{"id":224842,"date":"2026-03-28T18:29:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T18:29:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/224842\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T18:29:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T18:29:21","slug":"craving-cajun-food-in-houston-these-restaurants-deliver-big-variety-and-flavor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/224842\/","title":{"rendered":"Craving Cajun food in Houston? These restaurants deliver big variety and flavor"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this weekend\u2019s episode of \u201cEat Like a Local\u201d<\/a>, host Chris Shepherd takes a deep dive into a Southern staple, the meat-and-three lunch. <\/p>\n

The best thing about a great plate lunch is all the choices. You step up, scan the steam table, and make a decision that feels equal parts strategic and emotional: one protein, three sides, maybe cornbread if you\u2019re doing it right. Around here, it\u2019s called a \u201cmeat-and-three\u201d.<\/p>\n

Esther\u2019s Cajun Cafe & Soul Food | 5007 North Shepherd Drive<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd52 HOURS OF OPERATION: 7 days a week, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

One of Chris\u2019 go-to plate lunch spots is Esther\u2019s Cajun Cafe & Soul Food<\/a> where there\u2019s almost too many options. Oxtails coated in rich brown gravy, fried chicken, turkey necks, baked chicken, and Creole patties that all demand attention. <\/p>\n

Enjoy lunch or dinner at Esther’s and then go back again to try even more of her delicious dishes. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Then come the sides\u2014mac and cheese, greens, sweet potatoes, cabbage with a hint of sweetness, and plenty of rice. And if you somehow still have room, desserts are a must. Banana pudding comes stacked high, peach cobbler comes warm and spiced, and everything tastes like it came straight from someone\u2019s family kitchen.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for all the soul of Esther herself, but with a happy hour vibe – check out the bar menu in the video.<\/p>\n

You can’t go wrong with the bar food at Esther’s. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)Zydeco Louisiana Diner | 1119 Pease Street <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd52 HOURS OF OPERATION: <\/p>\n

LUNCH: Monday – Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.<\/p>\n

DINNER: Thursday – Saturday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Next up, it\u2019s Zydeco Louisiana Diner<\/a>. This downtown institution started with a few college friends, a shoestring budget, and recipes rooted in Louisiana cooking. More than three decades later, it\u2019s still doing exactly what it set out to do\u2014serve satisfying, no-frills Cajun plate lunches.<\/p>\n

Zydeco Louisiana Diner (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Here, the magic is in what owner Chris calls being \u201cinconsistently consistent.\u201d The menu shifts just enough to keep things interesting. You might find crawfish \u00e9touff\u00e9e on certain days, stuffed pork chops on others, seafood specials later in the week. But the experience? That never changes. <\/p>\n

Zydeco Meat & 3 Plate (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Grab a tray, build your plate, and know it\u2019s going to hit. Don\u2019t know where to start? Chris recommends the baked chicken, one of the most popular dishes in the building. It\u2019s shockingly juicy\u2014with a glaze made from brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, and garlic that caramelizes into something unforgettable. The stuffed pork chop is another winner, packed with ground pork, onions, bell peppers, and Creole flavor. Pro tip: ask for the \u201cjuice\u201d from the pan on the side. It\u2019s not automatic\u2014but if you know you know!<\/p>\n

Shrimp Po-Boy at Zydeco (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Aside from the steam table favorites, the fry technique at Zydeco is on point. Chris can\u2019t say enough about the fried Gulf shrimp, get them on their own or in a po\u2019boy with remoulade sauce. You\u2019ll be fully committed at the point, so go ahead and finish it all with bread pudding!<\/p>\n

Bread pudding at Zydeco (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

\u201cEat Like a Local with Chris Shepherd\u201d<\/a> is your guide to the best food in Houston. Watch new episodes Saturdays at 10 a.m. on KPRC 2.<\/p>\n

Season 3 of \u201cEat Like a Local\u201d<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In this weekend\u2019s episode of \u201cEat Like a Local\u201d, host Chris Shepherd takes a deep dive into a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":224843,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[29726,9044,9043,49,56,58,57,354],"class_list":["post-224842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-cajun","tag-chris-shepherd","tag-eat-like-a-local","tag-food","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-restaurants"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224842\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}