Roux

Fun patio atmosphere, talented musician playing, average food.

First time came in for brunch. The $ 10 bottomless mimosas and the crawfish boil automatically gets 3 stars in my book. Add the wonderful Andouille sausage, the $ 2 craft beer specials, live music, party atmosphere and the friendly attentive service made this spot perfect. Came back a 2^nd time during the week… a little more laid back. tried boudin balls and blackened catfish over grits… everything was on point. Will definitely be a regular spot for me and my group.

I’ve gone back and forth between 2 stars and 3 stars. If half stars were an option it is a solid 2.5 stars. Let’s start with the good. Service was top notch and very accommodating. Love the feel and atmosphere of the restaurant. Our server was helpful in offering suggestions to a non-​cajun food lover in our group. In fact, this person loved the salmon, potatoes, and corn that they custom made for him. He gave it 4 stars! Now the bad. We went with the crawfish ettoufee and red beans and rice and were very disappointed with the lack of flavor. Something was missing from the dishes and even adding copious amounts of hot sauce did not help the flavor. To be honest, Zatarains straight from the bag is more flavorful unfortunately. Again, the staff was very nice and if the recipes are enhanced I will give it another try, but otherwise I will have to pass for a revisit.

Great atmosphere and fun place! Lots of great choices and we loved it!

We wanted to try this place out and we did. I will not return. There were only four of us in this restaurant. I was excited to eat Cajun. My mistake. The grits were cold and lumpy. We had an order of brussel spouts which tasted great, but we’re also cold. Jambalaya was just good. I had the crawfish etouffe and was totally disappointed. Salt and pepper would have went a long way. Had this place been crowded I would have given them a break, but it was not.

Good location on Bardstown road. We stopped in for brunch on a Saturday and it was dead. They have a $ 10 bottomless mimosa deal, which brought us in. Bad choice. Bottom of the bottom champagne and real bad orange juice. The food was trying to be French Creole but fell flat. Maybe dinner would be better? We often see a full porch for dinner.

Where do I begin?
The good. Our server was really nice and they have endless bubbly for $ 10.00!
Let me start by saying I am a native Louisville gal but about a decade ago, I lived in Lake Charles, Louisiana for 10 months. Since then I have stayed in New Orleans, Louisiana on several occasions on an extended basis for work… I say this to say, «I know Creole, I know Cajan!» I know how the preparation, flavors and styles charge depending on where in the Louisiana region you reside and I know how they cook down there!
Roux is not authentic, it is a Kentuckian’s interpretation of what they think Creole is and that is fine if that is what they are advertising themselves to be but I don’t believe they are. If you want to experience a true Creole brunch experience, save your money, take some vacation time and go to the Blue Dog Café in Lafayette, Louisiana. If you have no interest in experiencing authentic food, then you go to Roux. You will be fine.
I went to Roux for a friend’s birthday celebration for Sunday brunch.
Why yes, there is a brunch menu available. I ordered the croque gagnet and an order of beignets.
The croque gagnet is French bread with cheese, andouille sausage and two sunny side up eggs… I ordered my eggs scrambled hard because I was not confident that the Sunnyside eggs would be as I wanted them and I’m glad I did — I will come back to that in a minute. My croque gagnet was not bad, but it was not extraordinary either. The sandwich had ample meat and eggs but I tasted no Cajun spices and no flavor outside of the sausage popped out when I put this on my palate, I was underwhelmed.
One of the most awesome things about eating Cajun food is that when you do cut a portion and place it onto your tongue and start to chew, your palate is greeted with all of these different combinations of spices and flavors — you get sweet, you get heat, you get salt, you get acidity, you get crunch, you get tender… Everything just hits you and you become overwhelmed at all of the wonderful taste sensations hitting you at once.
I got none of this. I honestly could have made this at home and it would have been extremely better! Actually, I believe I will recreate this dish at home, but I will toast the bread adding a little bit of garlic and truffle butter to the French bread, instead of plain fontina cheese, I will make a four cheese hollandaise creation to pour over the pan sautéed andouille sausage (cooked with onions and tomatoes) with perfectly poached eggs topped with Cajan spices as the perfect topping to this open faced sandwich… Now didn’t that sound good!?! You get none of that at Roux!
But getting back to this review, I was with six other ladies, two of which ordered dishes that had poached eggs — in both cases the whites of the eggs were still translucent and very undercooked (gross). Both ladies had to send their dishes back to the kitchen for a do over. One lady’s do over was still undercooked but rather than send it back a third time, she just ate around the egg and tried to eat what she could. Of all the ladies who attended this birthday outing only one was happy with her meal and she ordered a plain salad with grilled shrimp.
Moving on to the beignets, they were good but they were not authentic. The thing about beignets? Their texture is somewhere between a light yeast roll and a funnel cake. It’s not overly sweet, what makes it sweet is the powdered sugar that is dusted on its top. These beignets remind me of a funnel cake on the inside and out — but I love funnel cakes so I’m not complaining. Their interpretation of a beignets is quite tasty but not a true reflection of Café Du Monde’s original French donuts. It’s a funnel cake shaped like a small juggling bean bag.
Usually when it comes to food I like to go to a location more than once so that I can make sure that my meal was not a fluke but in this case I’m pretty confident that no matter what I may order, I’m going to be unimpressed and underwhelmed so I don’t see myself going back.
If you have never had Creole or Cajun food, by all means go — you won’t know any better so you are going to think the food is great. Plus the atmosphere is wonderful. We sat on the patio and I enjoyed the outdoor setting and being able to people watch as I spent time with my friends and socialized, but if you know what real Cajun food is, keep walking.

