Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    The Big Easy

    3.4 (520 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 1 week ago

    Order The Big Easy Takeout or Delivery

    The Big Easy Photos

    THE BIG EASY ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Live music
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - The Big Easy

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Kenisha R.

    Food was 2 Fried green tomatoes were good Service was 3 Ambiance 4 I think I will not go back anytime soon, some places are better for dinner for 2-4 only or having a good time at the bar.

    Pasta Jambalaya
    Tracy A.

    I went to Big Easy tonight with a party of 5. I do not see myself coming back again. There was a private party going on at the same time, and maybe this explains the exceptionally slow service. The wait staff did look like they were working diligently, but it took a very long time for them to even take out order and even longer for our food to arrive. Once the food came, things were ok but the food left a lot to be desired. Someone in my party had the etouffee and commented on the fact that it lacked seasoning. I had the Jambalaya pasta and was pleasantly surprised in the sausage in the dish as it had great flavor, but the pasta sauce itself was lacking. The portions were good and the value for the money was there in that respect. We didn't get any alcoholic beverages just fountain drinks. The location is central downtown, so parking it hard. This is not a place I would seek out.

    Jambalaya Pasta
    Maia H.

    Love the food here I've been here multiple times and we even had them cater my sisters bridal shower!!! The service is pretty fast I've honestly only had a server be inattentive once and I was at the bar so I wouldn't even count it against them

    Catfish Platter
    Sakinah P.

    We sat at the bar and received good service our drinks was tasty and my fish platter was delicious. The alligator bites were good but for some reason they forgot the sauce and we had to ask for it for a few times. It was a nice crowd and ambiance.

    French 75
    Tamara T.

    I enjoyed this place! Spacious, not too loud, good drinks, and good food. I stopped by on a Friday night as I wandered downtown Raleigh. I was pointed in the direction of The Big Easy and was not disappointed. I had a French 75 and it was tasty and the flavor was not overpowered by the lemon juice. I also had a seafood platter and seafood chowder to go. Both were flavorful and good portions. They also had a live band setting up about 10p as they are open until 2a. I would visit here again when in Raleigh!

    Joel J.

    This place could definitely use work. First of all, the place smells like a combination of weed and cigarettes; this makes the experience unpleasant. The ribeye and cheeseburger could use a bit more flavor, though the fries were good! I'll give it that. The bathrooms are falling apart, as seen in the photos and the dining area isn't in great shape either. Workers were friendly, nothing out of this world. All in all, I didn't feel too comfortable dining here and probably won't be back again.

    Caesar, Wings and a side of "gettin' sh_t done"...
    Mike T.

    Natasha, the bartender took great care of me tonight. On a business trip and just needed a couple of hours to work while also quenching my thirst and hunger. The large Caesar was amazing and the wings tasty, crunchy and flavorful. It was a Monday night so a pretty quiet evening, but kitchen open 'til midnight. Just my kind of place to be productive . Thank you, Natasha !!

    A Taste of Louisiana
    Benjamin D.

    Stopped by here on Monday for lunch. The gator bites and Jambalaya were outstanding. Gumbo and red beans were good. Waitress was attentive and friendly. Came back on Tuesday. Had the Creole with Crawfish simmered in spicy creole sauce over seasoned rice. This was excellent, though the Crawfish were a bit overpowering. The service today left much to be desired: waitress looked miserable. Did not smile or speak the entire time I was there. "Ready?" was all I got out of her. Came back today for the Etoufee. Sat at the bar. Bar tender was friendly, attentive and efficient. The Etoufee was excellent. The buttery sauce balanced the Crawfish perfectly. Would definitely recommend the place. Will have to come back at night for the music.

    David T.

    I love the atmosphere! It looks cozy and great for a date night. The service was good but you can hear screaming cooks from the kitchen so that was not pleasant to hear. The food was good and reasonably priced. As long as they can keep their staff calm, it would've been a fantastic night

    Kathy L.

