The Best Cajun Spots for a Taste of Louisiana in Denver
The good times keep rolling this month.
Nola Voodoo Tavern is one of our favorite local spots for Cajun fare.
Nola Voodoo Tavern
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Laissez les bons temps rouler! This year, Fat Tuesday fell on February 17, and in places where the cultural tradition is strong, the streets were alive with parties, parades and delicious feasts ahead of the (alleged) abstinence of Lent. And in Denver, sme celebrations will keep rolling through the end of February, when there’s a big Mardi Gras party at Diebolt Brewing, one of Denver’s best breweries (https://www.westword.com/food-drink/best-breweries-denver-16613630/).
The annual Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans are the most famous, although the first official American observation was actually held in Mobile, Alabama, in 1703.While there are no floats and beads on 16th Street to mark the occasion — RIP Bayou Bob’s (https://www.westword.com/food-drink/bayou-bobs-will-close-in-downtown-denver-on-august-31-2019-11462155/) — there are still plenty of places in the metro area where you can get your fill of boudin, beignet po’boys and other dishes and drinks bursting with flavors from the Bayou State all year long.
While the terms “Cajun” and “Creole” are often used interchangeably to describe food from Louisiana, they are not the same (though there is some overlap). Cajun and Creole are two distinct cultures, and the food reflects that. “Creole” was initially used to describe French and Spanish settlers in New Orleans, but grew to include African descendants and free people of color, blending flavors from all around the globe. “Cajuns” were French colonists who settled in the Acadia region of Canada. Cajun cuisine is rustic and resourceful, heavily seasoned and reliant on pork, crawfish and game, along with the “holy trinity” of green bell pepper, onion and celery. Traditional Cajun recipes often skip the tomatoes that you’ll find in classic Creole dishes.
Whether Creole or Cajun, Louisiana brings the flavor, and we like it all. Here are some Mile High favorites where you can let the good times roll:
Toby’s Po’Boys (https://www.instagram.com/tobyspoboys/)
Food truck
Husband-and-wife team Damon and Maria Tobias serve po’boys, red beans and rice, gumbo and beignets with a side of Southern hospitality from their food truck, a used wedding bus that Damon transformed into a New Orleans streetcar named Kayla. It’s been operating on Denver roads since 2018 and get in line if you spot it at an event, because this mobile food business serves eats made with care.
Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar (https://www.jaxfishhouse.com/location/jax-fish-house-oyster-bar-lodo/)
1539 17th Street
This longtime seafood staple (https://www.westword.com/food-drink/jax-fish-house-celebrates-thirty-years-22482838/) may have recently closed its Glendale outpost (https://www.westword.com/food-drink/popular-glendale-seafood-restaurant-closing-after-more-than-a-decade-40801526/), but its downtown location remains a favorite. While it’s not a Cajun-focused spot, we love the chargrilled oysters with Creole butter, and Louisiana crawfish gumbo loaded with Gulf shrimp and smoked andouille sausage. Not near Union Station? Jax also has locations in Boulder, Fort Collins and Colorado Springs.
Jessie’s Smokin’ NOLA (https://smokinnola.com/)
11061 South Parker Road, Parker
New Orleans chef Jessie Rayford started serving his hometown delicacies from a food truck before opening and then moving his brick-and-mortar business a few times over the years. In 2024, he set up shop in Parker (https://www.westword.com/food-drink/jessies-smokin-nola-opening-parker-20370400/), where he’s now operating what he swears will be the restaurant’s last iteration before he retires. Until that happens, head to Jessie’s Smokin’ NOLA for étouffée, crawfish bread, bourbon pecan pie, mint juleps and more.
Lincoln’s Roadhouse (https://www.lincolnsroadhouse.com/)
1201 South Pearl Street
This blues bar and Cajun cafe has been around since 1999, offering good times and good food. The no-frills Wash Park spot has live music every Friday and Saturday, and serves Cajun popcorn (fried crawfish tails with remoulade), King Cake daiquiris, red beans and rice, and a mean meatloaf sandwich, plus much more.
Lucille’s Creole Cafe (https://www.luciles.com/)
Multiple locations
This beloved brunch institution (the Boulder OG opened in 1980) is known for its beignets, pillowy square doughnuts dusted with a blizzard of powdered sugar and paired perfectly with a cup of chicory coffee. But save room for specialties like Eggs New Orleans, fried eggplant slices with Creole sauce, poached eggs and hollandaise; abd Pain Perdu, a New Orleans-style French toast drenched in buttery praline pecan syrup.
Nola Jane Restaurant & Bar (https://nolajanedenver.com/)
1435 Market Street
Hurricanes on draft? Well, throw us some beads and then call us an Uber, because these storm-strength drinks definitely don’t mix with driving, though you can also soak up the spirit with eats like softshell crab po’boys, shrimp and grits, blackened alligator tacos and classic Cajun crawfish cakes.
