One of parts of town I regret not having time to explore more is Buford Highway. However, since writing my book, I have had several treks up and down Buford Highway exploring the many diverse restaurants. And I’m trying to make it a point to hit up restaurants on that side of town even more frequently. One restaurant I’ve made several trips to is Crawfish Shack Seafood restaurant.

As far as ethnic cuisines go, this is one of the less intimidating restaurants (ie easy to communicate with staff, English menu, recognizable menu items) on Buford Highway. Crawfish Shack has developed quite a following, especially since it was written up in the New York Times. It can be hard to locate, so make sure you use your GPS as you could easily drive right past the strip mall in which it is located. Once you do find it, you’ll like the seafood-esque decor.

The menu is a mix of both steamed and fried seafood, Po-Boys and of course Crawfish. Although I’d wanted to give the Po-Boys a try, I haven’t been able to resist their meal combos. They come with choice of Shrimp, Crawfish, and fish (Grouper, Catfish, Tilapia, Snapper) and two side item choices. At under $10, they are a deal!

The fried shrimp and fish are quite tasty. Sides of fries, potatoes and corn on the cobb were equally delicious. However, don’t pay the $2.00 upgrade to get eggrolls with your meal – totally not worth it. Each time I’ve been to Crawfish Shack, I’ve hoped to get their house made Beignets, only to be told they were sold out. The cashier told me they tend to run out of them every day. Hmmm, here’s and idea, maybe you could, I don’t know, make more?? No matter, I’ll still make the trek over to BuHi to have that tasty Cajun fare.

4337 Buford Highway Map
Atlanta, GA 30341
404 929 6789
Crawfish Shack Website

Ooh La La! That’s all you need to know about Henry’s Louisiana Grill. No, seriously that’s the name of the dish you need to order when you visit Henry’s Louisiana Grill. It’s been tempting me back there for years now. Think fried shrimp, oysters and crawfish, mixed together with tasso (ham) and spinach in spicy cream sauce all over angel hair pasta. It was even named one of the 50 dishes worth driving for by the AJC.

My friend Ted, who loves food as much as I do, called the other day to meet for lunch as we do every month or so. As my mind started racing to think of a place other than the chain restaurant hell that is Barrett Parkway, Ted said “I want to go to Henry’s, I haven’t had the Ooh La La in way too long!”

So, I made the drive to Main Street Acworth, parked near the railroad tracks and met up with Ted. Shortly after being seated, we were brought a plate of cornbread. This cornbread is not to be missed. It is moist, sweet cornbread which makes me feel as though I am having dessert at the start of the meal. So tasty I have to stop myself from filling up on it before the Ooh la la (referred to as OLL from this point on) makes its way to the table.

You also get a small house salad with your meal whether it is lunch or dinner. The salad is just lettuce with a few grape tomatoes – pretty forgettable and could almost be skipped. I say almost because I’ve had the Ginger Citrus dressing which really makes the salad worth it. Although on this last visit, it tasted too creamy and not how I remember it being in the past. I would opt to skip the salad and save room for the main dish.

I’m glad to say the OLL has always been done perfectly every time I’ve eaten at Henry’s and hasn’t let me down yet. As I said, you can get the OLL mixed with shrimp, crawfish and oysters. But there is also the option of choosing just one, and I opt for shrimp only. And they don’t skimp out on the seafood in these dishes, which I applaud them for as many pasta dishes are more pasta than anything else. Rest assured, every ingredient gets equal representation in this dish.

I’ve had other dishes there, which pale in comparison to the OLL. I first went to Henry’s Louisiana Grill for the Tuesday night Lobster special for $20 (only certain times of the year). This was a good deal as you get a salad, side, lobster and dessert. While this special and other dinner pricing is reasonable, I think the lunch (although a hefty portion) is too pricey at $12 for the entree. If I were Henry’s, I would 86 the salad, and make the lunch portion slightly smaller and price it at $8.95 or $9.95.

Service at Henry’s Louisiana Grill has always been great. On all my dinner visits Chef Henry has made his way round to every table to ask how the food and service was. If you plan on visiting on the weekends, make a reservation as Henry’s is crazy busy on weekends.

Not open on Sundays

4849 N Main St
Acworth, GA 30101
770-966-1515
Website