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BAILEY’S SEAFOOD & GRILL
5520-A Johnston St., Lafayette (Map) - 988-6464
Tuesday-Saturday: Lunch and Dinner; Sunday: Brunch
Ema Haq’s recently renovated Bailey’s Seafood and Grill is adjacent to the casual Ema’s Cafe and offers an array of South Louisiana and international fare. Lunch time, go for the maple leaf duck salad with a cup of roasted tomato basil with crab. For dinner, go for the tandoori rack of lamb, topped with a mango chutney demi-glace.
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GUIDRY’S REEF
www.guidrysreef.com
1508 W. Pinhook Road, Lafayette (Map) - 237-2860
Monday-Friday: Lunch and Dinner; Saturday: Dinner
Focus on the fresh lump crab meat au gratin at Guidry’s Reef or for purists, sauteed lump crab meat couldn’t be simpler. Shrimp comes boiled or fried, soft shell crabs ditto, good on a platter and even better stuffed into a poboy. The seafood combination salad will lull your seafood cravings with its Louisiana crab meat, crawfish and shrimp.
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JUDICE INN
www.judiceinn.com
3134 Johnston St., Lafayette (Map) - 984-5614
Monday-Saturday: Lunch and Dinner
For more than 60 years, the family-owned Judice Inn has been serving up little hamburgers with just the right amount of spice and grease. One’s just not enough, and two is sometimes too much. The burgers are dressed with a top-secret sauce. They’ve never heard of French fries here, so just order a bag of Zapp’s potato chips. Other notable grilltop items include the grilled cheese and the egg sandwiches.
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LA FONDA RESTAURANT
www.lafonda1957.com
3809 Johnston St., Lafayette (Map) - 984-5630
Tuesday-Saturday: Lunch and Dinner
La Fonda has sustained Lafayette’s thirst for margaritas, Tex-Mex and partying since the doors opened in 1957. But beyond Mexican calling cards like carne asada, the house favorite steak is an off-the-menu filet mignon or ribeye topped with sauteed onions and cheese dubbed the Don Briggs Special. One of the best-kept secrets — La Fonda has some of the finest fried chicken and fried rabbit in town.
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PALACE CAFÉ
135 W. Landry St., Opelousas (Map) - 942-2142
Monday-Friday: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner; Saturday: Breakfast and Lunch
Three generations of the Doucas family have operated the Palace, across from the St. Landry Parish Courthouse, since 1927. The menu offers Cajun specialties like crawfish etouffée, bisque and crabmeat-stuffed eggplant in addition to steaks, fish and salads. A local favorite is the smothered calf’s liver and onions. The Greek salad and deservedly famous baklava are nods to the family’s Greek heritage.
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PHARES
www.pharesrestaurant.net
3502 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy., Lafayette (Map) - 504-3002
Tuesday-Saturday: Dinner
The Phares family has been in the oyster business for more than 35 years. A perfect dinner at Phares is a dozen raw oysters, a dozen of its fire-roasted oysters sizzled with butter, garlic and Parmesan, then another dozen fried for dessert. Simple grilled fresh fish is a house speciality. End your meal with the homemade cheesecake topped with fresh Louisiana berries.
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POORBOY’S RIVERSIDE INN
www.poorboysriversideinn.com
240 Tubing Road, Broussard (Map) - 235-8559
Monday-Friday: Lunch and Dinner; Saturday: Dinner; Sunday: Lunch
Windows overlooking its own private swamp are a clue to the strengths of this menu, and seafood is the star at Riverside. A creamy crawfish bisque is a great starter. Riverside is the place to order Maine lobster (boiled, broiled and stuffed), crabmeat-stuffed flounder topped with crawfish and mushrooms, or the simple delicacy of fresh jumbo lump crab meat sauteed in butter.
