The Blind Tiger — Restaurant in Shreveport

This might be one of the top-tier places to eat in Shreveport, and I’m not saying it’s trash. This is feedback for management and a heads-up for folks seeking gumbo—not seafood stew.

Service Experience Our server, Kaitlynn, seemed irritated from the start. When I mentioned I don’t support Chinese-imported crawfish, her response was dismissive. She said all their seafood is imported and maybe I should go somewhere else if I wanted local. I appreciate honesty, but her tone felt more like, “go away,” than helpful.

There was another incident that highlighted her attitude. My wife and I were at Table 12 (second table on the right when you walk in), and the four-top at the first table on the right ordered crab cakes. I heard the elderly gentleman specifically ask for fries with his meal. When the food came out, the fries were missing. The back server/busser let Kaitlynn know, and her response was, “Well, get him fries,” as she walked off in an aggressive way. We heard the four-top discussing her attitude, and their comments lined up with what we were feeling, too.

Gumbo Quality Gumbo doesn’t have tomatoes in it—don’t do that! Gumbo is supposed to have a dark roux that gives it depth and flavor. Adding tomatoes turns it into seafood stew, which is not what people expect when they order gumbo. If I wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and someone slapped turkey in it, I’d be just as unhappy. You’re supposed to be one of the top Cajun spots, so please honor the tradition and make gumbo great again.

And before management jumps in to say, “Well, you should have said something while you were here,” let me just say this: I didn’t think it would’ve mattered. Based on what I experienced, I think I would’ve been dismissed then and likely will be dismissed here, too. But I’m still giving you the chance to improve.

No Draft Beer How does the heart of Louisiana’s third-largest city’s “top-tier” Cajun seafood restaurant not have working draft beer? I was told the system has been broken for weeks and that parts are on order. If you cared about it, it’d be fixed in 24 hours—no excuses. Draft beer is a small but essential part of the dining experience, and it’s a detail that can separate a good spot from a great one.

Final Thoughts I’ve worked in the restaurant industry in New Orleans and grew up in a family that owns/owned restaurants. This place has the potential to be special—many reviewers say it already is—but based on today, there are systemic issues that need addressing.

Here’s what would help:

Buy fresh, local seafood and let your servers know so they can share that with customers. Refine the gumbo recipe—ditch the tomatoes, get a darker roux, and stick to tradition. Fix the draft beer system quickly instead of sitting on the problem. Huddle with your servers regularly to get feedback and improve professionalism. To be clear, nothing we ate tasted bad, but nothing tasted fresh either. All in all, it was good—but with some effort, it could be great. Empires fall when they get too comfortable and complacent. Don’t let that...

I saw the 4.7 rating so was excited to get a good taste of Louisiana food. I walked there from the Hilton for early dinner. There was no atmosphere to speak of. I was nicely greeted at the door but I was alone so sat at the bar. Bartender was attentive “once” She knew I was there. She was nice enough, however kept talking over me. I got the Cajun sampler.. and paid extra to add a piece of cornbread. It was all average, at best. The gumbo was a cup full of white rice with a couple pieces of shrimp and a little soup stock which may have been tasty if there was not so much rice in it, which came before the meal, the étouffée was the exact same dish but in a different shaped bowl on the plate with the meal. There was an overcooked piece of PAPER-THIN blackened catfish, which actually was the only flavorful thing of the dish. I chose fried okra as an option.. which was tasteless but it was what you could expect from fried okra with no spices in the coating. There was supposedly a pile of “fried crawfish tails” which was a pile of fried coating with an occasional tiny piece of mystery meat, gave the impression of “tiny popcorn shrimp?” again flavorless, and tough with a sweet sauce on the side that did nothing for it. There was a small cob of corn that was battered and deep fried which was... well the batter came off in one piece it looked dried out and unappetizing and under it there was a little 1/4 of regular corn on the cob. Flavorless. Oh, and the meat pies, they were puffed up and mostly hollow with a small amount of meat pie mixture on one side which I think wasn’t bad if there would have been enough to taste it. The cornbread I added because it was recommended, was not the worst cornbread I have ever had, but it was heavy and not very flavorful. I took it with me, to go, and handed it to a homeless man on my way back to the Hilton. I hope he enjoyed it. I will have to say I did enjoy a beer they offered on draft, it was a dark lager called “reasonably corrupt” from a local brewery “Great Raft Brewing” so kudos to the local brewery for giving me something to enjoy with my otherwise mediocre dinner at the Blind Tiger. I hope you have better luck, trying a different dish!!! Oh and the dish on the menu said it was $21 but I spent $60 including the cornbread, 2 beers and a tip. Being nice...

Hey y’all, Please If You Like sanitary service, please don’t go here. When I say, I have never left a bad review in my life I mean never. For starters, I’m not from Shreveport. I just had some things I need to handle downtown for the day and this was the closest place for me to try out. I went in with my daughter and we ordered food & I thought to get a drink to go. The drink I got to go was very little alcohol because I remember my server telling me that it was some blue drink that taste like icy, so she said. I’m about 20 minutes out from the restaurant now took a break to get gas and when I say I was drinking a little sip of the drink, and I found this in my drink. With me being a server/bartender in the town that I live at, I completely understand the lifestyle, and I love to support people in the restaurant industry. I also know what lemons and limes looks like, as well as the seeds in this felt it look like somebody’s finger nail. I was disgusted I HAD THIS IN MY MOUTH!! I’ll let y’all be the judge though. So with me even having a deadline to do things and get to where I need to be. I just didn’t think it was right in my heart to go on without addressing this, so I went back to the restaurant really not trying to have too big of attitude I just for myself, but for other customers as well, and before the manager even approach me to say hello, he snatched, the drink out of my hand and said this is a Lime seed. So after coming to the conclusion that he wasn’t even trying to hear what I had to say, nor look at this nail in front of him, I proceeded to ask him what his name was and he would not give me his name. He just said you can call me the owner. The conversation was very short because he gave me...