What an awesome find! Great food and value with incredible service. Fried Oyster Po'boy: Savory and deliciously stuffed with big juicy whole deep fried oysters sandwiched inside a soft french bread roll with tomato, lettuce, pickles and mayo. It was very satisfying and satiated my hunger. Spicy Shrimp, Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya: Overflowing portion filled with lots of chicken, sausage, shrimp and vegetables in a thick tomato based stew topped with rice. You have the option of white or brown rice. Absolutely filling, hearty and not too spicy. Beignet: Pillowy dough balls deep fried and completely covered in powdered sugar. It was served piping hot straight from the fryer. The best part was the sweet rum sauce served on the side for extra sweetness. New Orleans atmosphere with a festive mood. There's adequate indoor and outdoor seating. read more

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Excellent! I was in LA 6 weeks in 2024 and a year later I'm here at lunching at Roux Dat reliving many fond memories of that time. We shared 2, 1/2 & 1/2 stews. Each came with tice and spiced bread. We ordered Crawfish Moque Choux Jambalaya Etoufee Gumbo We finished with Beignets w/Rum Sauce. Everything was fantastic. Service was good,great prices, restaurant is casual, and staff were welcoming. Definitely will return. read more

Roux Dat - Jambalaya ,Etoufee - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

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Very tasty Cajun food. I always get the shrimp Poboy just like I did in New Orleans and I haven't been disappointed yet. I like that they're free refills on the drinks because depending on how spicy you get it, you'll need refills. Service is always excellent. Highly recommended read more

Delicious spot! Was craving creole food and this certainly scratched the itch. The shrimp po boy and fries were delicious, as were the beignets. Definitely recommended, will absolutely return! read more

Was craving some good Cajun food and am so lucky to have stumbled upon Roux Dat! There is not too many staff but our food was brought out fresh and quickly. CATFISH & FRIES PLATE: Crispy and flavorful. Paired well with the aioli and slaw CRAWFISH MAQUE CHOUX: Each bite had the perfect amount of veggies to protein to stew to rice. Nice slice if garlic toast on the side BEIGNETS: Despite some reviews mentioning the hollowness of the beignets, I actually enjoyed them! There is no filling in the beignets but the interior is so hot and fluffy that I don't think it even needs filling. Plus they give a milky vanilla dipping sauce on the side which you can scoop in as filling if you'd like. Good amount of open tables (went at 5:30pm, but it did get busier as we ate). Staff were all very nice! read more

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6/9/25 I stumbled upon a Cajun Creole place in Capitola it was so random. Instead of key word searching yelp sometimes I drive around city and towns strip shopping enters and just by choice I try a spot that sounds good. I am a fan of Cajun food so Roux Dat it was. Not busy at all, I was immediately greeted and welcomed by an enthusiastic young man. He gave me some rice after I asked and he said to try a stew. I ended up ordering a shrimp Po' boy as it was lunch time. This is located next door to Wing Stop and Trader Joe's so it's in a popular prime spot but easily to drive past as the signage is not that large . The stew I chose was crawfish and sausage the tiniest size and it was good and large enough surprisingly. The team of employees were 2 very young individuals. They were respectful answers all questions and were very polite. It looks like a family run spot so I was happy I dined in . The place is very clean lots of tables with various hot sauces .Lots of young people as summer time now and GameStop also next door. Outdoor umbrella tables and the inside didn't have A/C in at a comfortable level . Service with a smile by the young lady working you feel valued here. The price with drink came to around $21 less than Bay Area prices suffice to say. Noticed the lifestyle and vibe around Santa Cruz and Capitola and beach cities is super chill. Traffic around town can get annoying because the lack of lanes and too many vehicles is substantial. The Po boy shrimp was very satisfying they fried their shrimp with good Cajun seasoning not too spicy. The shrimps are medium sized. The bread is not too hard just right and soft to medium crunch. Free refills on soft drinks. While eating I noticed some young people coming in to drop off resumes for employment so it looks like they could use a hand .They accepted her resume . I never thought I would find a Cajun/creole place so easily in the Capitola area . Having the sea and wharf nearby you can count on fresh seafood used I didnt ask them but I am confident they are utilizing the best ingredients as the freshness of the food did give the impressions . The high ratings for this place are legit and speak for themselves. Capitola is lucky to have this cuisine in town. read more

