Bud's Louisiana Food Shoppe

*** Bud's has moved and is now Bud's Louisiana Cafe

Located on busy Kettner Boulevard, right next to that Little Italy landmark the Waterfront Bar(I'll save that for another day) resides Bud's Louisiana Food Shoppe.

I've been to Bud's several times in the past, but recently, it occurred to me that the Missus had never eaten at Bud's, so we had to make sure to correct that oversight.

Bud's is a tiny, well lit, and clean little restaurant, and serves up some really good Cajun and Creole food.

We arrived right at 5pm and were seated immediately. I knew exactly what I wanted to start out with. The Jalapeno Cornbread Muffin(.50/ea):

Don't know what it is, well.....that's incorrect, I know exactly what I enjoy about these muffins; they aren't too sweet, have a nice, but not too overpowering butter flavor with whole kernels of sweet corn in them. Also, I love the added "zing" provided by the minced pieces of Jalapeno, that give the muffins a bit of an "edge". The Missus thought that he muffins weren't "grainy" enough, and too "oily", but I bought four more to go.

We started out with what I usually order when I'm at Bud's; the Fried Oyster Po' Boy($8.95). We split the sandwich and thought of it as our appetizer. Here's my half:

In what was a very astute strategic move by the kitchen crew, the Missus's half had twice the amount of oysters than mine. We both enjoyed the crunchy, gritty cornmeal coating, and the briney, oceany(fresh), oysters. The Jalapeno "Tartar" Sauce, was closer to a mildly spicy aioli, which balanced out the flavor of the Oysters instead of over-powering the Po' Boy.

The Missus ordered "A Taste of New Orleans"($15.95), which is a Catfish Filet over a bed of Crawfish Etoufee, and some rice:

One taste, and you'll know what makes this rich, velvety Etoufee work; it's the sweet Crawfish meat, nice balanced seasonings, neither too spicy, nor too meek, and most of all butta'! All started with a dark roux. Rich, yet so good. The Catfish was coated with a cornmeal batter, and was nice and moist, without a hint of muddiness.

The only thing that threw the Missus, was the "Converted" Rice, which I explained to Her is perfectly normal for the region.

I have always enjoyed the Gumbo at Bud's, and strangely enough, the Red Beans and Rice. I'm not a big fan of Red Beans and Rice, but the slightly smokey-sweet-rich flavor of Bud's version is my favorite. Since I had not had the Cajun Jambalaya at Bud's, but didn't want to give up my Gumbo, nor the Red Beans and Rice, I ordered the Cupa-Cupa-Cupa($11.95):

After tasting the Jambalaya, I told myself that I should have ordered the Fried Shrimp Po' Boy($7.95), with a cup of Red Beans and Rice($1.50) and a cup of Gumbo($4.95). The flavor of the Jambalaya was underwhelming, the rice dry, the bell peppers and celery undercooked. Even dumping several spoons of hot sauce on the Jambalaya really didn't help.

But as disappointed as I was with the Jambalaya, the rich smokey, and slightly spicy Gumbo, and the Red Beans and Rice came through to save the day.

In spite of the parking battleground that is Little Italy, Bud's is worth a try. The portions may seem on the small end, but the food is deceivingly rich. The food is also not overly spicy, but Hot sauce is provided should you need it; we believe you won't. Service has always been excellent and friendly, without being cloying. You can always get the food to go as well, but the fried stuff won't hold up for very long, so you might as well just have a seat, and have (More then) a few muffins.

Bud's Louisiana Food Shoppe
2034 Kettner Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92101

Hours - Tues-Sat Lunch 11am-3pm
   Dinner 5pm-9pm

Comments

[Passionate Eater]

Glad to see that you've resolved your internet issues Kirk! Thanks for the trip back to New Orleans! I like that you ordered the 3-in-1 dish--I like ordering those dishes too. That way, I get to taste a bit of everything, and so that you know what to order next time! Wow, I also like that you ordered a sandwich for an appetizer. That was smart (and tasty from the sounds of it)!

[Kady]

I'm going to have to try their shrimp po' boy. Thanks for writing about this place..didn't know it existed. Supposedly there's a used cookbook store on Kettner too so maybe I'll make a trip out of it.

[habereno]

Hooray! Glad to see you reviewed Bud's. It's where I go to get my Nawlins cravings taken care of. The gumbo and fried oyster po' boy are definitely my favorites.

[Jack]

We love Bud's! I could have a plate full of muffins and butter for dinner and be completely happy, although a cup of gumbo with the muffins would be perfect. Love the bread pudding, when I am in a dessert mood but really love it when they have crawfish by the pound.

