BB’s Cafe

Absolutely love the sandwiches here. They definitely don’t skimp on the portions. They’ve got some of the most insane combinations for sandwiches I’ve ever seen, but it works! Service is not the fastest, but well worth it. Their chili cheese and roast beef Cajun fries are to die for.

I’ve ordered the Cajun Stuffed turkey from BB’s over the past few years. The first year, 2009 I think, it was phenom. My dad doesn’t eat meat, and he at the hell out of that turkey. It was a generous size for our party of 13 — and we had plenty of leftovers. Come 2010, the only two things that changed was the size — they gave out far smaller turkies — and we had to pick it up at the Downtown location. 2011, I knew better and ordered two: A Cajun Stuffed and a fried turkey.
Thanksgiving Day, the day of pickup, I learned that they accidentally swapped out all the Cajun Stuffed Turkey orders with the Turduken. Total disappointment. I was *really* upset with them, but didn’t want to cause a commotion because, after all, Thanksgiving is giving thanks for what you do have and not crying over what you don’t. So, they tried to make up for it by throwing in a sloppy pecan pie, jalapeño cornbread dressing, and they also assured me that I’d only be charged half-​price for the unwanted Turkducken (later I realized I wasn’t given the refund). And to top it off, when I asked for the reheating instructions, I was told they were in the envelope taped to my bag, but guess what happened when I opened up the envelope? No instructions. Womp. Womp.
Don’t get me wrong. BB’s serves out great Cajun-​Tex fare. I’m practically obsessed with the ‘Trose location. However, they seriously dropped the ball this time around. With the wrong turkey, unfulfilled refund, no reheating instructions, I was not happy customer.

I was in the mood for a sandwich. Unfortunately nobody made a plate of sandwiches apparate in my office like the way Professor McGonagall did in the Chamber of Secrets. So I went for a walk to track down a sandwich — and of course walked right past Subway, Quiznos, and everything else that is wrong in the Muggle sandwich making world until I realized I had timed it correctly to actually be able to eat here again (they had weird hours for someone like me who eats at weird times when they first opened.)
I wanted to let my review for Hugo’s sit on top of my review page a while longer so it would get more attention, but after losing my favorite pizza place in the city (ERA) I felt like I had to give downtown BB’s some attention too, because just like ERA, it has not been that busy recently when I have stopped in. But it is totally delicious. And like Niko Niko’s, the downtown version has better food in my opinion than the olde outpost back on Montrose.
Enter through the olde fashioned wooden door nestled between the windows like a charming old house (or as Ice Cube would say, this old hizzouse.) If you have not Unilocaled it up enough to know what to order, there is a «mailbox» stuffed with menus in the winding line up to the register so you can figure out what you want impulsively before you order. There is a bench to hang out and wait for people perpendicular to the beer refrigerator to the right of the register.
The restaurant has creaky old wooden floors which gave the place some character, it is not just a bland corporate franchise tossed in the middle of downtown. There are a lot of tables, the inside is actually a lot bigger than you think it would be just by briskly walking by on the street from point A to point B, and on occasion, point C. If you sit near the rear you get a garden view, or if you sit more Louisiana side, then people watching as the various downtownies (from bland corporate Brooks Bro to UHD student to homeless person) walk by the window. It is not that noisy at all, but as I said, it has not been that busy lately.
Meow: the food. The glorious food. My favorite is the Bullet for the King (from the menu: chicken stuffed with cream cheese and jalapeño, wrapped in bacon and topped with Bacon Ranch sauce and fresh tomatoes.) Yep, that is it. Bacon-​bacon-​bacon! Paula Deen would be happy. I am happy. The only thing I take issue with is the tomatoes. I had one small slice. Like if you were looking at a pie chart of what people would do with their money if they won the lottery, I received the «give it to charity» slice.
The Bullet for the King is bursting with flavors. See attached photo for deliciousness. The chicken is very high quality, it is not one of those weirdo Americanized-​Chinese versions of «chicken» that you have received. The bacon is not the Burger King «bacon» on your Croissanwich which makes you wonder what lab it was made in, or which sickly pig it came out of. And the sauce? Muy bien. The sauce is one of the best (tasty) and worst (messy all over your khaki pants) parts of BB’s Café. You will go through some napkins with the sauce — but it is a good thing, I dislike getting a little dot of sauce. I like things saucy — and so does my dry cleaner. The half sandwich is enough to fill you up at lunch, but you probably want the full sandwich if you are hungry and/​or doing this as an early dinner (they close at 8pm if you can manage to get here that early,)
One of my favorite downtown lunch spots. Wish they were open later at night and on weekends too for additional attempts to try more things on the menu.

