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Food and Culture in Lafayette, Louisiana

Lafayette, Louisiana boasts a unique cultural blend of Cajun, Creole, French, and Southern hospitality. There is no better way to experience the vibrant culture of Lafayette than through its local restaurants that tie together food, music, art, and history.

Food and Music

Experience the  Cajun “joie de vivre” while dining and dancing at Randol’s Seafood Restaurant. Here you can feast on local dishes like fried alligator, crawfish étouffée, and seafood gumbo. Randol’s raises its own crawfish and crabs on the property and serves fresh seafood from the Gulf.

Music, like food, is a major part of Lafayette’s culture and there is no better place to dance the two-step than at Randal’s. Acadiana’s finest Cajun and zydeco musicians perform nightly and the dance hall fills up as the fiddle, accordion, and triangle begin to play. Randal’s is located at 2320 Kaliste Saloom Rd. in Lafayette, LA.

Food and Art

At the Blue Dog Café, patrons are able to enjoy modern Cajun cuisine while surrounded by over 150 prints of the late local artist George Rodrigue. Rodrigue had great respect for his Cajun heritage and sought to preserve the Cajun culture through his paintings. The State of Louisiana appointed Rodrigue Artist Laureate in 2006 in recognition of his work. His most famous image, the Blue Dog, is inspired by the loup-garou – the Cajun legend of a werewolf.

Among the dishes offered at the Blue Dog Café includes shrimp and grits, seafood caught fresh from the Gulf, and fried shrimp po’boy. The restaurant also serves boudin balls,  a local favorite of sausage, made up of ground pork, cooked rice, onions, peppers, and seasonings, fried in small balls. The Blue Dog Café is located at  1211 West Pinhook Rd, Lafayette, LA 70503.

Food and Festivals

No matter the time of year, there is sure to be a festival happening in Lafayette. The festivals celebrate Lafayette’s vibrant culture, including its authentic cuisine. Some of the most popular food festivals include the Crawfish Festival, the Acadiana Po-Boy Festival, and the Scott Boudin Festival.

One of Lafayette’s largest festivals is the Festival International de Louisiane,  a five-day event in downtown Lafayette that celebrates the connections between the Acadiana and the Francophone world. Each April thousands of visitors come to Lafayette to experience the Festival. It is the largest international and arts festival in the United States. The Festival International de Louisiane features art exhibits, workshops, and musical performances along with authentic Lafayette cuisine, like jambalaya, crawfish, boudin, and po’boys.

Food and History

In the late nineteenth century, plate lunches were popping up across the United States to serve the hungry working-class. Plate lunches feature large portions and consist of a meat, a gravy-covered starch, a pair of vegetable sides, and a piece of bread—often served together on one plate. They are the perfect marriage between rustic, homestyle cooking and cafeteria style convenience. Lafayette has held on to the tradition of plate lunches with many restaurants serving hearty and affordable plate lunches daily.

Among the restaurants where you can enjoy a classic plate lunch includes Laura’s II Next Generation, a third-generation owned Creole restaurant. No matter what you order—fried pork chops, fried catfish, or turkey wings—Laura’s famous gravy, a strong and flavorful molasses-colored sauce covers everything. Laura’s II is located at 1904 W. University Avenue, Lafayette, LA 70506.

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Things To Do In Lafayette, Louisiana

Whether you are looking to explore history and culture, listen to great music, dine on local foods, or enjoy the natural wildlife, Lafayette, Louisiana has something for you.

Vermilionville

Vermilionville is a living history museum and folklife park located on the banks of the Bayou Vermilion. It includes a historic village that showcases the Acadian, Creole, and Native American cultures from 1765 to 1890.

Visitors are transported back in time as they walk through the restored historic homes and gardens and witness local artisans demonstrating the same crafts that were performed by the early settlers.  

Directions

From SW Evangeline Highway: Turn left on LA 728-8. Proceed 0.5 miles to Fisher Road. Turn left on Fisher Road. The parking lot will be on the right. 300 Fisher Road, Lafayette, LA 70508.

Children’s Museum of Acadiana 

The Children’s Museum of Acadiana (CMA) in downtown Lafayette provides hands-on learning and discovery for kids through interactive exhibits, performances, and workshops. Children can experience a bubble factory, a kid’s television station, and a play grocery store among other exhibits.

Directions

From SW Evangeline Highway: Turn right on Jefferson Street and proceed to Garfield Street. Turn left on Garfield Street; travel 2 blocks and turn right on Taylor Street. CMA will be 1 block on the right; enter parking lot from Taylor Street. 201 E. Congress Street, Lafayette, LA 70501.

Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist

The historic Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist was completed in 1916 in the architecturally impressive Dutch Romanesque Revival style. The land for the cathedral was donated in 1821 by Jean Mouton, the founder of Vermilionville. Inside St. John’s Cathedral are original stained glass windows and elaborate oil paintings.

