KICKIN KAJUN — Restaurant in Renton

Went on a Wednesday night and the place was empty. Walking into an empty restaurant always concerns me, but I was very wrong! Im sure the place is kicking on Friday nights. Atmosphere was really nice, and the food was amazing! Since moving to the PNW I have not had catfish, so it was a pleasant surprise to see it on the menu!

Food: I was concerned they would have beer batter or panko on the catfish, but it was the traditional cornmeal breading, and the cook on the fish was perfection. The fish was amazingly tender and almost melted in my mouth. The breading gave it a nice texture and held the tender fish together. The tarter sauce was a little on the sweet side, but paired well with the cajon seasoning on the fries.

Wife had coconut shrimp. Again, perfectly cooked and tender. The breading was not too sweet from the coconut and had a great balance. The garlic fries were a bit of a let-down, even for my wife who LOVES garlic. It was just way too much garlic paste smeared on top of the fries.

Service: It was adequate. Considering we were the only people in the restaurant at the time, I never got a drink refill. They were quick to get us extra sauce when we requested, but the two staff members were more interested in their phones than us. I know its a slow night, but you never know who is going to do a review hay?

Value: Catfish basket was ~$17 and thought it was a really good value. Was great tasting, filled me up, and had some leftovers. Coconut shrimp basket was ~$16. Had about 5 good side shrimp and fries. Add two drinks, and the bill was just over $40. Honestly not bad for this area. I have spent more on fried chicken at Big Chicken just...

Went as part of a group of 5 and ordered the Snow Crab and King Crab for dinner.

If you're used to the usual boil on the table, don't go expecting that, but something much better.

Unlike places that over saturated their seafood and veggies in old bay, Kick Kajun does a great job of adding flavor through their seasoning and butter mixture. The King Crab, Snow Crab, Corn, Potatoes, Sausage, Mussels, Clams, and Shrimp were all cooked to perfection (tons of garlic, if you like that).

In terms of spice, we got the mild spice, since we had a kiddo with us, but it was still brimming with flavor and a small kick. If you're looking for a lot of spice, it goes up to 4 different levels (from their menu, the last one has three levels on its own).

One of the two small complaints is that there was a ton of Shrimp compared to everything else that came with the Crab (the shrimp was the toughest thing to eat because of the gloves). If it was an option, then it would be great to swap out some shrimp or mussels for potato, corn, or sausage.

The only other complaint was the rice was super mushy and crunchy at the same time, since it was one of the things that was eaten throughout the entire meal. It would have been great to get it in a serving dish compared to...

While the food was very enjoyable, the service we received was severely lacking. Our server was absent for long periods, forcing us to constantly wave them down for essentials like refills and to place additional orders. After finally getting their attention, our requests seemed to be taken in passing, with the server walking away before confirming our needs or circling back to check on us. The mandatory service charge added for our "party of 5" (three adults, a child, and a sleeping baby that was being carried) was highly frustrating. Tipping is intended to reward good service, and the expectation of an automatic tip in a situation where the service was so neglectful feels deeply unfair. This policy should be reconsidered when the service fails to meet basic standards.

Recommend: the boil with everything spicy is NOT spicy. The flavored fries 😋. Catfish basket. Oyster basket. Of course for dessert… deep fried Oreos...