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Categories: Pubs, Cajun/Creole [Edit]
Neighborhood: Lakeview
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Not so much a review of the bar, but instead their valet service. Halloween night around 10pm, I was looking for parking and found a spot in front of Klein Tru-Value in their loading zone, which is only active between 11am and 7pm. The valet ran across the street and told me that I couldn't park there because Blue Bayou rents the loading zone and if I wanted to park there, it would cost $10.00. I've lived in Chicago my whole life and I can smell a scam from a mile away. I refused to pay and he threatened my vehicle with towing. I know he couldn't have my car legally towed, but he could do damage to my vehicle, so I moved my car.
I called the Chicago Police Department's non-emergency line today and confirmed my original suspicion that the I was correct and could have legally left my car there. Don't let a valet scam you out of ten bucks.
That being said, I know many burlesque girls who perform at the bar and they like it. So enjoy the bar, but take cab or wrestle for street parking. Don't give scammers your money.
Reasons to go: Abita beer, good service, naked ladies. Wait, what?
Yeah, that's right-- Vaudezilla performs here on Thursday nights! If you've never seen them, it's quite a show! I actually wandered in here not knowing about the burlesque show. It was about 7pm, and the Cubs were playing, but there were plenty of seats. However, by the time the girls came on, the place was packed! If you want a good seat-- come early!
Anyway, the food is pretty average, but Vaudezilla earns them the extra star.
5 stars for having Abita beer on draft.
2 stars for the food.
3 stars for service.
I need to be upfront about something, though. I lived in Louisiana for EIGHT years. I have a sophisticated palate, so to speak, when it comes to Cajun food. Therefore, I go to Blue Bayou for the Abita Beer. It's amazing - the fried green tomatoes are not bad either. I don't recommend dinner here, but the brunch is not bad. However, if you have never had real Cajun food, you'll probably love it. :)
This was an impromptu choice for dinner one late Saturday night, and it worked out to be just above mediocre. The food was pretty good, and the live music was a pleasant surprise, but the service was spotty and too quick for my liking.
Would have to give it another try to produce a more comprehensive review...
We stopped in here to split a hurricane during a lovely summer evening walk. I've never had one before, but it was kind of sweet and didn't seem strong. I wore the plastic silver beads (that were draped around the glass) all the way home.
At $10, the veggie wrap and the veggie burger didn't seem worth getting. I can buy a whole box of Gardenburgers (which is what it is) for half of that.
I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to come back, though it wasn't bad.
This review is for their Taste of Chicago 2009 booth.
FUCKING RIP OFF!!!!!
I spent 10 tickets ($7.50) on a muffaletta sandwich that was worse than a stale poopdick.
few hours sitting outdoors: check
stale lump of bread: check
one cheap thickly sllced slab of bullshit ham: check
one gross thickly sliced slab of bullshit salami-like substance: check
dry smear of muffaletta: check
Way to represent, losers.
Go spend your Taste tickets on Manny's turkey leg. it's actual meat, it's served piping hot, and will satisfy you at the taste.
Went here for the first time a few days ago and I will definitely go back soon. I had a crayfish Po' Boy with a cup of gumbo. Both were truely fantastic. My buddy got the fried mussel Po' Boy which I tasted--amazing! The restaurant was clean and the staff was cool too. The food isn't cheap but it was well worth it.
PS-The neighborhhood is great as well.
Close to home, Abita on draft, and decent bands sometimes, but the entrees need to catch up to the appetizers. The artichoke au gratin appetizer is fantastic, but the entrees are rather boring. I'd like to give it more stars, but cannot until the menu improves. I also found it strange that it's a Steelers bar.
Laissez le bon temps roule a Blue Bayou!
Super friendly, attentive service and an appropriate place for kids. The menu is superb and the drinks are plenty delicious! I enjoy the weekend brunch, provided there's no Cubs home game. The patio is great for parties of1 -4 people; anymore and it gets really cramped really quickly. If dining inside, ask for The Napoleon Room - great view of the bar & tv's and live music / burlesque show. Also, cozy if you and your mates want to have a nice convo.
Spent the morning enjoying the beautiful day on the patio.
Great choices on the menu. We started with the artichoke dip, which was very good and had a nice kick to it.
I had the sausage and biscuits, which were good and came with amazingly seasoned home fries and two eggs. I did not even get to the eggs because the rest was more than enough. Kaitlin T. had the VooDoo Wrap and she liked it.
Service was great. Mimosas were tasty. And it was fun hearing the jazz music pour out from inside. Lots of families here for brunch, both inside and out. Bathroom is very dark. Interested in coming to check this place out at night.
