The restaurant industry has always had a reputation for being tough. That’s especially true in a city like Lafayette, where the bar has been set high by many establishments for so many years.
The Golden Age of Food Diversity in Lafayette – The Current
Running a restaurant in Lafayette can be challenging due to high food costs, understaffing and seemingly endless competition. But now is a great time to eat out.
Especially if you’re like me and enjoy a wide variety of different foods, Lafayette is now full of diverse culinary delights.
When my wife and I moved to Lafayette more than a decade ago, we had easy access to boudin and crackers. That came with a tradeoff: We lost We had easy access to the wide variety of artisanal and ethnic cuisines we had in Washington, DC. There was no Ethiopian food, apparently no Korean food, and no places to get good pupusas. Even the choices for popular staples like good bread, pizza, and burgers were limited.
But in recent years, this paradigm has changed radically.
Lafayette’s Indian Cuisine Is Finally on the Rise
Consider Indian food. Masala Indian Kitchen was the only option for curry and naan for a long time. Then Priya’s opened, offering a taste of homestyle Indian cooking after she started selling her delicious samosas at the Moncus Park Farmers Market. Then Destination India opened, which I’ve heard rave reviews from friends who know Indian food, and which offers a lunch buffet on the weekends.
Then, more recently, NJoy Curry Masala opened at Jefferson and Johnston. While I’m only just beginning to explore their extensive menu, I can already tell that their lamb biryani is incredible. Suddenly, Lafayette is awash in Indian and other South Asian-adjacent cuisine, because a few years ago, Bismillah opened its doors, serving up tasty Nepalese cuisine.
Asian cuisine has been diversifying even more in recent years. Lafayette has long offered good sushi, Thai and, more recently, Vietnamese cuisine, as well as some hidden gems like Magic Wok’s Szechuan dishes (don’t overlook the peppered shrimp or fish!) and Osaka’s Korean dishes (as well as some of the best pho in town).
But that offering has expanded considerably. Like the authentic and delicious non-American Chinese food you can find at Spicy House. Or the freshly made dumplings at Dumpling Hour. Or the all-you-can-eat Korean menu, plus sushi and ramen, now available at Bushido, which I always look forward to trying. And that’s not to mention the food trucks Noodlehead, a ramen truck, and Bayou Bao, delicious steamed buns.
Lafayette’s Food Trucks Are Here to Stay
Food trucks are a common place to experience culinary diversity in big cities, but until recently, their impact on Lafayette palates was limited. We’ve seen some food trucks evolve into delicious brick-and-mortar restaurants, like Scratch Farm Kitchen, Viva La Waffle, and Blanchard’s BBQ. But for a long time, it felt like the food truck industry was over.
There’s a recent renaissance in Lafayette, enough to spur the creation of not one, but soon two food truck parks. One in Oaks Park on the Northside, and the recently announced upcoming opening of Uncle Bob’s Roundup in downtown Lafayette.
Learn more about Lafayette restaurants
Although the flavors and ingredients differ, savoring the taste of country is a common thread connecting Latin America and South Louisiana.
Grocery stores large and small have left downtown Lafayette. Local organizations are stepping in to fill gaps in the food supply chain and address the biggest challenge: neighborhood access.
Food trucks tend to experiment and explore culinary depths in new and delicious ways. And they’re a key way for new restaurants to test the market and get off the ground, as we see with Sarrica’s delicious pizza and pasta, which started as a food truck, then moved to a pop-up restaurant at Acadiana Beer Garden, and is now working on opening its own restaurant. So the presence of food trucks is a key factor in delicious diversity.
Good bread is everywhere in Lafayette
Bread has exploded. Poupart’s and Great Harvest were the only options outside of grocery store loaves for a long time.
Today, Lafayette is full of delicious gluten. Straw Cove makes its own flour and produces delicious bread and even better bagels. Boscoyo offers truly creative artisan breads and cakes. Wild Child makes life-changing sourdough focaccias and baguettes (not to mention the best frozen pizza I’ve ever had). And there are plenty of other artisans like Levain Acadian and Sunny Akers. Lucia Bakehouse has taken Lafayette baking to a whole new level.
Even local products have diversified. Pizza is much more interesting today than it was a decade ago. It’s not just Deano’s, Pizza Village, Alesi’s or the national chains. The late Bread & Circus Provisions was the first to bring Neapolitan-style pizza to Lafayette. But it was quickly followed by downtown stalwart Central Pizza, recently joined on the high-end pizza spectrum by Sarrica’s, and more recently by Jim Deggy’s. Plus, there are a slew of pop-up artisanal pizza options, like Wild Child’s focaccia pizzas or Park Bistro’s Detroit-style pizzas.
Honestly, it’s hard to know when to stop this column. I haven’t even mentioned the delicious Jamaican cuisine at Di Jerk Stop. There’s an artisanal restaurant called Presh Cuisine that offers African dishes like fufu. Or my favorite farm-to-table burgers at Scratch Farm Kitchen, Five Mile Eatery, and Park Bistro. Or the growing wealth of Latino cuisine we have at places like Patacon or La Papa Loca or at one of the many taco trucks.
More opinions from Geoff Daily
Governor Landry’s decision to veto $1 million in funding for Catholic Charities of Acadiana to run their homeless shelter – if left unchecked – could literally kill people.
Lafayette Parish owes city taxpayers $17 million for the Homewood Retention Basin. The debt costs taxpayers $500,000 a year in lost interest.
Louisiana’s relative distress might actually help Lafayette. If you live in an underperforming parish, Lafayette is one of the best places to move.
When it comes to options, Lafayette is enjoying a golden age that I hope will continue to improve, giving us access to more choices right here at home, rather than having to wait to visit larger cities to satisfy our cravings for new flavors.
But this new reality isn’t here to stay. While dining in Lafayette is more enjoyable than ever, it’s always been tough to stay afloat in our competitive dining scene. And that’s never been more true than it is today, with the high cost of everything.
So that means if you’re like me and enjoy having access to food beyond the delicious Cajun and Creole cuisine our area is known for, we need to make a conscious effort to get out and support the restaurants we love, whether they’re old or new. Let’s not take our newfound diversity for granted, but instead get out and enjoy all that Lafayette’s ever-evolving culinary scene has to offer.
What is your favorite restaurant on Monday nights?
In Lafayette, many restaurants close on Mondays, leaving people hungry. So when most restaurants are closed, where do you go for a bite to eat?
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