    My friend & I needed an early dinner, she been here before and told me this place was great. They weren't busy and limited staff during slow times. Amanda was amazing tho! She was so nice and had great recommendations. She recommended us a Red Bull which didn't even know they had, we needed the energy. The hostess gave us water when we sat down, it's was sit yourself when we were there. I got a Diet Dr. Pepper it was crisp. Amanda told us the specials and my friend got the steak wrap. I got the taste of Louisiana with gator bites. Once our food arrived, everything smelled amazing. The gator bites were nice and tender, the rice & beans were good hearty meh on flavors. The chicken & sausage gumbo was delicious & so was the jambalaya on the side was jalapeño cornbread which was good. The steak wraps was delicious too and the fries were well seasoned. The vibes were chill the only downside to the entire experience was the Womens's bathroom was a mess, minus the sink was well stocked and clean. The rest was a mess and we told someone but still didn't get clean while we were there.

    Caesar salad
    Nikia C.

    I've been to The Big Easy a few times and always enjoyed the food and atmosphere. However, this time was different. I went later in the evening and they offered a "late night menu" only. The restaurant was not crowded. There was 1 larger table leaving and maybe 3 other tables with 2 people at each. Only 2 people at the bar. I saw at least 6 employees in the front. Caesar salad 5/5 Pimento cheese balls 2/5 Fries seafood platter 3/5 The server was not attentive. The server took awhile to take my order. Took awhile to check back in. And took awhile to bring the food. Which, ultimately, lead to me having lukewarm food. I told the server all items could come out at the same time. The server didn't listen so things came out one by one. The pimento cheese balls came out room temperature. Caesar salad was next. Which was good because was suppose to be cold. Seafood platter was carrying temps. Fish was hot, shrimp and oysters lukewarm, fries cold. The restaurant was open for another 2 hours but all servers, employees, and bartender seemed more concerned with cleaning up and chatting. On 2 separate occasions, dishes were dropped with food splatters at my feet. The bartender also dropped glasses that shattered as well.

    A Taste of Louisiana

    See all

    Photo of Sean J.
    216
    2
    0

    21 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 month ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of David T.
    1
    135
    174

    9 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    7 months ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 4

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Sonia J.
    1
    121
    26

    5 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Marissa M.
    1296
    1436
    5136

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of E H.
    0
    23
    9

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    This restaurant is amazing and has great drinks. Could not recommend this place and the bartender Asia enough! Will definitely come again!!!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 13

    Ask the Community - The Big Easy

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Cajun/Creole 1,142 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Big Ed’s City Market Restaurant

    Big Ed’s City Market Restaurant

    4.3
    (727 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    A cute breakfast place in Downtown Raleigh that gets very busy! I came immediately after landing at…read morethe airport to get brunch on a weekday around noon. The place was crowded but there was no wait. I got seated immediately at a table near a column in the middle of the restaurant and Christy came over and asked if I wanted anything to drink. She brought me iced water and gave me time to look at the menu. I wanted to try so many things and I was too optimistic about ordering 3 things and finishing them myself. Good thing I only ordered 2 things! An order of fried catfish with home fries and one egg. And a biscuit with sausage gravy. The fried catfish was salted and well fried. It tasted delicious for my first bite! The home fries were basically cut potatoes, but they weren't very fried or flavored. I wished I ordered the side of apple sauce instead. The biscuit and sausage was good, but a bit too much for one person after eating a separate order already. Definitely bring more people so you can try more things. Also, I wished I had asked for sausage gravy on the side so I can try the biscuit on its own first as well. Furthermore, I would have more time to eat the catfish so I wasn't worried about the biscuit getting soggy. Christy came to check up on me every now and then. The place was buzzing with people and decorations so I didn't feel so alone. When it was time to pay, Christy brought me the check for me to pay at the cash register. Both Christy and the cashier were so friendly! The restaurant does have a women's and a mens restroom if needed.

    This casual downtown Raleigh restaurant has a very authentic Southern vibe. From the red-and-white…read morechecked tablecloths to the other old-fashioned decor and the Southern cuisine menu offerings, you will know you are in North Carolina when you dine here. Walking in feels like you've stepped into a time capsule from a few decades back (for those who like that retro feel - I usually opt for more modern/contemporary vibes so this was a change of pace for me). Its downtown location adds to the retro feel because it is in a quaint marketplace area with cobblestone walkways. And they serve breakfast all day which is great if you are a breakfast lover like me. They have fantastic omelets. I tried the veggie omelet and it was delicious. Service was good. We were promptly seated and our waiter appeared rather quickly too. The food was served soon after ordering.

