The 60+ best places to eat crawfish in Greater Houston

Celebrate the mudbug season with the 365 Houston guide to more than 60 restaurants, breweries, bars and other spots where you can find delicious crawfish eats in 2023.

Springtime means it’s crawfish season in Houston, running from as early as January through as late as July, depending on the weather each year.

And lucky for us all, the city is chock full of places to get your mudbug fix all season long.

From classic, hot and fiery Cajun crawfish boils to Houston’s own Viet-Cajun varieties (which usually come dripping in garlic butter), we’ve gathered crawfish spots by the neighborhood so you know where to peel, pinch and eat throughout the season.

60+ Best Places to Eat Crawfish in Houston

Where to Eat Crawfish in Houston’s Inner Loop

Greater Heights

• BB’s Tex-Orleans on White Oak – This Tex-Orleans favorite boils around 20,000 to 25,000 pounds of crawfish per week over all of its locations. Here, mudbugs come coated in a spicy crawfish paste with add-ons like dippin’ sauce, melted butter, corn, and potatoes. The Heights location sits right off White Oak, with a patio and the chance to bar hop to nearby spots.
• Boil House on 11th Street – This LSU-loving crawfish shack is open during crawfish season only, with freshwater mudbugs that get properly soaked and seasoned and served along with corn and potatoes and add-ons from fresh smoked sausage links to shrimp. 
• The Boot in Shady Acres – Over in Shady Acres, this sprawling patio offers Louisiana-style crawfish every day during the season, plus Creole and Cajun specialties, including boudin links, crawfish po’ boys, gator bites, and crawfish étouffée.
• Crawfish & Noodles at Houston Farmers Market – David Chang’s Ugly Delicious. Andrew Zimmern’s Travel Channel show The Zimmern List. They’ve each paid a visit to this o.g. of the Asian-Cajun crawfish scene from James Beard semifinalist Trong Nguyen. Visit to suck down garlic buttery mudbugs, and be sure to get some banh mi to sop up all the extra juices.
• Cactus Cove in Timbergrove – Mudbugs are boiled daily during the season, and Mondays bring a special price by the pound.
• Cedar Creek in Shady Acres – During the season, you can dig into mudbugs every day of the week; and every Monday, the Creek Group’s sprawling patio bar and kitchen offers boiled crawdads for special rates by the pound.
• Crawfish Cafe on North Shepherd – The popular Asiatown joint opened up shop on North Shepherd (plus a third in the Woodlands), offering its addictive mudbugs and multiple flavor options, from garlic-butter Cajun to Thai basil.
• Flying Fish in Shady Acres – The fast-casual seafood eatery has in-season crawfish available for dine-in and to-go. Harvested from Louisiana, the spicy mudbugs come in house seafood seasonings along with smoked andouille sausage, corn, and potatoes.
• Monkey’s Tail in Northside – This Mexican American hangout rocks Crawfish Boils from Thursdays to Sundays, offering regular or jalapeno-kissed mudbugs, plus add-ons from corn and potatoes to butter and house dipping sauce.
• New Magnolia Brewing in Shady Acres – Clutch City Crawfish pops up at New Magnolia Brewing in the Heights, so hit them up for hot and spicy crawfish every Sunday from 1pm to sell-out.
• Onion Creek on White Oak – In addition to daily crawfish boils, Mondays bring mudbug specials by the pound during the season at this White Oak favorite.
• Shell Shack on Washington Avenue – This seafood boil house with rooftop views does in-season crawdads, with flavor add-ins like Cajun, garlic, and lemon-pepper, along with spice levels from mild to diablo.
• Tikila’s on North Shepherd – You’ll get a vacation feel at this tiki-inspired Heights hangout. Grab a lounger or a swing bench on the patio and look out for pop-ups Friday to Sunday from local Cajun mudbug crew, Hot and Buttered.

