I have wanted to try this place for years, having always heard how great the food is. We made a reservation and showed up right on time after a 1 hour drive down. We were seated within 10 minutes. The trouble started from there. We waited for 10 minutes to order our drinks, then waited for 15 minutes to receive our water. Knowing beforehand that this place takes a little longer, we went ahead and put our food order in. We then waited for 1 1/2 hours with no food. Not only that, we were checked on *once* in that time period. We finally left, after no word on our food. I understand it's all part of the experience and that there is usually a wait, but the lack of communication and the service level were horrible. 4 hours after we left our house, we ate fast food burgers on our way home. read more

The absolute best Cajun food North of I-10!!! I made many treks to Papa Boudreaux's Cajun Cafe for their great Cajun cooking when they were in Franklin. I found myself near their weekend restaurant in Santa Fe and placed an order to bring home. Crawfish & Shrimp Étouffée...one of their signature dishes and my absolute favorite. The dish is rich, savory, and you can see the butter creaminess of the dish. The "Holy-Trinity" is plentiful and still maintains its bite. Filled with crawfish along with large shrimp and rice...this meal is the epitome of Cajun cuisine. Christy took excellent care of me and while this is an hour away, I will be back! read more

See all

Never disappoints. This place is an amazing hidden prize. Cash only. BYOB. The food is remarkable. Authentic Cajun cuisine. Don't be fooled by the cinderblock building. This is the real deal. Service is always consistent. Huge servings. Fresh. Delicious. read more

See all

You wouldn't expect top notch Cajun cuisine out in the sticks, and yet here it exists. The drive to Sante Fe TN, albeit long, was a nice getaway from the city. We ordered shrimp pasta, jambalaya, boudin balls, and beignets for 3 and it was plenty with leftovers to take home. The jambalaya and beignets were definitely the stars of the show. The service was slow, but I didn't mind since I had company and the place itself was really cool--lots of LSU paraphernalia and mardi gras decor, very fitting. Cash only and reservations by phone are recommended. If you're lucky, Papa himself may be the one picking up your call! read more

See all

We were so excited to experience this place. Reservations made. We knew what to expect when we arrived, but it is a tiny place, live music was playing, but it was so crowded and loud, we took a seat outside along with a few others. They told us they were really busy and would get to us as soon as they could. We finally placed our order and 1 1/2 hours later, we were still waiting for it. She told us it would be about another 30 minutes before it would be ready and finally gave us a small basket of bread. That means we would have waited 2 hours from placing our order to receiving it?????? Normally, I would be furious, but they were so nice about the whole thing when we told them we were leaving. Also, we were sitting outside on a really nice night listening to great conversation around us. It was an interesting night. Who can wait 2 hours to eat? Sorry, not us. She did say she would make it right next time we came, but doubt that will ever happen. Still would love to have experienced the great food everyone talks about. Very disappointed! read more

It's the best Lausanne cruise you will ever have. I have traveled the world and it is amazing food. I'm a veteran and my wife goes on vacation every year and I only get to visit once a year and it's worth the trip every year. If you want something special and enjoy the real thing than this is the perfect place read more

