The 75 best places to find excellent crawfish around Greater Houston

Celebrate the mudbug season with the 365 Houston guide to 75 restaurants, breweries, bars and more spots where you can find delicious crawfish eats in 2021.

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.

75 Spots to Find Crawfish in Houston This Season

Inner Loop

Arts District Houston

• Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company – Every Saturday during the season, you’ll find mudbugs under the tents at the outdoor BuffBrew Bodega (from 2pm til sold out). 
• Shell Shack – 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.
• Xin Chao – Only during the season, chefs Christine Ha (The Blind Goat) and Tony Nguyen (Saigon House) are offering addicting Viet-Cajun style crawfish, dripping in garlic-butter and H-Town bang sauce. Hit the Decatur spot to enjoy them on the patio or order online and snag some to-go.

Downtown, EaDo & East End

• Acadian Coast – Suck down mudbugs and slurp grilled oysters on the patio at this new, posh-but-approachable Gulf Coast seafood spot off Navigation Boulevard.
• Bovine & Barley – This Downtown beer bar and gastropub hosts pop-ups from messy Cajun crawfish slingers, Hot and Buttered. Follow along on Facebook to get details on the next boil.
• The Cajun Stop – 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 – This dog-friendly neighborhood bar and patio hosts crawfish pop-ups during the season, with purveyors from Voodoo Momma’s to Crawfish Shack.
• The New Potato – Catch Voodoo Momma’s on select days at this neighborhood craft beer and whiskey garden, which sits north of the bayou on Clinton.

Greater Heights

• BB’s Tex-Orleans – 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 –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 – 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.
• Cactus Cove – Mudbugs are boiled daily during the season, and Mondays bring a special price of $5/pound.
• Cedar Creek – 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 $5 per pound.
• Clutch City Crawfish – You’ll find this crawfish co. popping up Bobcat Teddy’s on White Oak on Saturdays, but you can hit them up for hot and spicy crawfish for curbside, delivery and catering, too.
• Crawfish Cafe – The popular Asiatown joint opened up shop on North Shepherd, offerings its addictive mudbugs and multiple flavor options, from garlic-butter Cajun to Thai basil.
• Flying Fish – 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.
• McIntyre’s – Every Saturday and Sunday during crawfish season, the party spot will feature mudbugs boiled by neighboring bar, The Boot, from noon-4pm (or sold out).
• Monkey’s Tail – This Mexican-American hangout rocks Crawfish Boils on Thursdays and Fridays, offering regular or jalapeno-kissed mudbugs,  plus add-ons from corn and potatoes to butter and house dipping sauce.
• Onion Creek – In addition to daily crawfish boils, mudbugs are $5 a pound on Mondays during the season at this White Oak favorite.
• Tikila’s – 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 from local Cajun mudbug crew, Hot and Buttered.

Galleria, Greenway & Upper Kirby

• Bayou City Seafood & Pasta – 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 – 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 – 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 – 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

• Avondale Food & Wine – Every Sunday during the season (rain or shine), this chic food and wine bar does a Crawfish, Lobster & King Crab Boil, featuring elegant twists on the classic (like the addition of Riesling wine). 
• BB’s Tex-Orleans – 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 – In addition to crawfish every day of the week, you’ll find $5/pound mudbugs every Monday during the season.
• That Patio at The Pit Room – You’ll find more than just excellent bbq at this Montrose smokehouse; on weekends, 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.
• Revelry on Richmond – Sunday Fundays are for crawfish at this neighborhood craft beer bar and kitchen. Get ‘em all-you-can-eat for $30 (or by the pound) every Sunday starting at 1pm alongside boozy specials and live music.
• UB Preserv – Every Tuesday during the season, chef Nick Wong and co. will be serving crawfish and only crawfish, rotating flavors throughout the season.
• 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 weekends, makes for a damn good time to check it off your bucket list.