East End & Fifth Ward

• 8th Wonder Brewery in East Downtown – Clutch City Crawfish pops up at 8th Wonder, so hit them up for hot and spicy crawfish every Saturday or Sunday from noon to sell-out.
• Acadian Coast in Second Ward – Suck down mudbugs and slurp grilled oysters on the patio at this posh-but-approachable Gulf Coast seafood spot off Navigation Boulevard.
• The Cajun Stop in East Downtown – Get a taste of the Big Easy with both Cajun and Asian-style boils, plus fried crawfish, crawfish po’ boys, and crawfish étouffée.
• East End Backyard in Eastwood – Clutch City Crawfish hits the spacious patio digs at East End Backyard, so hit them up for hot and spicy crawfish every Saturday or Sunday from noon to sell-out.
• The New Potato in Fifth Ward – Catch Third Coast Flavor on select days at this neighborhood craft beer and whiskey garden, which sits north of the bayou on Clinton.

Galleria, Greenway & Upper Kirby

• Bayou City Seafood & Pasta near Galleria – In addition to things like crawfish etouffee, crawfish-smothered snapper, and crawfish fettuccine, head here for Bayou-style boiled mudbugs with special happy hour pricing. 
• Kirby Ice House in Upper Kirby – Bring your four-legged pals to this sprawling patio bar; they can clean your hands when you get messy with crawfish on weekends, when Chasin’ Tailz Crawfish cooks mudbugs (every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the rest of the season).
• LA Crawfish in Greenway – With multiple locations across Texas (including Asiatown, Greenway, Missouri City, Katy, Pearland, Willowbrook, and more), this burgeoning crawfish empire is the place for hot, Viet-Cajun mudbugs dripping in garlic butter and Cajun spices, plus its cult-favorite crawfish pho.
• Ragin’ Cajun near Galleria – Crawfish season is nice and long (usually until July) at this Cajun eatery. Get spice-packed, Louisiana-style mudbugs by the bucket, plus Cajun-style snow crab, fried po’ boys, and fried crawfish tails. 

Montrose

• BB’s Tex-Orleans on Westheimer – This Tex-Orleans favorite boils around 20,000 to 25,000 pounds of crawfish per week over all of its locations. Here, mudbugs come coated in a spicy crawfish paste with add-ons like dippin’ sauce, melted butter, corn, and potatoes. 
• Piggy’s Kitchen & Bar on Dunlavy – In addition to crawfish every day of the week, you’ll find $8/pound mudbugs every Monday during the season.
• The Patio at The Pit Room on Richmond – You’ll find more than just excellent bbq at this Montrose smokehouse; Thursdays to Sundays, there’s buttery, spiced crawdad by the pound or available as a “Feast” along with snow crab clusters, shrimp, corn, potatoes, ‘shrooms, and andouille sausage.
• The Phoenix on Westheimer – This easy-going brewpub and patio bar hosts Cajun-style crawfish boils throughout the season. Find out when the next one is on Facebook.
• West Alabama Ice House – Spending a lazy afternoon on the patio at this local institution is a Houston rite of passage; and crawfish season, when local mudbug slingers set up shop in the yard on occasional weekends, makes for a damn good time to check it off your bucket list.

Midtown & Third Ward

• Brennan’s of Houston in Midtown – The Houston institution serves up a menu of crawfish dishes all season long, including crawfish enchiladas, grilled pork chop with Louisiana crawdads, and a crawfish and andouille mac ‘n’ cheese.
• Electric FeelGood in Midtown – Slide into the weekend (no really, this bar has a slide) at this feel-good fun time hangout. Cajun food truck Voodoo Momma hosts pop-ups on select weekends, offering crazy good mudbugs with voodoo sauce, boudin dip, and beignets.
• Front Porch Pub In Midtown – Weekends are for crawfish and booze at this Midtown sports pub & patio bar. Follow its schedule on social media to plan your next shuckin’ good time. 
• Little Woodrow’s in Midtown – Crawfish boils happen every Saturday and Sunday at the Midtown outpost of this popular drinkery, courtesy of Chasin’ Tailz.
• The Turkey Leg Hut in Third Ward – While you can find epic colossal turkey legs smothered in crawfish mac’ and cheese year-round, you’ll need to follow this local staple’s social media to get the 411 on its next crawfish boil. 