1^st here. Had brunch during Marty Gras, Place hopping, Service bit slow. My food was good.

Prices are very high for Cajun food. The wait time was not acceptable for the prices charged. My hurricane was very sugary with little rum. I would have a drink and enjoy some live music but I would not come back for the overpriced food. I’m assuming they were understaffed but some of the younger regulars enjoying libations at the bar said it was normal to have a long wait. It’s Crystal hot sauce not Tabasco in the big easy … Goes much better either gumbo …

Have been here twice; 1^st time: Crawfish Boil. The seasoning on the crawfish was bland and left a lot to be desired.
2^nd time: Crawfish Étouffée. What came out was a few small pieces of crawfish in a tomato based sauce. Étouffée should have a roux base. This dish resembled shrimp and grits more than étouffée. Flavor was decent but not what I was expecting.
The Boudin Balls are worth getting and the oysters have been fresh both times.
Waitstaff has seemed overwhelmed both times despite the restaurant being less than half full.
I really want to like this place but I can’t justify coming here again when there are so many superior restaurant options (Cajun or not) in Louisville.

Amazing food! Amazing atmosphere. I would definitely recommend if you love Cajun cuisine.

My husband and I went for an afternoon date and we were the only ones there which was perfect because we had the place to ourselves to really look around and take in the atmosphere. We loved it. The server was extremely nice and just let us have our privacy. The food was great. I had the Bucatini Pasta first time eating Brussel Sprouts and it was really good. It also had gator, sausage I mean it was just great. My husband had the shrimp Po Boy and when he stopped talking I knew he was enjoying his food. The Po Boy is pretty big. Then I had a tasty treat, the warm soft Beignets! Sooo good! We are planning on going back this is indeed our new spot here in Louisville

Cajun food at its best. I’ve been here 3 times and I’ve always had wonderful service. The food can be on the spicy side but that’s what should be expected. The Crawfish Ettoufe is amazing, the jambalaya will clear your sinuses and the gumbo is the beez neez! My most recent visit was with my boyfriend and his mom for his birthday. We got the Lobster Salad to share and it was moist with plenty of chunks of lobster. The sauce on it tastes like Thousand Island with a twang to it. It’s for sure my go to when I visit. My boyfriend got the shaved catfish and it was crunchy deliciousness. We also ordered the special beignets, which had a pumpkin filling with a chocolate caramel topping and Evan Williams whipped cream. It was amazing!
The building is insanely well thought out. There are pictures of New Orleans all over the place and their upstairs has a nice little bar area.
My boyfriend loves the Sazerac and it is a good, well made drink it’s just not my cup of tea, so to speak. Be careful with these though they pack a lot of punch in a tiny glass. I generally stick to Abita beer because when in Rome (New Orleans in this case) drink what’s made there. Abita is a New Orleans made beer and it’s great.
I gave it 4 stars because of the hours of the kitchen. They don’t close before 10 but may stay open later depending on business. Overall I say if you haven’t been here, go, and if you have been here then go again!

BONKERS!!! This venue is out of to world.
My boyfriend and his entire family are from New Orleans so this was a must once it opened! We have dined with intimidate twos all the way to large groups and they have always been able to accolade us immediately!
We have dined casually inside and outside. Also, we dined in dressy attire. It has an atmosphere and vibe to where it’s classy and sassy at the same time so everyone can come together and be themselves!
Late night favorites include the alligator and shrimp po boy!!! Really, you can NOT go wrong with either of those! The menus switches up at a certain time!
The cocktails were some of my favorite in town. I cannot remember the name but it was their take on a good olé hand grenade. I am very pick when it comes to grenades and I normally only will drink the original, Tropicle Isle. Roux made me a HUGE fan and I enjoy coming to the personable and jazzy bar upstairs for cocktail hour! The live music is pretty sweet as well! That rhymed ;)
Onto the food…
Whether you’re ordering the oysters, oyster dip, boudin balls, or scallops… You really can go wrong there! My personal favorite entrees include but are NOT limited to the New Orleans Bbq shrimp, shrimp and grits, jambalaya, or duck! Again, there isn’t anything I have had here that I have disliked. And that is rare, folks ;) I typically find something to critique whether it’s seasoning, flavor, quantity, quality, or price!
Marvelous job to those that created this hidden gem! It needs some more advertisement from the city because it is scrumptious and leaves you with a fantastic buzz and a belly full of happiness :)

I’ve heard (and read) mixed reviews about Roux but I’ve still been anxious to try it for several weeks. I loved it! It was great. My friend and I sat on the patio and it was great for people watching on Bardstown. I got the shrimp and grits (one of my favorite dishes) and it was amazing. I would’ve licked the plate if I were more uninhibited. My friend got the shrimp boil and he loved his as well. We also got an order of beignets — amazing. The service was great and friendly. The décor is fun and eclectic. It was a great experience. I will definitely be back.

