Located at 1211 W. Pinhook Rd., Bon Temps Grill is a family-owned Cajun restaurant that is known for their good food and comfortable, laid-back atmosphere. They specialize in Cajun dishes, and some of their menu categories include seafood, sandwiches/po’boys, pasta and rice dishes, soups, salads and “from the grill,” which contains several renditions of meat.
Their menu offers a diverse selection of classic Cajun dishes, including shrimp and grits, gumbo, étouffée, red beans and rice and crawfish and shrimp-themed dishes. Some of their most popular selections include, but are not limited to, shrimp and tasso, chicken alfredo, fried shrimp poboy, smoked Cuban sammie, Bon Temp shrimp tacos, blackened flounder and paneed chicken meuniere.
Opening in 2012, initially located on Verot School Rd., brothers Steven and Patrick O’Brien had a passion for food, especially Cajun cuisine, so they established Bon Temps Grill. In 2020, they moved to the current location on Pinhook, right in the middle of COVID.
According to Patrick, they relocated because they had outgrown their old location and also wanted to start hosting live music. Over the past 13 years, this restaurant has become a staple in the Lafayette community.
The atmosphere of this restaurant was laid-back yet sociable. With the warm lighting and artwork, the establishment creates an inviting atmosphere that gets customers to relax and enjoy their meals. The entire place pays homage to Cajun culture with authentic artwork made by local artists. The staff themselves were very welcoming and always had a smile on their faces.
My colleague and I had the pleasure of visiting this restaurant on Friday, Sept. 12. As we walked in, the hostess greeted us and promptly sat us at a booth. A few minutes later, we were welcomed by our waitress, who handed us menus and a complimentary house toasted garlic bread. Looking at the menu, I could already tell that this place was right up my alley. Cajun galore, as I call it, was clearly the theme of this place.
The appetizer section of the menu featured some themed classic dishes, such as shrimp and grits, crab cakes and meat pies, as well as some of their own personal dishes, including alligator bang bang, seafood-stuffed mushrooms, ahi tuna and avocado tartar.
For our appetizer, we decided on the deep-fried Natchitoches meat pies served with a sweet chili sauce. The meat pies arrived soon after we ordered. They were golden brown, crispy and full of flavor. The sweet chili sauce added a slight sweet and savory kick to the pies.
Our entrees, since we went during lunch, came from the lunch section of the menu. This section included cheaper, lunch-sized options of some of the dinner specials, such as red beans and rice, Bon Temps chicken sandwich, meatloaf poboy and chicken alfredo. I decided on the lunch crawfish étouffée served over rice, accompanied by a side of potato salad. My colleague chose the Bon Temps chicken sandwich with a side of potatoes.
The chicken sandwich consisted of a seasoned, grilled chicken breast dressed with Creole ranch, bacon, avocado, lettuce, onion and tomatoes.
Our food soon arrived, approximately 25 minutes later, and it looked phenomenal. My colleague stated that her chicken sandwich was well-seasoned and juicy. All of the veggies were fresh. My étouffée was also well-seasoned and had just the right amount of spice. Mixed with the potato salad, it gave it a perfectly balanced flavor—the richness of the étouffée paired well with the creaminess of the potato salad.
After we finished our meal, we decided to end off with dessert with their famous bananas foster bread pudding. It came out soaked in rum sauce and had a good balance with the ice cream and the warm pudding. Everything in our meals tasted like authentic Cajun dishes.
I decided to interview the front-of-house manager, Brandon Arceneaux, after finishing our dessert. “I’ve been here for a little less than six months…it’s awesome, if I am being honest, it’s really uplifting just because it’s a different dynamic than most restaurants…we are very family oriented, especially when it comes to the employees…we joke, we laugh, it’s a good time back there.”
“I’ve been in the industry for about 15 years, and this has to be the only place that doesn’t really have as much judgment…you guys are my favorite aspect of working here.”
“The variety of customers that I get in here is just mindblowing. I think customers should come here because one, you get the Cajun experience outside someone’s kitchen, and two, we are genuine and hospitable.”
The culture of this restaurant was apparent throughout my entire time here. Again and again, I always have the best experience at this authentic Cajun place, whether it be with the food or the employees.
If you would like to visit this restaurant, they are open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday through Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m..