Belmar's little Bayou. All the Cajun classics like jambalaya, alligator bites, and étouffée. Enjoy starting with fresh rolls and roasted garlic, and then favorites like scampied artichoke hearts, blackened catfish, and Cajun grilled shrimp. Entrees are served with red beans and rice and giant steamed broccoli. New Orleans style. Sit outside and enjoy the jazz. If you go on the weekend, bring your patience, and enjoy relaxing. read more

Returned back a year later and still extremely satisfied. The food is absolutely delicious and the portions are so big, you'll have left overs for days. The garlic and bread to start is one of my favorite things. We followed that with our favorite appetizer, the lobster mac and cheese. By far the best thing on the menu in my opinion. Ordered the garlic dish with bow ties and chicken this time around and loved it. This place is an absolute must when in town! Don't forget it's BYOB - pack some wine read more

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Everytime I have been there the food snd service has been top notch. I do not go when there is a performer, because the interior is very small. read more

Last evening, we dined here early about 530 to 630 pm. It was around 70° so we ate outside, which was a great place to enjoy the sun setting over the Belmar marina. We brought our own wine. Can't beat BYOBs - you save so much money. We skipped the appetizers, though by the descriptions, the selections seemed inviting. Anyway, it was probably better not to fill up on an appetizer because I had the huge Spanish Paella, which was not simply quantity but quality - all seafood, chicken, etc. very fresh and deliciously prepared. My dining companion had Blackened Catfish, which was also scrumptious. Service was prompt and friendly. We will be back soon. read more

Ragin Cajun - Blackened Catfish + Spanish Paella - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Belmar, New Jersey

Went to the Ragin Cajun with a very dear friend of mine and we had a stupendous meal. We ended up here because the original restaurant we wanted to go to that night was no longer accepting reservations (to be fair, we were trying to make a reservation VERY last minute which basically undermines the purpose of restaurant reservations in the first place). I don't live super close to the shore (~35 minutes away) and Ragin Cajun was well worth the trek. The little pre-meal thingy they do is bread rolls with butter and roasted (?) garlic. My friend had the genius idea to make a little sandwich out of these three ingredients plus the clams we ordered as our appetizer -- so yummy. The jambalaya was awesome and the portion was MASSIVE. The blackened catfish was awe-inspiring, easily the star of the meal. The sauce (tartar, I think) they paired with the fish was perfect. The service was excellent -- warm, friendly, and charismatic. The ambiance was cozy and unassuming, really reminded you that this restaurant is inside of a gutted home. read more

Ragin Cajun - Chicken & Shrimp Jambalaya - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Belmar, New Jersey

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Wanted to really like this place but was disappointed from the start as they told us indoor seating was available - but it wasn't. Our waitstaff did a great job of setting up two gas heaters that made things better on the patio. Our party of 6 thoroughly enjoyed the appetizers - Blackened Swordfish Bites, Alligator Sausage and Blackened Tuna Bites. No leftovers here! Two members of our group also had the Creole Onion Soup and enjoyed it very much. We could have ordered a few more appetizers and gone on to dessert - but ... Entrees consisted of Tomato Basil Shrimp and Scallops (2), Spanish Paella, Baton Rouge Mahi Mahi, Chicken Jambalaya and Shrimp Jambalaya. Large portions and everyone took some food home. Overall, an okay meal and we will give them another chance to really shine. read more

First: you need to park on the street by 7-11, they do not have parking. It's BYOB and make a reservation. Date night with hubby, is always try a new place, and and we've been wanting to come here for years. Made reservations and we were in!!! We arrived and the delicious aromas that met us at the door were so tantalizing, we couldn't wait to order, but 1st things 1st, we were given a bucket of ice for our beer,very important to not have warm beer and handed our menus. We wanted everything, but self control is vital, lol, so we ordered what we love most. We ordered the lobster bisque, which was absolutely fantastic! The alligator bites and shrimp- all a must have. I order as my main course the paella. Let me tell you, as a Hispanic, I've eaten my weight in paella over the years. I've had from horrendous to mediocre to passable ok, to this, this amazing, perfectly seasoned, paella fish, that was laid before me. Rice was cooked and flavorful to perfection. Packed with huge shrimp, delicate scallops, sausage, mussels and clams, this was absolutely hands-down the best paella, (besides my grandmother's) that I have ever had the pleasure to eat. My hubby had the Swamp Daddy Pasta it was ALSO packed with jumbo Shrimp, Alligator Sausage, artichoke hearts, and mushrooms in a cream sauce tossed with bow tie pasta, I had a bite, it was deeeelicious. We ate and talked and really enjoyed our dinner.. We obviously HAD to save room for dessert and coffee. Hubby had the peanut butter explosion, it was like a giant peanut butter cup but a 1000x better. I ordered the bananas foster, it was the perfect dessert after this incredible meal. We were, are so happy we finally went. Service was impeccable, attention to everything, and in the times right now, this is so hard to find! I wish this sweet restaurant and it's hard working employees who obviously love their jobs, many, many more years of prosperity and happy customers. read more

