Mudbugs A Cajun Joint - Buda

Sometimes one can be fooled by a façade or advertising, thus robbing them of a wonderful opportunity. For instance, I 'm always on the lookout for interesting c... read more Sometimes one can be fooled by a façade or advertising, thus robbing them of a wonderful opportunity. For instance, I 'm always on the lookout for interesting culinary endeavors, in particular distinct cuisines like, shall we say, Cajun? So, when I came upon MudBugs website I was less than impressed honestly when I drove past it, I couldn 't see it from the street. Well, my friends while the website doesn 't exactly inspire enthusiasm, the restaurant itself is far more sophisticated worthy of a visit. As I previously mentioned Mudbugs doesn 't have curb appeal as it 's behind a store but when you walk in, the joint is rocking! I wondered in on a Saturday around 6pm it was booked solid; luckily, I was able to belly up to the bar w/ a female companion. The facility has high, open ceilings, that of an old school train station so the noise level is more tolerable. There 's a few Fleur-de-lis emblems hanging around, an homage to the namesakes ' roots of the Bijou. The tables are elegantly basic, sort of the antithesis of many lesser chain restaurants I find to be fraudulently trendy. I don 't like calling out individuals as a dining experience is a team effort but our waiter Evan was fabulous. He knew what to recommend, was personable, threw out jokes, was quick w/ orders contributed greatly to the experience. Let 's roll into the drinks, shall we? The adult drinking options are limited however they 're crafted w/ finesse care. The old fashioned was refreshing w/ a great balance of bitters rum. The margarita had a nice tequila undertone w/ notes of lime pear to round out the experience. My companion ordered the smoldering longbranch I didn 't sample this b/c mentally I can 't put smoke drink in the same glass enjoy it. However, she assured me it was ok. As for apps the crab dip wasn 't to my liking I must confess I 'm a chef from Charleston SC, so it 's hard to gain my favor when so many ingredients mask the purity of crab, especially when there 's not much crab to speak of. That said I appreciate the various hatch chilis jalapenos but it masked what I was after. Next up the calamari was near perfection. The green onions calamari were expertly fried the creole remoulade was flavorful but some of the squid fries wasn 't to my palate. Long tentacles were cut like fries so texture wise I wasn 't a fan. Overwise the dish was outstanding devoid of excess grease a perfect chew. Finally, the wedge salad was pretty good minus two points. First Mudbugs, please don 't serve the core of the lettuce as it 's inedible. Next the balance off all other ingredients didn 't match the shear size of the lettuce. If they had more dressing along w/ more blue cheese bacon the balance would have been sufficient. Address these two items another hit is on your hands. As for dinner I have made shrimp grits in 6 restaurants, one of Michelin star caliber, so it 's personal to me. I was weary reading the description of sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, etc. What is all this crap!? They 're ruining it! Well, I was wrong. The ingredients are blended into an absolutely amazing sauce to go w/ creamy perfectly cooked grits plump shrimp. In fact, my copilot liked my food more than hers. Regardless if you 're a Shrimp Grits aficionado or newbie, just get this dish and wait for Nirvana. As for my wine again no real French by the glass to speak of but the BR Cohn Cab was mellow, shallow legs and light while the Tahuan Malbec was somewhat forgettable w/ no noticeable fruits for the nose to sift through. The final plate was the salmon Taterfish plate. I thought it was a nice light dish w/ a crispy potato crust adding crunch juxtaposed to the tenderness of the salmon and the flavors of fish offset by the arugula forward salad with lemon caper butter. I thought it was refreshing but my company didn 't like it. My suggestion is get it if you 're hungry but want something light, a paradox I 'm sure. The evening wrapped up I 'm very happy to say while I nitpick as critics do, I thought the restaurant was a resounding success. Although I didn 't care for the peanut butter cheesecake or crème brûlée (both tasted off for some reason there are so many positives to be gained from everything I craved. Don 't be fooled like I was by a bland website w/ no curbside appeal. Enjoy great food, good service creative libations in a safe area of town. Perhaps I 'll see you there, I 'll be the one w/ a smile, food and wine. Laissez les bon temps rouler! (Let the good times roll!

