Tchoupitoulas

I went for lunch on Saturday. The decor is okay. It has somewhat of a New Orleans feel.

I have been wanting to try this place for about 6 months. I love all the Cajun joints in town and this is the most recent addition. Everything on the menu looked good and I told the host, David, that I was a Yelp Elite and I asked if they had a sampler platter. He said, since there were only a couple of other tables at the time to serve, he would check with the chef and see what he could put together.

David came back and said that the chef was willing to put something special together for me.

I started off with a bowl of the Hen and Smoked Sausage Gumbo, the Soup du Jour. It had a dark, rich roux and was topped with a piece of deep fried hen breast and well as a small fried drumstick. It was fantastic.

Next, Chef Kevin brought out my sampler and explained everything on the plate. It was presented well and had a number of their most popular dishes.

It had Shrimp Creole, Red beans and Rice with Sausage, Chicken Creole, Crawfish Ettouffee, etc.
It was all delicious. The Creole was the best that I had ever had. It's actually quite sweet. I never order that and it's usually not something I would like because of the tomato base.. I also have to say that his cornbread is moist and delicious as well.

I have to warn you though, it was all served very mild with no heat. If you want him to spice it up, you have to specify that when you order, otherwise you will be using hot sauce.

The service was great and they made me feel special. Chef Kevin is the real deal. Authentic New Orleans cooking that makes you feel good. I will go back.

If you have never been to New Orleans or have never eaten food from the great state of Louisiana, then you have been missing out. However, you have a chance to taste what is this like by stopping in and sampling the fare at Tchoupitoulas. Having tried other faux Cajun places in Lexington, I was expecting the same here, however, I was pleasantly surprised as I was transported back to the bayous of Louisiana with the flavors I experienced here. Be aware, real Cajun and Creole spices are used in the kitchen and Lexington palettes are not used to much spice. Once you get used to it, you wouldn't want anything else.
Take a chance on this unassuming small place and leave Lexington for a time. Enjoy a meal in Louisiana.

Absolutely excellent.

I love Cajun food. I love it so much that I travel to New Orleans at least once per year to just eat to the point of explosion. Yes there are a few places in town, but none really give you that true Louisiana taste. Finally, a restaurant has opened that not only brings that unique Cajun flavor, it does it extremely well.

Tchoupitoulas is located in the west end off main Street. The space is smaller but well appointed. I sat at the bar today for a small food adventure where I ordered entirely too much food for one person. I spoke with the head bartender/manager Jenny and learned that the restaurant is very new, 3 months old. The chef, Kevin Trahan, owns the restaurant and was formerly the exec chef at the Lafayette Club downtown.

They have a unique wine list that's curated by Jenny. I had a very good Voignier and Rosé. All wines are sold by the glass right now for 7$.

Started off with oyster tchoupitoulas and it was heavenly. Perfectly grilled with Parmesan, butter, and herbs! Reminds me of the Oysters Royale and the Royal house in New Orleans!

Next I had their soup special, which was roasted corn and sausage in a tomato base. AMAZING. I can't even describe it more than that. It wasn't salty and all the flavors came together so well.

As my main entree I had shrimp etoufee. That's my go-to when I'm judging a restaurant and they do it very well here! I requested it to be spicy and the chef delivered.

Lastly for dessert I had the bread pudding. It was delicious. The bottom part was soggy but I still loved every bit.


Can't wait to go back for dinner! Hope this restaurant does well. It is so delicious!

Aww. I'm really bummed to see that Tch closed shop. They definitely were the real deal and I'll miss them for sure. Thanks for the great service and meal. Lexington's lost a good one.

We have had two great meals there since the opened last week. The crab cakes are amazing, as is the red beans and rice, salmon special, Ext. Everything we have had had been top shelf. Go for lunch and give it a try, will be expanding to dinner service soon.

This was a delightful find! New Orleans flavors in the Bluegrass! You may recall chef Kevin from the Lafayette Club. Drinks were smaller but well made and reasonably priced. They serve oysters prepared a couple of different ways on the half shell and we tried each. Their house oysters were even better than the Rockefeller. The crabcakes or some of my favorite that I've had in town. The house seafood gumbo was very flavorful as well. Be sure to give this place a try and support it as we would miss its absence.

This is the best food I've had in 25 years. An awesome chef. Excellent waitress awesome atmosphere.

Can't wait to go back.

Third and final review. Tchoupitoula's, hire more guys like Devon (Devin?). He's excellent at the restaurant business. I just had dinner with my mom here, and Devon was an expert at the restaurant business. I had the shrimp creole, mom had the crab cakes and a salad, I had two bourbon-and-cokes, mom had two glasses of wine. Their new server Devon was an expert.

Tchoupitoulas, if you need to open a new location, give it to Holly or Devon to be in charge of. You have a knack for picking the best people to work there. Teach them everything about how to run a restaurant, because they can clearly handle it.

Cheers Tchoupitoulas! Another excellent meal! If you have plans to expand, well, you have Holly and Devon under your nose. You know how to spot talent. Let them cook and run a restaurant. They can handle it.

Again, Tchoupitoulas has the best people in their kitchen and on their floor.

Tonight, a table of seven sat down behind me, and while sipping my drink and browsing my phone, you could hear Devon bending over backwards to pull up extra chairs for them. They were all talking about how much they love Cajun food, and after an hour they weren't complaining about anything. Perfect.

Not just as a customer, but as a business owner, that's what you want. Customers satisfied and happy. That's what Tchoupitoula's does, and they have a unique knack for spotting talent like Holly and Devon.

Highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend, as the best spot for an excellent dinner in Lexington.

This is jambalaya and crawfish étouffée not on menu, but prepared on my request. Was great and Holly took great care of me. This chef is amazing

How nice to finally have a good CajunCreole restaurant in Lexington. Having lived in New Orleans, I miss the food above all. I started with the Oysters Tch, with butter, parmesan and herbs. The oysters were rather small and suffered from too much parmesan. The Crawfish Étouffée was excellent, and spicy just as I like it. Good bread basket, too. Devon was on point as our server.