Just now writing this review from June 20, 2016....Our late lunch here was good. Decor is very nice. Clean and comfortable booths. Barely decent wait staff. Food was really good and presentation was nice. Wait staff often makes or breaks the dining experience for diners. Management may need to reconsider their training program AND oversight of the staff to increase overall appeal and profit margin of this chain restaurant. I would have had another glass of wine if I could have caught sight of our wait person. It was NOT busy when we were there. No one at front reception to greet or seat for LONG periods of time. .. Potential is there for greatness..but folks don't come back to POTENTIALLY great places. read more

Ralph & Kacoo's - Seafood Near Me - Lufkin, Texas

Lunch with the bride- In town swapping the junior dogs back the Boo and Lil Girl. We decided, hey, it's lunch on a holiday. Let's do this. R & K has been a long time small seafood chain. ... We found out why after 3 decades they're still small. Plenty of room. Nice decor. Clean, quiet. That's the good part. Our waitress was less than enthusiastic about her job. If your in for lunch, this isn't the place if you only have an hour. I ordered from the lunch menu and we were in there longer than 80 minutes. She was miss and miss again on the service. The only good thing about the food was the rolls and butter and for dietary reasons, we didn't partake much. The cup of gumbo I had was obviously left over from the weekend. I had the grilled fish with crawfish ettouffee. There was 3 small tails and it too was left over from the weekend. I scrapped it off the fish. The green beans, weak, over cooked, prolly left overs as well. If I had to do it all over again, Sonic, Whataburger, etc for a fish sandwich. This experience makes you think that you take Dudley's and Johnn Cace's in Longview for granted. Not again. read more

We go back over 30 years with Ralph & Kacoo's, having dined at their New Orleans location and have made recipes from their cookbook many, many times. Have learned the N'awlins location has closed, and was surprised to learn of their location in Lufkin, and stopped in when passing through town recently. Had the gumbo and etouffe, and both tasted like they came from a jar at the grocery store. There was nothing special about these standard dishes, which leads me to question the quality of other dishes. I might try something different in the future, but am not hopeful. I sat at the bar and had great service by Valerie. read more

Probably one of my favorite places in town to visit. Great selection of food. Seafood, Cajun food, and more. Fun drinks to choose from. Love this place. Every time I'm in town i have to come here. They even have live music on weekends. read more

The food is great and their $10 specials are unbelievable. Best stuffed shrimp and chicken fried steak in town! Their braised potatoes are amazing...wish the braised potatoes were available at dinner also. read more

I went with a group of friends. The bread was hot and yummy. The food was okay, a little too salty for my taste but we had a great time. read more

$40 on a steak and it arrives looking like a ribeye from the freezer section of Dollar Tree. I noticed a few compliments on the steaks and I can say that evidently everyone has different standards. This is by far not the best steak in Texas. Call me I can change your mind on that. I only wish I would have gotten a picture of the steak so that everyone could see what they were going to experience before they ordered it. Now full disclosure I did not have this steak recently so this issue may have very well been resolved. Also noted the complaint had nothing to do with the kitchen or the staff as they only cook and serve what's available to them. So I would suggest on full review that someone at a corporate level make adjustments and opt for a new supplier. read more

Get the firecracker shrimp!! So good and the staff are very cool and friendly. The Cobb salad is incredible too and the dessert choices are second to none. Not very expensive but great quality food and a cool environment. Will definitely be back and probably order the same thing but you can't go wrong w any order! read more

Held a secret birthday party here with a party of 16 and two under 5s. It was easy to book and our waitress was attentive. The CHICKEN GAMBERETTI was excellent and we were able to bring in two birthday cakes our selves with no up charge. This is the second time here and we look forward to going again. read more

Served me a dirty fork. Did not refill my iced tea. Not sure why anyone would return. read more

Ralph & Kacoo's - Seafood Near Me - Lufkin, Texas

Ate here last night with a party of 8 and had a wonderful experience. Food was great and the service was impeccable. Glad to see a local owned business is doing it right!!! read more

This is my absolute favorite place to go in Lufkin. I love the Cajun and seafood fare. Everything is seasoned and cooked expertly, and the desserts are divine! In my experience the servers are always warm, friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. I've never been when I had to wait an unreasonable amount of time for my food. Their lunch menu is a great value. About $10 a plate for their lunch special and I've yet to be disappointed! It's probably the best lunch portioned steak in town! If you get the swamp bites, try them grilled! read more

The service is amazing and the food is excellent. Great experience and love the live music on the weekends.

The food is so-so and the service is good but this is a very pricey place , you can get better cheaper

They were very crowed and we were worried that would be very slow! Surprise we had great service food was out in a timely manner and was very good diner They did a great job read more

I should have read the other reviews. I went today for lunch and ordered the wedge salad and 6 charbroiled oysters. And now I'm sick as a dog and those oysters were cooked, I'm guessing they weren't exactly fresh. This place was rather expensive and then I get food poisoning from it. Deeply regret this decision. read more

Great place to dine. I've been here for lunch and supper. The service is good and the food is great. Oh and the rolls are awesome.

Delicious Cajun food! The patio is great and the banana foster cheesecake is AMAZING.