I don't have too much to say other than I love the food I order so much I need to find other things on the Menu to try.
If you like Cajun, this place is a good bet. They have traditional bar food as well.
Some of the drinks are a little on the weak side - but I guess I am used to that any time we're near Wrigley on a weekend.
They took away the Mac and Cheese and I haven't gone back since.
I'm still cursing them for that. I SHAKE MY FIST AT YOU!
My friend lives practically next door to this place, so I ended up here twice on a recent weekend in Chicago...once for a quick drink (a St. Patty's hurricane, yum) and a couple of days later for a big hungover brunch. The latter was delicious. I got the veggie skillet and it was very good, and a good value at $10 (I thought anyways). The potatos were diced and crispy, just how I like them. Oh, and the bloody mary's are delicious...although I could only stomach the virgin version :)
Didn't seem too crowded in the evenings, probably due to it being an Irish Pub kind of weekend, but they had live music and enough seats/room to move, which to me is always an appeal...
Stopped in here on a Wednesday night and it was pretty dead. However, there seemed to be a lot of great deals to be had throughout the week and I liked the fact that they had Abita on draft. The decor was actually pretty cool for a NOLA themed place; I enjoyed the large Mardi Gras masks on the walls.
I had a few jack and cokes and sat at the bar watching the end of the Pistons game.. the bartenders were friendly and chatted a little bit. Seems like a good place. If I am in the area, I'll check it out again.
I loved the theme going on inside being that I'm grew up in Louisiana (not New Orleans!) but still. We actually just went in only for drinks while waiting for a table down the street. It's a pretty average bar but fun if you have good company. There's a big beer list on the menu. Since I don't know one beer from another, I passed that up and went straight to the mixed cocktails. Of course I ordered a hurricane. Of course, I didn't taste a damn thing of rum or 151. One of my friends thought it was strong. Yeah whatever. I can take it like a champ. ;-) Staff was really attentive. It was still pretty early in the night, and the bar wasn't so crowded (or as loud) for a Saturday night, which is nice.
Alright so sometimes it really has that hardcore bar smell but it really is a great place. I love the live music, look of the place and the food is pretty good too! One of my favorite cities in the U.S. is New Orleans so it's nice to go somewhere that tries to be like that. The staff is generally very nice and it's great for lunch, dinner or just drinks!
It's another one of the bars/restaurant on southport with mediocre food. I went for dinner there (drinks would have been better) and it wasn't that great. We tried their burger and one of the po-boy sandwiches and they were just so-so.
I went to Blue Bayou for the first time ever a few weeks ago with two friends for dinner/drinks. They live in the area and we decided to avoid the usual Cullen's/Messner's/Mystic Celt (seriously I can't tell those three places apart) and try something new.
I had never heard of or even noticed Blue Bayou, so I was intrigued. We walked in the door and I had to stop and think for a moment, as I thought that after all that, we were in Cullen's. I am not surprised to learn that they are owned by the same folks.
The drink special on that particular night was $4 Jack & diet Coke. Fine by me. Both drinks I had were nice and strong.
We split the artichoke au gratin appetizer, which was awesome. I would definitely order that for my meal if I were ever to return. For my entree I had the Sante Fe wrap (as recommended by our waitress), and my friends had the Mediterranean salad and jambalaya, respectively. One also ordered a cup of gumbo.
My wrap was decent, though my fries didn't come with the great seasoning that other reviewers have mentioned. In fact, the fries were a little undercooked and soggy (and I typically like soft fries). The salad was nothing too special and the jambalaya was okay. The gumbo was left nearly untouched.
In terms of the service, it was just fine. Our waitress was really cool and didn't have much going on as we were one of two tables in the restaurant. Which seemed kind of odd on a Wednesday.
I probably won't go out of my way to go back to Blue Bayou. Maybe their concept is lost on me because I am always wary of ordering complicated menu items in bars (particularly when there is seafood involved). Sounds like it would be a fun place to go out for a hardcore night of New Orleans style drinking, though.
This is a cumulative review of the Taste of Chicago 2009 booth and from a brunch experience at the restaurant in the fall of 2005.
Unfortunately my sub-par brunch experience in '05 should have tipped me off that I was in for a disappointment at their Taste booth. The 2005 brunch was SLOW and overpriced with mediocre food and grumpy servers.
At this year's taste I ordered a muffaletta sandwich. Typically a muffaletta sandwich consists of a roll, split horizontally, and covered with a marinated olive salad, layers of capicola, salami, mortadella, emmentaler, and provolone. Blue Bayou's poor excuse of a sandwich was composed of a small, dry roll and a slice of composite meat and a hunk of fatty, yet dry, ham. I vaguely recall some bits of chopped olive in the paper boat that the sandwich was served in, but couldn't actually taste any on the sandwich.
