In a dilapidated shopping center at the Highway 183/Spicewood Springs Road intersection of northwest Austin lies a gem of Cajun restaurant called Sambets. Don’t judge this book by its decor inside either. Judge it by its food.
Which is nothing short of fantastic. Whether you want Austin’s best muffuletta or a seafood po’boy, Sambets won’t disappoint. Their etouffee’ and gumbo are amazing as well.
It’s a tad pricey for lunch, but worth it. When they’re in season, I usually go for the crawfish po’boy with crawfish etoufee’. I just can’t get enough of those critters.
In fact, last night, the Wife and I went there for their crawfish boil and live music. Well, technically, I went there for the crawfish. The Wife was there for the muffuletta and gumbo.
At $11 for two pounds of the biggest mud bugs you’ve ever seen, plus corn and potatoes, it was a pretty fair deal.
We started with the Gator Toes appetizer, pieces of alligator tail fried and served with a remoulade. They were quite tasty, although the Wife actually preferred them with ketchup.
Be fair warned that Sambets does not have a liquor license, so you need to bring your Abita with you, unless you want the Abita Root Beer, which they carry.
And, you should also be aware that the air conditioning is rather underpowered for Austin, Texas in the summer, so the temperatures inside often give the place an atmosphere quite similar to New Orleans in August. So dress accordingly.
But if you want great Cajun food, I can’t think of anywhere in Austin better than Sambets.