Chefs' Favorite Louisiana Crawfish Restaurant

Photo Credit: ©Find. Eat. Drink.

“When crawfish are in season, you need to come to Hawk’s in Rayne. They take their crawfish so seriously. They are only open during the season and only serve crawfish.”

— Chef Alon Shaya

Off The Beaten Track

Hawk’s is located in Rayne, LA, a two and a half hour drive outside of New Orleans.

Middle of Nowhere

To get to the restaurant, you need to drive down a bumpy, dirt road.

The Crawfish Mecca

Chefs from around the world travel to this casual seafood shack.

Crawfish, Crawfish, and Crawfish

You're here for the crawfish. Order lots of them. On weekends, they will serve about two thousand pounds of crawfish per day.

Piles of Mudbugs

To eat these little swamp critters, separate the tail from the head with a twist and snap motion. Pinch the tail and pull out the meat. Don’t forget to suck the head of all the juices... that’s the best bit.

Crawfish are Messy

For the dress code at Hawk's, nothing fancier than a t-shirt... mudbugs are messy.

The Owners

The business is now run by Hawk's son, Anthony Arceneaux and his wife Jennifer. Hawk's has been in the business of serving crawfish since the early 1980s and are only open during crawfish season.

Mudbug, Crawdad, Crayfish

It's the freshwater crustacean with many names.

Local Sourcing

The crawfish are sourced from local farms. On the road to Hawk’s, you’ll see rice fields filled with water where they also farm crawfish. Cajun Country native chef Donald Link says the rice and crawfish make sense for alternating the crops because they co-exist together.

The Cleansing Process

What makes Hawk’s crawfish so unique is the cleansing method. It was developed by Texas A & M University and adopted in 1983 by L.H. Arceneaux, better known as “Hawk.”

Purging

The crawfish are “purged” in running aerated spring water for 48-hours. This rids the mudbugs of all grit and anything in their digestive tract. The result is a richer and brighter flavor.

A Memorable Experience

Chef Scott Boswell (Stella! and Stanley restaurants in New Orleans, LA) says, “Hawk’s is an amazing experience across the board.”

End Of The Meal

At the end of the season around June, the claws will be large enough that you’ll want to use a lobster cracker to get all the meat out.

Photographs: ©Find. Eat. Drink.

“Big, beautiful and perfect crawfish. Purged for 24 hours for cleaning. They are life changing even for a native.”

— Chef Donald Link

Down a bumpy, dirt road, in the small town of Rayne, LA, is a tin-roofed dining hall named Hawk's. Hawk's is far off the beaten track, but it's world-renowned for serving what is considered the best crawfish in the world. 

New Orleans chef and Cajun Country native Donald Link is one of Hawk's biggest fans. Link describes the crustacean as "big, beautiful and perfect. They are life changing, even for a native."

Photo Credit: ©Find. Eat. Drink.

“For boiled crawfish, it’s an amazing experience across the board.”

— Chef Scott Boswell

What makes Hawk's crawfish so unique is the method they use to clean them. Called purging, it was developed by Texas A&M University and adopted in 1983 by L.H. Arceneaux, better known as "Hawk." The crawfish are cleansed in aerated running spring water for 48-hours, which rids the mudbugs of all the grit and anything in their digestive tract. The result is a richer and brighter flavor.

Today, the business is run by Hawk's son, Anthony Arceneaux and his wife Jennifer and is only open during crawfish season (roughly January through June). They joke that their restaurant in located in the middle of nowhere. Rayne is smack dab in the middle of Cajun Country, a two and a half hour drive from New Orleans and an hour and a half drive from Baton Rouge.

HAWK'S
415 Hawks Road, Rayne, LA 70578
T: 337.788.3266 | www.hawkscrawfish.com

Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday: 5 - 9pm
Friday & Saturday: 5 - 10pm

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