Let me be clear. Pro: The food is good. It is fresh, not too spicy and served while hot off the stove. Which is good because tha place is only probably 40 by 20, including the kitchen! A cozy little house looking building on the side of a country road. (Like residential country road where each house has about 100' frontage) we took a very pretty scenic drive from Cool Springs to Sante Fe, approx 50mins. You can get there faster via I-65 but you miss the country drive. We had the Boudin Balls, served hot and crispy! Then I had the Oyster shooter. There seems to be plenty of menu items that don't quite make the menu too. There is a specials board for which they may, or may not, have all the ingredients necessary. (Very common in little country places) I was full after my two items but my husband continued with a small app size bowl of the gumbo which was very good. He then finished off with a bowl of etouffee. It was also very good! So the food lived up to the hype. Cons: they are only open 3-4 days a wk and only by reservation? Probably reserving the right to not open at all of no reservations for that day. The place has maybe 10 tables and when we walked in 2 had been put together to seat a larger party who already had drinks and bread. We sat down and opened our BYOB bottle of wine (beer/wine only). Our very friendly waitress came by, got our order, all friendly enough. The place ended up filling up. She was the only waitress. She could handle it fine with the help of a food runner asst that would pop out of the kitchen every so often. This place gives the appearance of being a small country family friendly place until you look closer. (My fault- but the 3 youngsters noticed too) our server was wearing a ball cap that said "Sh#+ show supervisor) ok haha. The front of her tank top said "always late..." what a coincidence so am I! But the back in very large print said "Go F##k yourself!" Um, really? Maybe it's just me, but I'm not used to reading messages like that at a restaurant on the staff. I mean this isn't the #WhiteTrashCafe! (IFYKYK) So just a word to the wise because I haven't run into this type thing anywhere I've eaten before and I've been to NOLA more times than I can count. read more

See all

The boudin balls are incredible The whole visit was great- it is a wonderful small local business that you can tell takes great pride in quality meals and service. Highly recommend- Only wish they took credit cards even if they charged a processing fee- cash is just so old school and a pain. read more

Long drive, but I recommend the food. Boudain balls were very good. BYOB and make a reservation

Great Cajun treasure in Little Santa Fe. Be sure to order the Boudin balls. Down-home checkered tablecloth 's, festive and casual atmosphere. It's reservations only and open Friday and Saturday and Sunday nights. Nonetheless, they fit us in because we were there right when they opened and before the rush. The friendly Chef and waitress came out to greet us when we arrived. Apparently, pre-Covid they had lines going out the door. Be sure to make a reservation. Good fun and a lovely drive from Franklin. read more

See all

We were in Theta, Tennessee for an after Christmas trip, and this place popped up as a suggestion. It was delightful! We had the shrimp and grits as well as the crawfish and the etoufee. It was all very tasty. The boudin balls were good as well. It is a tiny hole in the wall in the middle of nowhere, but we enjoyed it very much. read more

I had been to confession right before coming to Papa Boudreauxs, and by the time the meal was over, I was asking God to take me now, because it would be a glorious last meal. The food was ~really~ that good. We live only about a 15 minute drive from the unassuming place in Santa Fe, TN. But I would have driven two hours for this food. The menu is small, but has everything you need in a Louisiana style restaurant. With about 8 or so choices of appetizers, everyone in your party could find something to love. We decided to skip the appetizers, though, because the portions promised to be large on the entrees. My wife had shrimp and grits, which were a generous portion and seasoned to perfection. They were not too cheese-heavy, but instead were balanced and seasoned expertly. I was torn between the gumbo and the jambalaya. I finally went with the gumbo, which included lots of seafood and sausage, and allowed for adding spice to my liking, in other words it was not over-the-top spicy. Our waitress offered, and of course we accepted, a dessert of beignets ("bennies"). They were light and airy, and dusted with generous amount of powdered sugar. If I had a childhood to be transported back to in Louisiana, this undoubtedly would have done it. Unfortunately I am from Philadelphia, and now lamenting the fact that this wasn't my diet growing up. Oh, and the bill was less than you would pay for a glass of good scotch in Nashville. Do not miss this gem! read more

Papa Boudreauxs Cajun Cafe - Gumbo - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Santa Fe, Tennessee

See all

P This is a hidden gem in Fly, TN. The food and service were immaculate. Our large party was served on Thursday evening which is closed to the public. We started with Fried Crawfish as an appetizer then Red Beans and Rice, Etouffee, Shrimp Creole, with Beignets all around were enough to feed twice our reservations. This was a fun evening! read more

