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A paper-lined bucket filled with season-covered crawfish.
Nauti Crab is one of the newest seafood restaurants on the scene serving Viet-Cajun crawfish.
Rebekah Flores

Where to Get Crawfish in Houston This Season

Sucking the heads, while recommended, is entirely optional

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Nauti Crab is one of the newest seafood restaurants on the scene serving Viet-Cajun crawfish.
| Rebekah Flores

Crawfish, crayfish, crawdaddies, mudbugs, ditchbugs, freshwater lobsters, yabbies — whatever you call them, ‘tis the season in Houston to down some of those spicy red crustaceans. With the season generally running from January to July, many Houstonians have been waiting for the right time to dig in.

Thankfully, Houston’s breadth of diverse mudbug slingers is beckoning diners in — showing them why this city is one of the best places in the world to eat crawfish. Take your pick between the city’s signature Viet-Cajun boils that use special Vietnamese spices, Malaysian curry mudbugs, the classic Louisiana style, and so much more.

Get ready for some good eating that might make your forehead sweat and your lips burn, and don’t forget to wash your hands when you’re done.

Is your favorite spot missing from the list? Let us know where you get your fix in the comments.

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Crawfish Shack

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Open Wednesday through Sunday, expect a line at this BYOB establishment, which is well worth the wait. Go for the shack trio, which comes with two pounds of boiled crawfish, half-pound of boiled shrimp, and half-pound of snow crab, with corn and potatoes for $45.95. If you’re looking to boil your own, Crawfish Shack sells live mudbugs by the sack. Crawfish Shack welcomes crustacean lovers of all ages, with indoor and outdoor food halls, plus an outdoor playground.

John E's Restaurant

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With consistently good crawfish, a laidback vibe, and Louisiana-style dishes, this Crosby joint is worth the drive from the city. Prepare for the main event with crispy fried calamari, and then choose your spice level for crawfish, priced at $7.99 per pound or four pounds with corn and potato for $27.99. Opt for tasty compliments like boiled shrimp, mushrooms, and sausage, and end your meal with warm bread pudding served with praline sauce.

HOT and BUTTERED

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During crawfish season, Hot and Buttered sets up shop at Tikila’s in the Heights, and it couldn’t be a better pairing. The tropical-themed outdoor patio is the perfect setting for spicy, garlicky, hot and buttery crawfish. Current specials include five pounds for $45, plus small, medium, and large party packs that come with crawfish, shrimp, snow crab, sausage, corn and potatoes.

Boil House

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Whether in search of several pounds of live crawfish to cook at home or a big bag of freshly-boiled 'bugs drenched in spicy butter, this Heights restaurant offers diners the ability to conveniently order crawfish at its drive-thru window. Open from Wednesday through Sunday, guests can also score sides like smoked sausage, corn, and boiled potatoes. For something sweet, pair your meal with a daiquiri or spring for a king cake, available whole and by the slice.

Crazy Cajun Seafood House - POST Market

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Post Houston’s food market indulges Houston’s crawfish craze with this Cajun seafood vendor. For a true experience, start with the fried oyster nachos and a cup of seafood gumbo, a food hall favorite that’s loaded with crawfish, shrimp, and oysters. Then, dig into a bucket of The Mix, a combination of a pound of crawfish, a pound of mussels, 12 pieces of boiled shrimp, two corn, and two potatoes — all flavored with the seasoning of your choice.

88 Boiling Crawfish & Seafood

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This Westchase seafood shack is perfect for those who want to indulge in several pounds of mudbugs without dropping too much loot. Go for the 88 Special, a medley of each of 88 Boiling Crawfish's three seasoning blends all tossed together in the same bag, and ask for it extra-spicy.

Nauti Crab

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This New Jersey import is imparting an East Coast flair to Viet-Cajun cuisine. Though crawfish is certainly a focus, diners can indulge in buckets with the seafood of their choice, including boiled shrimp, Dungeness and Snow crab clusters, and whole lobster, with seasonings ranging from Nauti Cajun and garlic butter to lemon pepper and Old Bay. Still hungry? The menu boasts plenty of other offerings, including seafood po’boys, fried rice, crab cake sandwiches, and lobster stir fry.