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Food was soo flavorful ,well seasoned. I like to eat the shrimp and corn etouffe WITH the corn bread . I like to dip it. it's soooo good !! Ordering over the phone was so easy . When picking up the cashier was super nice . He make sure there was napkins and utensils in my bag! Shrimp &corn etouffee 10/10 Corn bread 10/10 Gumbo 9.5 /10 Customer service10/10 Food presentation 10/10 read more

Roux Dat - Shrimp & Corn Etouffee mbo and Chicken, Sausage, Okra & Gumbo and Cajun Spiced Corn Bread - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

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We were staying in Capitola, and found this little cajun/creole gem on Yelp. Stopped by after checkout before heading back home, and very glad we did. Tried the Jambalaya and the Gumbo, both very delicious. So sad that they aren't closer to home, but it does give me a tried and true place to get some authentic awesome cajun cuisine whenever we are in the area. read more

Had an oyster craving and so wanted to like this place. But you can't overcome an oyster po boy that tastes like the oysters were fresh maybe 4 days ago, or a shrimp and corn etouffe that smells like the shrimp has just gone bad. I came in for a pickup order. Wish I's tasted things while I was there. The service was lovely so leaving 2 stars. The seafood was old and ended up in the trash. Massive waste of nearly $50. It's not that hard to serve shrimp that tastes decently fresh these days. Shame on this place. I won't even get into how far it is from actual Cajun food because what they served wasn't safe to eat. Kind of astounding. You'd think that in such an expensive town they wouldn't serve you rotten seafood. read more

This was truly a letdown after our friends hyped this place up to us. I was really hoping for some honest southern soul from this meal. It's in a strip mall, so I already tempered my expectations about the ambiance, which was pretty average. We got the shrimp and corn etouffee, and I can't for the life of me figure out why they use the cheap frozen little shrimp instead of 5-6 large ones. The whole thing was overly salty and I wasn't satisfied with this at all. Sadly, I think Popeye's has a more flavorful etouffee. We also got the fried catfish plate with the fries and coleslaw. The coleslaw was off. I'm 99% sure of it. I had a bite and pushed it aside. The fries were okay, but again, over-seasoned and salty. And the catfish... was a disservice to catfish. It looked a lot better than it tasted. The folks working there were pretty friendly and a little stoned, which was totally fine. You order at the counter and it's self service. There's not a whole ton of seating but we were able to get a nice table outside and that was good enough for our group. 2 stars because everyone was nice and the meal was quick to come out, but the food was just not memorable at all. Not sure it's worth a retry. read more

Roux Dat - Fried Catfish plate - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

We have been eyeing this place for a while. I had a medical procedure in Santa Cruz. That was very close to this restaurant and my wonderful hubby saw that it was close to my procedure and we decided we would go eat there after everything was said and done. When we arrived, there was two other tables sitting in the restaurant. The service was OK kind of awkward however there was a young gentleman with long black hair that was very kind. He offered me a sample to see if I would like some thing before I bought it, which I did feel was extremely kind . Now to the food. Let me start off by saying when we traveled to New Orleans it was one of our favorite places ever we made so many wonderful memories and ate so much delicious food. That's why this place was so high on our radar. The food was definitely delicious. I had a shrimp Poboy , the breading was slightly salty but definitely crunchy and delicious. My love had the fried oyster Poboy. He said it was pretty dang good. For his side dish, he chose the jambalaya. It was absolutely delicious. Like phenomenal out of this world and I was jealous I didn't order one for myself lol it was packed with chickenand the flavor... bomb! We like to try a little bit of everything so we also ordered the mac & cheese fried pickles and hush puppies. The only thing I didn't really care for in our whole meal was the macaroni and cheese. It wasn't what we were used to and maybe because of it being one of our favorites, we have a very high expectation for the mac & cheese lol the fried pickles were good. It was the first time having them so we didn't know what to expect. Or nothing to compare them to, but that's OK because they did taste pretty good. The hush puppies were actually bomb. Very moist in the middle flavorful and the perfect size. I had got Cajun french fries on the side for my sandwich. They were good nothing super crazy special but definitely had good flavor. I enjoyed them. We definitely want to come back. There are other things we would love to try and I would definitely like to bring my mom here to check it out as well again I wish the service was a little bit more enthusiastic. We had a lot of questions about the menu and , the younger kids didn't seem too interested. The young man with the black hair did seem like he really wanted to let us know what he could just maybe be a little shy. I appreciate him for trying.. he was sweet just a little quiet. read more

