Louisiana’s culture is rooted in African, Native, French, and Spanish traditions, all of which intertwine within today’s Creole and Cajun culinary staples. The most famous stews, fried dishes, and seafood creations often emerged from the customs and innovations of marginalized communities; a sentiment that should be at the forefront as Mardi Gras season closes in.
Victims and survivors of chattel slavery, enslaved West Africans, were purposefully given the most undesirable parts of animals to eat. Despite the systemic malnourishment, this community created some of the most essential elements of Louisianan food culture from their lack. The similarities between jambalaya and jollof rice are too stark to disregard, especially as we celebrate what it means to live deliciously in Louisiana.
The word “gumbo” itself originated from the word for “okra” in many West African languages; it also refers to the state’s cuisine, as perfected by Louisiana’s early chefs.
“The dish was prevalent among Cajuns, Creoles, and people of color, no matter their socioeconomic station,” Ryan Brasseaux of 64 Parishes writes.
Many gumbo chefs consider filé powder a necessary ingredient, introduced by Native Americans using dried sassafras leaves. The Indigenous community in Louisiana, comprised of tribes like the Coushatta, Chitimacha, Jena Band of Choctaw, and Tunica-Biloxi, is also credited with aiding in the creation of hush puppies, a staple throughout the entire American South, through their cultivation of maize.
After French Acadians were exiled from Canada by the British in the 1750s, many of them settled in Southeast Louisiana (aka Cajun Country), cementing Cajun cuisine as part of Louisiana’s signature style of cooking.
When digging into the state’s history, there are generations of hurt and injustice still yet to be uncovered from the world-changing consequences of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the erasure of Native communities.
The Louisiana State Penitentiary, or “Angola,” is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States, and the state itself is notorious for its relatively high incarceration rate which disproportionately targets Black men.
Louisiana could be considered the state of resistance and hope because those traits are necessary for survival when you’re living in one of the most severely underfunded and neglected states in the country.
While growing up in Louisiana, I encountered some of the most stellar dishes I’ve ever had in my life: the gumbo my fifth-grade teacher’s husband cooked us during Christmastime, the boudin balls from my family’s favorite spot, and at-home crawfish boils in the springtime. Like all good meals in Louisiana, there was always a throughline of unquestionable reverence to these lengthy and time-consuming recipes–and ultimately, the people who’d soon be tasting them.
Here are nine Creole and Cajun dishes in L.A. that encapsulate the community, soul, and passion that Louisiana is so aptly known for.
Catfish Nuggets ~ Harold & Belle’s ~ Jefferson Park
Harold & Belle’s got its start in 1969, opened by married duo Harold Legaux Sr. and Mary Belle. The original venue was known for offering billiards and as a spot for community gatherings.
Now it’s operated by third-generation owners, married couple Ryan and Jessica, who have continued to expand the legacy with catering and plant-based options. They attribute past financial hardships to the “predatory lending” that is so rampant in South Los Angeles, which led to a 40% drop in sales in 2008. Today, Harold & Belle’s is bustling with patrons, so many that you have to shimmy through a crowd waiting at the entrance, even on a weekday afternoon.
Famous for Creole staples and original recipes, the catfish nuggets are addictive, tender pockets of fresh seafood. The medallions of catfish are gently breaded in cornmeal and fried to perfection, seasoned only enough to let the fish shine.
In each bite, the catfish naturally flakes apart to reveal the beautiful cook on the fish. Paired with a tangy housemade tartar sauce and fresh lemon, this appetizer is a testament to the beauty that can be crafted when technique and quality protein meet.
2920 W. Jefferson Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018.
Seafood Gumbo ~ Stevie’s Creole Cafe ~ Mid-Wilshire
Considered “the best gumbo this side of New Orleans” by the late Jonathon Gold, seeing a bowl of Stevie’s Creole Cafe’s seafood gumbo arrive at your table renders you speechless, totally entranced by its glory. Stacked with supple shrimp, meaty crab, flavorful sausage, and tender chicken to the point of near overflow, this bowl is straight up opulence. It’s not just some of the best gumbo in Los Angeles; this bowl even holds up against NOLA greats.
Originally from L.A., Stevie’s family is from New Orleans and the originators of these recipes that locals love and visitors seek out. The seafood gumbo comes with jasmine rice at the bottom of the bowl, giving it time to soak up all of the flavor of the stew and develop an almost creamy texture.
Stevie’s does justice to gumbo, Louisiana’s state dish, while also innovating the stew: they make sure the shrimp don’t overcook by plating them last and above the broth, while serving all of the crab legs in halves so that patrons don’t even have to crack them themselves.
