'boys. The restaurant has a simple but cozy atmosphere. I ordered a spicy chicken sandwich and my fiancee, a shrimp Po'boy. Both sandwiches were quite good. The bread really helped the sandwich and the coleslaw was not too vinegary and not too sweet. Next time, I will try a stew with many good choices on the menu For price point, quality and quantity, Roux Day is a good option for dining. read more

Awesome Service , fast turnaround for the food and the most important part the food was fantastic! I was so excited for the food and I couldn't stop eating, I forgot to take photos. Catfish and Shrimp with fries, jambalaya and corn bread. All Awesome!!! TheAbita rooter is very good. read more

Roux Dat - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

While playing tourist around the town of Santa Cruz, my husband and I searched for restaurants we hadn't tried near the area and came across Roux Dat via Yelp. I got excited when I read all about it. No need to fly to New Orleans and have my favorite foods. They almost have everything that I like. I got their half and half Gumbo and Jambalaya. It was amazing! The presentation itself made me hungry. They put the rice in between the two dishes. I gobbled it all up. HaHa! We also got their Beignets. The only thing we missed was their Chickory Coffee. We didn't ask if they had it because we got ice-cold drinks with our meal. Anyway, it was a pleasant experience. It brought us back to our NOLA trip. Nostalgic! If you want to have a few minutes of how New Orleans tastes like, you should visit Roux Dat. Close your eyes and imagine catching beads. :-) read more

Roux Dat - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

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Fried Green Tomatoes are a "do not miss". Gumbo is delicious. Rare to find this type of food in this area! I hope they are able to keep it going. read more

Really impressed. Authentic New Orleans food at very reasonable prices. We had their gumbo, fried green tomatoes, oyster po boy, jambalaya and shrimp and all were top quality. They have some tables outside in a pleasant mall plaza, as well as inside. I hope they open more restaurants! read more

Roux Dat - Oyster po boy, gumbo, jambalaya, fried shrimp, fried green tomatoes - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

That was some good jambalaya and gumbo! Got the half and half that came with rice and some bread. Everything was great...I'd even say it was better than a lot of places I tried in New Orleans. The catfish was also nice and golden crispy, and flavorful. My 3 year old loved it also! Great little gem while in the area. read more

Oh my gooodnesss. What a gem!! Stopped in to Roux Dat for dinner and was greeted by the kind workers. After much debate of what to get; I ended up getting the jambalaya (shrimp, chicken, and sausage), hush puppies, and my friend got the spicy fried chicken po' boy with fries. Everything was sooooo good and beautifully seasoned and flavorful. Plenty of food too! Highly recommend. read more

Spicy goodness! Super yummy Jambalaya, rice, wonderful garlic bread and red beans with sausage for lunch today! I love this little hidden gem in Capitola! read more

Roux Dat - A picture says a thousand words! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

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I do some disaster work following the hurricanes all over the country. I think in Florida I discovered alligator, so I was ecstatic that it was offered in our area. It was quite yummy. read more

Found this place on Groupon where they had a great deal with an additional 20% off at checkout. I think I only ended up paying around $30 for 4 large stews. We had ordered 2 for dine in and 2 to go and stuck them in the freezer for a future meal. This place is warm! They don't have AC, so keep that in mind if you run hot. They have a plethora of drink options including craft beer, and also many things on the menu aside from stews. We ordered the jambalaya and the gumbo for dine in and both were great flavor and portion wise. My only critique is that I wish the stews were hotter, it was slightly warmer than room temperature, and I wish there was more spice. The stews still had a depth of flavor from the roux and seasonings, but I love a good kick that comes from using jalepenos in southern food. Granted, there's hot sauce on the table, but the spice is different than the spice you get from fresh chiles. We also ordered Fried Green Tomatoes and Fried Pickles - first time having either! The Fried Green Tomatoes were a hit and extremely addicting. Their breading is great and fried to perfection. The fried bits and the freshness from the tomatoes popped. The Fried Pickles were also good, but outshined by the rest of our food. I probably wouldn't get them next time, but that doesn't mean they were bad - just not as good as everything else! In summary, I would come back here again if I'm in the area. Would probably order two orders of the tomatoes read more