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Way too good. Amazed at how good the prices are here considering good creole food is usually super pricey. Roux Dat is really reasonable in price but WOW, food is so good. We got enough food for 2 meals for 2 people, for $40. The fried green tomatoes though...we almost cried. It's almost impossible to find good FGT in California but these ones are above & beyond. Even without the sauce they're super flavorful, and the sauce is bomb. Considering going back tomorrow just because it was so good. read more

Roux Dat - Fried Green Tomatoes - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

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Food was fresh. Quality was good. Reminded me of Nola. Pickles were a bit too salty and the fish were small pieces fried. I would have preferred a large fillet vs smaller pieces. It was a tad soggy. The gumbo and jambalaya were great. If you like beignets, this is the spot. read more

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This is one of my favorite restaurants to go to when I come to Capitola and Santa Cruz. Although today I damn near had a heart attack when they were not at their old location! Fortunately they are only a few doors down in a larger unit and are continuing to expand. The staff is very friendly and courteous. I like that when you order you can see it on a screen to ensure your order was taken correctly. I always order the jambalaya which comes with your choice of brown or white rice, and two slices of seasoned bread. It's so delicious and flavorful, I just finished my food and am salivating as I type. When I want to spoil myself I also order the beignets. They are so light and airy its a good thing the order only comes with 4. read more

Shrimp and corn étouffée and the beignets were perfect for a late lunch. Didn't try the muffuletta, but will be back to try it!

Roux Dat looked good on yelp so we stopped by on our way to Carmel. The Etouffe was decent. However, the fried shrimp po boy was overly salty and the bread was stale. The shrimps were heavily seasoned and not fresh. Would not recommend. read more

Great casual spot with outdoor seating for a quick dinner! We got the hush puppies, fried green tomatoes and the large stew option with the shrimp, andouille sausage and chicken jambalaya and the crawfish maque choux. It was my first time trying maque choux and it might be my new favorite Cajun dish! read more

Roux Dat - Hush Puppies, Fried Green Tomatoes, and a large stew with the Smoked Andouille, Shrimp & Chicken Jambalaya and Crawfish Maque Choux - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

We went near to closing time and there was some people ordering food. You order at the county and the service was super fast. We got the fried green tomatoes, the crawfish and sausage maque choux, and the fried catfish sandwich. The fried green tomatoes were ssoo hot temperature wise. We ate them fast because we took a bite and they were still warm. They were so crispy and good once we let them cool off. The sauce was amazing too. We could not get enough of the crawfish choux!! we wish we had more of it since we only got the small. The Cajun bread was delicious and a good pairing. The catfish sandwich was pretty average, just wish there was more catfish in the sandwich read more

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Came in here first thing on a Saturday morning with hubby. It was a a really wet day. We're out of towners visiting for the weekend. Came in and was greeted right away and he also wanted to give us him and use as well but I told him it was okay. I asked for a few suggestions, and he gave me what their best sellers were. Hubby at the ordering hush puppies, a side of fried chicken and a beer. I ordered a large plate where I was able to split the gumbo and the jambalaya with white rice and Cajun bread. The food did not take that long to come out about 10 minutes tops. Hush puppies were good and so were the fried chicken it was very tender. Jambalaya does have a little kick to it if you don't like spicy. Jambalaya was all right but the gumbo was the better pick For me. For what the price is you get a decent amount of food. We will definitely be back again to try other things if we're back in town. there is only one bathroom there and it's gender neutral. and a decent amount of seating inside and some outside. read more

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If you like cajun food you have to come here. This place is truly a hidden gem, hidden in between a bunch of businesses. It was fairly quiet when we walked in and all tables were open. We were greeted and were able to order at the counter. I cannot say enough fantastic things about their po'boys. I got a shrimp one and it was fully dressed. The shrimp itself was well breaded and cooked/seasoned. The baguette was so so soft and fresh. The vegetables and sauce inside were also chefs kiss. You also have a choice of a side between fries, coleslaw or stew. I wish I would have been hungrier, I'd likely give the jambalaya a shot. read more

