Buzzard Billy's

Delicious New Orleans style food restaurant in the heart of downtown La Crosse. Definitely worth trying at least once. I always get the blackened walleye, but everyone enjoys whatever they order. Parking is difficult unless you go to the parking structure a block away (free on weekends).

I was in town overnight on a trip from South Dakota to Indiana. My hotel was in downtown, so we looked for a restaurant that was out of the norm. I was not disappointed. They had a full load of Cajun and Louisiana style foods. Everything was delicious! They also had a good variety of adult refreshments. If I'm evere in the area, I would definitely go back again.

First time here tonight and will definitely be back! Brandon was our server and he was wonderful!!! Definitely check it out if you're un the area!!!

I ordered the beans and rice with sausage and chicken. It was very good. Nice locations. Would definitely come back if I found myself back in La Cross

Great food, excellent atmosphere. Our server Chelsea made some great suggestions on local beers. Try the armadillo eggs as a starter and follow up with a salad and burger. Don’t miss the side of onion rings. We will definitely be back.

These guys were packed full on a Saturday night with a wait for seating. They told us 30-45 minutes but we were seated in about 20. Server was there right away and checked back plenty! Olivia I believe... Food was excellent, beer was cold, and they had playoff football on the TVs! We will definitely be back as they have a wide variety of food, drinks, and beer! Price was fair also.

We stopped in for an early dinner, 5:00 pm last Saturday. We were told the wait would be about 20-30 minutes... it ended up being about 15. We ordered Gator Fingers as an appetizer, they were great. We ordered the Alligator Gran Chenier, Seafood Jumbalaya, and two Chicken Gumbos. The buttered garlic bread was great. All of the food was great and genuinely spicy (a good thing). The lady who waited on our table was very friendly and service minded.

A casual spot with Cajun and Creole dishes, plus salads, burgers, etc. for those who want commonplace fare. Prompt, cheery service, good-sized portions for the price, and fun decor. We enjoyed it!

5 !! The best FOOD ! Driving through town and hadn't eaten since early morning so, we stopped at Buzzard Billy's and it did not disappoint!! Not sure what they use to make their shrimp but it was phenomenal!! Plus the meals were absolutely huge! Service, they just did not have enough staff help but that is everywhere. Not sure what the place itself really looks like. Since our table was just a few steps from the front door but the table had Green Bay Packers very old traditions ng cards. How sweet for those GBP fans. We will definitely be back.

Place was packed! Server got to us quickly and made us feel welcome. Food portions were decent for price. Drinks were good also. Upstairs is a dance club/lounge that I'd like to try next time. There was a long wait on the stairs leading up so we went elsewhere.

Well killing time before we leave for the airport, we decide to grab a quick bite to eat water soaking in the sentence sites of the riverwalk The cheese curds were ok, but I liked the dip that it came with....had a hit of pickles?!?!?!? Elise recommended the Cajun combo and it was what we wanted!!!! Catfish was meaty, seafood gumbo has just the right amount of heat to open up the nasal passage, jambalaya looked like Christmas...very good, but hands down my fave was the hushpuppies. 3 big balls, crispy crusty on the outside, sweet and soft on the inside. Tip: active military ask and you'll get a discount...a hefty discount to boot Definitely a must try when you're at Lacrosse.

We went there on a Friday evening and there was a wait for 20 minutes so we went to another bar by the time we finished our drinks the table was ready and we got our table which was GREAT! Food was decent the menu is very extensive so makes you second guess your choice. It has a very old American bar feel and it is great

Buzzard Billy's has a great selection of food. I ordered the cajun combo which is blackened catfish filet, Andouille and ham jambalaya and a cup of seafood gumbo and hushpuppies. The catfish and hushpuppies were the best items on this dish!The price was reasonable and I really liked the interior decor. If you are ever in La Cross, WI check them out!

Hubby and I had to try alligator and this was the closest place I found. Food was ok. Portions were fair. The server missed a refill here and there and mainly left us be for the majority of the meal. There was over an hour wait so we drove around until we found something. Restaurant wasn't anything special. Table was small but we made due.

