It’s that magical time of year where we swap brunch for pounds of crawfish and buckets of beer! Need some recs for where to enjoy some mudbugs? Look no further than these spots.

Note: I get it. We all have our faves, and maybe yours didn’t make the list. Let us know in the comments where you love to go! These are merely some various suggestions for spots — not claiming they are the best by any means! Mainly, because that’d be impossible! There are so many ways to do crawfish, so “good” depends on your crawfish preferences. Plus, there are tons in west Houston or the burbs that might be worth the trek that we might never have heard of.

Prices for crawfish are usually market price, so it depends from time to time! You can usually call ahead of time to ask, or just plan on paying anywhere from $7-$10 a pound. ALSO, all of these places have the chance of running out, especially on weekends. Make your crawfish experience an early one to ensure you get some!

COVID-19 update!

These spots are ones doing TO-GO CRAWFISH!

• Eunice: Caught straight from Chef Drake Leonards farm in Eunice, Louisiana you’ll be able to snag your 5lb bag starting Friday, March 27. Each order is served hot and fresh with all the classic fixin’s including corn and potatoes. Chef’s Crawdaddy Menu is complete with a number of beer and wine specials to get your weekend started off right. Call 832.491.1717 or email  curbside@eunicerestaurant.com to catch your bounty! 
• The Boot: The Boot has been doing curbside crawfish — they’ll even fill up your own cooler! It’s $6.99 a pound (a steal!) or $5.99 if you order 20 lbs or more! Call to order ahead.
• Boil House: This spot in the Heights has always been a drive thru, but you can also carry out and get it delivered! You can order online — and pick your spice level!! Medium is perfection, but if you’re brave, go full out!
• Crawfish & Noodles: Mix up your crawfish with some viet cajun options! Crawfish & Noodles is serving to-go crawfish at $8 a pound.
• BB’s: BB’s has a full to-go menu online and you can order crawfish to-go (and even add a roll of TP for $0.90).

The Boot (The Heights)

This is a great spot for a Sunday Funday. It’s also a great spot for sports watching — especially if LSU or the Saints are playing. McIntyre’s is next door for a continued party.

Gotta say, I love the food here — not just the crawfish, so if you’ve got friends who are a hard pass on crawfish, I’d recommend the fried shrimp and fries — seasoned so yummily.

Crawfish isn’t seasoned post boal, btw, so you gotta peel, dip, eat for that extra fire. They have butter, potatoes, sausages, corn, and more you can add a la cart.

Boil House (The Heights)

It’s $8 a pound at Boil House in the Heights, and $38 for a 5-lb platter that comes with corn and potatoes. There’s actually a drive-through for to-go purposes. It’s a small parking situation, but there’s quite a bit of outdoor seating. This place has an IMPRESSIVE Yelp rating, and boasts of being authentic Louisiana crawfish (seasoned at boil, rather than after). You also have three levels of spice so you can take it mild or go full spice!

Ragin Cajun (Galleria Area)

Ragin is on the cheaper side of the crawfish-by-the-pound spectrum, so that’s inherently a plus. The seasoning is a special in-house sauce that packs some heat. It does seem PRETTY hit or miss though — you either like it or ya don’t. But I’m *pretty sure* potatoes and corn are included (online, it’s included in the other boiled seafood deals!). Multiple people recommended Ragin as a pretty solid spot for crawfish, though it made no one’s TOP spot. They are very crawfish-to-go friendly, which is nice if you’d like your house to smell like Louisiana for a few days… 😉

BB’s (Multiple locations)

I’m such a fan of BB’s and I think the overall quality of food is probably the best on this list. Plus! There are a few locations to choose from — White Oak in the Heights, Richmond in Greenway area, and Montrose near Westheimer. I’d skip the White Oak location if you can — it gets a little crazy during the weekends with the bars all around there, but hey maybe that’s a plus for you, you party animal. 😉

BB’s does season their mudbugs, psa, so it’s pretty fiya. Pls send water.

Crawfish and Noodles (Westchase)

This one is worth the trek — just outside of the Beltway! Pick your poison — three spice levels to choose from. Not sure on pricing — I still need to investigate. Also love that they have a full vietnamese menu so if your friends aren’t feeling crawfish or you want a little side of noodles, you got options!

Best Crawfish Weekend Popups

• La Lucha: This Heights spot has its crawfish boils on March 14th and April 18th. The classically prepared crawfish has a hint of spice from Tabasco pepper mash will be sold at cost. Sides will be available for purchase including boiled potatoes and corn ($1) roasted garlic ($1), and sausage ($9). Additionally, scratch-made sauces will be sold for $.50, including green harissa, white remoulade, kimchi aioli and smoked oyster mayo. 11 AM ’til gone. If crawfish isn’t your thing, the full menu is still available.
• FM Kitchen: I know what you’re thinking.. the place we love for burgers and tater tots can’t possibly have great crawfish?! Well we all stand corrected. The executive chef at FM makes these crawfish special and they are actually award winning! Check their Instagram for whether or not they’ve got their crawfish boil going on.
• The Barking Pig: I love this neighborhood bar and, while I’ve never been to their crawfish boil, I trust them for a good time. Check their page or give them a call to see if they’ve got mud bugs!
• King’s Bierhaus: Every FRIDAY and SATURDAY, this heights spot will have $6.99/lb and boiled shrimp (which are spicy and YUM!) will be $17.99/lb.  
• Monkey’s Tail: Every Saturday and Sunday this season from 12 p.m. until they run out.  The crawfish are $6.75/lb at the restaurant and $6/lb for take out.  
• Tikila’s: Crawfish on the patio every Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm. Plus $5 micheladas!
• Wakefield Crowbar: Crawfish EVERY Saturday from EaDeaux’s Cajun Cocina.
• All the breweries: Well it feels wrong to just cherry pick from all the amazing breweries in Houston because most will have crawfish boils during the season. Check out our guide to Houston breweries to see which ones around town you might want to check on then consult their events pages to see when they are serving up crawfish!

Events

Mardi Gras Crawfish Boil at Revival Market. Fat Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, 2 to 6 pm. Plates are $25 and beer specials from $3. More.

Mardi Craw at The Rustic. Fat Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, starting at 5:30 pm. Tickets are $50. More.

Crawfish Kickoff Party at The Union Kitchen on Washington. 4-9:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 5. Crawfish boil, live music by Susan Hickman, drink specials and more. Beginning March 6, TUK will serve crawfish from open to close in the bar area and on the patio, with all-you-can eat crawfish and live music on the last Saturday of every month from 2-7 p.m. 

Heights Crawfish Boil. March 7, 2020. Free event — must buy crawfish bucks to redeem for crawfish (buy ahead and get a discount!) More.

3rd Annual Crawfish Cook-off at Cottonwood. March 15, 2020. $30 all you can eat crawfish! More.

Annual Crawfish Feast at Houston Cider Company. March 21, 2020. Cider sounds pretty yum as a crawfish pairing! More.

Karbach Crawfish Fest. April 14, 2020. Live music and beer! General admission is $35. VIP is $135 (includes 3 lbs, 3 beers, private area, indoor restrooms). More.

Honorable mentions

These have been mentioned to me as being amazing, but I haven’t tried them yet — they are all outside the loop!

• 88 Boiling
• Sam’s Boat
• Wild Cajun
• Crawfish Cafe