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I got the large soup with jambalaya and gumbo. my friend got the shrimp and corn? and that was better than mine lol. next time I would get the jambalaya and corn soup option. the meal is super affordable for how much food there is. the bread is really good too!! read more

Roux Dat - Smoked Andouille, Shrimp & Chicken Jambalaya and Chicken, Sausage, Okra & Gumbo - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

HAVE AGAIN: Jambalaya and crawfish maque stews were delicious, as were the cajun chicken and sweet potato fries. NOT HAVE AGAIN: The beignets, which we ate as soon as they were prepared, were disappointing - to crusty and not very sweet. This was quite surprising since the beignets at their Santa Cruz restaurant were really delicious. The coleslaw was nothing special - skip this. read more

It's was ok fried food was a bit salty the entrees were ok was not my bowl of soup but it's was something different read more

Roux Dat - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

What a small gem of a find here in Santa Cruz. My friend took me here after moving into our new apartment since he was craving some cajun cooking. We had gone to NOLA before so I was skeptical to see what they could offer here in SC, and I was not disappointed. From the moment you walk into this little shop, you could just see the oozing of green, purple, and gold in the walls. The restaurant really decks itself out in all of the NOLA colors and iconography to make you jealous you're not drinking a hurricane right then and there. For the food, you can go with either a po boy or a gumbo/jambalaya/soup hybrid. I decided to go for their half-n-half option with the stew which comes with either white or brown rice and a piece of garlic bread. Both the gumbo and jambalaya I had was great although I definitely prefer the later for its spiciness and wish there was a bit more flavor and taste to the gumbo. Nonetheless, both were still good and the half-portions were more than enough to get your fixing. I didn't try any of the desserts although I've been warned the beignets will not be the same as Du Mont. For a small shop in a small town, I have to give props where deserved and I'm certainly happy to have tried Roux Dat. They offer a lunch special if you work in the area for a slightly cheaper meal but with the same options. read more

Roux Dat - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

Food is great. Always consistent. Been eating at Roux Dat since they were a pop up at New Bohemian Brewery. Good prices. Ambience is lacking but that's ok. read more

What I liKed: *New Orleans feel of the place. *Lemonade (not too sweet, just right tart) *Jambalaya was spiced right *Mayo dipping sauce made the catfish taste good *Coleslaw *French fries *Great service , guys at counter super nice What was okay: *catfish needed more seasoning *Beignets For a quick lunch, decent portions and great service,this place was great! read more

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Excellent food and extremely kind and friendly staff. We had the etoufee, gumbo, jambalaya, and a po-boy, and everything lived up to expectations. They were very fast, and well-priced, and so I would happily return read more

Horrible service. Walked in, stood there for 5 minutes at the front counter. Staff saw us, never said hi, didn't even say "I'll be with you folks in a minute." Rudeness abounds. They won't get my hard earned money, no matter how good the food is. read more

The food here is hit and miss Spicy Chicken Sandwich had no flavor and the bread was dry. You're better off going to a KFC or Chick-Fil-A. The Cajun fries was really good well seasoned, I had to stuff my sandwich with the fries for it to have some actual flavor. Shrimp & Corn Etouffee on the other hand was very good and flavorful. I would come back for this but pass on all their sandwiches. read more

Roux Dat - Shrimp & Corn Etouffee - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

We've been here a few times and food is absolutely delicious. Capitola is not place you would expect to find good Cajun food, especially in strip mall. We just happened to stumble upon this gem while shopping at Trader Joes! It's small place, but clean and cozy. Both indoor and outdoor seating is provided. The interior pays hommage to Nawlins with bold wall colors, glass chandelier, fleur de lis wall picture , assortment of hot sauce and colorful beads at every table. Creole music playing in background puts you in mood for Cajun food. Everything here is absolutely divine and taste so authentic. The specialty here is rich, dark roux based sauces which is main ingredients for all gumbo's, etouffee's, jambalaya's and stews! Their fried green tomatoes is perfect appetizer and quite tasty. We ordered half/ half which is jambalaya with shrimp-chicken-sausage and spicy crawfish-smoke andouille sausage with brown rice. OMG! It's so yummy. We also got to try their catfish po'boys which is another winner. Delicious is the best word. Fresh catfish fillet, perfectly seasoned and fried to a golden crust of thin corn flour. Remoulade sauce compliments French bread nicely. You can't go wrong ordering that. Their beignets are amazing, probably the best I've had outside of New Orleans. They're made to order, fresh and arrive piping hot in paper bag. We just ripped into it and totally go at them. Light, airy and so heavenly good! Love the side of dipping sauce that comes with it. Good portions and inexpensive, most of dishes are $11-$12. Quick and friendly service. Perfect place to satisfy your fix for Cajun food. Definitely coming back again and again. read more