Roux Dat - Shrimp po boy - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

Day trip in Capitola, wanted good food, came here and was not disappointed! I wanted Cajun food because I'm going to New Orleans in a few weeks. The hardest part was deciding what to order, everything on the menu sounded amazing. Food was delicious, cute decor, and really nice service. Also, easy parking. This place is definitely worth a visit. read more

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The salmon was good. Sandwich was good for splitting. We also ordered a fried chicken that was crispy and good. We enjoyed the hush puppies with s yummy sauce. I gave it 4 because of the beignets. Lots of powered sugar, the rum sauce not very tasteful, and the dough tasted funky. The employees were great. read more

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I ordered the Spicy Chicken Po'boy with a side of Red Beans and Sausage The po'boy (4 Stars) was made with cornmeal fried chicken strips, soft French roll, shaved lettuce, tomato, pickles and Cajun mayo. They put a good amount of the mayo on so it was creamy, and mixed well with the other ingredients. Good stuff! The red beans and sausage (3 stars) was ok. The sausage was cut too thin, and some of the beans were under cooked. They mixed the batches together, they really should replace the steam bin with a new one and not mix them. I'm not sure the teenagers running the place care. I saw them pour the new stuff into the old stuff on the steaming bin rack. Not good. I finished with Beignets with Rum Sauce (4 Stars) not as light as the originals at Cafe du Monde, but still very good. The Rum Sauce was awesome! Next time try some seafood or hush puppies Until next time... read more

I have stopped here twice so far, both times on purpose, meaning I came to this plaza just for Roux Dat. I appreciate good stew and good beignets, both of which I'll happily say I've received on every trip I make to this place. We ordered 2 large pick twos: jambalaya and shrimp and corn étouffée, and crawfish and sausage maque choux and chicken, okra and sausage gumbo. The gumbo and jumbalaya were my favorites. We also ordered hush puppies and beignets. Although the place was busy when we went, I didn't have to wait too long for our food to come out, and it was all fresh, hot, and tasty. Beignets were a nice dessert after all the rice and stews; coated with powdered sugar and freshly fried. I wish I had some right now... read more

Roux Dat - Étouffée, gumbo, jumbalaya, maque choux, hush puppies, beignets - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

Nothing beats a good Cajun restaurant at the end of a trip. Nothing fancy. Just good food and good service. Roux Dat, squeezed in between Wing Stop and Game Stop, Roux Dat is a Great Stop! read more

Roux Dat - Roux Dat - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

It's time to get your Cajun/creole fix! Now I'm no expert in this cuisine but I sure do love the food! And Roux Dat gives you the perfect fix for jambalaya, gumbo, po boys, and other fried food goodness. I like this spot because it's not crowded unlike spots in downtown Santa Cruz and there are a few indoor and outdoor seating around this strip mall. My favorites are the stews because you also get rice and bread so you'll be satisfied for one order as a lunch. The jambalaya and crawfish choux are my go-to's but I have yet to try a stew that disappointed. I usually do the large stew and pick two options so I get to try a variety. I've also ordered hush puppies which were nice with a mustard sauce but they were slightly dry for my taste. Also they have beignets and those are classics where you can't go wrong. I stick to stews and I'm always happy after eating here. read more

Roux Dat - Beignets, hush puppies, large stews - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

After reading the reviews, we decided coming here for dinner tonight. We must came at a wrong time because the food just nothing like most of the reviews on the yelp. We ordered Chicken Poorboy, hush puppy, Gumbo and etouffee. The rice on the gumbo and etouffee was hard like a rock, very difficult to chew on. It must be from the bottom of the rice pot and over burned. Hush puppy was over fried as well. Very disappointing. read more

Roux Dat - Hard rice from Gumbo. Impossible to eat. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

Best PoBoy in Santa Cruz county. We come here often and I love the atmosphere and food Definitely my family's top 5 picks and that's hard with 4 kids who all usually pick different things. Customer service is good read more

Roux Dat - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

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Sad to report back... it was just ok. What to order: Gumbo - dark and flavorful... might be the only thing I may come back for (if at all) What was just ok: -Shrimp and corn étouffée - most disappointing ...not what I expected ...pretty bland -Jambalaya - this was ok, at least the sausage gave it more smokiness and flavor but nothing to write home about -Shrimp po boy was also ok. It was a lot of bread in the sandwich ratio -Kids fried chicken and fries - decent value since you get 4 pieces of chicken nuggets the size of tenderloins, but the texture is nuggets. Fries were decent. But everything was overly salted. Beware this is not real fried chicken nor is it a real piece of tenderloin. They are giant nuggets in case you care. read more