We moved to Maury Co 5 years ago and heard about Papa Boudreaux's right when we got here. We put it off long enough and finally it got the better of us today and we decided to give it a shot. The wife made a reservation for 5:15 (good thing too, I'll come back to that.) We get to the cinderblock hut and I got excited. Some of the best food I've eaten came from a very similar building. Went inside and felt like we were in for a treat when we were seated immediately while the live music in the corner was playing. Drink order placed and received quick. Appetizer order placed and received quick. Entree order placed and received eventually. Appetizer was boudin balls. Kinda over salted, but I've had worse. Entree for me was jambalaya. Wife had one of the specials (St Jacques I believe). Now it took 30 minutes from the time we placed the entree order for it to arrive. Hers came out first and about 5 minutes later mine showed up. I've eaten and cooked my fair share of jambalaya. Even had jambalaya out of an MRE pouch in the military. The stuff they gave me didn't come close to tasting like jambalaya. Plenty of trinity in it, but the flavor was horrible to me. Yes there are plenty of additive seasonings on the tables, but you shouldn't have to do that if it's cooked right. Also for chicken and sausage jambalaya, there should have been equal portions of the chicken and sausage. I had three slices of sausage and the equivalent of an eight piece chicken finger special mixed in with the rice. Wife's said all she could taste was the corn they poured over top of the fish and pasta. Like they cooked the corn separate and rather than scooping out the corn from the pot, to add it to the dish, they dumped it on, water and all. She was making it through some of the fish that wasn't in the corn water until she found scales on the fish. At that point she asked me to get the check so we could leave. The waitress asked how everything was and I gave her my opinion of the jambalaya. She was taken aback but did offer some beignets on the house. We politely declined. Overall not happy with the food, disappointed with the speed of delivery, and sadly will have to mark this place as a "do not recommend" to our friends. So I'm glad she reserved for us at 5:15. Gave me time to be able to find something truly edible for us this evening. Ice Cream. read more

We took 12 people here for a birthday celebration. Food, service, and entire experience was a blast! Highly recommended....have to have reservations! read more

All I can say is WOW! Best Cajun I've had outside of New Orleans. Usually Beinnets are crap outside NOLA, but these were absolute YUM! And the Boudin balls were scrumptious!!! If you like REAL Cajun/Creole you've gotta check this place out!!! read more

Papa Boudreauxs Cajun Cafe - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Santa Fe, Tennessee

See all

Food was very good and so was the service.reservations are needed,wish we were closer to the location.

Reservations required on the weekend. This place does not accept cards. Boudin balls were burnt tasting and the inside is mush. Terrible. The owner did say his supplier changed something and he is going to do something different himself. Good for him. The crawfish with shrimp etouffee was the worst I have ever had. They claim to make each serving from scratch. Explain to me how the roux was warm at best. The holy trinity tasted like it was boiled to add to the jar of roux. The Cajun seasoning is at the table and not cooked into the dish. I know others have said this compares side by side with Louisiana Cajun but I strongly disagree. read more

No exaggeration, this is the best restaurant in Middle TN. You have to drive forever, risk your life in the middle of nowhere, disregard safety on Tennessee backroads, but it's worth it. Everything on the menu is awesome and Papa is one of the nicest people you will ever talk to. It had been a few years since we had been out there and it was a few years too long. The crawfish etoufee with the redfish is easily one of my top 5 favorite dishes in the country. If I die in my sleep tonight from how full I am Atleast I will die happy. read more

See all

This place is fantastic. One of the best meals we've had since moving to the Nashville area. Things to know. You absolutely need reservations. Only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Cash only. BYOB- Beer and wine. Give it a try. You won't regret it. read more

Thought I'd reviewed this already. Amazing place. If you even remotely like Cajun food, you'll love the food and the ambiance. I feel like I just jumped a plane to the Big easy whenever I come here. Food is absolutely delicious, and the Chef is originally from New Orleans. Try the Fish on your pasta. Heck, try anything they have. One of my absolute favorite restaurants in the greater Nashville area. Many food items are flown fresh from New Orleans. Bring your own bottle of wine, and bring cash as they don't accept credit cards. Make a reservation for weekends as this place gets busy and it's small. read more

