We really, really like this place. This is our GO TO place for date night. It's just that tonight REALLY SUCKS!! It's our date night tonight and the receptionist seated her friends first eventhough we came here before them. And, while we were waiting the friends keeps on telling her to sit them first. At first, she told them that she can't because there are people before them but at the end...she still seated them first and she was standing by their table chitchatting while there are alot of customers waiting to put their name on the waitlist. One server told her to pay attention to the customers waiting. While we were still waiting to be seated. While everybody were busy working. She busy visiting her friends table talking. Our server Thinh was really nice. He pays attention to his customers. read more

Came on a Saturday night with a party of 3 at 7:30pm and were seated immediately even though the restaurant was packed! We ordered their 3 lb combo (with garlic noodles and Cajun fries). We got shrimp with their spiciest backyard style and honestly it wasn't spicy but the sauce was still really good, buttery, and flavorful. I still think boiling crab is top but backyard bayou/ crab bay are equal contenders for second place! The garlic noodles and Cajun fries are better at backyard bayou but the sauce is spicier at crab bay. read more

I had the garlic noodles with sausage. For an extra $5 they side slice 1 sausage to go on top of your noodles and drown it in Parmesan cheese (not fresh shred). - I then had Cajun fries with gator. It didn't say fried, baked, battered or broiled; I should have asked. I'm used to PAPPADEAUX's gator in Houston. You could see seasoning on the fries but they didn't taste Cajun. - On top of that one of my family members asked for a drink that includes Vodka - they were out of regular but had peach flavored‍. You're serving drinks how do you not have Vodka? - The middle seating reminded me of being at Tommy T's where the tables and chairs are close together and you will probably bump the person next to you and behind you trying to get up. So of course when I had to use the br, I kindly let the person behind me know I was getting ready to get up and may bump/touch her getting up. You know people are rude these days. read more

So there was a 30 minute wait to be seated. Okay, we'll sit at the bar. The bar was filthy. They clean it. Go to the bathroom it's filthier. Sad part is all the employees are having a great time sitting around and talking. Food was good but I wonder how the kitchen must have looked. read more

Came here on a weeknight, parking is easy and there was no wait. The menu is straightforward and not too overwhelming. The buckets (which are all served in plastic bags) are most likely a better value since there's some corn, potatoes, and sausage that come with. We ordered the Bayou Bucket in mild and it was just right. I think the portion is okay for a family of 4 if you're not big eaters/have 2 kids. Otherwise, plan on adding a side of garlic noodles or some carbs to soak up the sauce! Also wished the lobster claws were pre-cracked so it would be easier to de-shell the meat. We noted at least 4 mussels that were empty, and no; the meat wasn't lost at the bottom of the bag as we finished. Docking stars for the lack of service. It wasn't that busy of a night and there were at least 3 servers at the register with time on their hands. Had to ask for the claw cracker and the menu mid meal. It took a while to deliver for some reason. Then at end of meal we wanted a small container for some sauce to go with the leftovers and that was another wait as well. The servers were friendly, but asking for items/help takes a while. read more

See all

Good food! Small spot, if you like personal space, The inside is not it. Little pricey tho. It's the Bay. I expect it. read more

Love it here! We frequently visit here and Loc is always super attentive and has the best service! The food is soooooooo good!! And it's always clean and welcoming! Highly recommend! Everyone here is so genuine! read more

Walked in on a Sunday Evening. A server named Alex, I believe took our order for shrimp and fries. When he repeated after me, he said I ordered crawfish and would not acknowledge his mistake. So we had to swap out the server. Then things went a lot smoother. The food was quite tasty. It is quite embarrassing to have folks who represent this restaurant in bad faith. Thank You, Rohit Vall. read more

I heard about Backyard Bayou from a couple friends and decided to check it out. Upon arriving I noticed the amazing ambiance and when the food came out, I knew it was going to be tasty. The portion sizes are great, quality is top tier, and the sauces are packed with flavor. The food came out quick despite the dinner rush! I will be coming back again for sure! read more

Backyard Bayou - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Union City, California

