Esther's Cajun Café & Soul Food

"I’m Creole so I love, love, love Cajun food. My favorite dish at Esther’s is the gumbo and the Cajun fried catfish meal. It’s a family-owned restaurant with great hospitality and it feels and tastes like home!" - Edward Barsamian

"Find oxtails, smothered pork chops, and fried chicken on the menu every day at chef Esther Lewis-Bernard’s soul food restaurant, but visit on Friday or Saturday when small, medium, and large bowls of gumbo are the daily special. Esther’s serves a show-stopping seafood combo with shrimp and whole crab claws." - Brittany Britto Garley, Minh T. Truong

"Get a slice of this soul food joint’s sweet pies, made with recipes passed down from earlier generations. Esther’s will have whole pecan pies or sweet potato pies for $15, and half pans of peach cobbler baked fresh daily for $45. Place your order by calling 713-699-1212 or emailing esthers.catering@yahoo.com." - Brittany Britto Garley

"With the spotlight on Cajun and Southern comfort eats at this storied mom-and-pop cafe, fried chicken is a given. Pair the crispy, seasoned pieces with fluffy waffles, or the seemingly endless sides like mac and cheese, collard greens, yams, black-eyed peas, cabbage, and dirty rice. If this is your first trip, order the oxtails — you’ll be coming back for seconds." - Brittany Britto Garley

"If you’re on the Northside, few spots will give you better soul food than Esther’s Cajun Cafe & Soul Food. The cafeteria-style restaurant has rows of options, but the smothered turkey wings (and more importantly, the gravy on top) could be eaten with just rice. The turkey is so tender that the bone is merely a formality. Esther's also offers a few cakes sold by the slice that feel like the dessert version of a kiss on the cheek—they’re perfectly sweet and automatically make you forget the pile of laundry waiting at home. Sit by the bar and have your meal with a drink meant for grown folks." - gianni greene