I'm really torn between 2 or 3 stars for this review... my friends and I came on a Friday evening and asked to be seated on the porch (I sat right next to the entrance of the restaurant). They have a screen door that slams shut every time it's opened (unless you're very careful). Even the wait staff were careless.. If you sit inside next to the doors, or on the porch - keep this in mind. I'm regards to the actual meal, we got mac and cheese w/ lobster, coconut shrimp, and asparagus for appetizers. For mains, we got the jambalaya (seafood), Etouffee (steak and shrimp), blackened shrimp and pasta. This is where I'm torn - everything was okay. Nothing amazed us but there were some highlights. The scallops and shrimps on the blackened shrimp and pasta were really good, the pasta was eh though. The Etoufee was unique but nothing to brag about & the beef was way over done. The jambalaya had a kick to it and mussels were pretty good. Why I'm doing a 2 star review and not a 3 is that my friends and I have a strong intuition there's a lot of imitation seafood used & not specified. For example, the lobster on the Mac & cheese w/ lobster had lots of lobster pieces that are most likely imitation meat. For a seafood restaurant to serve low quality seafood or even imitation meat, we were pretty disappointed and felt cheated by the end of the meal. read more

Ragin Cajun - three plates of food on a table - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Belmar, New Jersey

My husband took me here for our wedding anniversary dinner. Friendly service and casual ambience. I had the Cajun shrimp platter which was delicious! It didn't look like many shrimp but it was enough-6 pieces. The dish came with a HUGE head of broccoli and rice and beans. The shrimp came in a dish that looked like scampi sauce but it was oil and the Cajun seasoning. The also brought warm rolls and baked garlic to start. Yum! They are taking covid precautions with plastic utensils. Will come back to try the jambalaya! Thank you! read more

Friendly service but mediocre food quality. I wouldn't recommend going here, but it's not bad.

Best Cajun food around. The catfish dish is absolutely amazing. Decor is low key and wait service is helpful and no frills. Feels like you're eating in someone's home. Cozy. Fish was fresh and we will be back. read more

I have been eating here literally since they opened in the early 90s at their original storefront location wherever the hell it may have been. It an 1 1/2 drive from me so I'm rarely there but if in the area I'll never miss an opportunity to stop in for dinner. Food is spectacular and spectacularly consistent since I swear their jambalaya is exactly the same way it was when I first fell in love with it way back when. I do recommend exercising restraint when served bread and roasted garlic clove because it's so good that you can literally fill up on it before your food arrives. Service is always friendly and attentive and the wait is usually not too bad even on weekends. I'm not all that crazy about sitting outside because of the commotion of the highway and opt more for the quiet of the dining room. Again, if you're in the area, this is a must visit. One of my absolute fav restaurants anywhere. read more

Authentic and Delicious with a rustic homey feel. They have nice intimate seating inside and cozy outside seating. We are fans of how well the food is prepared and platted. Will be back. read more

Food is ok but if you planning to sit outside you will be basically right on route 35, which wasn't very appealing to me.

