by Ann Ansley
Carrboro Commons Writer

Jambalaya. Crawfish bread. Fried alligator.

These are a few of the traditional entrees found on menus in restaurants scattered along the Louisiana coastline.

UNC-Chapel Hill freshmen Nicole Bieber and Ricky Hurtado engage in conversation beneath the ‘gators at the bar in Crawdaddy’s.
Photo by Ann Ansley

But now they are conveniently available for the palates of Carrboro’s inhabitants.

Crawdaddy’s Cajun Cafe opened Jan. 14 at 302 E. Main St., the previous location of Bandido’s Mexican Cafe.

But as Crawdaddy’s owner Tony Sustaita will tell you, this restaurant is quite different from Bandido’s and anywhere else in the Orange County area.

“The most important part of the restaurant is having good food and good service,” said Sustaita. “But we went a step further and wanted people to have a good time.”

The cafe features a number of unique and colorful decorations. Sustaita spent the last eight months acquiring the restaurant’s ornamentation, which includes two alligators above the bar. One of the alligators has in its mouth an arm with a Duke University banner in hand, while the other alligator has a ram on its back. Sustaita said he wanted to make it clear which university Crawdaddy’s supports.

In keeping with its mantra of fun and entertainment, Crawdaddy’s plays loud, festive music and hosts bands that play on the small stage of the restaurant. So far, The Haw River Rounders, a fiddle, banjo, washboard and harmonica group, have played, as well as the Latin band that previously played in Bandido’s. There will also be open-mike nights soon, said Sustaita.

Crawdaddy’s features an array of Cajun dishes largely compiled by Sustaita. In the months preceding Crawdaddy’s opening, Sustaita spoke with a number of chef consultants, researched and visited other Cajun restaurants, tried six different recipes for jambalaya and had taste tests before finalizing the menu.

The restaurant also has several original specialties. The Bayou Burger is hand-pattied ground beef seasoned with a homemade spice that contains coffee. The signature drink is the Cajun Kool-Aid, which is served in a fish bowl with several straws and a duck taking a nose dive into the drink.

Sustaita, who previously owned the Carrboro Bandido’s, said that before opening Crawdaddy’s, he had entertained the idea of opening a Cajun restaurant to replace Bandido’s due to the restaurant’s mediocre performance over the past two years. Sustaita had fixed jambalaya for years for family and friends. About a year ago, a friend suggested that he open a Cajun restaurant.

“My exact words were, ‘What the heck do I know about Cajun food?’” said Sustaita.

Upon his friend’s suggestion, Sustaita set out to conduct a bit of market research. After consulting with other chefs, he began to conduct taste tests with friends, family and Bandido’s staff.

“We knew these people would tell us their 100 percent honest opinion,” said Sustaita. “And 90 percent of the response was very positive.”

Crawdaddy’s is open for lunch Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., and for dinner Monday-Saturday, 5:30-10 p.m.