Directions

From SW Evangeline Highway: Turn right on E. 2^nd Street. Continue onto W. Congress Street. In 0.2 miles turn left on St. John Street. In 0.3 miles turn right on Cathedral Street. The cathedral will be on the left. 515 Cathedral Street, Lafayette, LA 70501.

Alexandre Mouton House

The historic Alexandre Mouton House was built by Jean Mouton, the founder of Vermilionville, around 1800. From 1825 to 1836, his son Alexandre Mouton resided in the home with his family. Alexander Mouton was the first Democratic Governor of Louisiana from 1843 to 1846.

Directions

From SW Evangeline Highway: Turn right on E. 2^nd Street. Continue onto W. Congress Street. Turn left on Lafayette Street. The Alexandre Mouton House is 0.4 miles on the right. 1122 Lafayette Street, LA 70501.

Blue Moon Saloon

The Blue Moon Saloon is one of the premier venues for roots music in America. Here you can enjoy a cold beer or tropical cocktail while dancing to local Cajun, zydeco, swamp pop, and national roots acts.

Directions

From SW Evangeline Highway: Turn right on Johnston Street. Continue for 0.6 miles and turn left on E. Convent Street. The Blue Moon Saloon will be on the left. 215 East Convent Street, Lafayette, Louisiana 70501.

Cypress Island Preserve

Birdwatchers, boaters, and fishermen should be sure to visit the Cypress Island Preserve on Lake Martin. The Preserve is one of the largest wading bird rookeries in North America. 20,000 egrets, herons, ibises, roseate spoonbills, and other species nest in the 2,800-acre swamp each spring. The 2.5-mile walking trail is open from fall to the spring and is suitable for children.

Directions

The Cypress Island Preserve is located between Breaux Bridge and Lafay. Parking is available at the Visitor Center where Rookery Road meets LA Highway 353. 1264 Prairie Hwy, St Martinville, LA 70582.

Bon Temps Grill

Chow down on delicious and authentic Cajun and Creole food in a relaxed atmosphere at Bon Temps Grill. Enjoy unique dishes like crawfish pie, grits and shrimp, and Cajun jerk chicken. Feel free to bring your kids along to this family-friendly restaurant.

Directions

From SW Evangeline Highway: Turn right onto E. Verot School Road. Continue 2.1 miles and Bon Temps Grill will be on your right. 1312 Verot School Road, Lafayette, LA 70508.

History of Lafayette, Louisiana

Early History

The earliest settlers in the Lafayette area were the Atakapa-Ishak Indians. The name “Atakapa” means “man-eater” in Choctaw and according to legend this tribe engaged in cannibalism and ate their prisoners of war.

Acadian Migration

Acadians, who arrived in the Lafayette area between 1765 and 1785, were the first great wave of immigration. Acadians were the decedents of French colonists who settled in Nova Scotia in 1604 and established the colony Acadie. After the War of the Spanish Succession ended in 1714, Acadie was ceded to the British, and the Acadians were forced to pledge allegiance to the British crown and renounce their Catholic religion. They refused. Beginning in 1755, the British governor of Acadie exiled Acadians during a period known as the Great Expulsion or the Grand Dérangement.

The King of Spain extended an invitation to the Acadian refugees to come to Louisiana. Many settled in the area that is now Lafayette because they could live according to their own Roman Catholic beliefs and traditions. The Acadians formed what is today referred to as the Cajun culture.

After French Revolution in 1789, the French presence in Lafayette continued to grow as many French loyalists fled to Louisiana to settle. Louisiana, including the Lafayette area, became the property of the United States in 1803 through the Louisiana Purchase and Americans searching for inexpensive fertile land immigrated to the area.

Founding of Vermilionville

The original village, which later became Lafayette, was given the name Vermilionville in 1821 when Jean Mouton (an Acadian) donated land for the construction of St. John’s Catholic Church. A settlement grew around the church and Mouton made a second land donation for a courthouse. The villagers laid out the cross-grid town with streets named for U.S. presidents.

The fertility of the land gave rise to great sugar and cotton plantations, along with smaller rice plantations. Slave labor from West Africa operated the plantations and by 1860, fifty percent of the population was enslaved.

Lafayette Name Change

The name of the city changed from Vermilionville to Lafayette in 1884. The city was named after French General Marquis de Lafayette who was a hero in French and American Revolutions. By 1884, Lafayette had a railway stop and a growing population. The arrival of the railroad helped propel the town from an agricultural village to a center of commerce and trade. In 1901, the Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute (SLII), now UL Lafayette, opened its door to students.
Oil Boom

In the 1940s, oil was discovered in Lafayette and the petroleum and natural gas industries became dominant growing the local economy. The Heymann Oil Center was established in 1952 to provide commercial office space for the oil and gas industries. The oil industry in Lafayette has continued to expand and Louisiana is now one of the leading producers of oil and natural gas in the country.

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