A large crawfish and two lobster tails slathered in seasoning in a paper-lined bucket.
Nauti Crab is offering an East Coast spin on Viet-Cajun.
Rebekah Flores

The Pit Room

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Yes, this barbecue joint also has a kickin’ crawfish menu. Available on Thursdays and Fridays from 1 p.m. to sellout, and weekends starting at noon when in season. The Feast is an option for someone looking for a little bit of everything, with three pounds of crawfish, one pound of shrimp, two snow crab clusters, sides, and a full link of sausage, for $90.

BB's Tex-Orleans

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Serving thousands of pounds of crawfish across its multiple outposts every year, BB’s Cafe is a reliable choice come crawfish season — so much so, that even Houston-born singer Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z have stopped by for their crawfish fix. Here, the crawfish are soaked in a Cajun-style boil that offers an explosive punch of spicy flavor.

Ragin' Cajun

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A staple for crawfish since the 1970s, Ragin’ Cajun gets particular about its seafood. The restaurant offers Acadian “rice field” pond-raised crawfish, which is boiled in their signature Cajun-style boil using a blend of cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and chili powder.

LA Crawfish

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With lines of customers out the door, it’s easy to see why LA Crawfish has quickly expanded to multiple Houston locations. In addition to its boiled crawfish, seasoned with garlic butter, hot-and-sour sauce, or Cajun-style flavors, find crawfish pho and mudbug empanadas.

South x Saigon

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At this Viet-Cajun spot in Westchase, chef Skip Nguyen is offering Vietnamese and Cajun comfort foods with a Southern twist. Get gumbo, wings, and hush puppies alongside Vietnamese egg rolls, frog legs, and coconut snails. Try a banh boy, a playful combination of a Vietnamese banh mi and a po boy, and check out its specials on crawfish, which pair perfectly with its Southside sauce, a combination of garlic butter with onions and green peppers.

Crawfish & Noodles

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This James Beard Award-nominated crawfish restaurant has garnered national attention, and for good reason. It may be pricier than other local spots, but the seasoning blend on this boil is perfectly balanced. Pair a few pounds of Viet-Cajun crawfish with an oxtail hotpot or a plate of noodles for a combination that could only exist in a city like Houston. You can also get your crawfish cravings satiated at the restaurant’s new second location at the Houston Farmer’s Market.

Crawfish Cafe

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At this Alief favorite, sauce up your mudbugs with a variety of interesting and layered blends of flavor ranging from Thai basil to "the Mix," a combo of garlic butter and lemon pepper. If the crawfish aren't enough to satisfy the hunger, go for a dozen Gulf oysters or a pound of littleneck clams drenched in Cajun seasoning.

Guidry's

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Guidry’s is serious about its crawfish, but its got lots of options worth exploring. Go for the Guidry’s Special, which includes a pound of crawfish, a pound of shrimp, half-pound of sausage, corn on the cob, and a potato for $65. Take advantage of drink specials, and don’t sleep on Cajun specialties like creamy crawfish dip, fried alligator, and stuffed catfish.

Calliope's Po-Boys

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Stemming from a po’ boy joint in Mississippi, Calliope’s West Bellfort location serves up a number of New Orleans-style sandwiches built with guest’s choice of shrimp, crawfish, oysters, roast beef, fish, chicken, and even turkey burgers. You’ll also find steaming bags of mudbugs. Choose from flavors like original garlic butter, lemon pepper, Nola Kickin’ (spicy Cajun), or Fusion Bomb, which blends them all together.

Atchafalaya Crawfish

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This seasonal pop-up restaurant does one thing, and it does it well — Cajun-style crawfish. The bugs are delivered live every single day from Louisiana, then boiled to perfection and sold for takeout only. Alternatively, you can buy live crawfish for boiling at home. Check the weekly prices on Facebook, and call in to place your order.

Boiling Dragon

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This Asian fusion restaurant in Pearland is serving up everything from Korean street tacos, to bao buns stuffed with soft shell crab or pork belly. Its daily off-the-menu specials include items like cray cray fries, garlic French fries smothered in creamy crawfish alfredo sauce, and General Tso’s shrimp fried rice. During crawfish season, catch the buy five lbs, get the sixth lb special. Sauce sides come in flavors like original Cajun, garlic butter, and Thai basil.

