10 Meals That Show What Acadiana Food Is Really About

(KMDL-FM) If you mention the town of Lafayette, Louisiana, or the region of Louisiana known as Acadiana to anyone outside of those areas, I can promise you that within five minutes the conversation will be about food. This part of Louisiana is notorious for taking simple ingredients and turning them into unforgettable meals and memories.

What Are The 10 Best "Gotta Try" Meals in South Louisiana?

Seafood Buffet — Unsplash Via Sunira Moses

That's why we are offering our curated list of the 10 "You Gotta Try" Meals in Lafayette and Acadiana. The reason we put the list together is to give you a starting point on what to try first if you're visiting. Most visitors are only in town for a day or so, so we want to make sure you understand the depth of the culinary ocean you're about to go diving in.

In putting our list together, we leaned on the folks who live and eat around the region every day. We asked you, "What meal would you recommend to someone who is visiting from outside the area?" Your answers ran the gamut from high-end gourmet offerings to late-night snacks from gas stations and drive-thru daiquiri shops located in the wilderness.

We also looked into what sites like Yelp!, TripAdvisor, Google, and other food and lifestyle sites suggested when talking about dining in the Heart of Acadiana. What made the task a little more difficult than we first imagined was just how hard it is to settle on just one offering from some of these restaurants.

As you read our list, there is one entry where we, I mean you, couldn't decide on a gumbo and another where the plate lunch choices were all so good we weren't about to be burned at the stake for leaving one of them off the list. But if we're being honest, all of these meals deserve to be on this list; we just need more than 10 slots.

Why Didn't This List Include My Favorite South Louisiana Meal?

Speaking of our list, we know we didn't include your favorite meal. But we'd like to. Based on the comments we're already getting, there will be a sequel to this list, so leave us a comment on our social media sites or the station app.

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So when we create "10 More Gotta Try Meals," we won't leave your favorite off. Give us a couple of weeks to put that one together, and make sure you send in your suggestions.

Meanwhile, get ready to get hungry. How many of these have you tried?

10 You Gotta Try Meals in Lafayette and Acadiana - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Late Night

If you had time for only one meal in Lafayette, Louisiana, and the surrounding area, where would you go? What would your choice be for breakfast? What if you could only go for lunch? How about for dinner, or late at night? We have some suggestions for you. And yes, we left your favorite off, so tell us what that is so we can include it in our update of 10 More You Gotta Try Meals in Lafayette and Acadiana.

Gallery Credit: Bruce Mikells