The jambalaya appetizer was spot on! The wait staff knew the menu and their recommendations were on point. I had the shrimp & scallop etouffée, my wife had the swamp daddy pasta& my friend had black Cajun shrimp. Each was better than the other. If you closed your eyes and thought about NOLA, you would be there. The band was a bonus, brought me right to Frenchmans Street. I would highly recomend this place and look forward to coming back to sample the rest of the menu. read more

Me and my wife drove 45 minutes to eat here, we recently came back from New Orleans 3 days prior and absolutely loved the food there. Sad to say the food here was very disappointing, not even close to New Orleans food. It was not bad but definitely not NOLA food and not spicy. The service was great though and the chicory flavored coffee and rolls with roasted garlic was good. read more

Decent value. I would give this place 4 Stars if they had Okra. Not sure how a southern place doesn't have okra. Possibly the demographic of town is probably scared of the mouth feel it offers. Waitress was very friendly and attentive. Food was good. Wish I knew it was BYOB before I got there. Would repeat, maybe I can bring my own okra? read more

This is one of the best resturants I've been to in the Belmar/ jersey shore area. It seems family owned and the entire staff is super nice. The daughter of the family was our server and she was so friendly and the service was A+. The menu is very unique and it's also a BYOB. What more could you ask for! .- green shirt read more

Paella here is amazing: clams, scallops, mussels, shrimp and chicken. It had some spice to it too. Next time I am in Belmar, I will make sure to hit this place up. And the serving was huge for a great price!!! Sorry I don't have any pictures to post as my better half surprised me with take out from here....thanks hunnie bunnie read more

Decent. Cajun food for the area. Chicken and sausage jambalaya spiced perfectly! Beware however, if you want to enjoy a leisurely dinner and listen to the great music they have occasionally, this is not the place for you. My party of four was asked to leave after an hour and fifteen minutes. Food was very high-priced and for the amount paid we should have been entitled to stay a little longer. Beware!!!!!!! read more

First we had a giant horsefly circling our table, the waitress killed it right at our table. They brought us the food they made for the band. The band member noticed our puzzled faces and came and got his food from us. They brought our food to the neighboring table and they looked puzzled. I swear I saw them touch it with their forks before they called the waitress to say it was not their food. She took it to the kitchen and 2 minutes later brought it back out to us, saying brand new dishes and I did not believe it for a minute. We just pushed the food around on our plates. Figured they would offer a free dessert. But it did not happen. It was not busy only 3 tables. I will NEVER return, read more

I love this place, my friends and I go almost every Friday night. The food is delicious and the desserts are awesome. Just go when you have some time to chill. It is super relaxed just like New Orleans :) They usually have a live band as well. Definitely worth a visit! read more

Delicious, inexpensive, and a really fun spot. Portions were huge too. I got the blackened tuna (4/5) and lobster mac and cheese (5/5), and my husband got the paella (5/5). Great meal. read more

Parking is horrendous as is the norm for Belmar. The place was packed but I'm not sure why. While they do not accept phone reservations, you can stop in before you're going to dine and give them your name, come back whenever and get a table immediately. So while we waited at least 20 minutes to 1/2 hour for a table, a couple came in and were immediately seated at the first available table. When I asked the server why, I was told that you can walk in, leave your name, disappear for an undisclosed amount of time and when you return, you will be seated ahead of the rest of the people that are standing there waiting for a table. I found that to be totally unacceptable. You can do that, but they won't take a phone reservation. UGH!!!!! It's a cool looking joint, very cozy atmosphere; however, totally unorganized. There were two guys on guitar singing and that was pretty cool. We were finally seated, the server came around pretty quickly as well as the food. Within 5-10 minutes, our food was served which led me to believe that there was no way that food was cooked fresh. Not only didn't it look fresh, it didn't taste fresh either. I order the Jumbo Cajun Shrimp and they were anything but jumbo. I got about six medium to large shrimp. There was tasty I will say but the rice and beans were tasteless and the hunk of broccoli had no seasoning on it whatsoever. My friend ordered Cajun Shrimp and Scallops over angel hair. It was drowning in sauce and the angel hair was mushy. Mind you, both of these dishes were $18.95 grossly overpriced. We were there on a Groupon and I'm glad because I will not return to this restaurant. It wasn't worth the wait sorry to say. read more

