At the strip mall Viet-Cajun restaurant Cajun Kitchen in Chinatown, you can get your fill of Vietnamese food like a green mango salad and mực nướng sa tế (grilled squid marinated in garlic and chili sauce), alongside Cajun dishes like boudin balls and tender turkey necks. This place also serves crawfish year round, with seasonings including a rich garlic butter and a bright thai basil. Or there’s the “kitchen special” with refreshing lemons and oranges keeping your crawfish cozy in the seafood boil bag. Crawfish boils here have a two-pound minimum so show up hungry or bring a pal. This spot is laid back and casual, and it’s constantly prepared for seafood fans—and the subsequent mess they bring—with tables covered in vinyl and paper towel rolls at every table.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Food Rundown

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Crawfish

The crawfish here come out hot, juicy and doused in garlic butter. Get the “kitchen special” for mudbugs bathed in a huge helping of citrus and herbs.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Oyster “Vietnam”

Oysters here get different treatments including Oyster "Mexico" (topped with salsa, pico de gallo, and lime) and Oyster “Italy” (with Italian herbs, butter, romano, and parmesan cheese). But our favorite is the Oyster “Vietnam,” which come coated in a decadent garlic sauce and scallions. They’re buttery, fresh, and hard to put down, so go ahead and get a full dozen.