My boyfriend was in the mood for something different so I recommended we go to Mudbugs. We began our meal with the Calamari, which was a fantastic start. The ca... read more My boyfriend was in the mood for something different so I recommended we go to Mudbugs. We began our meal with the Calamari, which was a fantastic start. The calamari was perfectly crispy on the outside while tender on the inside, with just the right amount of seasoning. It was served with a zesty and flavorful creole remoulade. My boyfriend opted for the Soulful Seafood Jam, and it was an absolute hit. The salmon was cooked to perfection. The seafood jambalaya had a spice level that was just right, and the creole mustard Beurre blanc sauce added a rich, tangy finish that brought the whole dish together. I chose the Chicken Fried Steak Friday special, which you cannot find on the menu. The chicken was perfectly breaded and fried, and was served with mashed potatoes. The gravy was the cherry on top, adding a savory richness that made each bite comforting and satisfying. We also tried the Smoldering Longbranch and Embrace the Buzz cocktails. Embrace the Buzz was good but I highly recommend the Smoldering Longbranch. The service was a little slow for lunch on a Friday but the staff are very friendly and make some fantastic suggestions.

I was super excited to try this place. We came in on a Friday so it was very busy, which is to be expected. I thought sitting at the bar maybe we would have fas... read more I was super excited to try this place. We came in on a Friday so it was very busy, which is to be expected. I thought sitting at the bar maybe we would have faster service than sitting at a table. Unfortunately that was not the case. We had to constantly waive the bartender down and wait long periods of time to order a drink, get a refill on water and put in our food order. To try to make things simple we put the appetizer, salad, entree and dessert order all at once. Again we were met with disappointment. The appetizer and salad we ordered was delicious but we waited forever for our entire. Since it took even longer to get the employees attention to ask about our order that also added more time to the wait. It's as if they were ignoring us as we were trying to get someone's attention. Finally when they went to check on our order they let us know they never put the entree in and that it would take 45 min or so before we could even get our meal. We had already been there for almost two hours so it was a bust and we decided to leave. I was super excited to try this place but giving the service and lack of attention I don't know if I'll come back. Hopefully your experience is much better and maybe sit at a table and not the bar.

3 and almost a half stars. I'll list my pet peeves first. Wobbly tables. All of them. Fix them. They significantly detract from the dining experience. Broken an... read more 3 and almost a half stars. I'll list my pet peeves first. Wobbly tables. All of them. Fix them. They significantly detract from the dining experience. Broken and/or dirty service wear. Throw it away. Brunch with a group. Probably a good idea to make a reservation. Table was ready when we arrived. Service is a little slow. Cocktails are well made and reasonably priced. Food is good (not great). Friends recommended the Brussels sprouts seemed to be more bell pepper than sprouts not bad but disappointing. Someone in the back needs to learn how to poach eggs. Desert was awesome key lime pie and crème brûlée.

We were in Buda and wanted a quick bite but didn 't want fast food (be careful what you wish for lol). The place itself had a large outdoor seating area and a m... read more We were in Buda and wanted a quick bite but didn 't want fast food (be careful what you wish for lol). The place itself had a large outdoor seating area and a modest inside, decorated with a blue dog pic and a ton of fleur de lis (it felt very much like what a Texan would believe a New Orleans restaurant would look like). We were seated promptly but that was the only prompt aspect of our service. The place was NOT crowded for a Saturday at brunch time/lunch- maybe 6-8 tables filled (inside and outside). Our waitress came by after a decent wait and poured us water and took our drink order. Only my husband ordered a cocktail. She left and then we didn 't see her for a solid 10-15 min (so no food order taken yet). Someone then stopped by and asked if we 'd been taken care of we said we 'd put in a drink order but no food yet. Our waitress came back with the single cocktail and took our order (food and two diet cokes). Then the real wait began. We watched two different parties come into the restaurant, get seated and then leave before orders were taken. We waited probably 20 min for food (a wedge salad, a cup of fruit, and a shrimp po 'boy). We finally got our food but no Diet Coke. We mentioned the Diet Coke and then it was brought out after 5 more min. The food was unremarkable and not worth the wait or the price (avg mains $15-30, apps/salads $10-$15, cocktails $8-15). My husband ate his po 'boy but not his fries (said they were cold and floppy). My brother ate a majority of his wedge salad (said it was OK), and my tiny fruit cup was only cantalope and honeydew neither sweet/ripe. Overall, this was a real disappointment. It 's likely to go the route of its neighbor Valentina 's unless they provide better service and fix their offerings. I only took a picture of my husband 's cocktail which was the only highlight of the meal.