Where to Eat Crawfish in Greater Houston

Asiatown & Sharpstown

• The Cajun House in Sharpstown – Beignets. Crawfish boils. Crab clusters. Oysters sacks. It’s all a part of the fun at this Cajun kitchen, set over in the Mahatma Gandhi District.
• Cajun Kitchen in Asiatown – These wok-fried Asian Cajun mudbugs come in multiple spice levels (from mild to “cray cray”), and flavors including garlic-butter, Thai basil, and the Kitchen Special, an aromatic kitchen-sink blend scented with orange, lemon, garlic, and green onion.
• Crawfish & Beignets in Asiatown – Getting its start in the Hong Kong City Mall back in 2000 before moving to Dynasty Plaza off Bellaire, hit this longtime favorite to get a taste of New Orleans via Cajun crawfish and fluffy fresh beignets (beignets available Thursday-Monday). The Asian-Cajun garlic butter variety is available, too.
• Crawfish Cafe in Hong Kong City Mall – There are a whopping 9 flavors to choose from at this Viet-Cajun crawfish cafe, from fiery Kickin Cajun and house special The Grail (a blend of garlic-butter and Thai Basil) to the outside-the-box Coco Loco, with coconut, garlic and citrus.
• Crawfish & Noodles in Asiatown – David Chang’s Ugly Delicious. Andrew Zimmern’s Travel Channel show The Zimmern List. They’ve each paid a visit to this o.g. of the Asian-Cajun crawfish scene from James Beard semifinalist Trong Nguyen. Visit to suck down garlic buttery mudbugs, and be sure to get some banh mi to sop up all the extra juices. A second location can also be found at Houston Farmers Market in the Heights.
• LA Crawfish in Sharpstown – With multiple locations across Texas (including Asiatown, Greenway, Missouri City, Katy, Pearland, Willowbrook, and more), this burgeoning crawfish empire is the place for  hot, Viet-Cajun mudbugs dripping in garlic butter and Cajun spices, plus its cult-favorite crawfish pho.
• Nick’s Crawfish in Hong Kong City Mall – Located inside the Hong Kong city mall’s food court area, this Viet-Cajun seafood haunt has gained fans far and wide. Visit to see why.

Galveston & Bay Area Houston

• Benno’s Cajun Seafood in Galveston – You can head to the Seawall location of this Galveston joint for all the seafood, plus Cajun specialties and seasonal crawfish boils, of course. 
• Cajun Greek in Galveston – This Galveston Island Cajun-Greek hybrid offers seafood boils year round, and crawfish season makes a choice time to visit to get your mudbug fix alongside eats from boudin balls and dolma to gyros and oyster po’ boys.
• Crazy Alan’s Swamp Shack in Kemah – Hop on over to Kemah (or the Friendswood location outside Baybrook Mall), where you can jam to live music and slurp down mudbugs on the roofdeck at this laidback Cajun seafood shack. 
• Huli Huli Hut in Galveston – Get a taste of Hawaii by way of Galveston at this island-loving joint, which rocks flavorful butter-kissed crawdad boils during the season, plus seafood pub grub like peel-and-eat shrimp, ceviche tacos, blackened fish, and more.
• Bou-Shay’s Cajun SmokeHouse in Bacliff – This Bay Area hangout rocks Cajun-style mudbugs, live music, and a lowkey, backyard feel.
• Little Daddy’s Gumbo Bar in Galveston – Hit up this popular gumbo joint in Galveston or League City during crawfish season and you’ll find a spot-on, Cajun-style crawfish boil with add-ons from shrimp and grilled sausage to corn and potatoes.
• Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House in San Leon – Hit the chic, Instagram-worthy waterside deck at this fresh-faced San Leon oyster house for bayside breezes, seasonal crawfish dishes (including a delicious empanada form), and the freshest oysters in town.