Let's get into it!!! So first and foremost...I had three people rave about Buzzard Billy's, so I had to see what all the hype was about! Well, I must say, for the restaurant to be in Wisconsin, it is definitely serving that Louisiana style and vibes. The energy is great! I wanted to try the wings because if they are good, then I know it will only go up from there! Listen, I had the Cajun wings and whew they were GEWD!!! I could taste the variety of flavors embedded in the seasoning and yes, they were seasoned great! The service was great! From the hostess Steph, to the bartender Anna, to another waitress Meghan, thank you! You made my visit a good one! So, of course I wanted more, but my stomach said, only one dish today because I had to make room for their Seasonal Margarita and it was tasty! If you're In town or just need a place to call home, just stop by The spot, and you will thank me later. Until next time...Cheers!

Service here is unbelievable. Great local people. The food is authentic and tasty. Make sure you hungry. Portions are huge. The place is a wild mix of decorations. I'll definitely go back when traveling through. A true gem in Wisconsin.

Among the surprises in downtown La Crosse was Buzzard Billy's. In the old town section stands this classic building with a draw-me-in exterior that says fun! Cajun cooking with some spice. The walls are lined with nostalgic items in a familiar theme of gas station signs, tires, oil etc. There is a two page beer menu as well as specialty drinks and cocktails. There are choices when ordering. I ordered the House Specialty Chicken Sandwich and had five choices in how I wanted it cooked. The sandwich has a choice of sides including hushpuppies which I haven't seen on a menu since a long ago trip to Washington DC. Our group had the Armadillo Eggs which is just in name only. The 'eggs' are bacon wrapped chicken tenders with jalapenos and pepper jack cheese with a ranch sauce. Billy's is a fun atmosphere and patrons of all ages line up by the door to enjoy.

I love a good Creole restaurant and this one served it up in spades. I had the crawfish etouffee and while the roux was darker (i.e. Northern Louisiana) than I'm accustomed to, it was dynamite. Every single spoonful had at least one crawfish tail which is something you don't always find outside of Louisiana. The Texas Jumbo Shrimp filled with cream cheese, pickled jalapeno, and wrapped in bacon was simply amazing. We ate at the bar and service was pretty darn good for how busy it was getting. The interior is a cross between college town eatery and a watered down Mulatte's.

Our go to in La Crosse! Food is so good! Great service and vibe! Forgot to get a picture of the Hurricane, which was also delicious!

Old school brick walls college bar with lots of seating and a monstrous menu. Need yer Cajun fix? This, is the place.

This is a solid 4.5 star experience. There was quite the wait to get in, but I had used the waitlist feature on here to add our names to it and when we were going to be arriving and they had our table waiting for us. I very much appreciated that because we had a boat tour scheduled an hour and a half later. As a group we ordered the alligator bites. Everyone enjoyed them and my kids loved them. I had the Cajun platter. It had a little bit of everything on it. The hush puppies were alright but everything else was really good. I'm not a super huge fan of catfish, but I really enjoyed it blackened. We did have an issue where they sent a cheeseburger instead of a hamburger for my picky child; but they brought him a new one out. I would definitely come back and try some more items!

Heard many things about Buzzard Billy's and I'm so glad I finally got to try it out! Service is great. Our waitress was super sweet and attentive to our table. It was a Friday night so you can imagine it was quite busy. Wished I got her name to give her a s/o. Food, everything was perfectly seasoned. The only thing I didn't like was the Oyster poboy - nothing wrong with it. Just too much breading for me. But in all goodness, the Gumbo is by far the best thing I've ate in La Crosse since moving back here after 12 years. Highly recommend it if you haven't tried it. My chef husband approves and was very happy i brought some home for him to try. Will definitely be going back!

