Cajun Cafe on the Bayou — Restaurant in Pinellas Park

An update to respond to the misinformation posted by the establishment. Again, I happen to BE Cajun. Let's clear something up... I paid almost $20 for a "crawfish etoufee" the link to your own establishment shows the $17 price(also the incorrect recipe, showing a "tomato based" etoufee). My complaint is, it's not etoufee. Etoufee is garlic based, minimal tomato, half a cup "diced tomato", or none, is traditional(some just use tomato sauce), no more, and you can't even taste tomato in the recipe! Plus your overdoing the green peppers. AND needs more celery. We're not Italian. Your taste is just all over the place! I have a pic of the dish I received. It's not a "traditional" garlic-based etoufee (etoufee is a brown with a hint of orange color, not red [I later added a pic of what that means, with rice on the bottom, and much more original flavor and texture]). Sent the original pic to my family and friends. They got a kick out of it. I couldn't eat it. I personally have recipes passed down from generation to generation. The taste of true etoufee isn't drowned in tomato. Orlando Cajun restaurants could give you a lesson on that, or even "Copeland's" (a true-to-tradition establishment). I'm also offended that you're ignoring my own bloodline and calling ME ignorant! Not everything we eat tastes like gumbo or jambalaya! Talk about a stereotype... Took away a star from the original two, because apparently I was wrong about the friendliness part, so one for cleanliness. I guess I'll continue to drive two hours to get my etoufee(I literally drove to Orlando to get the other one, it's just that...

Hard to find good Cajun food in the Tampa Bay area... but finally found a place I am happy with.Cajun Cafe on the Bayou (although the new location is not on the bayou).

Made reservations for a group of 10 and was told that would probably be split to two tables since thier tables are setup for 6 each. I told them that would not be an issue. We ended up with 7 adults and two kids... and we all sat at one table. It was a little crowded but not bad.

The staff was very attentive, and had our drinks on the table fast. After we all decided what to eat, orders were taken efficiently.

I ordered the Crawfish Etouffee with a side of Okra. And everybody else ordered... most a different dish per person. A basket of fried oysters, fried shrimp and some crawfish cornbread was ordered to keep us happy until the main courses arrived. All the apps were delicious!!

Main courses started arriving.... and I wish I could have gotten pictures of everything, but pretty much just got mine, and one of the apps. Every looked wonderful and smelled heavenly! As we started eating, happy smiles broke... I don't think anyone had any complaints. The person closest to me (Paul) had ordered one of the Extra Spicy dishes, Shrimp Creole... and let me try it to check heat level. We both decided (for us) it was about a medium. Others may find it hotter, but it was delicious too!

We did not order dessert... although it sounded good!

All in all, a wonderful meal... with delightful...

From the outside, this place is underwhelming. Very plain and ordinary. With the large drapes covering the windows, it almost looks like it's not open. However, once inside, this eatery comes alive with music from early New Orleans jazz greats like King Oliver, Buddy Bolden, and Luis "Satchmo" Armstrong. Bayou breeze ferns, photographs of their old location of 23 years, metal beer and Cajun style sinage are hung on the walls. The dim ornamental "party" lighting is also very festive and certainly adds to the atmosphere. It was very cool to walk in to from the bright sun outside. The service was good considering the gentleman was alone and serving several tables including a party of 5 and 6. He was a nice man and helpful when I asked about popular options on the menu. For lunch, I ordered a bowl of Jambalaya with a side of fried okra. The Jambalaya was tasty and the rice was sticky. Not much heat to it, but I get it. You have to appeal to the masses. Lucky for me, they have a generous assortment of hot sauces to choose from. Tabasco, Old Bay, as well as Crystal and Cajun Power, a garlic hot sauce, which was delicious. The real winner here was the original Louisiana Brand hot sauce. Wow! Great heat and a wonderful addition to kick my Jambalaya up a notch. The fried okra was also good. For dessert, I had the key lime pie. I was disappointed to learn it is ordered in frozen and not made in house but it was good. Would be a much better option if it was...