Definitely not Creole cooking.. I ordered Blackened Chicken Bites ... full of grease and no seasoning... also had the red beans and rice which is soggy rice and a can of kidney beans... very disappointed read more

Ragin Cajun - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Belmar, New Jersey

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Great food and service. Live music on Fridays but we went on Saturday. Would return again. Lots of gf options. read more

Cute place with outdoor seating. BYOB. I tried alligator sausage for the first time and it was delicious! Everything was delicious. Can't wait to go back! read more

Love the efficient service, the delicious food & the intimacy of the small venue. We had the alligator bites, the romaine lettuce salad with shrimp, blackened tuna & blackened salmon. Prices are reasonable & portions are large. More than enough to take home for another meal. BYOB read more

I understand with covid-19 it's hard to find help but last week the waitress and bus boy were the worse Never came to table to take finished plates away, never checked on our table new brought check I had to hunt them down and food was way below what we expected Especially the rice and beans... TASTLESS! Goodbye Ragin Cajun read more

The food was good..not great. Definitely expected better. The ambiance was the inside of a very old house.The service was good however I don't think we will be returning. read more

Grilled jumbo shrimp in taste sauce. It's heavy in oil and garlic. Ask for extra rolls at the end to dip. Creole mustard sauce ion the side. It was so tasty, we asked for more rolls just to dip into the sauce. It came with white rice with red beans topping it off. Nothing special. Also ordered blackened shrimp with scallops. Five jumbo shrimps and perfectly cooked scallops over angel hair pasta. No veggies offered. :( It would have been greatly appreciated if they included veggies. Tomato sauce shouldn't be counted as the only veggie. Just saying. ;) Will come back to try the blackened catfish. read more

Ragin Cajun - Grilled jumbo shrimp in taste sauce. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Belmar, New Jersey

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Second time at Ragin. Portions are huge and prices are good. Atmosphere is just ok and location not great. The food is above average and everyone (4) Enjoyed their meal.byob read more

Waited 15 Minutes inside after seating nobody came, no menu no water nothing. Wasn't even that busy but the servers looked overwhelmed on a Friday night. Probably 8 people in the dining room and a bunch outside. Didn't feel like waiting so I left. read more

This the first time I went there with my son, I tell you, the place is great, prices great, food delicious and fresh, friendly staff and atmosphere and to top it all, no extra fees for whatever such as bank fees , board walk fees, it was just good just like good the old days, thank you and I will be back with my friends, thanks again !! read more

Great find in Belmar. Our party of 5 enjoyed a wonderful meal and service. Jambalaya is as authentic as one can find anywhere. If your looking for great Cajun food, look no further. read more

This is one of my top five favorites in NJ. Wait is usually long on weekends, especially in summer. No reservations but will try and save table for larger groups if you call ahead. I usually go when they open to avoid waiting. They are BYOB and do not charge a corking fee. My favorites are the Creole Onion Soup & Blackened Shrimp and Scallops Pasta. They give you buns and roasted garlic which is also amazing. Tracy the original owner was one of the nicest people. One summer, I was sitting on the steps outside waiting for our table and she had come out thinking I wasn't feeling well and offered to get me something to eat and drink while waiting. I will never forget that. From what I know, she has passed but I feel her spirit continues to bless this establishment. read more

Blackened tuna bites and pasta with Cajun cream sauce are a MUST! Love this place so much! They have large portions. The ambiance of the place is cool as well! read more

Homey vibe, I felt very cared for. And the food is AMAZING and nothing I'd ever make at home. Get the catfish bites!!

Huge portions and many options if you don't eat meat. Ambience is very quaint and BYOB. Great spot.

Ragin Cajun came highly recommended by an employee at Best Buy, so my party and I thought, why not? Let's try it out! The restaurant is so adorable! It has quite a bit of charm on the inside. We sat at a table on the porch. The bread with garlic was something nice and different to serve up. It was delicious too! We had the Cajun mussels for appetizer and they were great! Just the right amount of spice and flavor. I ordered the chicken creole, which was quite good, but could have had a little more of a kick to it. The veggies in the dish were so fresh that it didn't really matter. I had a taste of the chicken jambalaya and that definitely had a good spice to it. Next time I will probably order that. The owner came out to the table to say hi. She was very nice and we told her we'd definitely come back for more! read more

One of my favorite places. Small, friendly, great food. Can't recommend this restaurant enough.