As we were traveling into La Crosse we needed to find somewhere for dinner.i typed in " where the locals eat" this place was in the top five. If you love Cajun food it's a must!!! Or if you love good food...it's a must! I was asking the staff..."what is your favorite thing on the menu?" I went with the staff pick "Au Gratin chicken & shrimp." Also had the hush puppies to start. My impressive thing... food came to our table piping hot! Love when food is delivered hot. The service was amazing. Hostesses wanted to make sure we were enjoying what we chose. It got busy after we were seated. The patio looked lovely too. Overall excellent place. It's decorated by things you"d see on American Pickers.

I wouldn't say there's anything overly special about this place, but it's solid. Service was good, food was good, atmosphere is good. Cheese curds were good but you need to eat them fresh. Otherwise it feels like cold fried string cheese if you wait too long. Prefect portion to share. The nachos were eh. I expected the sausage/meat in there to have more flavor.... And chips were stale. So for that reason it's 4 stars.

Buzzard Billy's came recommended by the bartender at Pearl Street Brewery just up the road and boy did she know what she was talking about! From the time we walked in the door to the time we walked back out the door, the experience was top notch! Service was genuine, friendly and welcoming and the food was out of this world delicious!! Hubby had the Cajun Combo with the addition of dirty rice and he was blown away by all the flavors and portions! We've been to Louisiana and didn't have food this good, these folks totally know what they're doing! I had the Ca C'est Bon (Saw-Say-Bon) and I swear it was the best meal I've ever had in my life! The Cajun catfish is phenomenal and the sauce that the fried potatoes soak in is worthy of awards! The bread is a slice of heaven, all buttery and crunchy, fresh and soft but that corn... wow... what's with that corn... so good!! There are two other locations of Buzzard Billy's, both on our travel map journey if we're ever in the area. I sure hope we get back to this location some day because I will forever crave this meal!

Talk about fun atmosphere mixed with good Cajun style food. Who'd have thought LaCrosse would be home to a restaurant with awesome hush puppies. I went with the walleye and got a large filet with great taste. My wife got a red beans and rice dish with smoked sausage and blackened chicken. Talk about great flavors combined together. Our server was attentive, despite the place being quite busy. The portion size was large and the place was just fun to be in. Plenty of televisions to catch any sports event that is on. We stopped here on the recommendation of a friend and Buzzard Billy's nailed it.

Jambalaya is TASTY! Great atmosphere and service. So good, there may be a long line at the door!

Atmosphere was great! Food portions were plenty. Catfish was delicious and so was the shrimp.

The wait for a table was quite long given a nearby event. However, the food and service from here was fantastic and worth the wait! Our table ordered gator fingers, jambalaya, BBQ mac, and chicken tchoupitoulas. Everything was cooked properly and seasoned to perfection. Our server (Karen, I believe) was super nice and attentive to our table. Highly recommend!

Pretty awesome creole style food!! We went on a Tuesday night and ordered the Bayou Platteratter plus bacon wrapped shrimp - both were delicious & full of good flavor! Our black& tan drinks were poured perfectly! Bartenders were sooo friendly! Clean atmosphere. Fun trinkets around to look at!

I was in New Orleans last year and couldn't find this good of Cajun food. This was the best Catfish and Jambalaya I have had in ages. The Gumbo was delicious but not the best I have found. I travel a lot for work and this was all around my favorite meal of 2024!!!

We used to eat here all the time and the cajun dishes were excellent. Last time we went there, we both ordered red beans a rice. The food was disgusting. It tasted like 3 day old warmed up crap. We will not go back!

Great food, and a fun place to eat. If you like Cajun but are stuck up north this is the place to go.

This bar is really busy so be ready for a wait. No non sense straightforward Cajun food with all the traditional offerings: gator, catfish, crawfish, gumbo.... And all the drinks you can think of with good service. A good place to stop by for casual Cajun food.

The food was pretty good. The prices were good. The waitress, Cali Z (what was on the receipt) was really good. We had a great time. I enjoyed the Jambalaya. I ate most of the fries off of my wife's plate. They were really good. The atmosphere was really friendly and it was busy at the time. Waitress kept up with drinks and refills.