Came here for lunch with co-​workers. I had the poorboy sandwich and cup of gumbo. The sandwich was full of shrimp. The gumbo was on the thicker side but still very good. It was very filling. I hope to go there again.

I don’t full-​out rave about a place often. BB’s Café deserves it.
Best shrimp poboy I’ve had in Houston. By far.
Wow.
I almost forgot what city I was in.
A half is really plenty of food. I went a little overboard and got a full. But it was so delicious.
If I didn’t have to go back to work, I would have had some Abita beer to go with the poboy. I was quite pleased to see it in the cooler.
I expect to go back and enjoy myself just as much next time.

First off, I’ve never really had New Orleans style food. So, I’m sure 5-​stars from me means nothing to those who are more experienced.
But seriously, the po’boys here are just ridiculously good.
Started off with the bacon wrapped, cream cheese and pepper filled chicken pieces. Delicious. Sinful.
Had half (love that you can order half portions here) of a cajun fried gulf shrimp po’boy and a traditional roast beef po’boy.
Boy was I SURPRISED. KNOCKED ME OFF MY FEETS.
The roast beef po’boy is perfect. Its like mixing the awesomeness of french dip with the amazingness of beef stroganoff, and a little bit of a cubano sandwich. The roast beef… falling apart. The gravy, dense and seasoned, giving the whole thing a punch. The pickles… perfect touch. The bread? Not toasted to the point of cutting my mouth, nor soft to the point where I can’t tear it with my fangs.
The cajun shrimp po’boy pretty solid. Nice fresh gulf shrimp (just that hint of the sea) and nice slaw, with the BB’s sauce (a mix of thousand island /​ranch taste). Solid solid solid.
Rest of the table liked their food too. Highlights were Jalapeño mac&cheese topped with roast beef and gravy (the same beef from my sandwich), and the sausage and chicken gumbo (flavorful yet light).
Best yet, everything is SUPER affordable here. SO SO SO GOOD.
I’ll be searching for my next great new orleans style food adventure FOR SURE.

I was so excited to try this place and it BOMBED. I paid $ 17 (at lunch) for gumbo and a shrimp po-​boy. Neither of which were yummy. The gumbo was canned tasting and poured over a bunch of rice. The shrimp po-​boy was hard (and chewy) and dry and flavorless. If you want real cajun food go to Floyds on Durham. FYI Goode Co. Seafood has good po-​boys.

This isn’t fancy food. And lord knows it’s not healthy. But damn is it tasty. Their half sandwiches are usualy plenty of food for one person. Great French Fries. The Shrimpiladas were different but good. The Shrimp Po’ Boy was exploding with Shrimp. The chips and queso are not worth ordering. The South Texas Fire sandwich is finger-​licking good (literally, your hands and face will be covered in this sandwich). There’s plenty left on the menu that I am excited to try.

