Explore Lafayette, LA’s, Fusion Restaurants
Known as the Hub City, Lafayette, LA, is a center for health care, oil, tech and, of course, food. Lauded for its traditional Cajun and Creole cuisine, Lafayette has earned itself the title of Best Food City in America. Today, several restaurants are shaking up the food scene a bit, adding unique spins to traditional dishes, combining flavors and creating menus full of dishes from various cultures. Ahead, learn about some of the fusion restaurants making their mark on Lafayette, LA’s, food scene.
In This Article
Tsunami Lafayette
Tsunami Lafayette is the place to be if you’re craving Asian and Cajun flavors.
Maggie Graham, the restaurant’s general manager, says Lafayette, LA’s, food scene thrives on giving patrons that local feel, and recipes from home often make their way into area restaurants.
“You can walk in almost anywhere in the region and find a meal that feels like home,” she says.
Tsunami effortlessly weaves Southern flavors into traditional Asian dishes. Peek at the restaurant’s sushi roll menu, and you’ll see rolls featuring traditional Louisiana ingredients, like spicy crawfish, soft shell crab and even panko alligator – a delicacy that can be found in the popular Ragin Cajun Roll. Of course, you’ll also find many traditional Japanese flavors on the menu that are executed well, too, but the chefs here are innovative and seek to give diners unique experiences.
“We try to find ways to merge the recipes we love with the cuisine we serve,” Graham says. “In the past, we’ve done something called gumbo ramen, where we combine two classic meals of two different cultures to make something that feels true to both.”
Agave Mexican Grill & Cantina
Lafayette, LA’s, restaurant scene sets itself apart from those in other cities by offering dishes from around the world while celebrating the region’s Cajun and Creole roots. This often results in new dishes formed by blending cuisines.
This kind of blending is executed seamlessly at Agave Mexican Grill & Cantina, which has three locations in the Lafayette area. Here, you’ll find seafood and Louisiana flavors that are celebrated alongside more traditional Mexican fare, like chimichangas and quesadillas. Dishes like the seafood relleno, the chicken smoked jalapeño sausage tortilla soup and the diablo shrimp feature fresh Louisiana-caught seafood and Cajun flavors.
Cajun culture is centered on celebrations, and it’s always a party at Agave, where you can hear live music, relax on the large patio and sip some delicious margaritas. As they say in South Louisiana, laissez les bons temps rouler – let the good times roll!
Bailey’s Tandoori Grill
Since opening Bailey’s Seafood and Grill in 1993, award-winning chef Ema Haq has been bringing good eats to Lafayette, LA’s restaurant scene. In late 2024, the restaurant was rebranded as Bailey’s Tandoori Grill to focus on giving guests a taste of the Indian subcontinent with Cajun flair.
“We really represent some of the very authentic and well-known dishes from the Indian subcontinent, plus I can blend in Cajun and Creole food,” Haq says. “It’s a good mixture of food around here with some of the Indian spices.”
The restaurant utilizes local ingredients to further incorporate the region’s flavors.
“We are really well known for our crab cake,” Haq says. “I said, ‘If we are going to have a crab cake, we’re going to have it right.’”
Other great dishes served at Bailey’s include the zydeco chicken, which is smothered in a sauce made with South Louisiana spices, and the fan favorite pan-fried flounder. The chicken and sausage gumbo is also not to be missed. Haq says he plans to continue to mix it up and experiment with incorporating flavors.
As is typical of Lafayette, the restaurant is rooted in community. For 32 years, Haq has been serving the community by offering a free Thanksgiving luncheon to families in need.
Blu Basil Asian Fusion
Dining at Lafayette, LA, restaurant Blu Basil can become a hobby of sorts, as it offers so many dishes that you need to come back time and time again to taste everything. The menu is made up of food from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, etc., not to mention a variety of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, including Thai iced tea and Vietnamese iced coffee.
From Korean American fusion dishes, like bulgogi beef nachos (marinated bulgogi beef, shredded crab, cilantro, avocado, kimchi, sweet soy sauce and spicy mayo), to Vietnamese American foods, like a Vietnamese barbecue pork rice plate (barbecue pork served with white, brown or fried rice), every dish from Blu Basil is sure to be memorable and, of course, delicious.
For more information on the region’s restaurant scene and the new and traditional flavors you’ll find, click here.
This article is sponsored by the Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission, Lafayette Economic Development Authority and One Acadiana.