I remember when Cajun seafood boils were the hype like 10 years ago. The long 3 hour waits at Boiling Crab in San Jose...***sigh***! Thankfully, a lot of places like this now exist. Being from Union City I'm very grateful for the convenience of Backyard Bayou. I order from here a couple times a year to satisfy the craving. I recently dined and the food itself improved a lot. In the past, I've had disappointment with the shrimp being over cooked so much that you had wished to have just made it yourself but this time it was cooked to perfection. We ordered the "Selfie Bucket" with shrimp and mussels to share amongst 4 people with big appetites. In addition, we got fried calamari, garlic fries, garlic noodles and rice. It all tasted DELICIOUS and the portion was adequate. We were all content. Despite the great food, I contemplated why I don't absolutely love going here. What it is, is the demeanor of the young crowd that works and serves here. I'm turned off and I can't pinpoint exactly what it is because they thoroughly do their job. I think depending on your age you'll either mind it or not. For me, I'm in my mid 20s and I'm preferring a much more mature ambiance. Lastly, the restaurant could use some bigger TVs :P read more

Backyard Bayou - Fried Calamari Basket, Garlic Fries - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Union City, California

Ive got mad love for this place! Backyard Bayou is one of the place that I will always look forward to! Bucket is always 5.5 taste is on point not overwhelming! I would say it is worth the price. Shrimp and Muscle are cooked perfectly! Seasoning is delicious! I love it with my rice perfect combo! I also checked in and I got me a free garlic noodles! It made my day even better! Service here is fast and efficient they really take care of you. They also serve alcohol so my favorite drink is one of the classic margarita! I recommend this place 100% Until we meet again :) read more

See all

This is a pretty good Cajun place in a pinch. The fact that it is nearby and serves a good selection of beers is nice, but as the sauce was just ok we don't go often. Still it is a decent Cajun place, though most, like this one, do not have hush puppies. Service is a bit rushed as it is a large place, and the atmosphere is a big crowd. Always a line out the door though. read more

Look at this giant king crab leg meat! And we also got a FREE garlic noodle when we checked in on Yelp with ordering king crab legs! read more

Backyard Bayou - King Crab Legs - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Union City, California

1ST FRIDAY OF LENT AND GOOD FRIDAY DINNER: LOBSTER ROLL AND GRILLED GATOR - SALTY VS SAVORY As a Catholic growing up I detested eating fish on Fridays during Lent. Maybe that's because fish was looked upon as religious item to eat as a replacement of beef, poultry, lamb, and pork. When you're an adult who earns money, you don't have to worry about fish cooked at home by your parents as you can go out to eat. I have been ordering food from this place for almost a year. I've enjoyed items such as the Bayou Bucket, one of the seafood boils, that included a side order of lobster. I also liked the heartiness of the gumbo. However there are some of the deep-fried items I find salty such as the catfish and shrimp. During Lent I when to places to order fish in order to curb my cravings for beef, poultry, lamb, and pork on Fridays. This year on the first Friday of Lent I went here to pick up on order, which was lobster roll. The reason I placed this order was I enjoyed the lobster from the Bayou Bucket as the lobster absorbed the seasoning. Also the lobster wasn't chewy or rubbery. For the lobster roll I expected to have chunks of lobster instead what I received were diced pieces of lobster. For the amount I paid I was very disappointed with the lobster roll as I felt I was eating a ceviche instead of a big piece of lobster tail. Even though this place is known for its Cajun flavor I believed this place was too salty and not savory enough for my taste. I had not plan to come here again anytime soon especially during Lent. What changed my mind? I found out that according to Catholic rules during Lent you can eat gator and frog legs as they are animals from the water. So on Good Friday for dinner I needed at least one more "non-meat" dish to quelch my desires for beef, poultry, lamb, and pork. I placed an order of grilled gator with cajun fries, cornbread, and coleslaw. I've eaten gator before. Gator tastes like pork. The grill gator came with a spicy cocktail sauce. With or without the sauce the grilled gator doesn't have a gamey taste. One of the items I didn't not enjoy was the cornbread as it very dry inside. Of all the items I've ordered from Backyard Bayou grilled gator was my favorite as it was savory while the rest of the items I've ordered were salty. read more

See all

Had a pound of crawfish and a pound of king crab legs. Crawfish were great and eating them was a real trip, crab legs were alright and I'm happy to get them off my culinary bucket list. This is next to my local movie theater, so I'm excited to come back for some oysters and lobster next time around. I appreciated the paper tablecloth, gloves, and bib to prevent the experience becoming too much of a mess. I felt vaguely like Dexter (the TV serial killer), except my victims are hapless marine invertebrates. read more

The food is always good. Only lost some respect after realizing they apply the tax after the service fee. Plus they apply an automatic 18% service fee. Just beware! Glad they're not charging extra for gloves anymore though. read more

