The Cajun Experience

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The Cajun Experience

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Address:
1825 18th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009

Neighborhood:
Dupont Circle

Getting there ›
Cuisine:
Cajun

Price: $30 and under

More Details ›

The Cajun Experience Details

Dining Style: Casual Dining
Website: http://www.cajunexperience.biz
Email: dc@cajunexperience.biz
Phone: (202) 670-4416
Hours of Operation: Monday-Thursday: 400:pm -11:00pm,Friday 4:30pm-12:00am Saturday-Sunday: 11:00am - 12:00am
Payment Options: AMEX, MasterCard, Visa
Cuisine: Cajun
Executive Chef: Chris Wright
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
Additional Details: Banquet/Private Rooms, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Menu, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking Area, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Personal wines welcome (corkage fee applies), Smoking Area, Smoking Area (patio only), Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wine
Entertainment: Cajun, Zydeco, Blues and Jazz Music on Weekends.
Special Events & Promotions: Live Music Every Friday Night Brunch on Saturday-Sunday: Bottomless Mimosas ($15)

Getting there

Cross Street: between N Swann St & N T St
Public Transit: Dupont Circle (Red)
Parking: Street Parking

A word from The Cajun Experience

The Cajun Experience was featured in The Washingtonian magazine in "Best Bites", and less than a year later, June, 2010, was named one of the "Top 100 Best Bargain Restaurants" by The Washingtonian. The restaurant has also been featured in The Washington Post and The Washington Business Journal.… In October, 2010, a second location was established in Purcellville, VA, and The Cajun Experience recently opened in the DC metro area. Continued

The Cajun Experience

3.2

163 $30 and under restaurant

Featured Reviews

More Reviews ›

Reviews from OpenTable Diners Learn More

142 Current Reviews

Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews

Overall

(Very Good) 3.3 / 5

Food

(Very Good) 3.5 / 5

Service

(Very Good) 3 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 3.2 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

142 Current Reviews

Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews

Overall

(Very Good) 3.3 / 5

Food

(Very Good) 3.5 / 5

Service

(Very Good) 3 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 3.2 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

Filter Reviews By:

Diners classify this restaurant as:

neighborhood gem(63)
fit for foodies(29)
great for outdoor dining(26)

good for groups(20)
vibrant bar scene(14)
great for lunch(13)

Current OpenTable.com Diner Reviews (142)

Overall rating

(Fair) 2 / 5

It was just alright. The food

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 04/14/2012

2012

Dined on 04/14/2012

2012

Food

(Fair) 2 / 5

Service

(Fair) 2 / 5

Ambiance

(Fair) 2 / 5

Noise Level

Quiet

"It was just alright. The food was ok--heavy and greasy, which I guess is to be expected based on the Cajun influence. The service was good quality...when it came. We did a LOT of sitting around (we were there for 2 hours for brunch and there was only one other table there that came halfway through our meal). The bottomless mimosas are NOT worth it. $20 pp for mostly tang-like orange "juice" and a tiny bit of champagne."

Dined on 04/14/2012

2012

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Overall rating

(Good) 3 / 5

A cute, if somewhat spare,

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 04/11/2012

2001

Dined on 04/11/2012

2001

Food

(Good) 3 / 5

Service

(Fair) 2 / 5

Ambiance

(Good) 3 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

"A cute, if somewhat spare, decor. Food was very tasty, but $6 for three quarter-inch slices of fried green tomatoes? Seriously? Jambalaya was very tasty, yet the presentation was poor - a pile of jambalaya on a plate with no garnish at all. Same for the crawfish combination - etouffe was tasty and the fried crawfish were nicely seasoned and perfectly crispy. The beer menu consisted of five or six choices and the server couldn't tell me about any of them beyond the name. Overall, good taste, but ambiance, presentation and service were seriously lacking."

Dined on 04/11/2012

2001

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Overall rating

(Very Good) 4 / 5

I enjoyed the food quality

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 04/08/2012

2012

Dined on 04/08/2012

2012

Food

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Service

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Ambiance

(Good) 3 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

"I enjoyed the food quality and preparation.Get some cocktail and tartar sauce and warm bread would be a nice touch. The waitress that we had was absolutely great. She was worth the trip. She was so helpful and kind."

Dined on 04/08/2012

2012

Special Features: great for outdoor dining, great for lunch

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Overall rating

(Good) 3 / 5

Up and comer?

