Sambets Cajun Deli & Firey

12/12/09

Good Food / Filthy Place

by S Nettle at Citysearch

We had eaten here a few years ago & DO NOT remember it being so dirty! Today we had to search for a clean table to sit at. Customer service needs some help, they were not all that thrilled to be at work it seems. Was not that crowded so just cleaning the tables off & keeping things picked up would not have been a problem. The seafood Po-Boy was good, the Chicken & Sausage Gumbo was a little too salty but had great flavor and the Baudoin Balls were fairly good. Get a cleaning service & we might consider going back.

• Pros: Food is great
• Cons: Tables Dirty - Floor Dirty - what about the kithcen?

06/30/09

Have they cleaned up at all?

by Syppher at Citysearch

I stopped by here a while ago. The place was absolutely filthy. I couldn't bring myself to stay there. Sounds like a good choice, too. I saw a list of restaurants with health code violations not too long after that. Turns out that Sambets managed to fail 2 health inspections in less than a year. The 2nd failure was worse than the first. If they can manage to clean up, I'd love to give them a try.

• Pros: Austin needs more Cajun food.
• Cons: Dirty...no. Filthy place.

05/12/09

Dirty place, Delicious food

by happydrone at Citysearch

My sister first recommended Sambets when I moved to Austin 2 years ago. Its a dark, dusty dive with some truly excellent food. I don't need good customer service because I'm really all about the good eats. The red beans are the only thing I've tried that I havent been excited about.

But the Muffuletas, Po Boys, and all other sides are deliciously seasoned and fabulous. Try the Crawfish Poblano Chowder. Its my favorite and its a signature creation of Sambets. They have crawfish boils on the weekend when its in season along with live music, which is a lot of fun.

Theyre beginning to build a bar as well, which might take away the BYOB, but might add to the party fun on the weekends.

• Pros: Great food, bread, fun atmosphere on weekends
• Cons: cleanliness, some staff unfriendly

03/28/09

Great po' boys; terrible crawfish

by shaft28 at Citysearch

I had been a huge fan of Sambets for lunch - love the poor boy sandwiches. Until tonight.

Tonight we decided to get some crawfish. While we waited for almost 10 minutes for someone to serve us our anticipation of having real crawfish was growing. When our waitress got back from her break (as the short brown hair waitress was too busy doing nothing to help us) she took our order and did a fair job of serving us.

The crawfish was gross. It was dirty and filled with grass. Not a little, a lot. I mean each crawfish was grey from the mud and had grass we had to pick off. No we were a little forgiving but by the end we both had to stop eating. Not only were they overcooked, had little to no spice (I could rub my eyes after, and that's crazy!) and the tails broke in two when you peeled.

DID I MENTION THEY WERE MUDDY AND COVERED IN GRASS?

Seriously, my wife if from Youngsville, is a Cajun and I have had many boils in yards and in restaurants and never have I had to pick out the grass or seen muddy crawfish.

Gross, we will never go back and I will never recommend Sambets ever again. WASH YOUR CRAWFISH!

• Pros: poor boys
• Cons: crawfish, service, prices of deli goods

02/08/09

Can I move in this place?

by slackerlova at Citysearch

So we go to this little hole in the wall.. walk in and the place is rockin with a band. This place is small, but you feel the love as soon as you get there. The food is excellent, all of it. The specials were outstanding but I hear they run out of them often which can be tricky. Sometimes they aren't even open when they should be, which is a bit annoying but once you're there it is so worth it! The owners are so friendly and really want to make your experience enjoyable. BYOB!

• Pros: The food, the entertainment, service
• Cons: Not real reliable w/ hours and no one is winning an award for decor of the year at this place

07/23/08

Now you're talkin'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by ohyeahlach at Citysearch

Went here recently with 3 other couples and really enjoyed everything we tried. Great people, great music (Sat nights), awesome food.. Did I mention it''s BYOB? And they'll give you a cold glass to poor your drink in? Prices are very reasonable and they do catering as well.

Only downfall is it's not the cleanest place but it's easy to turn the other way once you try the food. There is a camera tv in the john which is creepy.. but I guess you have to make the most our of the space given. I agree about the strip mall but I'll take my chances to return again!

• Pros: Everything on the menu, friendly staff, byob!
• Cons: Not the cleanest joint in town

05/13/08

Real Cajun Goodness

by jillebean at Citysearch

I agree that the strip center is a little dingy, but come on folks, most of Louisiana is dingy. It's part of the charm. This place has GREAT food. If it's your first time, I suggest trying the choice of 3 sides - seafood gumbo, chicken & sausage gumbo, crawfish etouffee, red beans & rice, jambalaya, crawfish chowder, etc. The crawfish etouffee was the best I've had in the Austin area, and the seafood gumbo had a wonderful flavor and dark roux. The crawfish po-boy was on awesome french bread if a tiny bit dry. I need to go back and try the muffelletta next time!

Another tip - the restaurant is BYOB, so if you want to grab a six pack on the way, you can sit for a while longer and take in the live Zydeco.

Spicy Cajun hole-in-the-wall spot in Great Hills for born-on-the-bayou flavor and low-key atmosphere.

by Contributor at Citysearch

In Short
A combo storefront and casual eatery, Sambet's is big during crawfish season when the spicy boiled mudbugs are ready for nibbling. The menu is written on a white board above the counter and seating is of the rickety plastic chair and table variety. Sample smoky chicken and sausage gumbo, piled-high muffaletta sandwiches, etouffee, po' boys such as roast beef and gravy, jambalaya and plenty of shrimp dishes. Sodas are served in a mason jar.

02/03/07

Great Cajun food and great people

by pierceray at Citysearch

The food is awesome. I would suggest their Crawfish Ettouffe, Boudin Sandwich, and Muffeltta's. One of the key ingedients to it's success are the people running the show. They are genuine and care about their customers.

• Pros: Great Food
• Cons: Limited size during busy times.

09/28/06

Genuine Stuff!

by livetoeat63 at Citysearch

This place rocks. You will feel like you stepped into an authentic roadside cajun paradise. Muffalettas are dynamite and the bread for the po-boys is made fresh. The roux for the gumbo is dark and intense, as it should be. Frosted mason jars for cold iced tea is a nice touch. If you have a hankering for honest,unadorned, cajun food, it doesn't get better than this in Austin.