See all

This is utterly disgusting. How do you run a business like this--so deceitful, so unprofessional!! I will NEVER set foot in this place again. I refuse to throw away another dollar on a place that treats its customers like this! Absolutely horrible service!!! I called in at 9:40pm asked the waitress if we could come at 10:10 to sit down and eat. She stated that I could, we drove all the way from San Leandro to Union city. Arrived exactly at 10:10pm to be told that we could not sit down anymore. After arguing with the manager. We decided to order to go, my husband was looking over the menu and I tried to make the order and they said the kitchen is closed. Seconds after saying I could order to go! What type of games are you guys playing at this establishment. My family nor I, ever come here again. Not going to waste $200 on a place that treats its customers this way! Horrible! read more

place is cool, been going for awhile but one thing kinda changed my 4-5 star rating to a 2. got on the waitlist and waited, made sure with the hostess that we were here and gave them my name on the waitlist. we waited like 5-10 mins and got a text that my table was ready. so i go to the hostess shows her that i got a text that clearly says "your table is ready" and she goes and says "that text is just to let you know your on the waitlist" so i explain that it obviously says my table is ready and she replies with "oh that's an accident" how.. like.. WDYM ACCIDENT? how do you accidentally send a text that my table is ready. she didn't double check the tablet they use or anything. she just knew on the top of her head, "op it was an accident" whatever man, i won't be coming back. read more

Saw on IG and came across the bay to check out the spot with my cousin. Service was fast. Later lunch hours. Greeted upon entry. Seated by the booth which I like. Liked the layout of the restaurant and the wooden themed interior for the wharf feel. Received to-go box with a bag along with paperless checkout option. Items: 1) Soft shell crab po boy and shrimp po boy - The batter is actually on the upper spectrum compared to elsewhere. I've been searching for that Bangkok garlic soft shell crab flavor and this minus the garlic is on par with the batter. 2) Garlic bread is my style of garlic bread. I actually used the lobster fries topping for the bread. 3) Lobster fries- good amount and of course I can only wish there was more meat. Overall, it was good lunch experience. Good for fam and group events. Didn't want to get messy so no broil. This place is within a plaza so parking is convenient and near freeway and the SM bridge. read more

See all

I've heard a lot of good things about this place and that's why I gave it a chance but boy I was wrong. I'm pretty sure these social media accounts get paid for the advertising. The bayou sauce was just weird and the flavors didn't go well. I would taste mostly chili and lime. I orders the headless shrimp and snow crabs. The food was ok when I didn't dip it in the sauce. The garlic noodles was just butter and garlic. I guess once you're had Thanh Long garlic noodles nothing beats them. Definitely won't be returning. read more

This wasn't my first time at this restaurant--I had ordered takeout before and it was great. However, this afternoon my husband and I decided to dine in, and the experience was disappointing. The waitress gave us the menus and walked away without offering water or asking if we had any questions. When we were ready to order, we tried to get someone's attention. I waved at one of the staff members--she saw me, but chose to help her coworker prepare seasoning cups at the front table instead. She looked my way again, and I waved a second time, but she still ignored us. Another server was busy handling two tables that were checking out. The restaurant wasn't crowded--there was only one person at the bar, and the other three tables had already finished. I don't understand why that girl couldn't acknowledge us when we were clearly trying to get her attention. After waiting for five minutes with no one checking in, we gave up and left. read more

Our server Ivan was fantastic. I explained to him that it was our first time at the restaurant and he made us feel welcomed and made several recommendations. We knew we wanted the crab fries. They were absolutely delicious, when i order them again, I'll get some of the sauce on the side as some of the fries got soggy. We also ordered the garlic noodles, which were good and had a lot of shrimp! I know this isn't a salad place, but I got a salad with fried crab and it was delicious. Don't underestimate the salads at this place. It was fresh and did not look like it was poured out of a bag. I also ordered the clam chowder which I highly recommend. Initially we wanted to sit outside, but that seating is reserved for to go orders. They do not wait on guests seated outside for whatever reason. That was unfortunate as it was a nice day. Nevertheless, I'll definitely be back with my nephew to try other things on the menu like their bowls which I didn't get a chance to order. The highlight of our experience was our server who was very professional and delivered outstanding customer service. I was pleased that my food was ready and hot without an unreasonable wait time despite being very busy. Ivan deserves a promotion or a raise at the least. Thank you for a pleasant dining experience. read more