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 04/07/2012

2008

Dined on 04/07/2012

2008

Food

(Good) 3 / 5

Service

(Fair) 2 / 5

Ambiance

(Fair) 2 / 5

Noise Level

Quiet

"The restaurant had a good number of open tables when we arrived at 1130am for our brunch reservation. We were not immediately greeted when we walked in. We sat outside on the back patio. It was a nice space and it was a pretty day. There could be a little more done for ambiance and decor on tha patio. The inside seemed well-appointed.
My mom had shrimp and grits and I had the beignet pancakes. We were both happy. Her grits were very good. The two fried eggs I was served were a bit cold, but otherwise they were good. I recommend the pancakes. The service was spotty. The guy was very nice and well-intentioned, however he wasn't consistent with checking in, refilling coffee, etc. I had a feeling he could have been new, too."

Dined on 04/07/2012

2008

Special Features: great for brunch, neighborhood gem, romantic

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Overall rating

(Fair) 2 / 5

ehhhhh...

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 04/03/2012

2012

Dined on 04/03/2012

2012

Food

(Fair) 2 / 5

Service

(Good) 3 / 5

Ambiance

(Good) 3 / 5

Noise Level

Quiet

"The food was only okay. I also found a metal piece in my dinner, which is dangerous. The staff did compensate me for it though so I guess that was a plus"

Dined on 04/03/2012

2012

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Overall rating

(Fair) 2 / 5

The food at The Cajun Experience

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/31/2012

2009

Dined on 03/31/2012

2009

Food

(Good) 3 / 5

Service

(Fair) 2 / 5

Ambiance

(Good) 3 / 5

Noise Level

Quiet

"The food at The Cajun Experience was delicious, no doubt about it. The crawfish étouffée for brunch was supposed to be served with eggs (and wasn't), but I didn't miss them. It was a hearty serving, chock-full of crawfish on big hunks of crusty bread. The $20 bottomless mimosa was heavy on champagne, which I love, though I felt a bit overpriced. The service was a real downside. While everyone was nice, the wait staff, bar and manager were clearly not on the same page. We went long times between seeing servers and even though there were only two parties dining, it took forever to get our food."

Dined on 03/31/2012

2009

Special Features: great for brunch, great for outdoor dining, romantic

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Overall rating

(Good) 3 / 5

We couldn't really tell about

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/31/2012

2006

Dined on 03/31/2012

2006

Food

(Good) 3 / 5

Service

(Good) 3 / 5

Ambiance

(Good) 3 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

"We couldn't really tell about the noise since we went at 6:15 and it was fairly empty. The music was a little loud but they accomodated us and turned it down. I had the shrimp and grits and they were very tasty, with a thin layer of cheese on top. The seafood gumbo was only fair. The bread pudding was a little too dense but overall we enjoyed out meal."

Dined on 03/31/2012

2006

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Overall rating

(Poor) 1 / 5

one hour wait for a poboy

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/31/2012

2009

Dined on 03/31/2012

2009

Food

(Fair) 2 / 5

Service

(Poor) 1 / 5

Ambiance

(Good) 3 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

"one hour wait for a poboy - catfish was very thin and overly salty. The bread was very much stale and dry. Our waitress was so quiet that we had to communicate in hand signals. I never saw a manager the entire time I was there (over 2 hours for a simple meal)."

Dined on 03/31/2012

2009

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Overall rating

(Poor) 1 / 5

Stay away!

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/30/2012

2011

Dined on 03/30/2012

2011

Food

(Fair) 2 / 5

Service

(Poor) 1 / 5

Ambiance

(Poor) 1 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

"We went on a Friday night for a 7:00 reservation. The restaurant is very small and terribly noisy. Far too many people jammed into a confined space. To make matters worse, they had a band in the dinning room, which made the noise unbearable. We coulndn't wait to get out of there. There service was ridiculous. Took 20 minutes to get our drinks, the starter we ordered wasn't hot, no salt & pepper on tables, and they were out of both of our wine choices. We will never go there again!"

Dined on 03/30/2012

2011

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Overall rating

(Fair) 2 / 5

We were seated next to the

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/30/2012

2008

Dined on 03/30/2012

2008

Food

(Good) 3 / 5

Service

(Fair) 2 / 5

Ambiance

(Good) 3 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

"We were seated next to the stage. While the blues band was good, my girlfriend and I could barely hear each other through our dinner. My gumbo was very soupy and barely had any taste. My girlfriend's jumbalaya, however, was delicious. Also, she wanted a Pims cup, and they were out of it - total buzzkill. A fine restaurant but I doubt I'll go back."