Stevie’s dedication to both honoring these historic Creole staples while creating community in L.A. is palpable. Even on a Monday afternoon, this spot is packed with patrons inside and outside, and the buzz of loved ones catching up over bowls of family recipes leaves you full on more than just good food.
5545 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019
King Cake ~ Nawlins Sweet Treats ~ Manchester Square
Nawlins Sweet Treats is run by former nun and current small business owner Cynthia Shaw, who is 73-years-old and considers herself “first-generation Californian.” Texan on her father’s side and Louisianian on her mother’s, Shaw began to bake her own king cakes as her mother used to complain each year about how the ones she ordered from LA always arrived damaged.
Proudly calling herself “Creole-American” and a “Cali girl,” Shaw operates this home business with the help of her children, who all understand that Mardi Gras season means crunch time as orders pile up, creating towers of cake boxes inside the living room.
Her renowned classic king cake comes decorated with immense intention: glitter representing the colors of Mardi Gras, plus beads, a fleur de lis, signage, and even explainers detailing the history of the king cakes. Similar to rosca de reyes, a little plastic baby can also be found stuffed inside. The smallest size serves up to twelve people and is layered with ideally cooked dough and streusel filling. Creamy and decadent with a swipe of cinnamon, a king cake this good is a gem to have in Los Angeles.
1942 W. 85th St. Los Angeles, CA 90047
Shrimp Étouffée ~ Lee Esther’s Creole & Cajun Cooking ~ Palmdale
Lee Esther’s operates out of two locations: a brick-and-mortar in Downtown Palmdale and a mobile trolley that looks like it traveled 1,700 miles away, straight from Louisiana.
The aesthetics aren’t the only authentic element at Lee Esther’s. Chef Mike is from the southeastern Louisiana city of Eunice–the state’s “Prairie Cajun Capital”–and has curated a menu that thoroughly honors his roots while experimenting with new fusion recipes like Cajun drunken noodles.
This is one of the only spots in L.A. where you can find boudin and boudin balls, Cajun holy grails known for their expert melding of pork, traditional spices, and rice. Its rotating daily specials and decor, dedicated to Eunice, a city with a population of less than 10,000, encapsulate the homegrown spirit living inside Lee Esther’s.
If you want to be transported to a Louisiana grandma’s dining room, try the étouffée. Served with charred garlic bread and steamed jasmine rice, the étouffée’s creaminess is rich and spiced to your liking since the restaurant offers heat levels from 2 to 5. It’s your choice whether you invite crawfish, shrimp, or both staples to this full-bodied gathering of Cajun flavors. Alternating between sopping up étouffée with garlic bread and blanketing spoonfuls of rice with the stew are a dance worthy of applause.
830 1/2 E. Ave. Q6 Palmdale, CA 93550
Char-broiled Oysters ~ Evangeline Swamp Room ~ Chinatown
The Evangeline Swamp Room is probably the only bar in Los Angeles with ceiling fan chandeliers hanging from a roof made entirely from metal appliques. Its French door entry on the corner of Spring Street and Ord Street is easy to miss, but once you shimmy through the plastic shutters hanging above the doorframe, like a mosquito sneaking in through a cracked window, you’re planted in the middle of a trove of Louisianian memorabilia.
The energy is divey, and the dim lighting makes drinking while it’s daylight out a bit more acceptable.
The Swamp Room sells potable homages to Southern culture in the form of original cocktails (a few including a mystery mix of alcohol), along with po’ boys, and even Natchitoches meat pies (a deep cut). The French Quarter frozen Irish coffee at The Swamp Room is creamy and heavy with liqueur, and you don’t even have to trudge through 100-degree weather to enjoy it.
The char-broiled oysters topped with white cheese, bacon bits, bread crumbs, and diced onion may be the best bar food you’ve ever tasted. The fresh oysters are large, buttery, and doused with smoke and tang, coming from the herbed beer-and-butter sauce. Instead of Buffalo wings and ranch, you can indulge in this savory Tabasco-topped and lemon-drizzled dish instead.
701 N. Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
Shrimp Po’ Boy ~ The Little Jewel ~ Chinatown
Before The Evangeline Swamp Room opened about a year ago, The Little Jewel of New Orleans was Marcus Christiana-Beniger and Eunah Kang-Beniger’s only NOLA-inspired establishment. Christiana-Beniger’s Louisianian background comes through in the spirit and aesthetic of The Little Jewel which has now grown into a Chinatown landmark. It operates as both a restaurant and marketplace, selling items that you can usually only find in Louisiana like cans of Tony Chachere’s and “Slap Ya Mama” seasoning.