Roux Dat - Large stew, half shrimp and corn étouffée and half jambalaya with white rice. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

Food tasted good. I had a small shrimp and corn etoufee and my husband had Gumbo and Jambalaya. We had beignets for dessert and it was delicious. Will come back again. read more

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So I am on a little side vacation to Capitola. I decide to look up Cajun/Creole food near me. Roux Dat pops up. Could not be more surprised at the excellent level of service when I asked several questions while ordering and the super kind owner's child training an employee explained everything to me and the new girl. Then...the food arrived. What a delicious experience. Fried Oysters, Fried Gator, French Fries and Fried Green Tomatoes. Everything was light and crispy but not oily nor over battered/breaded. I will visit again. Highly recommended. read more

Always a great menu. Happy to have found this place. We visit this shop quite often when we're in Capitola. read more

what yummy yummy food. I love the étouffée and the Macque Choux. it's cool that they're loyalty card is called a Langgiappe card. not their pralines were yummy. I ate there before and after my last trip to New Orleans I gotta say that Roux Dat is dat yummy roux. Roux Dat! read more

They close at 8:00, I tried ordering online at 7:00 and it wouldn't accept an ASAP pickup order. So I called them and got voicemail - that the mailbox was full. read more

I love the bean and sausage stew on white rice! The other stews with shrimp are good, even as leftover the next morning! Even shrimp! The proper use of spices mixed with noticeably good/fresh quality ingredients is what makes this a great restaurant. The staff has pride in their food. Don't forget to get the homemade (actually made there. Not like "made in house" at Whole Foods) pralines! Luckily they are packaged to go, because you won't have room for dessert after an entree at Roux Dat. IMO read more

After seeing reviews for this place I was excited but ended up being very disappointed by the quality of my food. The jambalaya I got was not jambalaya. It was more of a tasteless, soupy gumbo with very little rice that I had to mix myself than actual jambalaya. The seasoning of the meat and rice also wasn't there so everything wasn't good. Very disappointing especially since I paid over $15 for my meal. read more

Roux Dat - "Jambalaya" - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

Absolutely fantastic experience. The customer service was better than what you will get in a 5 star restaurant. The food was so flavorful and delicious- and the beignets are worth every single calorie.. It's such a fun and delicious place to eat. Highly recommend! read more

Came here after seeing good reviews and was hit with a flavor explosion! I thought this was going to be a sit-down store, but it actually seems like a fast food style Cajun spot. Went on a Saturday afternoon and there was no wait. The store is a bit small and had some tables for seating. They were sold out of almost all of their drinks. We were able to order and get our food in 5min. The bowl was extremely hot. I like the variety of offerings. We opted for half gumbo and half jambalaya just to try both. I agree with the other reviews that there is not enough rice, like it was easy to finish between two people just to try it out but it could've been a full meal with more rice. It was super tasty although they skipped out on toppings. Like we had one shrimp and one piece of sausage in our food but plenty of celery. Overall a different ambiance than what I expected. Quick and easy to eat but definitely a Wingstop vibe rather than home cooking. read more

Roux Dat - jambalaya and gumbo - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

Food was horrible. Service nonexistent. Ordered a blackened salmon poorboy sandwich with fries well done. The salmon wasn't a fillet, it was a repurposed salmon burger patty. It wasn't blackened, had no seasoning, no butter, and was so fishy it must have been either rotten or had been overcooked. Half the fries weren't even cooked, bizarre as I'd order them well done so you'd think they would at least be cooked. Waited for 15 minutes for someone to show back up at the front to address it, but everyone seemed to be hiding in the back. Noticed all of the stews are microwaved to order, nothing is fresh or made to order here apparently. read more

Roux Dat - Repurposed salmon burger, not blackened at all. French fries not cooked. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California

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$8 for a tiny serving of mac and cheese and the rest of the food had the same price/serving ratio. read more

Roux Dat - $8 for this serving (less than a cup) of mac and cheese. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Capitola, California