I had really high hopes for this place, I follow them on Instagram and their food always looked soo good on there. Walked in and wasn't greeted for what felt like more than 5 min of just standing at the entrance the young lady at the front just minding her own wiping down menus. There was an off putting smell and was really warm inside so we asked if maybe we could sit outside but our host said they dont serve outside,no biggie we were asked if we would like a booth or a table and we said a booth, and there were actually no booths available so we sat at a table. We began to order cocktail drinks, I ordered a lemon drop, waitress came back and said they were out of vodka, also some margaritas on the menu waitress came back said they were out of tequila so then I settled for a beer lol asked for a blue moon and you guessed it they were also out of that. So then we asked what do they have to try and make it easier and waitress said they had everything on the menu... we ended up just trying some collard greens which weren't bad and the corn bread muffins were ok at this point the vibe was just not it the whole staff just looked like a bunch of careless teens gathered in the back end of the restaurant nobody at the bar nobody greeting customers bot much being done tables around us were dirty including ours . Hope this place really gets it together want to give them a 2nd chance and actually try the food but this 1st experience made it hard to want to come back read more

This place is amazing. The food was delicious. I loved the steamed broccoli option because it soaked up the sauce so well. Plus, I felt less guilty about eating all the carbs. The staff was welcoming and attentive, and the space felt very cozy and relaxed. read more

Backyard Bayou - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Union City, California

See all

We used to love coming here but the price for the Dungeness Crab each piece is $55 and it was a total rip off. The top shelf was missing where you can enjoy the crab fat and the crab doesn't even weigh around 2lbs at all. Like $55 for one small Dungeness Crab, seriously??? And the sausages were cut thinly and too small. Increasing their prices too much but quality and quantity is becoming poor. read more

Backyard Bayou - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Union City, California

i was so disappointed in this place. food was cold and over seasoned. definitely was a waste of money.

The flavor is on POINT, the wait to sit is never hella long if it's only 2/3 people. I go to other seafood boil spots and they don't compare. Backyard Bayou got the good shit. The staff is young and attentive and all super helpful and nice. It's always jumpin in there with stuff on the TVs and music playing. The only thing is it's a lil small so if you've got hella people, you'll take up majority of the space. read more

I usually love coming to Backyard Bayou because it's delicious and affordable. I get the $22 bowl with crab legs. I come here for lunch. I come after work. I come on the weekend. Normally it is a 10/10 but today, my experience was horrible. First of all, I was starving and craving the crab legs with the creamy Bayou sauce. I came after work. I got a table. I got comfortable. The waiter brought my bowl over and it looked immaculate. It was steaming hot. I pulled the crab legs apart took a bite out of one in the top was freezing cold. I told the waiter and he replace the bowl with a new one. The crab in the second bowl, was overcooked. The meat was stuck to the shell and I had such a difficult time getting the meat out of the crab leg. They brought my check over and when I picked the receipt up, there was a bug crawling around in the container. I was utterly disgusted. Unfortunately, I tried to report my experience to management, but I was told that there was no manager at the restaurant today and therefore there really was nothing they could do. They did offer me a free drink. But at this point after seeing the bug, I didn't want anything else from out of that restaurant except to get my stuff and get out of there. read more

See all

Amazing owner, staff, and food! You'll love it here! They are very generous and friendly. Inside looks so cool! Thank you Backyard Bayou!! You make differences to schools! read more

I was really excited to check this place out. We got the bucket and fries. The crawfish was old and tasted gross. The mussels came out with no meat and only shells! Over $80.00 later, we were still hungry and praying we don't get sick! Save your money and go somewhere else for a real Bayou experience. read more

John was hella nice to us had a grate time food was grate vice was in point the nawlans is supper good and hot read more

Backyard Bayou - Selfi bucket nawlans !! came with free beer - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Union City, California

See all

Oohmygosh! I cannot believe I came back to this place twice within the span of two weeks. I'm not much of a Cajun seafood boil eater so this is rare for me. Lol. The atmosphere was really chill and inviting. Staff members, pretty attentive and nice. They have a bar which is great and always a plus. Someone pass me a beer pls. Jk. Lol but not really. I'm allergic to crawfish so I ordered snow crabs both times. Also I ordered the garlic noods and garlic Cajun fries. Everything was really good and tasty. The snow crab was really the star of the show. Sooo yummy. Sorry I cant post my video so I screenshot the images lol. Enjoy! Anyways, that's all for now until I come back. read more