    Photos
    Dining area
    Dining area
    Brunswick stew with grilled bologna and cheese sandwich
    Brunswick stew with grilled bologna and cheese sandwich
    Outside

    See all

    Outside
    Saltwater Seafood & Fry Shack

    Saltwater Seafood & Fry Shack

    4.2
    (101 reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $

    Saltwater is an absolute gem if you love fresh seafood!!! It's a seafood market with a frying…read morekitchen; that's the ambiance. The fresh seafood selection is huge - all local and regional, plus some Louisiana gems! I chose to eat fresh fried seafood, similar to what we call a "seafood platter". Today, 6/4/2025, I got a platter of 3 pieces of FRESH flounder, 6 or 8 oysters, about 1/3 pound of small shrimp, fried okra, boiled potatoes, hush puppies, and a refillable fountain drink... all fried to perfection! FOR $20, including tax!!!! This fry is perfect "American style". I did need hot sauce because we astoundingly season everything in Louisiana. Staff and customers were super friendly, especially, the sweet lady who moved to Raleigh from New Orleans. (She knew my name was "Baby"... LOL!!!) The family that owns this place and their employees are super nice. I ate my lunch with two of the fish guys. I'd eat here every day if I lived in Raleigh!

    A great old school fish fry shack. It is inside a seafood market. Counter order and you wait for…read moreyour food while you can look at the fresh fish options available in the fish market.You can also grab seafood boil seasoning and flour, stoneground grits, or some prepped foodis from the freezer. I had whiting and popcorn shrimp with fries and fried okra. It was way too much to finish and was nicely seasoned and perfectly fried. Next time, i'm trying the clam strips and oyster.

    Photos
    Yellow Crocker
    Yellow Crocker
    Saltwater Seafood & Fry Shack
    Saltwater Seafood & Fry Shack

    See all

    The Pit

    The Pit

    3.8
    (3.7k reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    I have been wanting to try this bbq place for awhile and we finally made it after going to an event…read moredowntown. We were fortunate to find a good parking place on the side of the building. As we were walking up my grandson said " this is a fancy place ". The decor is nicer than most bbq places for sure. I was surprised to see so many options that were not bbq and a large selection of sides. He got meatloaf with Mac and cheese and baked beans. He said it was the best meatloaf he ever had and this comes from a picky eater! He loved the Mac and cheese as well. It was a huge serving so I got to try the meatloaf and he was right. He didn't share the Mac and cheese. Neither of us cared for the baked beans. I had the brisket, Brussel sprouts and potato salad. The brisket was tender and flavorful. Awesome. The potato salad was ok but I didn't care for the Brussel sprouts . I would try two different sides next time. A basket of hush puppies and biscuits came as well. We were both so thirsty and I can report they had excellent sweet tea. Our server was knowledgeable and pleasant. The food came out faster than I expected. We will be back!

    The place I would definitely not recommend at all. We had a very large party and over 50% of the…read moreparty was not happy with food or service. It took over 30 min to get a drink, and 1.5 hours for food. On top of that I order a basic grilled cheese sandwich and ordered it with American cheese. I asked the hostess if they had American cheese and they said yes. I then asked the server if they had American cheese and they said yes. Now this might be a simple item but my son is a very particular eater. After waiting over 1.5 hours the food finally came out and it was not American cheese. It was now 9:30pm and all surrounding restaurants were now closed. When the food was delivered, I told the server that it was not American cheese and she told me yes it was but then came back and told me they didn't have american cheese. In addition to that the meat was fatty and not very well cooked. What happened next really blew my mind. The manager came up to me and told me that they would not charge me for the grill cheese sandwich. This was her solution to a problem that left my kid not eating and no other options as we were visiting in town. I told her that there was no way I would pay for food we didn't eat. She didn't offer any other solution to the problem. Horrible management skills, didn't offer anything for their mistake and made it feel like it was my fault they screwed up. We should have listened to the bartenders at the surrounding places that told us to avoid this place.

    Photos
    Inside, very crowded
    Inside, very crowded
    Hush puppies
    Hush puppies
    Exterior

    See all

    Exterior

    The Big Easy - cajun - Updated July 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...