Nola Voodoo Tavern (https://noladenver.com/)
2222 Bruce Randolph Avenue
Another New Orleans native, chef Henry Batiste has been treating Denverites to family recipes that bring the spirit of the Crescent City to the Cole neighborhood since 2015. In this exuberantly decorated space, you’ll find made-from-scratch Louisiana favorites, including boudin balls, red beans and rice, crispy fried alligator bites and plenty of Abita beers. Batiste also honors the rich Italian heritage of New Orleans with Crawfish Monica, a toothsome plate of rotini smothered in a crawfish-laden cream sauce.
NoNo’s Cafe (https://nonoscafe.com/)
3005 West County Line Road, Littleton
Kiss your calorie counting goodbye: This Southern-fare spot in the south suburbs goes big on portion sizes — and on flavor. The menu updates frequently, but you’ll always find finger-licking New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp, catfish smothered in crawfish cream sauce, bourbon-sauced bread pudding and much more. If that’s not enough, every Saturday from March through June, NoNo’s rolls out a Louisiana-style crawfish boil with all the fixin’s.
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Pier 8 Cajun Seafood & Bar (https://www.pier8arvada.com/)
7490 West 52nd Avenue, Arvada
How much can you eat? Test your mettle at this Cajun-styled seafood emporium where everyone at the table, including kids, must order the AYCE option — or just go to town on the à la carte menu. Cajun choices include po’ boys, gumbo, raw and steamed oysters, and catfish, to name a few. You can also opt for a choose-your-own-adventure seafood boil, picking from a variety of seafood and sauces. People who don’t care for seafood (who are these people?!?) have options like chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, Caesar salad and wings.
Poboys Creole Cafe (https://www.instagram.com/poboyscolorado/)
5505 West 20th Avenue, Edgewater
Longtime friends Jeremy Bentham Smith and CJ Davidson just celebrated the grand opening of their new po’boy joint (https://www.westword.com/food-drink/edgewater-poboy-joint-opening-just-in-time-for-fat-tuesday-40843572/) inside Edgewater Public Market on Fat Tuesday. Along with a variety of po’boy options, including fried gator, blackened shrimp and locally-made andouille sausages, it’s serving Creole staples such as crawfish étouffée, gumbo and jambalaya.
Spots for Seafood Boils
Seafood boils are a longstanding Mardi Gras tradition and a favorite way to feast with a group year-round. We love Crawfish Market (https://www.instagram.com/crawfishmarketdenver/) at 1175 South Federal Boulevard, where you can buy crawfish and other seafood to use for a boil at home, or choose your mix and have the staff cook it up for you on-site.
If you’d prefer a place where you can put on a bib and get your hands dirty while dining in, these local spots make it easy to show up; pick your protein, sauces, spice level and sides; and then open a bag of pure bliss:
Asian Cajun (https://www.theasiancajun-crabshack.com/)
2400 West Alameda
2841 West 120th Avenue, Westminster
Crab & Shell (https://www.crabandshell.com/)
2819 East Colfax Avenue
Crawling Crab (https://www.thecrawlingcrab.us/)
781 South Federal Boulevard
3215 South Wadsworth Boulevard, Lakewood
Hook & Reel (https://hookreel.com/location/denver/)
7407 East 36th Avenue
Reel Cajun (https://reelcajunseafood.co/)
3820 River Point Parkway, Sheridan
The Crab House (https://thecrabhouseco.com/)
3299 South Broadway, Englewood
The Yabby Hut (https://www.yabbyhut.com/)
6735 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood
3355 South Yarrow Street, Lakewood
Upcoming Celebrations
Diebolt Brewing Mardi Gras (https://dieboltbrewing.com/mardi-gras/) Saturday, February 28, noon to 6 p.m.
3855 Mariposa Street
Diebolt is hosting a Mardi Gras bash complete with crawfish boil, oyster bar, hurricane seltzer slushies and . Reveille DJ set starts at 1, and the Baddaboom Brass Band plays from 2 to 4 p.m., followed by a dance party with Reveille DJ and Schuck Brothers. Taking presales now for crawfish from Tastebud Bullies (https://www.tastebudbullies.com/tbbboil).
What did we miss? Send info to editorial@westword.com.
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Cynthia Barnes has been a freelance writer with Westword since November 2019. She kicked around the world for a while before landing in Colorado. A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, AAA, the Boston Globe, National Geographic, and 5280, to name a few. She loves dives – both scuba and bars – baseball, the Oxford comma, and live music.
Food & Drink Editor Molly MartinIf you value independent journalism, please consider making a contribution to support our continued coverage of Denver’s evolving dining scene and the latest culinary innovations our community offers.
