Creola San Francisco

We arrived right as the restaurant opened on a weekend. The staff definitely checked for vaccinations, which was reassuring. However, they seemed to still be cleaning, which was fine, but it became uncomfortable when they were close by and stirring up dust right next to us. As for the food, it was decent, but we were hoping for a bit more spice or bold flavors—it just didn’t have the kick we were looking for.

I had a wonderful experience at this restaurant with excellent service and a pleasant atmosphere. The wheat beignets were delightful, and the blackened catfish was equally impressive. While some of the other dishes were satisfactory, I'm eager to return and explore more of the menu to elevate my rating.

The hush puppies arrived first, served with a remoulade sauce, and I instantly knew we were in for a treat. They were moist, perfectly crispy, and absolutely delicious. We initially thought the gumbo would be more like an appetizer, but it was substantial enough to be a main course on its own. It was excellent, with a perfectly executed roux. While it doesn’t necessarily need it, I recommend adding Crystal hot sauce for an extra kick. Next came the étouffée, which was nearly perfect in every aspect. It was bursting with flavor, had an excellent balance of spices, and included generous portions of shrimp and crawfish—it's hard to find good-sized crawfish outside of Louisiana, let alone in such plentiful amounts. This dish was our absolute favorite, and we would gladly return just for it. The breaded catfish was delightful as well, with an excellent crisp and cooked to perfection. My husband mentioned he would definitely order it as a po'boy next time. The red beans were very good, though we prefer a thicker sauce. Jambalaya isn’t typically our favorite Cajun dish, but CreoLa's version was moist and flavorful, so we were quite pleased with it. And finally… the beignets! We were very happy with the generous amount of powdered sugar on top, which is often lacking at other restaurants. These had a delightful dusting that resembled a small mountain. The dough was darker than usual, perhaps made with cinnamon or a more robust type of flour. I enjoyed it, but my husband was slightly disappointed and took issue with the fact that they served it with a sauce. As you can probably tell, we had a fantastic experience! The food was excellent, and we were thrilled to see so many Abita options available. We're looking forward to returning and trying more dishes!