Today I met my wife for lunch and decided to try BB’s Café to try and satisfy my craving for Cajun food. I have been to this location a lot in the past when it was the Longhorn Café, so I was curious if I would miss the Longhorn, or be glad it was now BB’s.
The place is really nice inside. It had a lot of brickwork that gave it a tavern type feel. I think the renovation did the place some good, since it needed some attention when it was the Longhorn Café.
I didn’t really like the way orders were taken. They have a cash register not too far from the front door, and you give your order there, take your number and find a seat. I went at 11:30 for lunch and the line was out the door due to the way they took orders. I can see this being an issue if it was a rainy day or in the middle of the hot summer. I liked it better when it was Longhorn, since they sat you first, then took your order at the table. No chance of standing in the rain or heat.
Once we got our own drinks and took our seat, it wasn’t long before our boudin balls were delivered. They were pretty tasty, and were served with a small dipping sauce that I thought went well with them.
Our main courses came out shortly after that, so the service was good, which is important when you are limited for time. I had the Shrimp étouffée, and my wife had the Gumbo. They have 3 different sized portions. We got the middle/​medium size, and it was plenty! The first thing I noticed was that the food was luke warm. I particularly don’t like my food luke warm, I like it with just a little steam coming from it. It gave me the sense that it was taken out of the refrigerator, tossed in a microwave, and wasn’t warmed up long enough. My wife mentioned that her meal was luke warm as well, but she didn’t mind, since she didn’t have to wait for it to cool off before eating it. I also noticed the rice was pretty firm as well, and my wife agreed. It could have been cooked a bit more, but it wasn’t a deal breaker.
Total for two medium sized entrees, one drink and an appetizer was 25 bucks.
I’m not sure if I would go here again. I don’t get Cajun food too often, and I’m thinking if I am downtown again, I might head over to Treebeards or Zydeco instead.

Love this new location in Downtown across from the Alley. The interior is quaint and more spacious than the original without losing the funkiness that is BB’s. It was well after lunch but before dinner when I came in, so I sat at the bar for the best possible service. The waiter was helpful, talkative and brought my attention to the fact that happy hour started at 3pm and that included speciality drinks for $ 5 (usually 8), Domestic bottles for $ 2.50 and imports for $ 3. There also was a few appetizer specials as well, including a cup of chicken and sausage gumbo $ 2 (reg. $ 4).
Gumbo sounded good and it was flavorful, good temp and a great roux. I thought I ordered a half link of boudin but actually ordered a half boudin poboy $ 5.25, fully dressed. While I had never eaten it grilled and smashed between a baguette, it was yummy none the less.
I was sorry to hear that they are not yet open on weekends due to small crowds, but this would still be a great place to hit before or after theater and certainly at lunch time.
Like Niko Nikos, I am glad to see this Montrose original come downtown.

This review is only for the take-​out fried turkey:
A dilemma was a-​brewin’ at my office. Basically, it came down to this: if someone didn’t step up to bring the turkey, our annual office Thanksgiving lunch would be kaput. Unilocal to the rescue! I jumped on the computer, noticed a thread for fried turkeys, and took Farrah A.‘s suggestion to order from BB’s Café in downtown.
The guy on the phone – I think his name was Joe – was very helpful. For $ 39.99, I ordered a 10−14lbs. fried turkey cajun-​style. Unfortunately, I was outside of their delivery area, so I had to pick it up. But it was ready a little after I got there.
The little devil on my shoulder told me to tell everyone at work that I was the one who cooked the turkey. It was tempting, given that everyone who tried it loved it! As for me, I found the turkey still hot, juicy/​moist, and quite tasty.
Thanks BB’s for saving my work’s annual feast!

