The Lost Cajun — Restaurant in Cañon City

While driving through canon city for work, I have passed this place numerous times. I decided to stop by today to see what this little restaurant had to offer. Coming from the south It’s hard to find good Cajun food especially in a land locked place like Colorado. Upon entering the atmosphere was nice, and the restaurant was very clean. The host/waitress was very sweet and accommodating. They bring you samplers which I thought was very creative to give you a good base on the flavors of their menu. After trying the samplers I was a little displeased with the flavors. Everything provided tasted pre bought and or frozen. The restaurant claims to make some of their menu items fresh daily. However it tasted more like a kitchen that re uses the previous days bisque and ruex and throws it in a pot on a steam table. I proceeded to order gator bites, Cajun stir fry (interesting), and some beignets. The gator was good, store has its own hot sauce which isn’t too spicy so if you’re sensitive to heat it’s a good option. The stir fry was a solid 2/10, flavor tasted almost earthy and the shrimp tasted past due. Another thing I found interesting was that the bread served with the meals had a seafood flavor to it (not enjoyable) and gave me the feeling it had been handled by somebody with fish gloves on lol. The beignets were good, they do give an option to have them in smaller portions for ease of consumption. My only problem with the beignets were that they were way too airy and almost gave me a fried sopapilla vibe. Still good just not authentic. I won’t return to this place but still was worth a try and maybe you’ll have a better experience than I. Though if you were raised on the water and are used to the soul of Cajun food I would more than recommend you try a...

Just visited your Canon City and the lost cajun needs to find his way back to Louisiana to re-learn how to cook Cajun food. The gumbo was quite bland. Did not have the consistency that one expects when you mention gumbo. The okra wasn't cooked fully and was slimy. Felt like I was eating a snot ball. Ordered the chicken alfredo. Simple enough dish...or so I thought. Yet again another dish that was bland to eat. The noodles were over cooked and mushy. Might as well have been baby food for how soft they were. The sauce...the spot shine and it fell flat. Felt like the base of the sauce was made with half/half not with heavy whipping cream. So this set the sauce off wrong. It was missing flavor. I mean come one you are a Cajun restaurant you couldn't add a little flavor...some garlic...italian seasoning (if you want to be lazy, and that would be better than what your kitchen churned out)...fresh diced onion (be lazy again and us powdered...just something for christ sake)...heck this is Cajun you could blacken it up. The chicken on top was just battered and fried..blacken that up...offer different types of chicken, but the fried made this bland dish oily and bland. Looking at the menu and feeling like you were just looking to make a quick buck because the Lost Cajun was truly lost. You could have added black eyed peas...corn bread...or muffuletta. I couldn't believe you didnt have a muffuletta So furthermore your cooks need to learn how to cook Cajun. Felt like they are afraid and do not understand how cajun is suppose to be. And your Swamp salt...dont take it back to the swamp. You will get laughed out of everywhere. So dear Lost Cajun...you better find your way back to Louisiana because the spirits of your ancestors are...

We pulled off Highway 50 into a strip-mall in Canon City last Tuesday, expecting Taco Bell or disappointment. Instead, The Lost Cajun slapped us awake with the fiercest fried catfish either of us has eaten in Missouri—hell, maybe ever.

Kimberly’s “small” order came with a double fillet, dusted in cornmeal so golden it glowed. Tobacco-thin fries snapped like fresh celery, coleslaw offered that acidic caress, hush puppies stood guard—each bite a reminder that great fried food is equal parts nostalgia and geometry. Then came my Seafood Plate—a mountaintop of those fries, garlic bread soaked in grease-salt love, three or four catfish pieces, perfectly fried shrimp and oysters. I expected shrimp to lead the chorus—but it was catfish that sang a gospel down my throat. I never thought I’d choose catfish over shrimp or oysters. I was wrong.

Sweet tea—this deep, all-American syrup relic—hit the spot. But the real show was our waitress. She wasn’t smiling for Yelp. She did her job like she owned the place, talking us through the menu with the ease of a native. Her warmth felt earned.

The Lost Cajun chain might look like your average mall-side joint, but this kitchen whispers secrets—gumbo with depth, beignets that bloom under powdered sugar, catfish that snaps crisp and tender in the same bite. Reviewers on TripAdvisor and Google have already tipped their hats—4½+ stars, lines out the door for sampler trays and bisques.

If you find yourself in Colorado, skip the mountain views and head here instead. It’s not just about food—it’s a reminder that the best meals come from scrappy kitchens in unlikely places, run by cooks and waitresses who care. That’s magic—pure, unapologetic, and...