Joe’s OK Bayou

I started eating here years ago, the fried crawfish tails, fried gator tail, and their etoufee is amazing. I brought my sister in law here who is from cajun country in Leeziana and she also said this is the only cajun place she’s ever been outside of the deep south that tasted authentic. Good job Joes

Very disappointing. Went there tonight and even though the hours on the door say they are open from noon until 10 pm today they are closed at 7 pm. No sign on the door nothing. It is to say the least EXTREMELY unprofessional to not be open when you are supposed to be. I can only assume this is because of derby day. Again unprofessional. Derby day is really nothing special and certainly not a reason to close a business. To top it off, we tried going to their website to see what’s up and guess what? Their website doesn’t work either. Seriously if they can’t do better than this they just need to close permanently.

I’m not sure what’s going on. This has been my husband and my go-​to spot for many years, since we first got together. The staff is conscientious and the atmosphere is great. Quiet during lunch and fun during dinner. Was one of our favorite, if not our favorite eatery — that place we called «our place.»
When We went today– it was pretty awful! Last time we dined there, we had marveled over the fact that we never had a bad experience. Today was our first one.
Much of the food today was just not good. The tea tasted weird, tangy and overly sweet. The etouffe was runny, over salted and bland. It threw of the flavor profiles of the rest of the plate. We were so dismayed that we asked the waitress if the recipe had changed. Usually I am scraping the tiniest bit off the plate to eat, today I left most of my plate untouched.
They had a good deal going on– two specialty dinners with appetizer. The Cajun queso was actually very good and the crawfish was on its normal level.
But the husband and I agreed, if this had been our first experience, we would not have come back.
I hope this was a fluke but it may be some time before we return. I feel like something precious was taken from us.

Right away I thought this is a cool joint… very NOLA ambiance. Good selection of beer and liquor. Very friendly wait staff. The food came very fast. I order all-​you-​can-​eat Cajun… crawfish étouffée, gumbo, and gator chili and fried banana peppers for appetizer.
Gumbo was seasoned great (the roué’ is perfect), the gator chili… holy crap — great, and the étouffée perfect. Man what a great find. I just wish that I could have the restaurant back home… very sad.
Never have had fried banana pepper, but I like banana peppers and I like fried foods… tasted great.
I would defiantly recommend this restaurant if you love Cajun food.

Food was warm at best and not impressive. Table was sticky and soft drinks needed carbonation. Unfortunately I was disappointed.

Cajun food? Not even close! The blackened catfish was lightly seasoned grilled fish, and the gator was over cooked and rubbery. The red beans spice was the Tabasco I added to it. No wonder this place was empty for lunch. I know I won’t be back.

Great local place out in the burbs. The food is great and the people are friendly. My wife had the shrimp and I had the oysters, both were great. The gumbo was delicious as well. I don’t know of another place in Louisville with authentic Cajon food…

This restaurant has a wonderful ambience but when reflecting on the food all I can say is «Meh, I’ve had better» especially for the price.
Lunch is a busy time at this restaurant and the wait staff handle the hustle just fine. I came in and was seated immediately. The menu has plenty of choices so it was hard to decide. I ordered the Jambalaya and was disappointed that I was basically served a heaping plate of rice. The meat in the dish either went to other diners or it was cooked with very little to start. The seasoning in the dish was perfect. So for well seasoned rice I paid $ 9.50
My observation was this place is popular for the bar scene and beer drinkers that want food to go with their drinks. I was in search of quality food and will go elsewhere next time.

Give this place a try. The portions are huge. I have been looking for a place that gives you more food than you can eat for the money. But trust me you’ll eat it all! The jambalaya is fantastic and the table has all the sauces and spices right there for you, if an extra kick is what you’re after. The staff is friendly. The beer is cold. Bring the family and friends. Everyone will leave stuffed and happy.

