Blue Bayou

Visited Blue Bayou Bar & Grill in Chicago — a fantastic sports bar with amazing food! Their jambalaya soup is a masterpiece: spicy, rich, and incredibly flavorful. The perfect balance of spices and fresh ingredients makes every spoonful a delight. The atmosphere is lively and cozy, perfect for catching a game with friends. A great spot to relax, enjoy good food, and soak in the Southern vibes. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a memorable experience!

I ordered the shrimp poboy. Presentation was phenomenal! The shrimp were incredible. Super crispy and juicy. Love the creole inspired sauce and fresh herb topping. Veggies were extremely fresh as well. Bun was little dry. I’d recommend toasting it to provide some texture contrast (it is a lot of bread). Great beer selection and a super friendly staff!

They're baaaaaaack. After being closed for 10+ years, Blue Bayou has returned to Southport in the same space, recently revamped by Last Call Tavern Group. The space itself has two levels, downstairs a plethora of tables and long bar with plenty of seats and TVs. Upstairs is slightly smaller, but the balcony over Southport remains and the facade has a garage-style window that looks to open up to overlook the street in warmer weather, ala Bourbon Streen in NoLa. Food was excellent, and service was great though you need to come with patience as they're clearly working out some kinks. On weekends they offer a $25 bloody/mimosa option, and you can switch back & forth (tho mentioning the kinks above, they ran out of OJ during our visit and a manager had to run to a store to replenish - guess they underestimated how many mimosas we can drink haha). Glad to see them back, and look forward to returning soon!

As someone who didn't live here when the original incarnation was around, I'm happy to say that this new place was fantastic. Great food, friendly service, great music and atmosphere. Very happy it's here in the neighborhood!

This is what they consider a 6 oz pour 😂 (most likely end of the bottle), I NEVER leave a negative review unless it feels necessary. I politely asked the Bartender if this was a 6 oz pour, she matter of “factly” said, Yes, my manager watched me pour it.” So neither one of them know how much liquid =6oz. Had the bartender’s response been a bit more in the realm of good customer service, I wouldn’t be writing this. On a positive note, our waiter was lovely and professional.

Blue Bayou has the flavours of New Orleans right in the middle of Chicago's Southport neighbourhood. I enjoyed the shrimp po'boy sandwich and Cajun potato chips. I reccomend Blue Bayou to anyone who loves Cajun food.

I can’t say enough great things about this place. I moved into the neighborhood after the original so I can’t compare the two. Since it’s opened I’ve been in several times. Several times with my six year old. They have a kids menu, but he’s a fan of the smash burger and pickles. Sean even made sure he had chocolate milk and extra pickles on both visits- he’s great! I’ve had the shrimp and alligator po boy both are so delicious, today I had the eggs Benedict and my friend had the chicken and waffles. Sam was my server again, she’s friendly and attentive. Again, excellent choices. Definitely ask for some apple butter. They also have a variety of cocktails including an espresso martini and a New Orleans inspired martini. I’ll be back often. It’s a great addition to Southport.

We live close by and decided to walk over for dinner last minute on a weekend. We were surprised at how packed it was, but they were able to make room for us! Despite being so busy, the service was incredibly fast, including the time it took for our food to come out. The food itself was delicious - I had the shrimp po'boy and it was SO good I can't wait to go back and get it again. They also had a specific whiskey that my boyfriend had been wanting to try and and over all very good selection of drinks and spirits. We'll definitely be back!

I was SO excited Blue Bayou finally reopened and knew I had to check it out pretty quickly. Scoping the menu beforehand, I was a bit surprised that there were several classic NOLA dishes missing (no real jambalaya or gumbo, just something called jambalaya soup?, no beignets?!) but there are po'boys and shrimp and grits so I knew what I'd be ordering. It's seat yourself (which wasn't clear and had us hanging around the entrance for a beat until a server saw us and told us), and the decor felt a little...forced. It's barely NOLA themed--it's more general country sports bar themed with tons of TVs, license plates on the wall, and empty liquor bottles used as decor. Not even a single beaded necklace in sight! I wasn't hoping for tons of cheesy New Orleans decor, but did expect a bit more theming than there was. They have a solid beer menu, and we stuck with that instead of trying any of the cocktails. My husband ordered the gator po'boy and I got the shrimp and grits, with the cheese curds as a starter, and a bonus side of fries. The cheese curds were the same ones served down the street at Butchers Tap (from the same restaurant group) and were quite good, but less than a minute after they came out, our main dishes came out so everything felt a bit rushed. The husband said his po'boy tasted fine. The shrimp, sausage and vegetables were solid but the grits were quite bland and it almost tasted like they forgot to add cheese to them? Not sure but it was a bit disappointing for $22. The fries, though, were awesome! We'll give it another shot after they've had a chance to work out some kinks. We were served quickly, but noticed some tables waiting a long time for someone to take their orders (the server said they were unexpectedly short staffed). I'd be curious to try the brunch, but the menu is very basic brunch food so nothing special (and no mimosa or Bloody Mary deals according to the website).

Great bartender. Fine server. My issue? The oil used tasted ancient! I ordered shrimp and wings. Honestly, the putrid oil was just stomach-churning. The shrimp was spoiled. I stopped eating immediately. The shrimp was bad. That's it. Anyone that's ever gotten shellfish sick knows you never forget "eat through it" again. Bombed. Like Pearl Harbor. So I stopped. I paid and went to The Music Box. The staff was very nice and I feel badly leaving this review. I hope they change their oil because of this review though. My guess would be - i would not enjoy SEEING that kitchen.