Blue Bayou sucks. Spend your money elsewhere!
Jazz brunch here is amazing. Well maybe its just the fact that you're eating brunch - always a good meal - and there's live music playing. Coffee was refilled often. What a great way to start a Sunday morning. I got the Voodoo Wrap which came with crispy potatoes. The crab cake benedict, omelettes, and (what looked like) bacon salad ordered by my dining companions looked awesome too. Will have to be back again for brunch some other time.
good food and good drinks.
i thought the fried green tomatoes were expensive. 3 slices for 10 bucks. the fried oysters were the same price but you got 5-6. both were good and tasted fresh.
po boy and the sampler-gumbo, greens, jambalya, etouffee, was good as well.
hurricanes, bloody marys, and the beers were good too
I'll get my beef out of the way first: clowns have nothing to do with New Orleans. There is NO NEED for that scary clown painting on the wall.
That said, this is such a cute bar. I usually hate going to bars in this part of the city, but Amanda H. and I wanted to check out the burlesque night that our dance teacher hosts and I am so glad we did. I think we lucked out because it wasn't crowded at all and we got a booth right away. I only had a soda, but I think Amanda liked her drink just fine.
And! They have fried pickles on the menu. I had to wiggle into a Halloween costume the next day, so I held back but next time I will be getting some for sure.
The bar definitly has a real New Orleans feel to it. And the burlesque was great - but that was no suprise!
I gave myself about 2 weeks of distance from my meal at Blue Bayou because I just couldn't decide how I felt about it. In the end, I think my feelings point towards the fact that it was just an average meal.
I really liked the menu - the Cajun twist brought the dishes up a notch from boring bar food to entrees worthy of a real restaurant menu. Their BLTs are made with fried green tomatoes and they have a good variety of po' boys and New Orleans style seafood.
If you're looking for something different, this is the place to go. The food itself is not really special or great, but it's a good change of pace from boring burgers and bland chicken sandwiches. A good "try it out" place if you're wandering around the Southport Corridor and feel like getting a bite to eat.
I met my old grad school buddies here for lunch the other day....and I have to rave about the ARTICHOKE AU GRATIN.....holy sh*t it was delicious!
As for the rest of the food, including crab cakes, fried green tomatoes and soup....Blah....not great, not horrible...but sort of blah. The crab and tomatoes each had some kind of different sauce on them and that sauce just didn't do it for me or anyone. They probably would have been better without the sauces. However, the place has a cool Cajun home & Marti Gras party feel all at the same time. So...I will be back for a beer and artichoke dip....but not for lunch or dinner.
I'm pretty impressed with this place. We got a table right away, the food was excellent and the seasonal beers were awesome. I would totally come back to this place!
Oh, but don't get the desserts - their pies and cobblers were served cold, when they should have been served hot.
If I had only drank here, I'd likely have given Blue Bayou 4 stars as there was an incredibly debaucherous work party staged here that was incredibly boozy and cheap (as were the actions of many of my coworkers, ahem, and perhaps, just maybe, myself). I digress.
We ate over here Friday night and did the all-you-can-eat perch special for $9. I will say that the perch was good, the seasoning on the fries a little strange-- rosemary was a large component and didn't make sense with the fish-- and the homemade tartar sauce was a bit goofy. Ask me to hand over my foodie card, but I love Heinz tartar sauce- good texture, chunky, tastes pretty decent. Blue Bayou's is thin and overly tart, not at all what I expected. The service was really the issue though. I felt like they were trying to rush us out. We were there less than an hour and I felt like the entire time, the waitress was counting the minutes. We weren't ordering like fifteen extra plates of perch (I think she brought one extra order for the table), no-one was overly drunk (although if my boyfriend had had another Hurricane things may have ended differently), and everyone was polite. So why did she lay down a check moments after we received our dinners? Very strange.
I'll likely go back because of its proximity to my place and Music Box, but the service could definitely have been better.
The food was salty -- I totally felt bloated after eating there. I got the French Quarter Combo and the crawfish etoffee was pretty good, but still pretty salty. My husband got the crab cake dinner and it was just ok.
The saving grace was the sweet potato fries (which is why I gave it 3 stars instead of 2). Those were really good. If you want good Cajun food, don't go here. If you want bar-type foods, I'm thinking this is the place to go (the sliders my friends got looked good).
Fun atmosphere, but the food was super salty.
