Featured on BlackFreshMarket — Bringing Black-owned farm fresh food to your community.
Category: Black-Owned Restaurant • Cajun • Soul Food • Southern Cuisine
Area: Independence Heights / North Houston
Address: 5007 N Shepherd Dr, Houston, TX 77018
Phone: (713) 699-1212
Website: EsthersCajunSoul.com
Looking for Black-owned Cajun and soul food in Houston? Esther's Cajun Café & Soul Food has been serving hearty Southern comfort food since 2008.
The restaurant was founded by Chef Esther Lewis-Bernard, widely known as Houston's Queen of Cajun & Soul Food Cuisine. After a 25-year career at CenterPoint Energy, Esther invested her retirement savings into building a restaurant rooted in family recipes and Southern hospitality.
Esther's began in Independence Heights, one of Houston's historically Black communities, and has grown into one of the city's recognizable destinations for soul food with Cajun and Creole influences.
The menu combines classic Southern dishes such as oxtails, turkey wings and fried chicken with Louisiana favorites including gumbo, crawfish étouffée and Cajun pasta.
- Smothered Oxtails – tender oxtails served with rich homestyle gravy
- Shrimp & Crawfish Étouffée – Louisiana-inspired seafood étouffée served over rice
- Gumbo – hearty Cajun-style gumbo packed with bold flavor
- Turkey Wings
- Turkey Necks
- Smothered Pork Chops
- Fried Chicken
- Garlic Roasted Baked Chicken
- Fried Catfish
- Blackened Catfish
- Shrimp & Crawfish Étouffée
- Catfish & Étouffée
- Fried Shrimp
- Boiled Shrimp
- Cajun Fettuccine Pasta
- Boudin Eggrolls
Esther's also brings its Cajun and soul-food style to weekend brunch with specialty dishes that rotate based on availability.
- Honey Fried Chicken & Waffles
- Catfish & Étouffée
- Oxtail Tacos
- Oxtail & Grits
- Bread Pudding
No soul-food plate is complete without the sides, and Esther's offers plenty of Southern favorites.
- Candied Yams
- Black-Eyed Peas
- Green Beans
- Red Beans
- Potato Salad
- Rice & Gravy
- Sweet Corn
- Cornbread
- Broccoli, Rice & Cheese
- Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
- Beef Tips
- Blackened Tilapia
- Cajun Creole Patty
- Chitterlings when available
Chef Esther Lewis-Bernard built Esther's Cajun Café after retiring from a 25-year corporate career and investing her own retirement savings into the business.
Her cooking is rooted in family recipes, Southern tradition and the flavors of Cajun and Creole cuisine. What began as a neighborhood restaurant in Independence Heights grew into a family-operated Houston dining destination.
- Monday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Tuesday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Wednesday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Thursday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Friday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Saturday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Sunday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Hours, menu selections and specialty dishes may change. Check Esther's official website or online ordering page before visiting.
- Dine-in
- Takeout
- Online ordering
- Delivery
- Catering
- Family meal packages
- Private events
- Saturday brunch
Esther's also provides catering for family gatherings, corporate events, celebrations and other special occasions.
Catering options focus on the same Southern comfort food and Cajun-style dishes that made the restaurant a Houston favorite.
Esther's is a standout example of Black-owned entrepreneurship in Houston combined with deep family and community roots.
From its beginnings in historically Black Independence Heights to its menu of oxtails, fried catfish, turkey wings, gumbo and crawfish étouffée, Esther's represents the intersection of Black Southern cooking and Louisiana-inspired Cajun cuisine.
Whether you're searching for Black-owned restaurants in Houston, soul food in Independence Heights or Cajun food in Houston, Esther's is a restaurant worth knowing.
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