See all

The definition of a hole in the wall & the best one! This was such a fun night out with friend & great food. 10/10 making the drive to this cool spot. Will return! Oh, and the food was incredible. A Cajun classic. read more

See all

Middle of nowhere surprise...damn good. Had family style with 3 HUGE mains...all really tasty and Cajun authentic. Bread was great too. Worth the drive if in the area and looking for a tasty experience. read more

See all

Middle of no where little jewel. Servers very friendly and warm. Great tiny cafe atmosphere. Food was great! Cajun is tricky and most up here over do it and miss it. Papas gets it right. RB n R. Great! Red fish both fried and blackened are great! Had fried oysters and crawfish, boudin balls. All great. The comeback sauce kind of came w everything - is good and spicy. Brought our own beer and wine and had a great night and dinner w plenty to bring home read more

Wonderful dining experience- wonderful, complex flavors & warm hospitality. Worth the trip!

Food was excellent! All menu items were freshly prepared with wonderful flavors. Very accommodating and friendly staff.

I'm originally from Louisiana and I can say with certainty that this is the real deal. I had the shrimp and crawfish étouffée and it was excellent. On par with any restaurant in Louisiana! If you want authentic Louisiana cuisine, this is the place to go!! read more

Went with a group of friends and this is how I would recommend going here. The food was very good. We did family style so we tried several things. My favorite dishes were the seafood gumbo and red fish. They were both really good. Get your hands on some bread and soak up that gumbo broth. You won't be disappointed. Oh and by the way don't skip the beignets. They are fantastic, wish I had a coffee to go with it. It's definitely a haul for someone in the Nashville area but worth it is worth going with friends. I am looking forward to returning. By the way as others have mentioned it's BYOB. read more

Phenomenal! Everything was mouthwatering but the Gospel Creole was the best dish I've ever had. read more

See all

Probably our new neighborhood shtick! New in town and so happy to find the people, the food... the chill... feels like you walked into a family dining room serving it up Cajun... spot! For sure off the beaten path and for sure worth it!! Gotta have the Boudan Balls, to die for Shrimp-n-Grits, red fish is a must add on and don't forget about the beignets. Bring your own adult beverage- we cracked open our bottle... and maybe an extra for the Picnic tables outside after dinner. The food- only to be outdone by those that really warm it up- missed "papa" tonight but everyone talks about him and you know he's the passion behind the purpose. Amber... such a delight and Amanda will quite literally pull up a chair beside you. Next time gonna hit the crawfish because we will for SURE be back!!!! read more

We eat here several times a year for the last 8 years; NEVER had a meal we weren't licking our fingers after. My favs are: Boudin Balls, Crawfish & Shrimp Etoufee, the Blackened Shrimp Cheese Gritz & (yummmm) Beignets. We have sampled most everything of the menu. They also have seasonal specials. If you can get the Red Fish it is GREAT! The founder/owner has usually been there when we are there. His kids now run the place but he is a fixture. Bring cash! read more

In the middle of nowhere, kind of surreal in today's world. Absolute old school, hole in the wall, maybe 5 tables and the weirdest reservation system I've ever seen, serving some of the best Cajun food you're ever going to eat. Hands down best beignets I've ever had, ooey, crispy greasy puffs of cinnamony powdery puffs of heaven. Not even kidding. No they don't take credit cards, yes you have to make a reservation, and seriously if that's a problem for you, then you don't deserve to eat here. And it was so good I didn't take pictures. read more

This was my first Crawfish boil and I am definitely a fan. yes, it's a little pricey. We had a group of 10 of us go. It cost us roughly $37/each but it was great food. They were very helpful to us newbies. It was a fun environment too! If you haven't been, I'd advise you check em out. Great food, fun environment. Little pricey, you definitely should make reservations because it's a tiny place. And if you're not an LSU fan (which, we aren't. none of us that went are LSU fans), then you'll just have to look past their multiple decorations but the food alone is worth the "LSU environment". This place is great! read more

