Prejean's Restaurant — Lafayette

Prejean's Restaurant on US-167 in Lafayette, Louisiana, is the flagship Cajun dining destination in the heart of Acadiana and one of the most-visited restaurants in the state outside of New Orleans. Founded in 1980, Prejean's built its reputation on authentic Cajun cooking — the food of the descendants of the French Acadian settlers who were expelled from Canada in the 1750s and settled in Louisiana's bayou country — prepared in a large, atmospheric dining room with exposed cypress timbers, Cajun antiques, and a large mounted alligator that presides over the main room. The menu covers the full Cajun canon: crawfish étouffée in a buttery, aromatic sauce; blackened alligator bites, a Cajun novelty that converted many visitors into fans; catfish courtbouillon — a spiced Creole fish stew — that exemplifies the French-Acadian synthesis; and an extensive selection of Gulf seafood preparations. Bread pudding with whiskey sauce is the perennial dessert. The restaurant seats more than 500 guests across several dining rooms and has long accommodated tour groups, large families, and visiting dignitaries alongside local regulars. Live Cajun music is performed nightly, with fiddle, accordion, and triangle setting a two-step tempo that sometimes results in dancing in the aisles. The setting on US-167 north of the Lafayette city center is oriented toward the car-traveling visitor rather than a walkable neighborhood. Prices are moderate. Reservations are available and recommended for large parties.