[ed (from Yuma)]

Yum. Makes me HUNNGGRY!

[Jim]

Hey Kirk,

Wow, talk about a twist of fate. My wife has been bugging me to go to Song Huong for a sandwich, and I, after reading Jack’s review on Alex’s Brown Bag on Saturday…we decided to go to both. First we went to Song Huong (to make her happy), and then on to Alex’s (which was closed!). I should have called first. The wife was full and I was still empty…so on to Buds. I also had the Cupa, Cupa, Cupa. The hot sauce saved the Jambalaya for me. Those muffins, yes they are good! We took the roast beef Po Boy to go for the daughter...she thought it was great.

[Captain Jack]

Hi Kirk,
Man, I can't believe I havn't been to Bud's. I have been getting my oyster Po-boys at Mardi Gras Cafe on Midway. Gotta give Bub's a try

Hey Jim,
Sorry about Alex's, I will add their hours to the bottom of the review.

[milgwimper]

The food is killing me Kirk! I love Nawlin style food, and my fav being red beans and rice. Although the best red beans and rice I have ever eaten was made in South Korea in a restaurant called Mardi Gra. The food there was excellent, and not Koreanized. *sigh* but the last time I went there they were closed. :(

[Janice]

Hi Kirk!
Thanks for linking me! That po' boy looked so good. I love fried seafood on sandwiches! Do they have clam po' boys too? Yum... I wish there was good Southern food close to where I live, but alas, West LA is just not the place for diverse regional/ethnic eats.

[Jean]

I'm droolin'! I miss my Papadeaux (sp?) restaurant in Texas!!!

[Kirk]

Hi PE - Thanks, you're always so kind and gracious with your words. Happy belated B-Day as well!

Hi Kady - Sounds like a nice plan. I hope you enjoy Bud's.

Hi Habenero - Don't know what took me so long.....that Gumbo is good stuff.

Hi Jack - Don't tell the Missus 'bout the crawfish by the pound....we'll be camping out the front door!

Hi Ed - Just replying to these comments is making my stomach growl.

Hi Jim - You aren't the first. Cathy and I have just missed each other at several restaurants....She thinks I'm stalking Her!

Hi Captain Jack - I think you'll need a coupla' Po' Boys just to get you going!

Hi Mills - Cajun in South Korea! That sounds pretty interesting. Hope all is going well on your trip.

Hi Janice - I'm enjoying your blog. Sorry no Clam Po' Boys, but there an Oyster "Rich Girl", which is bacon wrapped oysters, that are breaded and deep fried....too much, even for me!

Hi Jean - Knowing the great cook you are; you'll just whip up some Gumbo in no time! ;o)

[Didi]

Hi Kirk,
glad you got to review Bud's.
Love the food there. Been going for a couple of years.
I never thought to get the sandwich as appetizer. Gotta have the Turbo Dog to go along with the Cupa Cupa Cupa. Really like the muffins.

A bit better than Mardi Gras, though, the Shrimp etouffe there is very good.

[dietchilicheesefries]

kirk,

po boys and jalapeno corn muffins and gumbo... that sounds perfect

i need to find a good cajun place near san dimas..... you'd think it'd be easy, but for some reason.. it ain't...

[Kirk]

Hi Didi - I really don't get to Bud's as often as I should.

Hi DCCF - 'Bout as good as it gets! Gotta have somethin' in your neck of the woods. Though I don't remember seeing any Cajun/Creole in the SGV....other than a really terrible place that used to be where Joe's Crab Shack is in the Puente Hills Mall parking lot.

[milgwimper]

Kirk,

Heyla I am back, and trying to piece together everything I did there without boring everyone...Well trying to anyways! ;P :)

Yeah, it was a shocker when we found really good cajun food in South Korea, and I had even gone to Lousiana before then.

[Jack]

During crawfish season (I think it starts in Jan) they'll get fresh crawfish from NO every week or so. Yum.

[Kirk]

Hi Mills - Well, welcome back - we've missed you!

Hi Jack - I'll have to keep tabs on that, thanks for the info!

[Trent]

Hi All,
I lived in N.O. for about ten years, and haven't found anything really adequate in S.D. The local Cajun-style restaurants are spiced-down. The andouille at Henry's and Whole Foods is weak. Vien Dong's is not bad, (and they have Tony Chachere's, Crystal, and Zatarain's Crab Boil). But the crawfish we sporadically see are long-gone. Does anyone on the forum have any recommendations?

[Kirk]

Hi Trent - I can understand. I lived in Hawaii for 30+ years, and can't find good Poke in San Diego.

[logovo]

Thank you for the reminder that this place exists! I had left it out of my going out options just because of where it is located.