February brings thoughts of hearts and flowers for some, but for crawfish lovers, it’s the month that mudbug season kicks into high gear. Once the small crustaceans begin to hit restaurant menus and markets, Houstonians can’t get their hands on a pound (or two) of crawfish fast enough. While traditional boils pack in plenty of flavor and heat from Cajun spices, the city has seen a rise in Viet-Cajun boils, which give crawfish seekers even more options.
Consider this guide of restaurants and pop-ups around town that are prepared for mudbug season with their epic seafood boils and crawfish-centric dishes.
Ragin’ Cajun
As Houston’s oldest crawfish restaurant, Ragin’ Cajun has been serving Louisiana mudbugs for more than 50 years. Seasoned with both cayenne and black pepper, the crawfish are sold at market price, which is currently about $11 per pound. Visit the original spot on Richmond, or the newer outpost in Spring Branch—the spirit of Mardi Gras is present at both. Happy hour specials include $7 frozen hurricanes Monday through Friday, from 3 to 7 p.m. Multiple locations, ragin-cajun.com
Crawfish & Noodles
Trong Nguyen’s bold fusion of Vietnamese and Cajun flavors has earned him two James Beard Award semifinalist nominations. While crawfish is priced at market value, Crawfish & Noodles occasionally features special offerings throughout the season. Diners can customize the signature garlic butter sauce with their preferred spice level and add extras like corn, sausage, and potatoes. Nguyen and his son, Cory, recently teamed up with Bun B’s Trill Burgers for the Trill Boil, and the restaurant has also hosted an all-you-can-eat crawfish event. Look for more collaborations and crawfish celebrations in the months ahead. 11360 Bellaire Blvd. #990, Houston, crawfishandnoodles.com
Crawfish Cafe
Husband and wife team, Julie and Kiet Duong, operate five locations of Crawfish Cafe across the Greater Houston area, which means ample opportunities to experience Viet-Cajun crawfish and seafood combos. There are several heat levels, including the super spicy reaper, plus different house sauces like original Cajun, garlic-butter, and Thai basil. Diners can even blend different flavors together. Don’t miss out on the crawfish beignets. Multiple locations, crawfishcafe.com
LA Crawfish
This popular seafood franchise, which blends Cajun cuisine with Asian flavors, has over a dozen locations far and wide across the city. Crawfish boils can be amped up with garlic butter, Cajun style, or hot and sour sauces, and add-ons like corn, potatoes, and hard-boiled eggs. For diners looking for something unique, LA Crawfish offers a “life-changing” crawfish pho, made with Cajun-infused broth, hand-peeled crawfish tails, and Andouille sausage. Multiple locations, lacrawfish.com
Boil House
The Houston Heights location of this crawfish shack is focused on its casual seafood boils, while the Rosenberg outpost offers more of a restaurant feel with a larger menu. The two locations also operate with different hours, so it’s best to call ahead and make sure the mudbugs haven’t sold out. The Louisiana crawfish are boiled in seasoned water, but guests can add dry or wet seasoning for a charge. The frozen daiquiris are strong and cut through the spice quite nicely. Multiple locations, theboilhouse.com
Christian’s Tailgate
Christian’s Tailgate has four locations around town where you can enjoy the bounty of crawfish season, while watching your favorite sports teams play. At the moment, crawfish are available on Saturdays at the Highway 6 and Midtown locations, but beginning February 28, boils will be available on Saturday and Sunday at all of them. The going price is $9 per pound, with optional add-ons. Multiple locations, christianstailgate.com
Cajun Kitchen
Cajun Kitchen is a casual, strip center gem in Nha Trang Plaza in Asiatown, slinging seafood boils of all types. Fresh Louisiana crawfish and Gulf Coast blue crab boils can be amped up with the restaurant’s special sauces. The “kitchen special” blends garlic and citrus with a tinge of spice, while the Thai basil is aromatic and earthy. In addition to Viet-Cajun seafood boils, there are items like the crawfish po-boy, cheesy crawfish bread, and crawfish puffs. For those looking to imbibe, there is a wide selection of sake and flavored soju. 6938 Wilcrest Dr., Houston, cajunkitchenhouston.com
Crazy Alan’s Swamp Shack
South of the city, toward Galveston, crawfish aficionados will find two locations of Crazy Alan’s Swamp Shack. The Baybrook location has a bit of Mardi Gras flair mixed with fishing shack kitsch, and a kids section with iPads and games; while the Kemah location has more of a party vibe with outdoor dining, live music, and marina views. The menu is vast, with fried platters, handhelds, and more, but crawfish boils are indeed the main attraction. Order crawfish by the pound and pick flavors like Asian Cajun, or choose a seafood pot, like the boiled feast, which combines crawfish, boiled shrimp, snow crab, and Maine lobster. It feeds two to four diners. 1330 Bay Area Blvd., Friendswood, crazyalanswampshack.com
Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition
Mississippi-native Lucas McKinney brings loads of Southern flair to the corner of W. Gray and Bagby in Midtown at his restaurant, Josephine’s. Along with Gulf coast traditions like peel-and-eat shrimp and snow crab clusters, the restaurant is serving up live crawfish in Cajun spices. Guests have the choice to enjoy them wet with a buttery spiced sauce that adds an extra layer of flavor, and all but guarantees a set of messy hands. 318 W. Gray St., Houston, josephinesgulfcoasttradition.com
Swamp Kingz
This laid-back seafood spot channels major sports bar energy, and guests dig its early aughts playlist. There are always crawfish deals, typically ranging from $7 to $9 per pound. Non-drinkers can sip on slushes or jelly teas, while frozen margaritas and boozy slushies make a fun pairing with mild or spicy crawdads. The menu also features other Southern favorites like boudin balls and turkey necks. 2310 Highway 6, Houston, swampkingz.com
Krazy Seafood Sports Bar & Grill
This hidden gem on Houston’s north side, run by a father-and-daughter team, offers a lively sports bar atmosphere, with soccer and football games splashed across the TV screens. There are crawfish specials throughout the week, but the menu features lots more, including Tex-Mex staples like tacos, quesadillas, and nachos. Buckets of beer are reasonably-priced. 5050 FM 1960 Rd., Houston, krazyseafood.com
Monkey’s Tail
This quirky Lindale Park neighborhood bar offers a relaxed environment for hanging with friends, sipping cocktails, and pinching and twisting crawfish. Guests can choose from regular Cajun flavor or house jalapeno, and build their boils with add-ons like sausage, corn, mushrooms, melted butter, and Monkey sauce. The back patio is the perfect spot for hanging out with like-minded shuckers. 5802 Fulton St., Houston, monkeystailhou.com
BB’s Tex-Orleans
This locally-owned, New Orleans-inspired chain delivers delicious seafood in a festive Bourbon Street-style setting. BB’s is currently in full crawfish mode, slinging them by the pound in three different boil styles, including Tex-Orleans, Louisiana, and citrus garlic, with add-ons like sausage, corn, mushrooms, red potatoes, and boiled eggs. Dipping sauces, including garlic butter and chipotle remoulade, are available for an additional cost. Pair with Maw Maw’s Bayou Tea or an ice cold Abita draft and be transported to the Big Easy. Multiple locations, bbstexorleans.com
The Pit Room
While it’s lauded for its craft barbecue, the Pit Room is also known to go whole hog come crawfish season. Guests can order by the pound; opt for the Three Pounder which includes corn, potatoes, mushrooms, and Andouille sausage; or splurge on the Feast which comes with three pounds of crawfish, two snow crab clusters, and a pound of shrimp, plus accompaniments. Crawfish boils are available on the patio at both Montrose and Memorial locations, Thursday and Friday beginning at 1 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at noon. 1201 Richmond Ave., Houston, thepitroombbq.com
Crawfish Shack
Owners Dan and Jean Meaux have added onto their family-operated Crosby restaurant over the years as its fame has grown within the community. This time of year, the restaurant is swamped with happy shuckers who love the double-seasoned mudbugs, smiling servers, and neighborly bonhomie of fellow patrons huddling over boils at picnic tables. Guests can dine inside the tin building, which has garage-style doors that remain open on fair-weather days, or hit the drive-thru for to-go boils or sacks of live, purged crawfish. The shack has a popular BYOB policy, but be prepared for long lines for crawfish on the weekend. 5822 FM 2100, Crosby, crawfishshack.com
Mambo Seafood
Celebrating 30 years this year, Houston-born Mambo Seafood remains a go-to neighborhood gathering spot—especially when mudbugs are in season—with 13 locations across the Greater Houston area that offer boils for dine-in and to-go. The customizable feasts range from a $24.99 Crawfish & Shrimp combo—loaded with a pound of crawfish, 10 Mambo-style shrimp, corn, and potatoes—to the $49.99 Mambo Mix Boil, a full-on spread featuring two pounds of crawfish, snow crab, shrimp, jalapeño cheddar sausage, corn, and potatoes. In between, options like Crawfish & Snow Crab and Shrimp & Snow Crab offer plenty of ways to get cracking. Multiple locations, order.mamboseafood.com