Katy & West Houston

• 88 Boiling Crawfish & Seafood Restaurant in Briar Forest – This popular joint does live crawfish boils during the season (alongside oysters, crabs, green mussels and more).
• Hank’s Crab Shack in Katy – Get crawfish by the pound alongside blue crab, jumbo shrimp, clams, mussels, and more at this Katy Louisiana-style seafood joint (which also hosts sibling establishments on Highway 6 and Westheimer).
• Orleans Seafood Kitchen near Katy – The locally owned neighborhood joint is serving up Cajun crawfish boils in addition to its regular menu of Louisiana style eats, from seafood gumbo and etouffee to po-boys.
• Phat Eatery in Katy Asian Town – Chef Alex Au-Yeung’s seasonal Malaysian Curry Crawfish have quickly become a thing of legend. Crawfish are locally sourced from Lafitte’s Seafood and pre-orders are welcome.

North Houston

• B-52 Brewing in Conroe – Hit this Conroe brewery on select Saturdays to pair hot mudbugs with ice cold brews.
• Busters Crawfish in Conroe – Right off Highway 105 in Conroe, head here to get messy with mudbugs Thursday to Sunday.
• Crawfish Shack in Crosby – Up in Crosby in Northeast Houston, the shack offers boiled crawfish, snow crab and shrimp by the pound, along with corn, sausage, potatoes, and mushrooms, dine-in or drive-thru. 
• The Loose Caboose in Spring – Up in Old Town Spring, the Loose Caboose offers crawfish on weekends through Mother’s Day. Catch live music and suck down mudbugs on the patio.
• LTK Crawfish in Northwest Houston – Cajun/Creole style crawdaddys are the name of the game at this Northwest fast food joint.
• Saigon House on FM 1960 – At this cult favorite up on FM 1960, owner Tony Nguyen puts a Viet-Cajun spin on the traditional Cajun dry seasoning with a sweet symphony of spices, herbs and citrus. Go for the garlicky, buttery H-Town Bang or citrus-garlic Thai Surprise.

South Houston

• Abe’s Cajun Market in Clear Lake – Down in Clear Lake City, this family-owned and operated joint has its roots in Lake Charles, Lousiana, offering in-season crawfish and dishes from etouffee to crawfish pies year-round.
• Atchafalaya Crawfish in Pearland – Head to this Pearland spot (or order via DoorDash) to get boiled and spiced Louisiana crawfish by the pound alongside shrimp, corn, potatoes, and more.
• Floyd’s Cajun Seafood in Multiple Locations – With locations in Pearland, Sugar Land, Webster and more, Floyd’s pairs Cajun classics like gumbo, fried catfish, and courtbouillon with seasonal live crawfish, blue crab, and soft shell crab.
• Honore’s Cajun Cafe in Manvel – Head down to Manvel to get real deal Cajun, from crawfish boils to crawfish pistolette (and étouffée-filled bread roll).
• LA Crawfish at Multiple Locations – With multiple locations across Texas (including Asiatown, Greenway, Missouri City, Katy, Pearland, Willowbrook, and more), this burgeoning crawfish empire is the place for hot, Viet-Cajun mudbugs dripping in garlic butter and Cajun spices, plus its cult-favorite crawfish pho.
• Lotus Seafood at Multiple Locations – With locations in Pearland, Braeswood, and more, this cult favorite is known for its crack sauce, an addicting Cajun garlic butter that you can smother all over boiled crawfish, corn, potatoes, shrimp, sausage, and more.
• Juicy Crawfish at Multiple Locations – Over on South Post Oak in Southwest Houston and on Scott Street in South Side, you can get juicy, drippy mudbugs in flavors like Cajun, lemon pepper and garlic in your desired spice level.