We just LOVE the Ragin Cajun. It kind of looks like a place you might NOT want to stop when you do a drive by -but believe me - you DO want to go there...... The food is phenomenal & the ambience is..... interesting. The perfect combination. We ALWAYS like to get the steak bites which are perfectly cooked. The alligator sausage is a tasty treat too. I often get the Swamp Daddy Pasta entree which has shrimp, artichoke hearts & alligator sausage in a delicious creamy pink sauce. You get to determine the hotness of the dish - I always get 8 (on a scale of 1 -10 with 10 the hottest). 8 is invariably too hot but it is my favorite number! We were pleasantly surprised last time we went b/c the outdoor furniture matched! (not the norm!) The service is without exception GREAT. Casual & laid back atmosphere. Another positive -- it is BYOB.. Local liquor stores will make delivery to your table :) read more

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I have no idea how I did not know about this place until now! I love Cajun food and I'm always saying that you can't get authentic Cajun food anywhere except from down south. I am happy to admit that I am wrong on this! This place was amazing! NOLA vibe, kitchen in the open, feels like you're having dinner at a friend or family members house. My only regret was that I placed the order for pick up so I was only There to pick it up and not eat in the dining room. Ordered the seafood paella and seafood gumbo. Both were perfect! The rolls with the whole head of roasted garlic.... melts in your mouth. This place was amazing! I will definitely return! I'm a critic when it comes to authentic food.... this pasts the test with flying colors. read more

So glad we made it here. The restaurant is super cute and has a really nice outdoor seating we weren't expecting. The staff was very nice and friendly. They have us roasted garlic with rolls and it was so tasty, better than butter. We ordered the alligator sausage which was so good and different too. I enjoyed my jumbo shrimp baton rogue meal. There was so much food and had a great spice. Everything about this place was outstanding. read more

Ragin Cajun - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Belmar, New Jersey

The last time I was in Belmar pre-pandemic was the restaurant tour, and we never made it to Ragin Cajun that day. So it was the 1st place we visited once dining out was allowed. Reservations are a must, but were easy. They sent us the instructions on what to expect. They don't have a parking lot but street parking was available on a cloudy Wednesday night. Can't guess if summer weekends are the same. We let them know from our car that we arrived, and they said our table was ready. The restaurant us a cute little house! There are two tables on the covered porch, one on each side, and several tables with umbrellas on the front patio. They used paper cups for water, heavy duty plastic utinsels (wrapped) and you scan a QR code to get the menu on your phone (gotta love technology!). Now for the good part, the food. All was good, with a few standouts. The hot rolls came with butter, and roasted garlic, unique and delicious! We chose Cajun grilled scallops, and an order of red beans and rice for apps. The scallops were AMAZING . Good size, cooked perfectly and the seasoning was exceptional. Turned out to be my favorite dish of the evening. We were dipping the bread in the leftover seasoning sauce once the scallops were gone. The red beans and rice were good but a bit on the watery side IMHO. Entrees were Swamp Daddy Pasta (with alligator sausage) and Etoufee, which had beautiful vegetables, both entrees had plentiful shrimp. Enjoyable, delicious, generous portions, half came home with us to enjoy again. Special mention to the servers, all were attentive and polite,. Definitely will be a return trip. read more

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Very unique restaurant and great food. Had the blackened tuna bites and blacken snapper. You literally feel like your eating at a friends house and they have live music most nights. Looking to impress some try this place!! read more

Ragin Cajun - Blackened Snapper - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Belmar, New Jersey

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Another place I've had bookmarked forever. Quaint little restaurant... parking is around the block on the side streets. Indoor and outdoor seating is available, but the place is not that big. I think we got the best table which is on the covered porch - there are 2 tables on the porch. Our server was very friendly and attentive throughout the meal. The kids got some special Shirley Temple (Swamp Princess) and Swamp Tea drinks. It's byob so the adults enjoyed some wine. We tried the tomato and fresh mozzarella salad with a homemade avocado lime dressing, Cajun mussels, and the alligator sausage for appetizers. All were good. For entrees we tried the seafood jambalaya, blackened swordfish, seafood paella, and garlic angel hair pasta with chicken. The garlic pasta was the only one that I would pass on next time. Banana fosters and chocolate lava cake finished things off for dessert. All in all it was enjoyable, definitely an interesting menu and atmosphere. read more

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Food was great. I got the jambalaya and she got the paella. Everything was seasoned great and the staff was super nice. The atmosphere also very much fitted the vibe of the food. If I had to nitpick my jambalaya had too much chicken and not enough shrimp as well as too little sausage. But the portions were great so it's hard to complain. read more

Excellent choice down the Jersey Shore! Bring a nice bottle of wine and enjoy some great creole cooking. Not into spices? Not a problem chef makes it just to your liking. Social distance friendly with a cozy atmosphere. We will definitely be back soon! read more

Went there in September with my family and let me say the food is delicious great spot for a nice dinner