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Hawk’s
Cajun Country
Cajun / Crawfish
415 Hawks Road
Rayne, LA 70578
T: 337.788.3266
Website:
Hours:
Wed - Thu: 5pm - 9pm
Fri - Sat: 5pm - 10pm
Sun: 5pm - 9pm
Hawk’s Restaurant
February 16, 2012
Photo Credit: Find. Eat. Drink.
Rayne, LA
Recommended By
- Chef Donald Link (Herbsaint, Cochon and Cochon Butcher in New Orleans, LA)
- Chef Mark Roberthon (formerly of Cafe Des Amis in Breaux Bridge, LA)
Anthony and Jennifer Arceneaux’s Local Recommendations
Don’s Specialty Meats | Fired Oysters at Shucks
Photographs courtesy of: Don’s Specialty Meats | Shucks
Find | Food Stores
Scott, LA | Don’s Specialty Meats
Go there for good cracklin’ and boudin, which has a lot of meat in it.
Eat | Restaurant
Abbeville, LA | Shucks
For their fried oysters.
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City Guides
- Cajun Country: Download
Down a dirt road, in the small town of Rayne, Louisiana, is a tin-roofed dining hall named Hawk’s. Hawk’s may be far off the beaten track, but it’s world renowned for serving what is probably the best crawfish in the world.
New Orleans chef and Cajun Country native Donald Link is one of Hawk’s biggest fans. Link describes the crustacean as “big, beautiful and perfect. They are life changing, even for a native.”
What makes Hawk’s crawfish so unique is the method they use to clean them. The technique is called “purging.” It was developed by Texas A & M University and adopted in 1983 by 
L.H. Arceneaux, better known as “Hawk.” The crawfish are cleansed in running spring water for 24 hours, which rids the mudbugs of all grit and anything in their digestive tract. The result is a richer and brighter flavor.
Anthony and Jennifer Arceneaux
Photo Credit: Find. Eat. Drink.
Hawk’s is now run by son Anthony Arceneaux along with his wife Jennifer and is only open during crawfish season (roughly January through June). The restaurant is located smack dab in the middle of Cajun Country, a two and a half hour drive from New Orleans and an hour and a half drive from Baton Rouge.
Who
Anthony and Jennifer Arceneaux, owners of Hawk’s restaurant in Rayne, Louisiana.
Why
Crawfish are purged and cleansed for 24 hours in spring water before boiling them to perfection.