See all

This is our second visit to Papa Boudreaux's and I have to say that it was probably better than the first and we thought the first time was fantastic. I had a couple of gumbo for starters that was absolutely fantastic. My wife had the shrimp etouffee and I have the special of the day which was St Jacques. This was pasta with shrimp and crawfish with a cream sauce and a breaded red fish. The red fish was very moist tender and delicious. To look at this place from the outside you wouldn't expect much and I have to say even from the inside judging from appearances but the food is simply outstanding. One note they do not take plastic so bring cash or a check. Yep this is one of the few places that still take your check. Can't wait for our next visit oh and you gotta try the beignets! read more

See all

OMFG...this place is freakin' awesome! I've lived in the Columbia-Dickson-Santa Fe area for nearly 15 years and I had no idea that this restaurant existed. I thought it was brand-new, but the waitress said they been at their location for 14 years. The food is amazing!! I had the shrimp and grits and my co-worker (and best friend) had gospel creole and both dishes were unbelievably delicious. I hated to stop eating it, but I had to box it up because I stuffed. We also had some of deep fried oysters as an appetizer; they were so juicy and savory. Finally, we had the chocolate bread pudding for dessert. Our fat asses at so good y'all...no lie!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this hole-in-the-wall. Everyone one should know about this place. Oh...make sure you bring cash or check, because they don't accept credit cards!!! read more

Awesome place!!! The service was fantastic and the food nothing short of what I expected based on the reviews. The batter they fry their food in is gluten free which made me even happier because I didn't have to skip the top recommendations. Had the boudin balls to start, mains were jambalaya with red fish and the red fish etouffee. Holy yuminess, we will be back! Had a reservation but still had to wait about 20 minutes which was fine because the view and the vino couldn't have been better... I would have honestly waited an hour, probably even more! Hubby got the dessert... read more

See all

If you are a foodie , hate chains , like a drive , then this is the place for you. Lucky for me it's in my backyard. Best redfish I've been had. Light , crispy (fried is how I got it but you can have it blackened ), hot and served with a side sauce that I'd recommend with it. Bring your own booze as they do not sell any. Lastly bring cash or local check as they don't accept cards. Gospel Creole is my Co-favorite dish. Do not expect a French Quarters , Michelin 4 star atmosphere. Expect a true "Hole in the wall " "Mom and Pop" restaurant serving excellent food for the area. You will not be disappointed. If the weather is good enough , they have outside picnic benches to enjoy the country setting. read more

Our favorite restaurant in the Nashville area. Reservations required. Bring cash. Bring booze. Bring patience. Don't plan on being seated as soon as your reservation time is. It's a tiny restaurant. Hang out in the parking lot and relax it's so worth it. Get the redfish on your etouffee. Get the boudin balls. Don't save room for dessert but make room for it. The cobbler is delicious. read more

Papa Boudreauxs Cajun Cafe - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Santa Fe, Tennessee

My family and I have been coming to this location for about 6 years now. I've yet to ever have a disappointing experience! The food is so great and the staff is extremely inviting and always pleasant. It's a small place, but that's part of the appeal to me. You'll definitely have to get there early if you want to grab a table because they fill up FAST. Just remember to bring a nice bottle of wine or a 6 pack for the wait! (It's a BYOB establishment) If you make it out here, definitely must try the scallops for an appetizer, crawfish étouffée is delicious especially if you get redfish added on top, but no matter what, you have to end your meal with their chocolate bread pudding! In the last couple years, they opened a second location in Franklin, Tennessee if you're closer to the Nashville area and are looking for some authentic Cajun cuisine. It's definitely a bit of a drive to get here, but worth it! read more

Papa Boudreauxs Cajun Cafe - St. Jacques Jambalaya with Redfish (Special) - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Santa Fe, Tennessee

This place is a perfect example of how lousy service can influence good food to the point of not wanting to return! It was so bad the customers seated next to us went to ask what happened to our order as we were seated at the same time! Our waitress apparently thought that since she is the owners daughter she didn't have to worry about anything. Just ask the other waitress to do whatever. No food is worth such disregard to the customers! read more