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We picked up an order to go for ourselves and another couple. The food was on time and the order was correct. Everything was hot and delicious, except I'm not very impressed with their bread they provide, I've always wished it tasted better. read more

stopped by roux dat on christmas eve while driving home from monterey! reviews seemed promising and haven't ate creole/cajun food in a very long time, so we decided to try it out. you order at the counter and they bring your food to you. there's plenty of indoor tables as well as a few tables outside. FRIED CATFISH PO' BOY SANDWICH W/ FRIES ($14.95) kind of ironic that the po' boy sandwich price was a little steep it's a decently large sandwich though and comes with a side of fries, slaw, or stew. the sandwich has the fried protein, vegetables, and sauce. i thought it was tasty, but my dad and i agreed that the batter on the catfish itself didn't have much flavor, honestly besides the catfish taste it felt a little bland. i couldn't really taste those cajun spices like you should. they have some hot sauce on the table if you wish to use it though. my brother got the fried shrimp po' boy and said it was good. he got the jambalaya as a side and it tasted pretty good--had the flavor and spice that cajun food should. friendly service, nice seating, and a menu different than what we usually eat or find in the bay area. however, maybe the reviews just overhyped the place but i found the sandwich fell a little short to my expectations. read more

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Stopped in for a quick lunch. Parking is easy as it's situated in a large strip mall. Roux Dat has an impressively authentic menu and really delivers! I ordered the fried oyster po' boy and thought it was excellent. They do not skimp on the portion either. Both the cajun fries and sweet potato fries were very good. Next time, I'll definitely be trying the beignets and rum sauce! read more

Roux Dat - fried oyster po'boy - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

The food was THE BOMB. It's been two weeks since I had the combo chicken okra gumbo and the corn black bean Maque Choux. I am still thinking about that bowl of amazingness. My husband was taken in my a Creole fam as a teen and he barely said a word he was so focused on enjoying his meal. Wish we lived close by! read more

They were short handed the evening we went, but still managed to crank out delicious food without too long a wait.

We had jambalaya, gumbo, and crawfish maque choux. Gumbo and jambalaya were amazing with BIG servings and rice to go with. Maque choux was also good, but needed a lot more crawfish as it was hard to find in the stew. No complaints. Will come back! read more

This was a very surprising find for me. I ordered online one evening with 0 expectations and I was very pleasantly surprised. The fried chicken po boy is, in my opinion, absolutely delicious. I ordered the same sandwich the next day. That's how delicious lol. I've been ordering regularly since then. Happy to have this option in Santa Cruz! read more

I'm always looking to try a unique eatery when I am away from my home turf. It's usually a little difficult to choose a cool, satisfying spot in the Santa Cruz area. Roux dat did not disappoint! Cons: restroom is in a land far far away - when all you need to do is wash your hands, this is a pain. Uhm, that's it for cons. Pros: very good customer service. Excellent Louisiana bottled beer offerings. Outstanding Crawdad and smoked andouille sausage maque choux. I wish I would have ordered a full dish of the Crawdad and sausage with brown rice. It was very delicious! And I wish I had packed an ice chest - then I could have placed an order to go. I should know by now when I hit the road, bring along at least the foldable ice box. The pulled pork with slaw sandwich was alright. I think a muffuletta might be a better choice. Oh, and I highly recommend the Abita Purple Haze beer. Refreshing and awesome flavor! Cool bottle, too. Now to find it at a local beverage retailer. read more

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I love the cuisine and this place is probably as close as you're going to get in California.

Solid place to get your Cajun stew fix! I liked the crawfish spicy sausage maque choux a lot. Gumbo was good but not amazing. Will want to try jambalaya and a po boy next. Also, LOVE that they have a brown rice option read more

Roux Dat - Gumbo w brown rice - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

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