See all

This was our first time and we will travel back for the fresh seafood. Came for the Bayou bucket- and tried it with the Asian mix and it was delicious. Kelly- our server was awesome and gave us great recommendations. The Dungeness was so sweet and didn't taste freezer-burned. The mussels were the only thing off, but they replaced them with a whole pound more. We did the Yelp check-in that came with garlic fries. We ordered rice of course to soak up all the flavor. Definitely gotta try this place out. The seats were close to each other but no one noticed or we didn't care. Everything is disposable, which is smart and I actually prefer that. They gave us bibs and gloves. Also- they are Asian owed. read more

Really really wanted like this place.. For what my wife and I paid for, you would've thought it was the best meal of our visit. I ordered the lobster roll and wife ordered the lobster fries. First off, we ordered at the same time and dined in. My roll was sent out almost as fast as I ordered, which leaves me thinking that this was something someone sent back because they couldn't pay for it or it was just that fast to make. Oh well, it's out and fresh, maybe hers is coming next. 15 minutes goes by, nothing. Waitress comes to our table and notices that I haven't taken a bite of my roll, but asks if we need anything. I state we're fine, just waiting on the fries. Not until I got up and went to the server station, after about 25 minutes after, did we get acknowledged on the time frame of her fries. That's already another red flag. 25 minute mark, my wife finally gets her fries and all is well. HOWEVER, my roll is has bits and pieces of cartilage and shell from the claw, under salted and bland. Sogginess was of my own doing since I wanted to wait for my wife to have her food too so we could eat together but I digress. For 32 dollars, I expected it to be a lot better on the taste scale. Would've requested some lemons for taste, with the exception that our waitress was enjoying her day out with friends in front of us. Which leads me to my next point. Although she seemed to be a sweet girl (She was the only person wearing a jersey, btw, so this should help point her out), she was absent for the most part. When working in food service, it should be made a point to check in on your patrons as often as possible to help with the areas where you're lacking (timeframe of food/drink delivery). Had she popped up more than the 3 times to ask if we were ready to order from the start, my view may have changed a little bit. But as I stated earlier, it looked like she was more busy hanging with friends than working. Not once were we asked if we needed/wanted anything else, checked in on our food or provided anything to compensate for our food delay. This was a Sunday and definitely not as busy as you could've been for dine ins. As quiet as the ambiance seemed, I can now see why. I work in customer service so I'm not going to state the obvious. But maybe check in more often than not and you may be surprised by how the patrons may react after. With all that being said, again.. I REALLY really wanted so bad to like this place. As much of a social media following you have, pictures make the food look amazing.. but then again, that's always the case with pictures, isn't it? read more

Went to eat dinner with some friends on a Wednesday night and it wasn't as packed as I expected it to usually be. Ordered 2 lbs of shrimp & garlic parm fries and I'd say it's either they changed their recipe or we just got a bad batch. The sauce for the seafood boil was too watery and lacked flavor even when I tried to dip the shrimp in the bag. I don't remember the sauce being like this so I was pretty sad about this seafood boil dinner. One a plus side - garlic parm fries was pretty good! Also, we ordered lychee soju cooler and it was surprisingly good! read more

I just found out there is a new policy where management withholds tips from their servers to pay other wages. Servers here usually do an excellent job at providing service and I love this place a lot! I have been coming here since 2017, but this is a shady business practice. Shame on management for stealing employee tips. (Reply) I've owned and operated a deli in san Francisco for 15 years. I even know it's wrong to pay other wages with employee tips. If YOU looked after the team you would pay them out of your OWN pocket rather than take from servers dime. read more

Thank you Amy, for your EXCELLENT service, timely, caring, professional, anticipated our every single needs. read more

See all

Food is always bomb this is our go to spot ... service is great as well. We have met the owner and is very respectful and fun to be around read more

Backyard Bayou - Lobster Mac and cheese, Cajun fries and headless shrimp backyard style - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Union City, California

I go there for the last several years, and it's in my too choices when it comes to sea food. I really recommend it for anyone that loves seafood. read more

Upon coming to the restaurant, there is plenty of parking as it is in a plaza. The ambiance of the restaurant was like any other seafood boil spot I've been to before. Flat rectangular table. Couple of booths on the side of the restaurant. Cool little bar, & tables in the middle. The service here is alright not the best but the food makes up for it. The menu I had was pretty faded so you wouldn't be able to see some menu items. I got the henny iced tea and it was pretty good I also ordered a lb of the king crab and lobster fries and my bf ordered the lobster roll with sweet potato fries. Let me just tell you the lobster fries was a hitter and I'll be coming back just for those fries! Definitely must try. read more

Backyard Bayou - Lobster fries - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Union City, California

See all