Located at 4800 Johnston St., Dwight’s is a local restaurant specializing in Cajun cuisine. From crawfish to daily plate lunches, Dwight’s offers an array of dishes that show the Cajun and Creole cultures. Lafayette locals enjoy this restaurant due to its southern charm and good food.
The daily plate lunches, available from Monday to Friday, are incredibly mouthwatering. A few of their daily dishes include crawfish étouffée, shrimp po’boy, chicken and meatball fricassee, smothered pork steaks and fried fish. These dishes come with a choice of two sides, including but not limited to corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese and potato salad. The restaurant also features a weekly Sunday BBQ.
Dwight’s started as a grocery store owned by Dwight Breaux in the mid- 1970s. As the local community grew, they decided to open a restaurant in 1988. Within no time, they were able to establish themselves as a local go-to spot for Louisiana cuisine.
The atmosphere of the restaurant made me feel like I was back in my hometown. Southern hospitality was the essence of this place. The inside had wood finishes with classic southern-themed artwork on the walls and holes in the tables that led to trash bins for crawfish shells.
My colleague and I had the pleasure of visiting this establishment on Thursday, Mar. 6. As we walked in, we were greeted by the hostess and seated at our table. The scent of fresh crawfish filled the restaurant, with nearly everyone seated enjoying pounds of crawfish. Looking at the dinner menu, I realized it was going to be a hard decision.
The menu’s appetizer section included some Louisiana favorites such as fried pickles, alligator bites, onion rings, pork skins and fried mushrooms. We ultimately decided to get the fried pickles as our appetizer.
The entree section contained oysters, salads, po’boys, burgers, seafood baskets, crawfish, gumbo and other crawfish-based dishes. After trying to decide for nearly 10 minutes, my colleague and I agreed on 5 lbs of boiled crawfish and the Zydeco Ravioli to share between the two of us.
Our fried pickles came out within five minutes of ordering, along with our side salad. The pickles were perfectly seasoned and crispy, while our salad was just as remarkable.
The first entree, Zydeco Ravioli, came out shortly after we finished our appetizer. I was amazed at the sight of this dish, fried ravioli topped with a cheesy and creamy crawfish sauce. This dish was truly something I had never seen or tasted before. Combining all of these ingredients was a flavorful experience.
Our boiled crawfish arrived steaming hot and ready to be eaten. We were both bound and determined to finish all five pounds. The crawfish was perfectly cooked, seasoned just right and well sized. The hole in the middle of our table was handy for reducing the mess.
After finishing all of the crawfish, I decided to interview the team leader, Laura Marie Lamb. “I have been working here since 2012. I really like all of the people I work with that’s been here a long time. That’s what makes it so great.”
When asked about her favorite thing on the menu, she replied “Max’s Special, it is a stuffed potato with crawfish etouffee on top. It’s also really good if you add extra green onions on top.”
As I was finishing my interview, I glanced at the menu’s dessert section. I was astonished to see the number of different things they had—cobblers, cakes, ice cream, cookies, bread pudding and pies, to name a few. We ended up choosing the strawberry cream cake to finish our evening.
The sense of community in this place was good. A select number of employees have been serving this restaurant for decades and continue to dedicate themselves to serving the people of Lafayette. It seemed like all of the employees genuinely loved working with each other.
I understand why this place is essential to the community. The crawfish was priced well, and you get your money’s worth from all the dishes.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience at this restaurant. The food was mouthwatering and the staff was amazing.
If you would like to visit this restaurant, it is open Monday to Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Thursday and Friday until 9 p.m., Saturday from 4:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