They're baaaaaaack. After being closed for 10+ years, Blue Bayou has returned to Southport in the same space, recently revamped by Last Call Tavern Group. The space itself has two levels, downstairs a plethora of tables and long bar with plenty of seats and TVs. Upstairs is slightly smaller, but the balcony over Southport remains and the facade has a garage-style window that looks to open up to overlook the street in warmer weather, ala Bourbon Streen in NoLa. Food was excellent, and service was great though you need to come with patience as they're clearly working out some kinks. On weekends they offer a $25 bloody/mimosa option, and you can switch back & forth (tho mentioning the kinks above, they ran out of OJ during our visit and a manager had to run to a store to replenish - guess they underestimated how many mimosas we can drink haha). Glad to see them back, and look forward to returning soon!

Blue Bayou is a classy sports bar and grill that has the flavours and spirit of New Orleans right in Chicago's North Side. The food was the best. It was my first time trying Cajun cuisine. And staff was friendly and helpful. They always made sure the customers are having a great time. I'll look forward to visiting the Blue Bayou in the future.

Whoever redesigned this space did it dirty. The Blue Bayou of yesteryear had a moody ambiance that made you want to linger over another round of drinks: dark wood paneling, dimly-lit elaborate chandeliers, classic tin paneling, cozy booths tucked under arches, an oversized mirror behind the bar that made the cozy space feel more expansive. Tragically, it's all been replaced with: - plywood paneling across all walls that are painted in a poorly executed faux woodgrain - an overload of faux vintage license plates and other memorabilia that I can only assume came from a clearance sale after a Louisiana TGI Friday's went out of business - BRIGHT overhead lighting that flatters nobody - a sea of tables crammed in the back that are impossible to navigate around if a single other person is in the act of trying to get through them - SO many TVs. I get that being able to show a variety of games at once drives traffic to bars, but they could have better thought out their placement I'm sure the interior needed a LOT of work after sitting vacant for so long, but these cheap solutions don't create an inviting space. If you were left cold when nearby D'Agostino's stripped all of the character from their interior, you'll enjoy hanging here equally as much. I enjoyed what we ordered -- the Sazerac was really nice, shrimp and grits were fine but nothing to write home about, same for the fries -- but the extra "meh" atmosphere sends it to the very bottom of the list of places I'd like hang out with friends over drinks on Southport. What a bummer! This was a favorite spot when I first moved to the neighborhood many years ago.

Having lived in the neighborhood for more than 13 years, it was exciting to have Blue Bayou reopen. Unfortunately, it lost all charm and gained only corporate cheese in the 10+ years since the original closed. Last Call is no doubt a successful hospitality group, but anyone who has been in one of their properties know they are not catering to a neighborhood clientele, but more 20-somethings and Cubs fans. That's very apparent in the new Blue Bayou. I've now been three times and have been disappointed each time. The first time, even though there are cocktails listed on the menu, the server and the bartender couldn't comprehend a simple manhattan or gin martini, let alone know what Tanqueray is. Both were undrinkable, not even resembling the classic cocktail they should be and were sent back. The second time we tried the food. The quesadilla literally had one whole section empty of filling. So it was 3/4 of a quesadilla. The jambalaya was decent, but nothing special or authentic. The third time our server didn't even know what Four Roses is, despite the highlighted section of special bourbons and liquors on the menu (of which Four Roses isn't even one - just a very common bourbon). While I don't blame the individual servers, I do blame management for hiring 23 year olds that don't know anything about a proper bar that serves cocktails, high-end liquors or, really, anything beyond Miller Lite. They're clearly going for a vibe by only hiring female servers, but this is a neighborhood joint. We want friendly, knowledgeable service not "sexy" style. Finally the decor. It looks like an Applebees trying to disguise itself as a New Orleans-themed bar. There is almost no empty space anywhere on the walls, with some New Orleans pictures and, oddly, endless license plates from all over the country. It's just bad. While there is time to right this ship, until they do, I think I'll stick to the true neighborhood joints like Toons, Port & Park and Guthries. But please, Last Call, take the time to hire professionals and train them properly, lose the cheesy decor, and bring back the heart of what the neighborhood wants and remembers. Until you do, places like Toons will remain packed and you will get the stragglers.

First time back here. Very lively on a Saturday night. Great vibe and addition as Southport needs some bars like this. We all enjoyed the food- the burger, the surf and turf and the po boys. Will def be back.

The food is pretty decent, but missing some important New Orleans classics in favor of basic American bar food. The beer menu is pretty great, I have yet to try the cocktails however. My major issue is with the interior design. It feels super tacky, as if someone just bought a collection of "American Country" wall decorations from Urban Outfitters. So far the service has been hit or miss. We have been twice, once with a so-so waitress and the other time with very friendly one. I am mostly disappointed because this bar has so much potential. Alas, it is painfully generic.

this place treats their workers like trash I worked there a week and they refuse to pay me for my labor smh

It seems like they are still working some things out. Service was slow on a relatively slow night. Jambalaya soup was ok, smash burger pretty good, but cat fish po'boy was very subpar. Toon's down the street has way better catfish and feels just as "Nola" or Cajun as this place. Toon's also has a way better hot sauce selection. Didn't experience the first iteration so don't know what to compare it too but felt sort of stale and inauthentic. If this is what it was like before, no wonder it took so long to come back? Will give it a while before I return.