A friend and I went here for dinner and a few drinks last night. There were roughly..15 people in the whole place, counting the staff, and counting my friend and I. So I was surprised to have to try and flag down the bartender to get menus, and then to have to flag him down again to order, and again to get another beer. For how dead the place was, he could have paid a little more attention to all of his customers (all 8 of us) instead of just the one he was having a conversation with.
So THAT was a little irritating.
That said, the food was awesome. I had some badass jambalaya and mashed sweet potatoes (I loooooove sweet potatoes) and my friend had a crawfish po'boy. His sandwich came with these amazing fries that had a TON of seasoning on them, which was a plus because they were fabulous.
And then some of the other people in the bar took off, and the bartender treated us to some jagerbombs for no real apparent reason, which I found pretty cool.
If he'd been that attentive earlier, this place would be getting 5 stars. It's a nice little place, decked out in Mardi Gras stuff (red: beads everywhere) and has an intensely comfortable, non-pretentious vibe.
I forgot about this place until I stumbled upon Anna L.'s review today! Ok, I've been to New Orleans several times, not for Mardi Gras I might add, but to eat freshly harvested gulf shrimp and fish and gumbo at some fantastic authentic non-touristy-out-of-the-way places. So, one day when perusing Metromix, I stumbled upon the Bayou and noticed that they had Fried Green Tomatoes(FGTs) and $4 Hurricanes for their Friday special. Niiice (as Borat would say)!!!
We arrive and are seated, handed menus, and our server arrives. We inquire about the special and the FGTs and low and behold, we are told FGTs are no longer available (though still on the menu) and Hurricanes are $9. Ok, so I'm ready to leave, but the others in our party of three said, "eh, let's try the food. Maybe we will have actually found good Cajun food in Chicago." Okay, mom....I'll finish my beets and sprouts...
The gumbo was flat out boring and the jambalaya tasted burnt. Burnt, I tell you!!! Whaaaat? How the fuck do you burn jambalaya? Get yourself a box of Zatarain's Jambalaya mix, chop up some garlic and scallions and spicy Maxwell St. Polish sausage from Bobak's (if you can't get andoulle), sautee them all in some olive oil in a saucepan, add the required amount of water as stated on the box, boil, add mix, simmer, and you'll be MUCH closer to good New Orleans jambalaya than these Blue fuckers. They are in New fucking Zealand when it comes to serving good Cajun fare.
You want good jambalaya? Try my beefed up Zatarain's recipe. Better yet, bring a case of beer over and we'll get hammered and I'll make it for ya! As Neuman said in the Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld, "jamba-LAYA!!!"
Side note: Best Cajun I've had thus far in the Midwest is Marion's on Delmar on the west side of St. Louis. Marion, an elderly african-american woman, is from New Orleans. I recommend her Fried Catfish. I shall have to review her pad next!
about to eat delicious leftovers as we speak!
Had a burger here the other night...tasty...but you really can't screw up a burger
Brunch you can definitely screw up and this place gets it right...i had the southwestern scramble and it was spicy and cheesy deliciousness.
My roommate had the chocolate chip pancakes and it was basically a layer of chocolate topped by a layer of pancake! (they look like plain pancakes when they arrive, so be sure to check the bottoms to see if you got the right order before you complain!!! we almost made that mistake and would have felt like huge butts!)
Also...great bloody marys...i always like the concept of the drink but never really get into it when it arrives...didnt' taste very alcoholic at all, but about halfway through i had to stop because i was getting quite a bit drunk =)
We were sitting outside, so we could only just hear the jazz and it was a nice accompaniment to a leisurely brunch.
Good food despite a slight downgrade in the bread dept lately- (where have those awesome rolls gone?)
Definitely Recommended.
I went here for dinner on a Sunday night with my roommates. We were walking down Southport and stopped in here to look at the menu. Seeing that they had Mac and Cheese, we stayed. We sat outside, even thought it was a bit cold. Actually, I was freezing! But that's my own damn fault.
Anyway, we ordered the Spinach Artichoke dip for an appetizer. It came baked with cheese over it and some crusty french bread. It was delicious!! My one roommate and I had the crab cakes, which came with broccoli and rice. I have had better crab cakes, but I thought they were pretty yummy. They come drizzled with a mustard sauce that I liked a lot. My other roommate got the cheese tortellini and shrimp pasta. I tried it and it was alright...a bit salty and there were only 4 shrimps in it! We also shared a side of Mac & Cheese, which was very good.
This place doesn't get 5 stars because our service was really slow, and they didn't seem particularly busy. However....my roommates and I were acting loud and obnoxious (as usual) so maybe we scared off our waitress LOL!
