Cap't Loui — Restaurant in Cupertino

Disappointing Visit to Our Former Favorite Spot

My girlfriend and I have been coming here for a while—it used to be our go-to seafood spot. But after our last visit, we’re not so sure anymore.

We came on a Saturday night at 6 PM, and surprisingly, it wasn’t busy. That should’ve been the first red flag. Service was all over the place—multiple staff members dropped things off at our table but never took our order. Even when our actual server finally approached us, he seemed completely out of it. I had to give him the look just to get him to take our order.

Then, the food took way longer than it should have. Boiling shrimp only takes a few minutes, but we waited way too long for our meal to arrive. And when it did, the quality was a letdown.

The Food:

Shrimp 🦐 – The biggest disappointment. It was overcooked to the point of being mushy, completely losing that fresh, snappy texture you expect from good seafood.

Potato 🥔 – Smaller than a golf ball, barely worth having.

Corn 🌽 – Soggy and tasted old.

Rice 🍚 – Dry and lacked the moisture that makes a good side.

Sausages 🌭 – One of the few highlights, well-cooked and flavorful.

Cajun Fries 🍟 – Decent, but could’ve been crispier.

Captain Louis Sauce (Medium) 🌶️ – Still had great flavor, one of the few redeeming factors.

This place used to be our favorite, but with slow service and disappointing food, it really missed the mark. We might give it another shot to see if it was just an off day, but it definitely left...

Today I ate at Capt Loui for the first time. I ordered the garlic shrimp lunch special, which come with garlic noodles and the side I chose was half corn and half broiled potato; a drink is included.

The quantity was substantial and the price modest. The garlic shrimp was good. The garlic noodles were superb. The small corn on the cob was good. The boiled (or broiled) potato was not cooked sufficiently, that is, it was hard (undercooked).

The décor inside Capt Loui is pleasant enough – not fancy but not ordinary.

The waiter was cordial. I liked him.

Here are some suggestions for the manager and owner:

1. Your employees were playing moderately loud rock and rap music, both of which I found irritating. Do you want to irritate your customers? I recommend either no music or some soft instrumental music played at low volume.
2. The utensils were plastic. That creates the feeling of cheapness. Further it is awful for Mother Nature. There are many documentaries that explain how so much plastic unintentionally ends up on sidewalks, streets, and in the ocean. Please use metal utensils to help save our environment.

There is plenty of free parking in the nearby parking structure and a few spaces...

Came here after hearing about their $1 Wednesday deal for raw oysters on the half shell! But honestly... I think their seafood boil is much better. I wouldn't recommend coming here if you plan to just get oysters...

I really like the Cap't Loui sauce! Although it's your typical cajun sauce, it's not super salty like other places. Very easy to eat. Mild was perfect for me. We got the Pick 2 Boil Combo with Shrimp Head On and Mussels. The shrimp was cooked well and the mussels were a good size! This was a good amount of food for two people to share. I recommend pairing it with the Garlic Noodles! Small portion for $7, but the noodles were yummy. There's melted cheese on top!

Back to the oysters... They were shucked poorly. There were bits of shell all over the flesh, and some were mangled into a pool of milky liquid! Not done well at all. Looks like the shucker was in a hurry or getting frustrated? Also... These were HUGE. I'm talking hand-sized big! If you know about oysters, the bigger they are... the better they are cooked. Not raw. So this was pretty disappointing. They were very meaty and somewhat-firm in texture. Not very briny in flavor either. I wasn't a fan. -1 star for...