11 Best Restaurants in Side Trips from New Orleans, Louisiana

This 19th-century inn with crisp white linens and old brick fireplaces serves French and Cajun dishes to a well-dressed crowd. Among the specialties are Gulf fish Acadian and grilled duck breast. This is a favorite spot for special occasions among Lafayette residents—and with good reason.

Overlooking Bayou Amy, Pat's is the real deal, with heaping platters of seafood. On a cool night, get a table on the porch overlooking the bayou and go for the shrimp dinner, which presents the local favorite no fewer than eight different ways. The Atchafalaya Club, which is the area hot spot for Cajun dancing on Saturday and Sunday nights, is next door. Accommodations are also available at Pat's Edgewater Inn, located on the same stretch.

Midway between Laura and Oak Alley plantations, downtown Vacherie is short on sights but long on flavor, thanks in no small part to this down-home lunchroom. Photos and murals on the walls tell tales of local history, while po'boys, jambalaya, and fried catfish fill the tables. You can also pick up some homemade sausages as an edible souvenir. Owner Spuddy is a wealth of knowledge; call up and ask about his "Cajun Cooking Experience."

This small shop and restaurant serves some of the tastiest seafood gumbo around River Road (and there's plenty of competition). Try a dash of hot sauce and a sprinkle of filé, or sample the alligator burgers; finish with a scoop of rich, dense bread pudding. The shop carries fresh and frozen catfish, crawfish, alligator, and turtle meat harvested from the nearby swamps. You can buy seafood packed to travel.

A visit to Cajun country is not complete without a stop at Hebert's. This butcher shop is one of several contenders claiming credit for inventing turducken—a turkey stuffed with a duck that's stuffed with a chicken. You can grab a link of hot boudin to eat on the spot, or fill a cooler with andouille, deboned stuffed chicken, and other regional delicacies for later.

From roughly December through June, when Louisiana crawfish are in season, local families pack in to partake in the outrageous abundance. Order from the menu—including crawfish, oysters, and a few sides like sausage links and boiled potatoes, plus cold beer—in the simple, stripped-down dining room filled with big tables. Or roll up to the drive-through window and pick up supplies for your own crawfish picnic.

Order your authentic Cajun cooking at the counter of this butcher shop and lunchroom, then eat in or take away. The daily specials will always stick to your ribs. Boudin, sausage, cracklings, and stuffed chicken are just a few of the items available for takeout.

In this cypress house decorated with swamp trees and a large stuffed alligator at the entrance, people gather over red-and-white-check tablecloths to chow down on some local classics: crawfish and alligator sausage cheesecake, Cajun duckling, or any of the kitchen's four distinctive gumbos. Grilled seafood provides some lighter options. At breakfast, try the house rendition of eggs Benedict, made here with boudin patties, poached eggs, and crawfish étouffée over a biscuit. There's live Cajun music (and usually dancing) nightly.

Cross the Vermilion River on a vintage drawbridge and continue down a winding country road to find this classic Cajun "seafood patio," a no-frills dining room serving immense quantities of boiled crawfish, shrimp, and crabs. There's a full menu of fried and grilled items—and cold beer. Richard's opens at 5 pm and fills up almost immediately, so expect a wait.

This often-busy diner serves a hearty Cajun breakfast and lunch, which feature daily specials such as smothered rabbit, catfish court boulion, or crawfish omelets. The Southern fare also includes fried chicken and seafood dishes.

LaPlace is known as the andouille capital of the world, and the spicy, smoky, Cajun-style sausage is deservedly popular here. In this butcher shop that doubles as a functional, straightforward restaurant for weekday lunches, you can get andouille in burgers, in gumbo, made into chips for dipping, or worked into white beans and rice. A jazz brunch on Sunday expands the offerings to include omelets, boudin Benedict, and other comforting fare. Although reservations aren't mandatory, they are a good idea.