This was a really quaint little place tucked away in a shopping complex. The atmosphere was pleasant and the staff was very friendly. It’s hard to grade Cajun food because I lived in New Orleans. I had friend Oysters, red beans and rice and shrimp creole. The shrimp creole was excellent with just the right amount of spice. The others were ok. I did enjoy the live music!

Recommended by a friend that used to live there. Must say It was flavor experience.
Gator tail, boiled crawfish, crawfish étouffée and jambalaya.
Hurricanes and a couple local beers to wash it down.
Service was attentive and quick. We told our server we were from out of state and she made sure we had a great experience.
This is a place were the locals eat not some corporate chain.

The atmosphere was fine, and the menu had plenty of options. Service was friendly. Ordered the jambalaya. The first plate came out nearly cold. Sent back for heating and they replaced it with a fresh hot portion.
But this version of jambalaya was unlike any I’ve had elsewhere. It was more like dirty rice, extra spicy, with some chunks of andouillie, and some chunks of chicken, and it was all terribly overcooked and dried out. The claim is that they make their batches at lunch and at dinner, but mine seemed like it was made yesterday.
I can’t recommend this restaurant.

Love the food and atmosphere. My wife and I always try to stop by during Mardi Gras time. I get the chicken eteffa (sp). Not sure if that is just a local thing. When in NOLA I never noticed the version in chicken. Grab an Abita beer and the fried pickles.

We got carry out from Joe’s, everything was delicious! We started with fried banana peppers. tangy and delicious. The for dinner we had all sorts of dishes, then sampled some of each. Gumbo, Red Beans and Rice, Crawfish Ettoufee, along with Sausage and Chicken Jambalaya, all were delicious! Food was ready when we got there, moist and fresh, and the service courteous and cheerful. Go and get you some!

Love the Crawfish and Gator Tails!

Vegetarians and/​or vegans: stay away! There are no Cajun options here for you. None. Was advised to try a side item or salad. Too bad they don’t have veggie options like at Datz or Yatz. Came with a Groupon and won’t be back.

My husband and I had the best lunch. The food was tasty the service was excellent. And a big huge shout out to to the owner…
Thank you all for being so nice!!!

The Name Joe’s Ok, describes this place perfectly. A hole in the wall in Linn Station/​Plainview Shopping center. The waitress did not address me, and when I told her I had a to go orders to place, she wandered away. She asks me if I need help after I told her I was going to look at the menu and then she walked away, leaving me puzzled as to whether she was a server there or a just hanging out. It seemed that she was going to the back, but the back dining room was empty.
I ordered the red beans and rice and shrimp creole. My Shrimp Creole had 1 piece of shrimp on a bed of tomatoes and white rice. Maybe portions are better dining in.
maybe i will come back when I am in the mood for bar food. their beer selection looked meh-​okay, they do have angry orchard. Mostly bottled selections, a few tap selections, but as it is a work-​day, I was not sticking around to find out about the bar menu.
Summary;
Service:poor
Food: Good Flavor!
Portions: Meh
Might be back for beers, maybe.

Joe’s is hidden gem for all the Cajun fans out there. They provide all kinds of traditional Louisiana entrees like gumbo, étouffée and jambalaya. There’s even a great selection of sea food. I like to get the half catfish platter because it comes with a choice of two side, which gives me a chance to try new things. The Catfish is amazing, while fried to a crisp yellow-​brown batter it is tender and savory down to the last bite.
It has a laid back atmosphere but the servers are always welcoming and polite. The wait time for your meal is about average compared to other restaurants. I never notice the wait though because I’m distracted by all the decorations they have to fit the the New Orleans theme.
The only complaint I can make about Joe’s is their prices, but it’s hard to be picky when I leave with a full belly and a smile on my face.

I got the swordfish sandwich and onion rings. The bun was huge but the fish was pretty small. I also got onion rings and while the we’re descent, there wasn’t many in the order. Food was good but size was on the small size.