What a dump! This place is filthy, service is horrible and the food is slop. The jambalaya tastes out of the box. The veggies in the etoufee were like mush. The food tastes pre-made and not fresh. The swamp daddy pasta was bland, runny and tasteless. The alligator sausage was not even warm when it made it to the table, the side dipping sauce was cold as well. We ate here a couple of years ago and it was much better. The whole place has gone down-hill, the outside dining was littered with garbage. We were very embarrassed to have brought our friends here. read more

just got back from New Orleans and now know what real Creole/Cajun food is supposed to taste like. Plus experienced real southern hospitality in service. read more

First visit today for the summer. Disappointing-we had the tuna bites, blackened tuna and both were lacking of enough spice. First time I have had blackened tuna without a little fire in the spicing. Same lack of spices in the beans and rice. Prior visits have been near perfect. Ao maybe a new chef or just a bad night. read more

A party of four, thankfully we arrived just before the rush and had our cocktail hour on the porch waiting to be seated. Its an interesting spot, an old center hall colonial type house. We started with, blackened tuna bites, gator sausage, clams and mussels. The clams were good but I think the tuna was the best of the lot, none were ignored however. We then dipped the bread, community dipping, in the tuna bite juice....we made the wait staff leave the goodness and bring more bread. Dinner was an assortment of stuff, plates were all cleaned. I enjoyed my blackened scallops and shrimp. There were no complaints at the table, a bunch of foodies too. We sat in the back and it was cool watching the chef bang out the food, keeps a clean kitchen too. Yup. It is a bring your own, and we were not rushed out after eating. We did politely ask if they needed to turn the table we would leave, no problem. A post dinner drink and good conversation. A nice night centered around some good food. Call it what you will...just call it good food served nicely by a good crew. read more

As usual, the food is OUTSTANDING! We've been here so many times, but for some reason never brought the kids. Tonight we came here for our son's birthday and as I knew it would be, the food was incredible. Blackened shrimp, blackened scallops, alligator sausage, mussels, steak tips... all of our dinners were outstanding. Kristin and Jessica, as usual, were on top of everything. Love the livingroom atmosphere! Thank you for a great birthday experience! read more

The food here is mediocre at best. As someone who grew up on spicy food, this food was very bland and had no hint of spice. There's nothing cajun about it! read more

We were celebrating a family birthday and had a party of 7. I called the restaurant and was told that they only took reservations for parties of 6 or more. In luck - we were 7. I confirmed reservations for 7:00pm, the young woman read it back to me. Last Saturday night we drove 45 minutes south, eager to enjoy a wonderful night. When we walked in the door we were told that they do not take reservations and the person I spoke to "Did not really mean to take my reservation". My conversation was fruitless. Imagine trying to get a table for 7 on a Saturday night! Impossible! While the food may be good, customer service is equally important. Had I been told the truth I would have respected their policy. Suggestion- treat patrons with respect and they will help promote your business. read more

Good food, at home casual atmosphere some unique dishes not too many canjun places around. Also the roasted garlic served with bread is terrific. Great digs its just across just from the marina that has a mini golf course. read more

After driving past this place in an awkward location for years, found time to give it a try. First impression, cool, albeit tight, interior. Loud band stuffed in the corner made it impossible to hear yourself think. Opted for alfresco on the 35 highway with views of the Shark River across the 4 lanes of traffic. Anyway, the service was good and started off well with a roasted garlic bread basket. We should have stopped there. Ordered a fair to midland onion soup with a wilted Caesar salad accompaniment. For main course, steak and shrimp entoufee which was ordered spicy by numbers, and fell completely flat. No taste other than heat. Jambalaya on the side= zatarain's. This should be a mainstay of a Cajun place! So sorry, hate to leave a bad review but the kitchen needs big work. So wanted to like the place. If only I didn't know how things were supposed to taste. read more

Came here for a great meal and they aren't even open!!! Sign on the sidewalk says open 5pm, as does the yelp page. Very disappointed.

