Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant Henderson

Earlier this month, we spent the better part of a beautiful day out in the Louisiana swamps, quietly cruising around the little hidden parts of the Atchafalaya bayou for some of best bird and gator-watching the state has to offer. Huge trees with thick, ribbed trunks densely populate long stretches of the swamp, with long tendrils of Spanish moss clinging onto branches in all directions, gently swaying with the breeze. From far, they almost look like cobwebs, a perfect haunt for the famous ghosts and otherworldly spirits of Louisiana. Further adding to the unique landscape are sharp stumps jutting up from the water in clusters, the remainders of clear cut trees from years ago.

After a whole morning and afternoon of exploring, we headed to Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant (also known as “Pat’s”) to refuel on some real Cajun grub, a strong recommendation from our friends at the swamp. All the way at the end of exit 352, you’ll find this institution serving some of the best seafood around town. It’s known as a local gathering spot – outfitted with a club, a grocery store, a wrap-around patio outside the restaurant, a bar and a few other businesses, it’s not hard to imagine the place as a busy spot at nights and on weekends.

Coming in the tail end of the lunch period at Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf, we nabbed a table pretty quickly. As we reviewed the menu, our very sweet server jumped right in and recommended a few of her favorite dishes. She could tell we were first timers and clearly not from the area as we hemmed and hawed over what we wanted/guessed what some of the items might or might not be. What was even sweeter was throughout the meal she actually ended up giving us a few freebies and tasters to give us a ‘real taste’ Cajun cooking as she assured us that Pat’s was the best in the entire state, and if we didn’t agree, she’d give us a full refund. Cue cups of gumbo, homemade crawfish sauce, extra hush puppies etc. etc. Totally nice.

Alligator Bits

Of course when we saw alligator bits, we had to try them. Served fried with a generous cup of tartar sauce, the alligator tasted almost like chicken. Granted the alligator meat was a little more rubbery and tough than your regular bird, but it was pretty delicious all the same. Our server brought over a little extra homemade crawfish sauce to go with. Yum.

(L to R) Crawfish Etouffee, Combo Platter

Crawfish etoufee or smothered crawfish if you like, is famous all around for being a must-eat dish when in Louisiana. Made from a light roux and served over rice, the stew is hearty, flavorful and really delicious. The little salad you see in the photo is actually a few leaves of lettuce, grated cheddar, mayo and two maraschino cherries. Kind of hilarious and definitely interesting…

Then we had a combo platter complete with fried filet catfish, fried oyster, fried shrimp, stuffed shrimp, stuffed crab, jalapeno pepper, eggroll and hush puppies. Damn. All of this dipped in crawfish sauce too. You know it was good.

If you’re driving through the area and are looking for some amazing Cajun food with a generous side of Southern hospitality, Pat’s is a great bet.