Excellent place. From the moment we walked in we were warmly welcomed and the hostess was very patient with us as we could not decide where to seat. She accommodated our preference of seating next to a window. Our server was friendly, attentive, and fast. My husband order a cup of gumbo and we each had a side salad We shared the Ca C'est Bon with added sautéed shrimp - Andouille sausage, tomato, onion, and garlic sautéed in white wine and butter, tossed with fried diced potatoes, then topped with a blackened catfish filet and garnished with melted parmesan cheese. Served with Maque Choux and grilled bread. Everything was delicious, fresh, and very satisfying They even make me my favorite drink, Boulevardier, even though they never hear of it before. This would be one of my "usual" places if I was living here.

Another place that was recommended by friends for our visit to LaCrosse. We were lucky to get a table at around 5:45pm on a Wednesday night. The place was packed. I guess being in Wisconsin people dine early. They have a fun decor if you like old beer advertisements and signs. After a short wait we ordered drinks. Given the New Orleans theme of the restaurant I tried their Hurricane - it was pretty good and a decent price. My brother-in-law never got his drink until we found the waitress 25 mins later. She had never bothered to check-in with us once we ordered our meals. OK it was busy and places are short on help but... After 40 mins we flagged her down again to inquire about our meals and she said the average wait for food was 45 minutes so it should be out soon and it was. Sorry but that is an unacceptable wait. I got the Cajun combo - the blackened catfish was very good, the cup of gumbo was good and the jambalaya was just OK. The hushpuppies were over fried. Another got the beef brisket Mac & cheese and gave it a thumbs up. The menu is full of many authentic New Orleans dishes so there is a lot of potential but they need to get the wait times down.

Fun variety and good tasting. I would go again. Not a "must have", but solid choice for something a little different.

Good food and drinks were amazing. Can't wait to come back to la Crosse again. Staff and servers were amazing

Our group has been waiting a year to come back here, but was met with pure disappointment the moment we entered the door. This is the reason this isn't a 5 star review again. The lady that is front of house was rude, and I mean extremely rude. I gave her my name and number for our reservation like everyone else. We waited and then when we were second in line I just wanted to follow up with her how much longer it would be so I could relay this information to the rest of our group of 4. She replied with "I texted you didn't you get it!?" Legit yelling at me for just a simple question. She then tossed our menus on the table and said you are here and left. I can't stress enough how this just sent the worst image of the establishment. Our waitress, and food was absolutely worth the wait! We also asked if we could squeeze one more person with us ( since there was 5 empty booths and 3 empty tables) and our 2 extra got yelled at for even asking this from the same lady. They were so turned off they just left. Will we come back, yes, because of the absolutely delicious food and great wait staff. Will I legit walk out and turn around without a second thought if I see this lady when I come back next year. Yes. I'm just trying to help this establishment thrive and learn with what they may or may not know. I don't mean for this to be negative but honest and truthful.

Great food, the corn bread rolls are amazing. Also the Starlite Lounge upstairs is great for drinks and live music after dinner.

It was recommended that I come here from a local and I was very excited to try it. I had just had a flight cancellation from the airport and was ready to enjoy a good dinner. Unfortunately my group had to wait over an hour for food, the server we had did not check up on us in any regular interval either leaving our drinks empty. When my food finally did come it was wrong. Food was good, but I would have rather had good service somewhere else. Also no compensation for our wait was offered, no explanation as to why our food took an hour, and when I asked about a military discount I was told "no... well yes but you have to be in uniform." Which didn't sit right with me considering the service we had just had. Nice looking place, but yeah... if this is an option you're considering, I would consider other options. *and I understand this is a sample size of their day to day and obviously it's not always like this and there are things out of their control.