Crazy Alan's Swamp Shack

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Take a drive down to Kemah any time of year for Crazy Alan’s Swamp Shack year-round crawfish. Dine in for its $2.99 per pound crawfish special on weekdays through June. Bring a small crew for the $120 boiled feast, which includes 3 pounds of crawfish, a pound of boiled shrimp, two clusters of snow crab, and one Maine lobster served with corn and potatoes. Try swamp snacks like smoked oysters or the mudbug burger — a beef patty topped with crawfish.

Crawfish Shack

Open Wednesday through Sunday, expect a line at this BYOB establishment, which is well worth the wait. Go for the shack trio, which comes with two pounds of boiled crawfish, half-pound of boiled shrimp, and half-pound of snow crab, with corn and potatoes for $45.95. If you’re looking to boil your own, Crawfish Shack sells live mudbugs by the sack. Crawfish Shack welcomes crustacean lovers of all ages, with indoor and outdoor food halls, plus an outdoor playground.

John E's Restaurant

With consistently good crawfish, a laidback vibe, and Louisiana-style dishes, this Crosby joint is worth the drive from the city. Prepare for the main event with crispy fried calamari, and then choose your spice level for crawfish, priced at $7.99 per pound or four pounds with corn and potato for $27.99. Opt for tasty compliments like boiled shrimp, mushrooms, and sausage, and end your meal with warm bread pudding served with praline sauce.

HOT and BUTTERED

During crawfish season, Hot and Buttered sets up shop at Tikila’s in the Heights, and it couldn’t be a better pairing. The tropical-themed outdoor patio is the perfect setting for spicy, garlicky, hot and buttery crawfish. Current specials include five pounds for $45, plus small, medium, and large party packs that come with crawfish, shrimp, snow crab, sausage, corn and potatoes.

Boil House

Whether in search of several pounds of live crawfish to cook at home or a big bag of freshly-boiled 'bugs drenched in spicy butter, this Heights restaurant offers diners the ability to conveniently order crawfish at its drive-thru window. Open from Wednesday through Sunday, guests can also score sides like smoked sausage, corn, and boiled potatoes. For something sweet, pair your meal with a daiquiri or spring for a king cake, available whole and by the slice.

Crazy Cajun Seafood House - POST Market

Post Houston’s food market indulges Houston’s crawfish craze with this Cajun seafood vendor. For a true experience, start with the fried oyster nachos and a cup of seafood gumbo, a food hall favorite that’s loaded with crawfish, shrimp, and oysters. Then, dig into a bucket of The Mix, a combination of a pound of crawfish, a pound of mussels, 12 pieces of boiled shrimp, two corn, and two potatoes — all flavored with the seasoning of your choice.

88 Boiling Crawfish & Seafood

This Westchase seafood shack is perfect for those who want to indulge in several pounds of mudbugs without dropping too much loot. Go for the 88 Special, a medley of each of 88 Boiling Crawfish's three seasoning blends all tossed together in the same bag, and ask for it extra-spicy.

Nauti Crab

This New Jersey import is imparting an East Coast flair to Viet-Cajun cuisine. Though crawfish is certainly a focus, diners can indulge in buckets with the seafood of their choice, including boiled shrimp, Dungeness and Snow crab clusters, and whole lobster, with seasonings ranging from Nauti Cajun and garlic butter to lemon pepper and Old Bay. Still hungry? The menu boasts plenty of other offerings, including seafood po’boys, fried rice, crab cake sandwiches, and lobster stir fry.

A large crawfish and two lobster tails slathered in seasoning in a paper-lined bucket.
Nauti Crab is offering an East Coast spin on Viet-Cajun.
Rebekah Flores

The Pit Room

Yes, this barbecue joint also has a kickin’ crawfish menu. Available on Thursdays and Fridays from 1 p.m. to sellout, and weekends starting at noon when in season. The Feast is an option for someone looking for a little bit of everything, with three pounds of crawfish, one pound of shrimp, two snow crab clusters, sides, and a full link of sausage, for $90.