I decided to give Roux a try for the Fathers Day Boil Fest this past weekend. I love Cajun food and so does my Dad so it sounded like an awesome plan.
I made reservations for 2:00 and when we arrived they were pretty slammed so our table wasn’t ready yet. We went to the bar upstairs for a few cocktails. Cool atmosphere at the bar and the bartender was friendly. The drink specials were great– $ 2 mimosa’s, $ 2 Bud and Bud Light and $ 5 Bloody Mary’s. I would give the bar experience 4 stars.
We were seated about 2:30 and all 4 of us ordered the Boil– which was traditional– crawfish, head-​on shrimp, andouille sausage, corn on the cob and potatoes. We had 2 large platters of it brought to the table. Although well seasoned and tasty– it was 95% crawfish. A little disappointing. The potatoes weren’t quite cooked enough and we only had a couple of shrimp. I also saw a couple of ants on the platter. Not cool.
The service was fairly good considering how busy they were. The place just felt a bit dirty. The restrooms had overflowing trash and there was no soap coming out of the dispenser.
I would like to go back to order from the regular menu and sit on the patio. I just hope there are less ants and more soap next time.

I actually like Roux! I had dinner with 7 other people so had an opportunity to try a variety of dishes on the menu. Some were misses so I can see how people might not enjoy the food if they got one of the not so good dishes. I enjoyed a majority of the dishes however and would recommend others to come back. I can’t comment on the authenticity however, I’m a Kentuckian but I like the taste.
Skip the ettoufee, it didn’t have as much flavor as I like. Also a pass on the doughy beignet, it wasn’t a good representation of the softer ones I’ve had in New Orleans. But I enjoyed the blackened fish and the creamy pasta with gator, the plumb bbq shrimps (you will have with work for these, it comes unpeeled), fresh oysters.
A casual atmosphere with live music upstairs give it a bit of New Orleans vibe.

My first visit to Roux. We came for a late dinner on a Friday night and were seated right away. The weather was perfect for outdoor dining, so we requested patio seating. The jazz music playing from inside was just loud enough for us to enjoy, while still being able to hear our conversation. The nice weather, music, and outdoor lighting created a lovely atmosphere.
We started with some beer (huge Abita fan) and fresh shucked oysters. For my entrée, I had the Creole Bucatini Pasta. Wow, it was excellent. It’s loaded with gator, crawfish, sausage, brussel sprouts, and tossed in a delicious cream sauce. I loved it, and will have a hard time not ordering it again, though lots of dishes on the menu sounded intriguing.
The service was great. Friendly and attentive without being overbearing or rushed. It allowed for a relaxing evening with a New Orleans feel. The décor, music, and food really contributed to that New Orleans vibe.
There seems to be mixed reviews for Roux, which leads me to believe it can be hit or miss. For me, it was definitely a hit. Everything was excellent, and I can’t think of any reason to deduct a star. If I return and have a different experience, I’ll update my review. But for now, Roux is a five star place for me.
Note: We saw a Po Boy being delivered to a neighboring table. Oh my, they are huge! I’m talking, the size of a loaf of bread. Easily split between two people.

I visited here for the first time on a very highly publicized local «French festival» at the Roux. The outdoor food consisted of Gumbo, crawfish Creole, and Beignets… and it was absolutely amazing! The house band was out of this world (video attached)…and the atmosphere was festive, fun and light! The service was the only thing I wish would have been better… it took quite some time to be greeted by a hostess, and then once seated, our waiter seemed overwhelmed or maybe the were understaffed.

I really wanted to love this place. So close to home. New and fresh… But we were one of two tables there and still had really slow service.
I thought the menu would be different. I ordered the French onion soup and it was a very different take on the soup I’ve always loved. I liked it when I was eating it but later had a stomach ache. Who knows maybe it was the drink I ordered that had a raw egg in it… Not the best choice. The next thing I ordered was the bbq shrimp, again, not like any bbq shrimp I’d had before. I didn’t finish it. This is maybe everyone else’s cup of tea but it just wasn’t the service and the food I expected.
When it was time to leave we were about to walk out the way we came and the server said «No, don’t go that way the manager will get mad!» What a weird way to say go the other direction! Weird, odd, and a little disappointing all around.