One of the best things about living in Little Rock is our plentiful access to our crustacean of choice, the crawfish. It helps that fresh crawfish are so seasonal, it makes all the more special. They are mostly raised in Louisiana and Mississippi, so they make their way to Little Rock for weekly boils alive and feisty, straight out of the water.
Crawfish boils have grown in popularity over the last few years, although the OGs like Faded Rose have been boiling crawfish in Little Rock for 35+ years. Each place has a little different flavor and spice level, so be sure to experiment around. Most are served with at least corn and potatoes, although you will often find sausage and other things thrown into the boil.
Regardless of where you go, they are best enjoyed with a crisp beer and plenty of napkins. Here are our 5 favorite spots to get crawfish.
Faded Rose – Faded Rose is sort of the godfather of crawfish in this town. They have held their weekly boil every year since the early ’80s and owner Ed David very possibly started boiling crawfish straight out of the womb. The flavors are fantastic and the crawfish is always carefully sourced. The boils happen every Wednesday at 4 until late May and the platters come with corn and potatoes.
When to get it: Wednesday starting at 4pm
K Hall & Sons Produce – K Hall’s seafood Saturday boils are a thing of legend. They start serving every Saturday around 11, but folks line up well before then. During crawfish season they do an excellent job on their crawfish boils that you can take to go (or just sit in your car and enjoy, I am not going to judge). Besides the excellent crawfish, what makes it even more special is being able to throw things like crab legs, shrimp, and even turkey necks in with your crawfish in addition to the typical corn and potatoes. Pro Tip- The crawfish has been selling out lately, so do not wait around until 3 or 4 to swing by and get your fix.
When to get it: Saturday starting at 11am
Eat My Catfish – One of the few places in the state to get fresh crawfish daily. This is mostly because Eat My Catfish has become a major wholesale provider of crawfish throughout the state. Thanks to the massive ordering power, they are also able to provide high grade crawfish, picking out the best ones. You can get this with sausage, corn or potatoes.
When to get it: Daily
Loca Luna – Loca Luna is relatively new to the crawfish game, they started serving up the mud bugs a couple of years ago. Don’t let the short time fool you though, Mark Abernathy’s team do a solid job cooking up the crawfish. These are available every Thursday night with the normal corn and potatoes.
When to get it: Thursday starting at 5pm
Floyd’s Meat Market – Not really a restaurant, but they do cook up some great crawfish on the weekends that is great for bringing home for a house party. Be sure to call ahead and order your Friday or Saturday pickup by noon Wednesday. Also note that they chill their crawfish after cooking, so you will need to plan on heating it back up.
When to get it: Friday and Saturday (preorders required)