Super excited to see a new restaurant in the North Collinwood/Waterloo neighborhood and this one did not disappoint. I stopped into Roux for dinner on a Saturday night about 3 weeks after they opened. There was a good amount of people inside and good vibes.
This new restaurant replaced The Boardwalk, a beloved dive bar that many patrons reminisced about while I was there. The team at Roux completely remodeled the space, but kept some nods to the past, including a large Boardwalk sign that they have hanging on the wall. The decor is modern and sexy, but also gives old steak house vibes with the deep maroon walls. They also kept the large bar as the vocal point of the restaurant.
The menu is mostly Cajun/Creole inspired. They have a few raw seafood items and a fun char-broiled oyster menu. You order them individually and they are pretty big. We got the Rockefeller Casino and the Bienville, which was actually shrimp. I enjoyed the Rockefeller best. Classic. We also got the calamari which came with a Cajun aioli-like white sauce. The calamari was good but I maybe could have gone for a different sauce.
Last, we got some mango habanero wings and let me tell ya, they are using fresh habaneros back there. Be careful not to touch your face or eyes before washing your hands. The wings were super spicy and sticky sweet. This isn't my preferred wing flavor, but I was sharing and my friend really enjoyed them. They had about 10 wing flavors and I look forward to returning to try another one.
Overall the spot is super welcoming and relaxed while also providing a kind of fine dining dinner option for the area. The team seemed to really want to keep the old school neighborhood bar feel, where you can come for a cheap beer or a fancy cocktail and have a nice dinner with neighbors and friends. I can't wait to return. read more