How convenient to be located downtown as well! It’s just a block from my hubby’s office so I met him for lunch one day.
There was a lunch crowd but the ordering line moved quickly. As we walked in, we saw a line. An employee handed us their menu and we looked over it. I’m not sure why I looked over it when I already knew I wanted a roast beef sammwich!
We ordered the roast beef poboy, shrimp poboy, an order of shoe string fries, a side spinach salad and some tea.
It was 11:45am and half of the place was already full. We found a table next to the windows where we can watch the outdoor seating area.
This is such a cute place! It is definitely bigger than the original location and seems much busier. The crowd and atmosphere was cool. It almost looks like a tavern… with the dark wood and paintings and pictures throughout the restaurant.
The outdoor seating area reminded me of the NOLA restaurants in the Quarter that has outdoor seating.
On with the food! Both of our poboys were delicious! OMG… I will drive all the way downtown again for BB’s. Forget the convenient Montrose location, I’m going to THIS location!
The poboys are not ginormously long/​big like the traditional poboys in NOLA, but at least they are filled to the max with goodness.
I was full for a good 18 hours before I was ready for my next meal.
I don’t care for their shoestring fries. I’m just not a shoestring fry type of gal so someone else may like them. Also, I don’t like all the funky names for the food. Can I just walk in and order a roast beef poboy or a ham, egg and cheese sandwich? Do I really need to know if it’s the midnight so and so. or the orleans blah blah blah?
Back to the good stuff. the side spinach salad was super good. It came with cranberries, walnuts, spinach, feta cheese and a spicy ranch dressing. I ate it for lunch the next day because I could not get to it while I was munching on my poboy…
I know for sure that when I miss my debris and fried shrimp, I will head to BB’s downtown. Yum!

There is a lot to like about BB’s in the fourth ward, but for the downtowner it’s a little bit far to drive on a lunch hour. This new location is what’s up in the downtown creole/​cajun scene. Is there a scene you ask– yup. I mean Treebeards has had the corner on the market (square lol) for a long time and the time is ripe for a new kid in town.
BB’s is affordable, delicious, accommodating, and generous. Those are the things I look for in an eatery anywhere. Add some good location along with some red beans and rice and you have an explosive combo for some cubicle busting lunch hours.
They do cater from this location too.
Full disclosure: I am friends with and have done business with Iggy the Banquet Manager. He is a detail oriented and right on time with the po-​boys for my meeting.
It’s not the ultimate cajun shop yet, still missing that «been here a long while» feeling inside… but maybe someday it will be the 5 star downtown Houston Creole spot.

BB took over the space from the now defunct Longhorn Café and is a much needed addition to the north downtown dining scene. I am very pleased this restaurant opened near my office. Unfortunately, the new build out did not get rid of the horrible, dank smell that was synonymous with the former Longhorn Café.
Aside from the forgettable décor and bad smell, the food is fairly good. As other Unilocalers have commented, the small shrimp po boy comes with lots of shrimp, approximately 10 – 12, on a 6 inch French bread. There’s so much shrimp, most of them are falling off the bread. The po boy will be adequately filling to most diners without the need to get any additional side items. The gumbo was also tasty but some people may not like the thicker, etoufee-​like consistency. BBs also puts lots of protein into their gumbo and this also adds to a more robust gumbo.
In conclusion, this restaurant offers good Cajun food at reasonable prices and I will be back many times over the years.

BB must stand for Big Booty. Treasures in the forms of delicious calories abound. The po’boys here are stuffed to the brim to the point where the foodstuff overflows. A fork is needed to clean up the succulent scraps that may have escaped your freshly baked french bread. I usually order the Door Steps in the Marigny or the Midnight Masterpiece. The roast beef and dressing is moist and not the dry flaky cow that plagues most sandwiches. The size of the fried shrimp is like a mini-​lobster. A half order is usually enough or satisfy most appetites. The crispy shoe-​string fries are some of the best around.
BB’s will be a nice addition to my work-​downtown-​places-​to-​eat-​rotation. This used to be Longhorn Café but it closed down and BB’s took over. A great job was done renovating the place. It no longer feels dingy and old. Floors and walls were redone and repainted. A cleaner atmosphere makes food taste even better. A massive HDTV sits at the bar for your entertainment purposes.

love the BB’s on Montrose.
The downtown location is about twice as big, but during lunch hour, the service is about twice as slow. Hopefully the service will get better.
The shrimp po’boy is awesome! (i think it’s tied with Calliope’s as best po’boys in town)