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Hooked On Cajun: Central Mass Eatery Brings Flavors Of The South To New England

Online reviewers seem to agree, once you taste the food at NOLA Cajun Kitchen, you’ll be back again and again.

Live crawfish at NOLA Cajun Kitchen in West Boylston

Live crawfish at NOLA Cajun Kitchen in West Boylston

Photo Credit: Kathy N. of Quincy via Yelp
NOLA Cajun Kitchen on Route 12 in West Boylston

NOLA Cajun Kitchen on Route 12 in West Boylston

Photo Credit: Copyright 2021 Google Maps

NOLA opened in 2019 on West Boylston Street (Route 12) in West Boylston and serves authentic Cajun cuisine.

Yelp foodie Kathy N. of Quincy said she drives nearly a half hour several times a week to get a bite at NOLA.

“Since discovering this place I have not been able to take my eyes off of it,” Kathy N. said. “I don't know how they manage to perfect every dish every time I come. I live roughly 20-25 minutes away but the food I brought home was always warm and toasty when I got back. I can't find any other words to describe this place besides authentic, fresh, and mouth-watering. In the meantime, I will be back again to complete my punch card!!”

Chef Robert Nguyen, who owns the restaurant with his wife Judy, was born in Vietnam and made his way to New Orleans after the fall of Saigon in 1975. Robert Nguyen was picked up at sea by the U.S. Navy and brought to America to await citizen sponsorship, according to a recent article in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Eventually, at age 14, Ngyuen and his 11-member family were sponsored by the Catholic Church.

Ngyuen’s culinary training is not the usual route. There was no culinary school or afternoons on end spent cooking with his mother or grandmother. His first restaurant job was at New Orleans’ famed Poldi, so-named for the chef/owner. From there, Ngyuen moved around the south working at pizza and chain restaurants as well as managing hotels. He opened an American restaurant in Vietnam and Vietnamese restaurants in Mexico and Florida before falling in love with a New Englander. He moved to Worcester to be with Judy in the early 2010s.

The menu at NOLA Cajun Kitchen is all Louisiana Creole. Standouts include Cajun wings, NOLA gumbo, Fried pickles, Crawfish fries, Lobster garlic noodles, Cajun shrimp alfredo, Boudin balls (pork, rice, and sausage balls are breaded, deep-fried, and served with Creole mustard), Gator bites, Chicken and sausage etouffee, Kielbasa noodles, Crawfish po'boy, Smoked brisket po'boy, King crab legs, and the Fried catfish basket.

Yelp foodie Greg L. of West Boylston said he only recently discovered NOLA Cajun Kitchen and now he’s hooked.

“Ordered the kielbasa and shrimp noodles in their special sauce, medium heat. This baby was HOT, and DELICIOUS. Plump shrimp, plenty of kielbasa, and lots of garlic flavor. Seriously, get it,” Greg L. said. “Make sure to have plenty of beverage if you get it spicy.”

The decor inside NOLA is wonderfully New Orleans with bright colors, unique art on the walls, and plain wooden tables and chairs.

A mural in the NOLA dining room features an Evel Knievel-type crawfish on a bike driving determinedly into a vat of boiling water and corn where the rest of his crawfish buddies relax under the watchful eye of an alligator in a chef’s hat holding a salt shaker.

The exterior is painted fire engine red and around to the side bares a mural of a New Orleans sidewalk before architecturally beautiful buildings with balconies. Picnic tables painted in various shades of blue and yellow are set up for outdoor dining under beer umbrellas.

Yelp foodie Stanley C. of Worcester said he was impressed by the food at NOLA’s and appreciated the restaurant’s spacious layout.

“Decided to try this place after hearing great things about it from coworkers and I'm glad I came! The food was very delicious (and spicy). Pickup was very quick and the layout for takeout is great. There are disposable utensils, napkins, and sauces ready at the counter for you to take with your order,” Stanley C. said. “I ordered the shrimp and keilbasa garlic noodles and they were so delicious. They are the best garlic noodles I've had from any seafood restaurant. The sauce they use tastes great and I even ordered more on the side to dip! There was a lot of shrimp and keilbasa in the dish so it was totally worth the $17. The boudin balls were very crispy and delicious! Dipping the boudin balls in the sauce was an addiction and I ignored the mustard sauce that came with it. I would definitely come again and I can't wait to try more food.”

NOLA Cajun Kitchen, 340 West Boylston St. (Route 12) in West Boylston, is open Tuesday-Saturday, noon to 8 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Monday. (NOLA is shorthand for New Orleans.) Contact NOLA Cajun Kitchen at (774) 261-8008 or nolacajunkitchen.com.

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