Unexpectedly delicious! Stopped in here on a whim and had the alligator sausage appy. Shrimp jambalaya and steak and shrimp etouffee for dinner. Some live music and a beautiful sunset me it perfect! read more

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Ragin Cagin is a great place for a real dining experience. Legit New Orleans cuisine, live entertainment, dining under the stars or in the 'dining room' next to the kitchen. A great place for couples or big festive party of 10. read more

This place has great outdoor seating. The food was good for what it is, which to me was sort of a northern take on cajun food. The NO bbq shrimp didn't have the traditional butter-based sauce, but still good. Its hard to replicate good cajun dishes without fresh gulf shrimp and oysters or crawfish. read more

Not worth the trip even with Groupon - paid $20.00 for a $40.00-groupon. Ragin Cajun is only good probably for people who don't like mild seasoned food. We ordered Snapper Creole & Shrimp Etouffee. Hardly any flavor with either dishes. All missing the very basic cajun seasoning - onion+celery+green pepper! Etoufee is soupy instead of thick gravy, and the veggies in the dish is roughly chopped into big chunk it appears that they don't even care about food preparation. I Maybe we came on an off night for dinner on a Saturday night, but don't believe so. Not sure what other think what is good cajun food. May be since we've been to New Orleans many times and have higher standards. Really disappointed. but maybe for others it's ok. Not surprisingly place like Olive Garden is good Italian food for many people. Looks like the search for goof cajun food is still on other than hope on the plane to N.O. read more

One of my favorites, food is delicious, great music, the staff is very friendly and the service is great.

GREAT attentive service. FRIENDLY atmosphere. I'm talking, feels like family atmosphere. As if going to an old friend's home for an outrageously great meal. Quirky, quaint, awesome. Food left nothing to be desired, ate and savored every bite of appetizer, dinner, and dessert. Live groovin music. A fantastic time. read more

Do not miss this place!!!! I have lived near Belmar all my life and last night was the first time i finally said i would try this restaurant. It is now my new FAVORITE. Sirloin Tip dinner was perfect. read more

We wanted to like this place. We drive past all the time and finally got a night away from the kids. The yard is beautiful although the road noise is kinda lame. We ordered 2 aps. A mussel special, which was delicious, in a red spicy sauce and the clam special, which was pretty bleh. The nearly chowder size clams were tough and served in a bowl of oil, not broth, just oil with a bunch of dried herbs sunken to the bottom. It was not god awful but it certainly wasn't blowing my skirt up or anything. The shrimp/scallop étouffée entrée looked pretty good but was practically flavorless. The scallops and shrimp were unseasoned and the veggies were overly crisp, As in undercooked, just tossed in with the faintly spicy sauce and served over too little rice. I described it as tasting and looking more like a dish from a Szechwan Chinese takeaway more than anything else. Other letdowns included the under-roasted spiced garlic and pepperidge farms frozen dinner rolls served before dinner. And since I'm on a roll let's talk about the waitress attire. They all must have come to work directly from the gym or something. And the menu is as long as a diner menu. Not fine dining. More of a greasy spoon. Not going back. read more

Finally, finally ate at Ragin Cajun last night - we had the blackened tuna and chicken jambalaya and they were both tasty. Enough jambalaya leftover for another dinner tonight. Service was prompt, helpful, and orders arrived quickly. Had the lemoncello cake for dessert and it was a nice finish to our dishes. Will definitely return. read more