BB's Tex-Orleans

Serving thousands of pounds of crawfish across its multiple outposts every year, BB’s Cafe is a reliable choice come crawfish season — so much so, that even Houston-born singer Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z have stopped by for their crawfish fix. Here, the crawfish are soaked in a Cajun-style boil that offers an explosive punch of spicy flavor.

Ragin' Cajun

A staple for crawfish since the 1970s, Ragin’ Cajun gets particular about its seafood. The restaurant offers Acadian “rice field” pond-raised crawfish, which is boiled in their signature Cajun-style boil using a blend of cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and chili powder.

LA Crawfish

With lines of customers out the door, it’s easy to see why LA Crawfish has quickly expanded to multiple Houston locations. In addition to its boiled crawfish, seasoned with garlic butter, hot-and-sour sauce, or Cajun-style flavors, find crawfish pho and mudbug empanadas.

South x Saigon

At this Viet-Cajun spot in Westchase, chef Skip Nguyen is offering Vietnamese and Cajun comfort foods with a Southern twist. Get gumbo, wings, and hush puppies alongside Vietnamese egg rolls, frog legs, and coconut snails. Try a banh boy, a playful combination of a Vietnamese banh mi and a po boy, and check out its specials on crawfish, which pair perfectly with its Southside sauce, a combination of garlic butter with onions and green peppers.

Crawfish & Noodles

This James Beard Award-nominated crawfish restaurant has garnered national attention, and for good reason. It may be pricier than other local spots, but the seasoning blend on this boil is perfectly balanced. Pair a few pounds of Viet-Cajun crawfish with an oxtail hotpot or a plate of noodles for a combination that could only exist in a city like Houston. You can also get your crawfish cravings satiated at the restaurant’s new second location at the Houston Farmer’s Market.

Crawfish Cafe

At this Alief favorite, sauce up your mudbugs with a variety of interesting and layered blends of flavor ranging from Thai basil to "the Mix," a combo of garlic butter and lemon pepper. If the crawfish aren't enough to satisfy the hunger, go for a dozen Gulf oysters or a pound of littleneck clams drenched in Cajun seasoning.

Guidry's

Guidry’s is serious about its crawfish, but its got lots of options worth exploring. Go for the Guidry’s Special, which includes a pound of crawfish, a pound of shrimp, half-pound of sausage, corn on the cob, and a potato for $65. Take advantage of drink specials, and don’t sleep on Cajun specialties like creamy crawfish dip, fried alligator, and stuffed catfish.

Related Maps

Calliope's Po-Boys

Stemming from a po’ boy joint in Mississippi, Calliope’s West Bellfort location serves up a number of New Orleans-style sandwiches built with guest’s choice of shrimp, crawfish, oysters, roast beef, fish, chicken, and even turkey burgers. You’ll also find steaming bags of mudbugs. Choose from flavors like original garlic butter, lemon pepper, Nola Kickin’ (spicy Cajun), or Fusion Bomb, which blends them all together.

Atchafalaya Crawfish

This seasonal pop-up restaurant does one thing, and it does it well — Cajun-style crawfish. The bugs are delivered live every single day from Louisiana, then boiled to perfection and sold for takeout only. Alternatively, you can buy live crawfish for boiling at home. Check the weekly prices on Facebook, and call in to place your order.

Boiling Dragon

This Asian fusion restaurant in Pearland is serving up everything from Korean street tacos, to bao buns stuffed with soft shell crab or pork belly. Its daily off-the-menu specials include items like cray cray fries, garlic French fries smothered in creamy crawfish alfredo sauce, and General Tso’s shrimp fried rice. During crawfish season, catch the buy five lbs, get the sixth lb special. Sauce sides come in flavors like original Cajun, garlic butter, and Thai basil.

Crazy Alan's Swamp Shack

Take a drive down to Kemah any time of year for Crazy Alan’s Swamp Shack year-round crawfish. Dine in for its $2.99 per pound crawfish special on weekdays through June. Bring a small crew for the $120 boiled feast, which includes 3 pounds of crawfish, a pound of boiled shrimp, two clusters of snow crab, and one Maine lobster served with corn and potatoes. Try swamp snacks like smoked oysters or the mudbug burger — a beef patty topped with crawfish.

Related Maps