Steamboat Bill's, Lake Charles, LA - Love Those Mudbugs!

Steamboat Bill's
Lake Charles, LA
Lunch/Dinner
December 18, 2009

The Set-Up - About halfway between Baton Rouge and Houston and visible from I-10, Steamboat Bill's has been a regular food stop for ours for years, especially during crawfish season. To my taste, they serve the best boiled crawfish anywhere on the planet.

On this trip, we saw Steamboat Bill's "Hot 'n Spicy CRAWFISH" banner while traveling west, and planned to stop on our eastbound return. Crawfish season usually doesn't start until January, so I looked forward to having some in December, even though I knew they'd be smallish.

The Meal - We pulled into Steamboat Bill's at about 2:45 p.m. The sad sign said "Boiled Crawfish at 5 p.m." We confirmed the truth of this statement and decided to stay anyway, the next decent restaurant being about 70 miles away. I ordered, what else, crawfish etouffee (large bowl - $10.99). Kay's not a crawfish fan; she went with her favorite - the fried butterfly shrimp platter ($13.99).

My etouffee was outstanding and there was at least twice as much as I could eat. The small serving ($7.99) would have sufficed. But I got another home meal out of the deal, which I ate today.

Kay didn't leave any shrimp, though she did leave a substantial mound of french fries. They were good - just too much food.

Both meals came with a very nice dinner roll.

No wine and no dessert. Time to get back on the road.


Ambience - Steamboat Bill's is about as casual as it gets. You place your order at the counter and take a number to display at your table. The waitstaff delivers your food and then meets any followup requests. The restaurant is decorated in a riverfront style - fish, nets, boat parts- a large wooden (or stuffed?) alligator hangs from the ceiling. Lake Charles is right across I-10.

The Check - Our bill for two for dinner was about $36 with tax and tip.


The Scoreboard (one-to-five scale)

Food - four (no boiled crawfish, even though the sign said they would have some; otherwise very good)

Ambience - four (assuming you're OK with ultra casual)

Service - four (good until the counter girl gave me sweet tea instead of the requested unsweet for my go cup)

Price/Value - five (about as good as you can get this close to the highway)

Overall Assessment

Special Occasion

Favorite - Probably applies to me moreso than Kay, given my love for boiled crawfish. She'd be more in the "very good" category.

Very Good

Good Enough

If Hungry Enough

Keep Driving and Looking

Noted - In 2006, USA Today featured Steamboat Bill's as one of the "10 great place to take an exit to good eatin'". The distinction hasn't been forgotten.

Hours of Operation

Sunday - 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Monday to Thursday - 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday - 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

There are several other Steamboat Bill's locations in Lake Charles. This review refers to the one at 1014 N. Lakeshore Drive adjacent to I-10.

http://steamboatbills.com
337-494-1070