Oh yeah, they also have a private party room that I didn't see, but it seemed like a cool option.
I was there recently for dinner with a client. I had a chicken sandwich (i think it was cajun/blackened). It was great! Juicy chicken and tons of fries. Great pour of Guinness too. I really like the atmosphere. The service was a bit slow, our waitress walked by us many times without acknowledging us.
I would recommend it, I enjoyed being there and the food was pretty good.
Blue Bayou has an excellent selection of beers on tap! Bass, Pilsner Urquel, Honkers . . . just to name a few.
My father is a huge fan of the Fried Green Tomatoes, which even I think are pretty good considering I don't like tomatoes. I've had the shrimp and andouille po'boy more than once and it's delicious. Great fries. Oh, and did I mention that they have good beers on tap?
My friends and I hit Blue Bayou for Fat Tuesday 2005!! (see photos!)
We couldn't have picked a better bar to celebrate in! The decorations are over the top... they had a zydeco band... tons of masks, beads, etc... and even had po' boys and jambalaya! Oh... and don't forget about the hurricanes!!
The staff was very nice and quick!! The crowd was fun without being too rowdy, too! I highly recommend it!!
Ya know, some bars, even though average and bordering on mediocrity in the grand scheme of life, own a soft spot in your heart, like having its own barstool in the aquarium of your drinking kingdom.
Blue Bayou has always been a comfortable, trusty fall-back on so many occasions. Like that middle child who doesn't have a Type A personality or a cuter-than-thou calling card, Blue Bayou tries its best to carve out a little spot on SoPo with its New Orleans/Mardi Gras kitsch and distinguish itself from the Cullen'ses of the stretch. But beads hanging off of lamps and French Quarter daguerreotypes on walls do not a Tipitina's make, and the gumbo and jambalaya and etoufee entrees are hidden like wallflowers amongst standard bar fare. (And they're not the best in Chicago -- for that, you have to go to Cajun joynts down South -- but OK if you need to nip an itch.)
But it's friendly and it's quick for dinner before a show at the Music Box across the street, and when everywhere is overflowing on St. Patty's Day, there's room in there without invoking claustrophobia (although one could get mad at the jacked up beer served in cheap plastic cups, but that's the nature of the holiday). You know how they're times when you just want to wear your old jeans, your favourite raglan, your favourite sneakers and just lean back and enjoy a decent meal, beer and relax? One of those times when cliched 1980s pop recycling through the sound system doesn't bother you -- in fact, you're singing out loud with your friends?
Blue Bayou is for those times, and their attractive specials makes it worth your while.
I'm a slacker.
This is one of my FAVORITE bars on Southport, and alas, I have yet to review it! Shame on me, I'm a naughty Yelper!
Okay, so here's the skinny:
Great staff.
Awesome space.
Stiff drinks.
Reasonable price.
Walkable during decent weather.
They were incredibly accommodating. I had a week to plan one of my best friend's birthdays this year, and they hooked it up with the upstairs room and a very sweet bartender who, despite getting scummier than most of the bar guests, served up drinks quickly... with a little (or a lot) of help from an incredibly sweet bar back.
I'm embarrassed that some shady people showed up to the party and managed to weasel their way out of paying the package cost and drank for free. Well, two that I know of. And certainly not anyone I'm friends with. But I found this out after the fact! Sorry Blue Bayou, I love you guys!
I see no reason to NOT patronize Blue Bayou! Remember to tip your bartender!
Went here last week. All of our food was horrid, my chicken was over cooked and my friends food was bad too. The service wasnt anything to write home about, but our waitress was patient with us, seeing as a few of us were already drunk and obnoxious when we arrived.
By the way, the "side" of cornbread was a HUGE slice, a meal in itself.
Awesome Easter brunch! I brought my dad for the jazz and buffet and we both had a great time. Service was friendly and food was good. I loved the Muffaletta and Jambalaya! I love cajun food and will definitely be back to try dinner.
Sunday brunch is awesome! Had the Crab cake eggs Benedict and it was screeeemin' (siren), the mimosa's were fabulous and the place has a very nice ambiance. Diverse menu and the prices were quite reasonable for this part of town. Service was great and the bartenders were excellent. As an added bonus, they had a live jazz band. Great band and the trumpet player is HOT! Parking was pretty hard to come by. They have valet ($5), but you might still be able to find a parking space on the street. The place is spacious and the bathrooms are ok. Good for mid-size groups, not sure about really large parties. Well worth a try on a late Sunday morning, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
Food Specials
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
$4 x $4 Every Day
Neighborhood: Logan Square
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Gastropubs
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Tapas Bars
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