Best known for its po’ boys, Number 2 on the menu is the best-selling Crescent City Fried Shrimp Po’ Boy. This sandwich comes on toasted white bread and is dressed with aioli-covered iceberg lettuce, plump pickle slices, pieces of Roma tomato, and diced purple onion. The medium-sized shrimp are breaded in cornmeal and fried.
The combination of perfectly cooked seafood and French bread are easy reminders as to why po’ boys are so popular throughout Louisiana: simple ingredients brought together to create a sandwich that’s filling, hearty, and refreshing, especially when the air can be thick and heavy with swampside humidity.
207 Ord St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
NEW ORLEANS FAVORITES ~ MARDI GRAS TUESDAY ~ SHERMAN OAKS
Mardi Gras Tuesday (MGT) is located on perpetually busy Ventura Boulevard, decked out in New Orleans-style decor. MGT got its start in the early days of the pandemic, when owners Leslie and Keith Adams noticed a lack of Creole cuisine in Sherman Oaks.
With a raw oyster bar, three TVs, and live jazz on the weekends, it’s obvious they know how to curate an experience. The brick wallpaper, streetlamps adorned with Mardi Gras beads, and faux French windows comprise a trove of Louisianian admiration. The most surprising thing about this spot may be its varied collection of sojus behind the bar.
You can try classic dishes, sampler-style: jambalaya, gumbo, and crawfish étouffée. This selection of stews and rice comes steaming hot, hearty, and flavorful. The jambalaya’s rice is soaked with flavor, and the freshness of the vegetables comes through with every crisp bit of green onion and bounce in the bits of tomato. Shredded chicken and andouille sausage are ample in this dish.
The meat-seafood gumbo comes with chunks of crab and shrimp while showing off some of the deeper flavors on the menu. The étouffée’s creamy broth is built upon a foundation of mirepoix before getting absolutely packed with crawfish tails.
14543 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Mini Smack Bucket ~ Smackem’ Cajun Seafood ~ Downtown
Opened last year by actor and internet personality Kwaylon Rogers, Smackem’ Cajun Seafood is more than just a TikToker’s content-creating opportunity. Users have become so accustomed to influencers’ overly exaggerated reactions to mediocre food that it has all become white noise as we scroll on. But social media personalities got it right with Smackem’. In the heart of Downtown, this spot is easy to gloss over if you’re fighting rush hour traffic, contrasting their powerhouse online presence.
Smackem’ serves Cajun seafood boils in signature plastic buckets. The “Mini Smack Bucket” is not that mini, offering generous portions of sausage, corn, six pieces of shrimp, and potatoes all smothered in a Cajun garlic sauce. The sauce is addictive, buttery, and clamoring with flavor, insisting you reach a latex-gloved hand back in for more. Layers of seasoning top each ingredient before being sprinkled with flecks of parsley.
Rogers has announced that an Atlanta Smackem’ location is in the works, but that’s not his first out-of-state venture as a restaurateur. He got his start as part of the team behind Krab Queenz, a Louisiana-style seafood boil and daiquiri chain found throughout the country. It’s safe to say that Rogers has officially made his return to the seafood boil game four years later. To our benefit.
659 Flower St. Los Angeles, CA 90017
Beignet Trio ~ The Rising Sun Café & Bistro ~ Arts District
After opening in 2022, The Rising Sun Café & Bistro has earned a reputation as one of L.A.’s best brunch spots in L.A., celebrated for its beef sliders and beignet trios.
The self-declared “casual Cajun” joint invites patrons to the corner of S. Santa Fe Avenue and Palmetto Street. They are only open for take-out on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, operating from their pick-up window.
The beignet trio comes inside a little white paper bag where the fluffy pieces of fried dough are buried in powdered sugar. Beneath the layers of sugar, the dough is crisp and golden brown. Rather than staying the track and opting for a traditional square shape, Rising Sun goes for a rectangle, with a side of strawberry dipping sauce. It just takes one bite to find yourself in awe over how the powdered sugar quickly melts in your mouth and befriends the flaky dough to create a perfectly rich dessert.
On Tuesday, February 17, Rising Sun will celebrate Mardi Gras alongside their partners at The Obscure Distillery from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Members of the public are invited for an “exclusive food and cocktail menu,” backed by live music from Beaucoup Brass Band.
1356 Palmetto St. #200, Los Angeles, CA 90013
For more ways to celebrate Mardi Gras in Los Angeles, check out today's events like Little Dom’s and Little Dom’s Seafood’s Mardi Gras Feast, along with Lowboy Bar’s Mardi Gras Party in Echo Park.