Always tasty. This place has some unique meals with great service. The atmosphere is awome. Warm bread with roasted garlic is a nice touch before dinner read more

This is an absolute good buy and experience. The food was very Delicious and the portions were quite fair, benefiting the customer more. For a big guy like me, 6' 4" 252 lbs I was satisfied with the mussels in their creole signature sauce appetizer and the blacken shrimp & scallop over angel hair entrée. Be sure to ask for the same sauce over the angel hair pasta. I even doggie bagged the left-over creole sauce from the mussels for my next (personal) weekend BBQ. The service was also true to what their menu said, All of the severs worked as one team. The only critique is a better container with the take home package. I was disappointed when almost half of the sauce spilled into the carry bag going home. This was my wife and I 15 year anniversary of being together, along with my son Elio who is 2 years old. He loved the rice and beans dish. I hope you get the same enjoyment that we did. read more

We had high hopes based on the reviews. The food was good and fairly authentic. The location has a view of the water but is on a main road so there is car noise. The building needs a serious renovation inside. The food was pretty good. Jambalaya was good (no okra though). The gumbo was tasty. Mahi mahi appetizer was very good. Potions were sizable. A band was going to start. The room is small, I could not imagine a. Electric band playing in such a small room. read more

Heard great things about this place. Not impressed. The Cajun spice was lacking on my blackened chicken. My FB's blackened tuna steak was dry and overcooked. For $20 an entree most of my plate was full of flavorless red beans and rice. Service was decent as was the two man band squeezed into the corner of what looks like an old living room. Not sure what all the hype is about. Skip it. read more

This place is awesome!It has a quaint atmosphere and the new owners have really done a great job decorating inside and out! Can't wait for a warm summer night to sit and eat fabulous food out on the patio! The staff is great too! Get out there and get your Bayou on!! read more

If your looking for a nice tiny spot with good food and live jazz then I would highly recommend. Not for everyone though. It is an older style house converted to hold only a few tables, so don't expect anything private. Everyone is very friendly. BYOB! read more

Food was ok! Not something that I would go out of my way for. The swamp daddy pasta was good. The jambalaya was not as good as I thought..

We have always passed by this cute little restaurant and said we wanted to try it so me and my boyfriend went there and ate outside. The parking situation is a little rough because of the location but a nice walk is always good. We've heard about these bulbs of garlic and bread and it is to die for!!! (even asked for them to go!) We ordered the coconut shrimp and blackened scallops to start off. They both were so delicious and tasty. The sauces with both went perfectly with the appetizers. We also split the garlic shrimp angel hair pasta entree and it had just enough kick to it and was delicious! We were very impressed and will definitely be back! read more

One of my favorite restaurants! Cozy byob place with indoor and outdoor seating. Friendly staff that will do their best to make you happy. The entrees are huge- can definitely feed two people. The garlic butter is amazing! I always get the blackened sirloin tips which are unbelievably delicious and still tender, soaked in sauce and with hearty sides of rice and beans and broccoli. Swamp daddy is creamy and delicious. Not a huge fan of their jambalaya: lacking in flavor. Otherwise, delicious and lovely experience. read more

The most amazing meal I have had in years. Each dish was created to our personal taste and needs to perfection. I would say the seafood can outdo any place in this town or any other nearby establishment. It's a place that feels like home. You probably won't want to leave the front porch. You will be waiting for Granny to serve you a lemonade but believe me..... she won't be coming. The service was great, these ladies are well oiled machines.... our server's Jessica, and Amelika were so friendly and beautiful. BYOB read more

Service was very good. Ordered artichoke scampi appetizer. Not good, canned artichoke in oil. No flavor. Had the Chicken New Orleans dinner. Boiled sliced stringy chicken cutlet mixed with peppers and onions in a tasteless sauce. Server kept asking how everything was so finally told her how disappointing my meal was. No one came to ask about it. Probably not going back again. read more