04/25/09

HORRIBLE FOOD -- READ THIS!!!

by mwatson1

I HAD TO SIGN UP FOR CITY SEARCH JUST SO I COULD WRITE A REVIEW WHICH I HAVE NEVER DONE... THIS IS HOW COMPELLED I AM TO TELL YOU ABOUT HOW CRAPPY THE FOOD IS HERE. I HAD THE BEEF SANDWICH -- WORST THING I HAVE EVER HAD,,, THE BEEF WAS SO DRY I COULDNT EAT IT -- WAS LIKE DRY POTROAST. ALSO HAD THE JALAPENO FRIED APPETIZER -- THEY SERVED IT WITH RANCH MADE FROM SAMS OR COSTCO -- TOTALLLY UNACEPPTABLE. THE WAITRESS WAS RUDE AS WELL. GREAT LOCATION AND INVITING ATMOSPHERE WHICH IS A SHAME.

THEY NEED TO TOTALLY RE-WORK THE MENUE AND FIRE THE COOK IN CHARGE OF THAT JUNK.

• Pros: LOCATION
• Cons: FOOD

04/05/09

Not the laidback Cajun place we were looking for

by tcatwoman

Coming from Houston, I guess we are spoiled because we're used to fresh, tasty cajun food in a relaxed, hole in the wall atmosphtere. That is what we were looking for when we saw Shoal Creek Saloon. This was defintely a hole in the wall atmosphere, but neither the staff nor the customers seemed to be kicked back or jovial, not to mention it was not very family friendly. Very few people in the place seemed to be enjoying themselves. The food tasted OK, but the portions for the price were quite small. We might have enjoyed ourselves more on the deck outside, but it was quite crowded, and unlike the Rajun Cajun where you have long tables with multiple groups sharing a table, you had one individual taking up a whole table and not sharing while other people are waiting to sit. Just not a fun place at all. Also, parking is a challenge. We definitely won't be back.

• Pros: Authentic cajun food, hole in the wall
• Cons: Uptight, small portions for price, not family friendly

11/17/08

Great place to catch an LSU game but food is just ok

by shaft28

Took 3 Cajun's to catch a game recently and got there plenty early so we could get a spot. Nice staff, very helpful and quick to take care of you - but the food was just so so. Might be authentic Cajun recipies but the overall quality just ok. We were not wowed by the gumbo, etouffee or po' boys - nothing to write home about (at all) but we wished they were better!

We'll go back but stick to beers and fries.

Creekside dive near downtown offers Cajun food, a breezy patio and a terrific jukebox.

by Contributor

In Short
This is the most family-oriented sports bar in town, serving various Cajun specialties in an environment similar to an old-fashioned diner. The five TVs are in plain view and easy to hear. In addition to the usual burgers, fries and nachos, Shoal Creek serves smoked duck and sausage gumbo and oyster and catfish po'boys. The Triple Play (fried catfish, fried oysters, fried shrimp) and the Reynaldo burger, with grilled onions and jalapenos, are highly regarded.

02/02/07

They've Put the Red Back in Neck

by hoyt

The food is ok, good location and this place draws a truly southern fried, crusty bunch of r*dnecks. Don't be fooled, just because some of the customers have ties on doesn't mean that don't wave the flag. If you know what I mean.

Now can you say pickaninny mow mow!

• Pros: Fried Food
• Cons: No Wet T-Shirts

07/11/06

Poor value for catfish & burnt hushpuppies

by skwierczynski

If you are craving catfish this is not the place. The catfish has lots of batter and they don't give you much for the money. We informed the waitress that our hushpuppies were burnt and they replaced them with more burnt hushpuppies. We could only assume that they were using old cooking oil. The service was so-so. They really didn't seem to care if you were there or not. There were 2 things that I did like about this place. 1) The burger 2) the outside patio was nice.

• Pros: Burger
• Cons: Poor value for $$

01/18/06

Best neighborhood joint in the downtown area

by kinky06

Best place to watch football with your friends, but get there early for a big game. Been going there for years and bad experiences with food or service are rare, usually just when they're overwhelmed with an overflow crowd. Don't go as much on weekdays because it's a little pricey for lunch. The new music room is a great place to hear live music on weeknights and have one of their dinner specials.

11/06/05

Cajun means friendly and spicy not rude and bland

by knwylie

When I moved to Austin from La, I was thrilled to see Shoal Creek's support for the Saints/Tigers and menu full of seafood favorites. Was I ever disappointed the first time I ate there - a $9 shrimp poboy of two or three mangled shrimp on hard bread, no liquor (you can't possibly be a La bar w/o liquor), and bland gumbo. Nevertheless, the reliable showing of Saints and Tiger football games lured me back. The next time, I couldn't find a seat for the Saints game, my catfish basket (which I ordered b/c it's hard to get this wrong) was fried in very dirty grease (at only 1pm this is unacceptable), and the service from the bartender was VERY RUDE! I will never go back to this place, and believe it to be a mockery of the real cajun spirit, which is friendly and spicy, not rude and bland.

09/04/05

Good grub

by jillebean

Weren't sure if this was going to be real cajun food or not... however, Shoal Creek's knowledge of how to put together a roast beef po boy left little to be desired. Also tried the crawfish po boy and the catfish/crawfish platter. They had a great cole slaw with little to no mayo and good pinto beans as well.

We ate during a UT game and still didn't have to wait long for a table... overall, this is a definite go!

03/20/05

Great Cajun

by crisangelini4

This is some of the best cajun food in Austin.