15 Great Crawfish Restaurants in Houston — Where to Go For the Best Mudbugs

Let’s face it: Eating boiled crawfish is a messy business, best approached at a casual, Cajun-inspired joint that gets its mudbugs straight from the muddy waters of South Louisiana. With crawfish season upon us, it’s time to run down the Houston restaurants that do crawfish right.

But hold on a minute. First, we are going to celebrate Brennan’s of Houston, which raises the humble crawfish to a celestial dining level. Those looking for a fine dining crawfish experience (not an oxymoron) can find it here during this mudbug season. The city’s leading Creole/Cajun restaurant promises to tickle the tastebuds with crawfish cakes, crawfish enchiladas, grilled pork chop with crawfish, and crawfish with Andouille sausage mac ‘n’ cheese, the traditional dish served with an extra dose of crawfish tucked into gooey Southern mac.

And now on to the best finger licking good crawfish offerings around town. These are Houston’s Best Crawfish Restaurants:

Revelry on Richmond

It’s always a party at Revelry and crawfish season adds Louisiana-inspired spice to the mix. Get’em every Friday through Sunday until the mudbugs run out at this popular watering hole which boasts close to 30 beers on tap. Fridays are crawfish nights when you can order up servings for $6 a pound. The seafood boil runs from 1 to 6 on Saturdays and on Sundays, it’s all you can eat for $35 from 1 to 6 pm.

Ragin’ Cajun

Ain’t nothin’ like Luke Mandola’s authentic Louisiana saloon where the crawfish come from the rice fields of Acadiana. Mandola has been boiling the crustaceans and serving them in buckets since opening next to the railroad track on Richmond in 1974.

You can’t beat Ragin’ Cajun for the famous Cajun-style boil, which employs a house recipe of cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, garlic powder and chili powder.

BB’s Tex-Orleans

This down home favorite boils from 20,000 to 25,000 pounds of crawfish per week for its numerous locations all around the city. At BB’s Tex-Orleans, mudbugs come coated in a spicy crawfish paste with add-ons like dippin’ sauce, melted butter, corn and potatoes. The Heights BB’s has a patio for great spring days and nights.

Orleans Seafood Kitchen

Orleans Seafood Kitchen has been serving up crawfish along with Hurricanes, Blue Koodo and NOLA Bomb cocktails in this Katy neighborhood restaurant for more than 13 years. Look for an expansion of the footprint into Fulshear with a new Orleans Seafood Kitchen restaurant set to open there in the spring.

Boil House

This Heights institution is owned by Louisiana natives who combined have been farming and selling Louisiana crawfish for two decades. Taking a spin on farm to table, Boil House touts “pond to your plate,” with fresh crawfish delivered daily.

There is even a drive-thru for hot boiled takeout crawfish. Mudbugs are served Wednesdays through Fridays from 5 to 9 pm and 11 am to 9 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

The Boot

Three Louisiana brothers are behind this wildly popular shabby shack in The Heights where the Cajun menu keeps the joint and its outdoor patio rocking most nights. While crawfish etouffee and crawfish tail poboys are on the The Boot’s menu year round, it’s crawfish season now and the mudbugs are delivered daily from Louisiana for an authentic boil.

Crawfish Cafe

Both The Heights and the Chinatown Crawfish Cafe restaurants are serving up 10 flavors and three flavors of heat, so you can have your mudbugs as you like ’em. Options include Original Cajun, Kickin’ Cajun, garlic butter, coconut garlic, lemon pepper and Thai basil.

Crawfish Cafe is often applauded for its viet-cajun variety. If you’re not in the mood to peel crawfish, there are crawfish eggrolls, crawfish pies and crispy boudin balls.

The Pit Room

We can only guess that the line outside of this Montrose area barbecue hotspot on Saturday might have been about the boiled crawfish rather than the barbecue. Crawfish boiled up with mushrooms, andouille sausage, corn, and potatoes is on the The Pit Room’s menu on weekends from noon until the mudbugs run out.

Wild Oats

In addition to its ever changing buffet on Sundays, Chris Shepherd’s second restaurant in the Houston Farmers Market is serving up crawfish. Wild Oats is helmed by chef/partner Nick Fine. While the buffet items are at the chef’s whims, the boiled crawfish will be on the menu through the season. The buffet runs 11 am to 3 pm.

Pier 6 Seafood + Oyster House

Chef Joe Cervantez is whipping up a couple of crawfish specials for the season at Pier 6, including crawfish pie loaded with bechamel sauce, potatoes, peas and meaty crawfish tails, all bubbly beneath a flaky pastry lid. Also tempting are the crawfish empanadas loaded with crawfish tails and pepper jack cheese, swaddled in a crisp, golden shell.

LA Crawfish

With seven LA Crawfish restaurant locations spread across Houston, there is bound to be one of these popular Louisiana seafood haunts nearby. The Cajun-Asian boiled crawfish is a huge hit with your choice served with garlic butter, Cajun style, or hot and sour sauces. Don’t let the line at the Richmond LA Crawfish restaurant deter you, it’s worth the wait.

Turkey Leg Hut

Those wildly popular stuffed turkey legs take a backseat to boiled crawfish at Turkey Leg Hut during crawfish season. And here’s a twist, included in the boiled bags of crawfish are turkey necks, corn, potatoes and sausage. For no extra charge. Check with them first about the crawfish availability.

Fancy Crawfish

Savoir

For a sophisticated spin on a classic Cajun crawfish dish, stop by Savoir in The Heights to experience the blackened gnocchi. topped with fresh crawfish. The locally sourced dish is made with a crawfish étouffée, andouille sausage, pickled Fresno peppers and micro greens.

The charming Houston restaurant also offers one of the largest wine programs in the area so crawfish can be perfectly paired this season.

Backstreet Cafe

This popular River Oaks haunt gives a single nod to crawfish season and it’s a good one: crawfish-stuffed artichoke bottoms. The freshly boiled artichoke is filled with a scrumptious combo of crawfish, mushrooms, Piquillo peppers and lemon butter. It is yours for $16 at Backstreet Cafe.