Did dinner with no prior knowledge. AWESOME. Appetizer superb. Main meal as well. Desert fabulous. Try something new, there, won't regret it read more

Went for Mother's day meal and left disappointed. Overall, the service was poor and meal over cooked. Our server (Dakota) was slow to respond to simple request to bring straws for drinks and she had difficulty explaining if item off menu could be added for additional cost. We did not arrive during lunch rush and paid for this meal with 13% tip at 4:34 PM. I should have drove just 25 miles north to a great sea food restaurant. At Clear Springs, you are greeted cheerfully and never have a bad experience from the beginning of service to your leaving Clear Spring. Ralph & Kakoos servers should cater fairly to all those who dine here instead of concentrating on who they feel will leave a tip. I am pretty generous when I am treated respectfully. Dakota could have made up to 30 - 50% tip that day....too bad girl. read more

We eat here regularly, however on Holidays they like to have "specials" that are pricey, and therefore they do away with the normal daytime menu. That is aggravating when you take guest out and wind up paying for overpriced specials. They are my go to weekly, but never again on a Holiday or special weekend! Not worth the jacked up price! read more

The only downside I found here is that the food has a tendency to be a little greasy. It's like they don't replace the oil in the fryers often enough. That being said, our server was very courteous and took good care of us. The food for our entire group came out of the kitchen very quickly so none of had to sit awkwardly while waiting for everyone else to get their plates. The biscuits here are outstanding. read more

Ate dinner at Ralph and Kacoo's last night. When walking in, there is a huge fish tank that I could have checked out for a little longer. Again, this was another restaurant that did not know what to do with a single person coming in to eat by themselves (traveling for work again!). She sat me in the very back corner, all alone. It's only weird if you make it weird, people!! The food was WAY overpriced for what it was. I ordered the shrimp brochette, which came served on a bed of dirty rice, and I got the side of steamed veggies. The plate came with 6 shrimps, rice and veggies for $18... umm, too much. The food tasted good, but again, was just overpriced. I got a $7 vodka soda and my $18 dinner and couldn't get out of there under $30 for one person.... way too much, but at least I'll get reimbursed from my company! I know that I will be back in Lufkin in the future, but I will not be back at Ralph and Kacoos. read more

We had great food here with an excellent waiter. You do pay a little bit more, but in this case, they make you feel like you are getting your money's worth. read more

Our waiter was great but service was a little on the slow side. I had grouper with crawfish ettoufee and both were cooked to perfection. The fresh veggies that I had on the side were fresh and crisp, also cooked right. Some of the best seafood I've had in a while...I would go back! read more

Ate here with my folks and had 1/2 dozen oysters and the fresh catch with Hollandaise sauce. Absolutely delicious. Our server was a bit rattled with the post-lunch crowd recovery, but did a nice job after she settled down. My folks liked their dish (seafood platter and small steak). Just solid food with solid flavor - nothing special, but probably one of Lufkin's finest. read more

This is probably the nicest restaurant in Lufkin. All of the food is DIVINE. If you want real cajun cooking, this is it. The other location of this restaraunt is in New Orleans. My party needed a restaurant we could dress up in, and this restaurant delivered! This place has cloth napkins and excellent service. There is a patio and bar for more casual dining. This is a classy, fun, delicious, and wonderful dining experience. read more

The steaks here are the best. I know that it is a kajun restaurant, but they choose really good cuts for their steaks, a much higher grade than is used by Outback or Applebee's. Try their Ribeye and you will see. It is the best! read more

Best place to eat in lufkin, great service, great selection, all around great and many experiences.

We went here last week and to be honest I was really shocked by how expensive it was. A bowl of gumbo $9.99? A plate of fried crawfish tails and fries $17.99? The food wasn't bad but it definitely was not high dollar either. read more

I love when I first walk in and the blonde hostess gets pissed off because she has to wait to seat me because my husband is parking the car. Lol I'm sorry chivalry is not dead. Food was mediocre at best, Server was friendly. read more

Fried pickles and the bread were great. Service was very good. Had the lunch portion of Mahi Mahi. It was way overcooked and tough. The green beans tasted like they were from a can and the fried potatoes were greasy. There is nothing special about this restaurant, but Good for Lufkin Texas. read more

I've eaten here several times while in Lufkin for business. I've had several things off the menu and they've all been pretty good. The service is usually more good than bad. This is a popular spot for business lunches and I've never felt rushed by the waitstaff. read more

This was a great place to eat for Lufkin. Our waiter was pleasant and the atmosphere was cozy. They took a real crack at Cajun food. It wasn't the authenticity you get closer to the border of Louisiana or in Acadia, but good for a Texas restaurant. Toning down the spices probably works better for the less adventurous. The drinks were great and no complaints about the regular menu! read more

Food is consistently good, some wait staff seem a bit "unfriendly & impatient". That is OK too, there are other places with friendly & helpful waitresses in the area read more

Kind of a mixed bag report. Service was quick and efficient. Dinner roles were hot and fresh. The entree came out a little too quick. I ordered the Shrimp Trawl. It came with one stuffed shrimp, two boiled shrimp, four fried shrimp and a bowl of shrimp au gratin. It was plenty warm but looked and tasted like it came out from under a warming lamp. Good enough to eat but not so great. Not up to Baton Rouge standards. Wasn't a single whole shrimp in the au gratin, just bits of chopped shrimp and not that much. The stuffed potato was the best part of the meal, that and the rolls. read more

Rolls are great. Food is generally good. Avoid the fried pickles (too salty).

First time here. Food was awesome you have got to try the R&K gumbo it is awesome!!! Great food and service.

Not even good enough to write about why it was so bad. Two stars because I managed to keep down my meal.

I love this place. I go there quite often. Staff is friendly and food is good. If I had any complaint it would be the dining room was pretty warm. read more