Another absolutely wonderful dinner at Buzzard Billy's. Tonight I tried the Creole Crab Corn Soup. This may be a new go-to for me. The flavor was impeccable. Slightly Cajun seasoned and full of lovely crab pieces. Almost wish I had ordered a bowl and skipped the dinner part, but alas, I do love their Blackened Chicken Alfreadoux. This is my current favorite dish here. I plan my visits to LaCrosse to make sure I make it to Buzzard Billy's. Maybe one day I will try something new. In the meantime...a huge shout out to my server, Chase. This guy is working hard! Great Service!

One of my favorite places in La Crosse. Food and drinks here are always on point. I loved their blackened prime rib w/ the garlic mashed potatoes. Their hush puppies are so crispy and airy. Red beans and rice are well seasoned as well. Chicken Czarina is also another one of my favorites! It comes with Gulf shrimp, sliced mushrooms, and green onions sauteed in a creole style Parmesan cream sauce, ladled over a hand-breaded fried chicken breast. Served with dirty rice and maque choux. I've also tried their gumbo, I've had better gumbo than the one here. I felt like there was too much chunky tomato but it has a nice bite. Not very spicy edible for anyone who isn't really into spicy things. Least favorite was the corn crab soup. My bad! I didn't realize it came with imitation crab rather than the real crab. So the menu does specify it utilizes Surimi. Place gets very loud! It's always poppin' they also have a bar next door. And the infamous bar upstairs called the Starlight Lounge. A must stop if you're in the restaurant!

Dinner was average and service wasn't so good. I would probably recommend another place if you are only staying a short time in La Crosse.

service was good. food about average for cajun and a little pricey. I used love New Orleans Take Out a Madison legend. And base all others on this - plus a stay in the Big Easy. Could up their game a little by using gulf shrimp for one and real French bread.

I can't believe it took us so long to try Buzzard Billy's. To be fair, we go to the upstairs Starlite Lounge frequently and will order nachos from downstairs, but we have never actually eaten in Buzzard Billy's until recently and I'm glad we did! The atmosphere in Buzzard Billy's is fun and the service we had was fantastic! Portions are HUGE! I got the jambalaya, and had enough for a whole meal as leftovers. My husband got a half order of the rasta pasta which was a good size. Both meals were fantastic, and my husband has been craving that rasta pasta since we went! If you're there at a busy time and are waiting for a table, you can go upstairs and get a fantastic cocktail from Starlite while you wait. Definitely a place worth checking out!

Some of the best New Orleans food ever. It was so delicious and made to perfection. I highly recommend you check this place out.

It was a Wednesday night and the place was busy!! That tells you something about the food! So many options but I fit the A1 mushroom burger with mashed potatoes for my side .. it was delicious.. I'm onKy here for a couple more days. But I'll be back

Visited this LaCrosse location this weekend as well as Nebraska earlier this year. The third is in Des Moines. For a Midwest small chain Cajun restaurant it's fantastic. Good quality is great. Jambalaya, gumbo, drinks all good. All in all the food and fare was excellent for being outside the Big Easy. Modestly spiced. Service was struggling but there were ample signs throughout noting they were understaffed. Even with that, no complaints. Delightful.

Always good food but the menu is huge a bit overwhelming - always recommend the pasta

The place was great, staff were great and the food was better than that. Love the Poutine.

AMAZING wings. Was really surprised at their quality. Crispy on the outside, still juicy and tender on the inside. I got the crawfish sampler. The etoufee was very flavorful and the rice was perfectly cooked. The fried crawfish was a bit under-seasoned. Wife got the walleye and same complaint. Was fried perfectly, crispy on the outside but not dry, just needed seasoning. Also the portions are HUGE, definitely get your moneys worth. Outside of the minor seasoning issue, very good meal.

Cool ambiance and lots of food choices. Food is heavy, but delicious. Drinks are good, too.

This place is awesome. The food is delicious. Great atmosphere. It is very popular so plan on a wait.

Great Cajun food, delicious drinks, and love the atmosphere. Buzzard eggs, and rasta pasta are my favs. Always good service and reasonable prices.

What a amazing place with amazing service. I had a few nice local craft beers and their Jambalaya was amazing and talk about large portions. I will be back with my family next time.