Midtown & Third Ward

• Axelrad Beer Garden – Asian-Cajun crawfish connoisseurs Saigon House pop-up at the beer garden on Saturdays during the season.
• Electric FeelGood – 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 – Weekends are for crawfish and booze at this Midtown sports pub & patio bar. Follow its schedule on social media. 
• Little Woodrow’s – Follow along on Facebook to see when the popular watering hole will be doing a seasonal crawfish boil next.
• The Turkey Leg Hut – 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. 

Outside the Loop

Asiatown & Sharpstown

• The Cajun House – 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 – 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 – 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 – 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 – 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. Note: a second location in the new Houston Farmers Market is slated to open later this year.
• Jolynn’s Crawfish Restaurant – Open since 2005 near Alief, Cajun crawfish boils come with add-ins from corn and potatoes to sausage and Cajun boiled egg. 
• LA Crawfish – 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 – 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.
• Wild Cajun – With locations on Bellaire and Wilcrest, this local institution helped introduce Vietnamese-Cajun style seafood to the masses. Score hot & spicy boils alongside crawfish egg rolls, etouffee, and fried rice.

Galveston & Galveston Bay

• Benno’s Cajun Seafood – You can head to either the Seawall location or the 28th Street locale of this Galveston joint for all the seafood, plus Cajun specialties and seasonal crawfish boils, of course. 
• Cajun Greek – 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 – Hop on over to Kemah, where you can jam to live music and slurp down mudbugs on the roofdeck at this laidback Cajun seafood shack. 
• Flip Flops Beach Bar – The island’s biggest palapa and only bar on the beach rocks cold beers, live music, beach volleyballs, and in-season, citrus-spiked crawfish.
• Huli Huli Hut – 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.
• Kickin’ Kajun SmokeHouse – With locations in La Porte and Bacliff, this bay area hangout rocks Cajun style mudbugs, live music, and a lowkey, backyard feel.
• Little Daddy’s Gumbo Bar – 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 – Hit the chic, Instagram-worthy waterside deck at this fresh-faced San Leon oyster house for bayside breezes, seasonal crawfish boils, and the freshest oysters in town.
• Prohibition 52 – The patio at this Kemah taphouse and kitchen makes a choice spot for peeling, pinching, and twisting during mudbug season. Follow Facebook for updates on the next boil.

Katy & West Houston

• 88 Boiling Crawfish & Seafood Restaurant – This popular Briar Forest joint does live crawfish boils during the season (alongside oysters, crabs, green mussels and more).
• Busters Crawfish – Right off Mason Road, head here to get messy with mudbugs Tuesday to Sunday.
• Hank’s Crab Shack – 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 – 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 – 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 – Hit this Conroe brewery on select Saturdays to pair hot mudbugs with ice cold brews.
• Crawfish Shack – Up in Crosby, the shack offers boiled crawfish, snow crab and shrimp by the pound, along with corn, sausage, potatoes, and mushrooms, dine-in or drive-thru. 
• Krazy Crawfish – This Northeast Houston spot smothers its boils in “krazy” butter sauce, both mild and hot, hot, hot.
• The Loose Caboose – Up in Old Town Sping, The Loose Caboose offers crawfish on weekends through Mother’s Day. Catch live music and suck down mudbugs on the patio.
• LTK Crawfish – Cajun/Creole style crawdaddys are the name of the game at this Northwest fast food joint.
• Nick’s Crawfish Bar – Over in Northwest Houston, Nick’s offers garlic-buttery Viet-Cajun crawfish boils.
• Saigon House – 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 – 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 – 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 – 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 – Head down to Manvel to get real deal Cajun, from crawfish boils to crawfish pistolette (and étouffée-filled bread roll).
• LA Crawfish – 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 – 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 – Over on South Post Oak in Southwest Houston, you can get juicy, drippy mudbugs in flavors like Cajun, lemon pepper and garlic in your desired spice level.