Bayou — Restaurant in Memphis

I have been coming to Bayou for years and I often bring different people to explore the restaurant as well. This time, I was not satisfied with the hostess. It was told to me by my waiter that his name was Michael, and he was actually the manger on duty. I came in with a broken ankle and was in a line of people that proceeded to travel out the door. I waited in this line for a hostess to come speak to us for at least about ten minutes or more. When he finally came over and asked us how many people we said two and he proceeded to go to a table and wipe it down for us. By this time my ankle was aching and my other leg started to hurt from standing so long. He saw I was on crutches when he came and asked us how many and took his time getting the table cleaned off plus I noticed he never once asked me if I would like to take a seat at the chair sitting directly at the door. I proceeded to go to the table he was working on scoot the chair out and have a seat. when he got back he stood far away from the table looking at me and I asked him was there a problem he proceeded to say he needed me to get up so I assumed it was because he did not want me getting exposed to the fumes he was spraying so I backed up a great distance from the table .. he still looked at me and said " No I need you to go all the way back to the door I cant work while people hover over me although I see you have a "foot issue" you will have to go all the way back". I was appalled because what did it matter if I got up and backed all the way back from the table?? Why not offer me a chair instead of being rude and making me go all the way back to the door?? As soon as I crutched back to the door he escorted us right back to the table which let everyone know he was being petty, had no empathy, and was rude. The customers that were already sitting down all proceeded to tell me he could have allowed me to sit down knowing my situation. He did it in front of a large group of people and everyone was watching because of course I have a cast and I am on crutches. I have barely gotten out since being injured and just simply wanted to go have a drink with a friend and get out of the mood I had been in. This deterred me from wanting to go out in my condition because everyone had been so nice and helpful up until I came into this restaurant. They should not have host or better yet managers who are rude to people and have no type of empathy as he did. After years of coming here I will not be back. I was treated very unfairly and it made my whole...

Our family, a party of 8 visited Bayou on Madison Ave in Memphis TN on Sunday June 9th, 2024 at approximately 12:00 am. We had just left church. We were all of heavy hearts grieving for my youngest brother who is in the hospital on life support due to an unfortunate illness.

We entered the establishment and asked if we could possibly be seated together to be able to talk and comfort each other. Two separate tables of 4 were visible in front.

The greeter refused because they have a posted policy of “no parties over 6 seated together.” We we’re not a party of 6.

I asked if it was possible for us to be seated as separate parties at 2 visible tables of 4, side by side. The greeter refused. I then asked for the manager. The manager also refused to comply with our request. I asked for “his” manager’s name & things unfortunately went south from there. The manger became extremely agitated and asked us to leave the establishment.

I am a minister of the gospel and previously in the legal profession. I asked pertinent, logical questions to ascertain why we couldn’t be seated at the 2 visible “separate” tables as this would not break their policy.

Not only did I “not” receive a comprehensive response, the manager demanded we leave for asking too many questions and called the police. As we left the restaurant I spotted a police cruiser blocking the exit in front of our car checking our license plates. It was a classic move by the good ‘ole boy “establishment” that is so prevalent in the South.

I felt as if I had been transported back to the 1960’s during the fight for basic civil rights for minorities. The experience was degrading and humiliating.

The unfortunate manager needs more training to deal with the public. We did not raise our voices and showed no disrespect to him. It is not disrespectful to ask questions. He demonstrated a lack of customer service skills, a lack understanding and an absolute lack of compassion for a grieving family.

We left the restaurant and gave our business to a family friendly restaurant just a few blocks down who immediately seated us together. No questions asked.

I write this post as I myself am ill with cancer. I was extremely upset that day but left the restaurant with dignity. All we asked as a family was for a bit of compassion on a very sad...

So I went here after traveling 3 hours to Memphis on business. It was recommended by my child's family. There were many options but not too many to where you're overwhelmed. I loved this place because this more of a creole eatery vs..your typical bag boil places that claim that are. Menu consists or your typical creole items such as gumbo, etoufee, red beans and rice, po boys, shrimp and grits, catfish, etc. I ordered the catfish Arcadian (pictured) and it was amazing. It consisted of one extremely large catfish fillet smothered with a sauce and two sides. The sauce was not tomato based which I loved due to my acid reflux issues. It was a white cream based with crawfish and shrimp. The sauce was just slightly bland but the catfish was seasoned so that it evened out when eaten together. I think they knew what they were doing to keep the dish from being too salty. The catfish , although smothered , was still crispy and fried hard but not too hard. I love crispy catfish so this was a plus. I think they made the sauce slightly thick enough to not sink into the fish but sit on top and I loved that. Cause who wants saggy catfish right ? And they are not stingy with the sauce . The sides I chose were black eyed peas and seafood gumbo. The gumbo was a $2-$3 upcharge but it was definitely worth it. The gumbo had a dark rich roux that was seasoned to perfection with a slight seafood taste that wasn't overbearing. It's hard to make seafood gumbo without it tasting to seafood /fishy and that's why most restaurants don't carry it and only offer chicken and sausage gumbo. They hit this recipe spot on. It's probably the best seafood gumbo I've had. The gumbo also had sausage along with the seafood in it. The black eyed peas had quite a bit of meat in them and were seasoned extremely well without being too salty. Their sides were a hit. Next time I visit I might just get all sides because those black eyed peas were shockingly over the top good. The only thing I would recommend would be to add a veggie/sides plate to the menu. You know the kind where you can pick 3 or 4 sides for a certain price. I don't know who is back there cooking in that kitchen but they really did their thang. These recipes are top tier and...