TIA JUANITA’S FISH CAMP

723 Ryan St, Lake Charles • 337-602-6243

Finally there’s a new restaurant in the old Fat Cat Café location downtown that I really think will make it.

Tia Juanita’s Fish Camp is one of several new restaurants opening in the Lake Charles’ downtown region. The original location was on Calder Ave. in Beaumont, Texas. Now owner Ricky Martinez brings his blend of Cajun and Tex-Mex food to Louisiana.

Starting with the exterior of the building, you’re immediately interested in how the rest of the place looks. The outside has old boat motors hanging from the walls. It has an old camp look to it that sort of makes you think you should be near the water.

When you walk through the doors, you see someone who’s used the space to the fullest. In this very narrow restaurant, the walls are full of old movie posters and a lot of old iconic artwork that makes the place busy but entertaining.

Chelsea and I spent most of the meal just looking at all the positive changes and new decor in the place.

Let’s get to why ya’ll read my articles. I’m sure it’s not about decorating, but about the food. We decided to start off with a couple of margaritas. I went top shelf with Patron and Chelsea had a Sangria Swirl Margarita. Now, if I’m being honest, my margarita felt more like a spring break margarita than a restaurant one. In translation, that means it was a lot stronger than I would have liked it. But it tasted great.

Now Chelsea’s was delicious and made perfectly. I asked the waiter to just grab me a beer, and he more than apologized about my not caring for the drink. I explained it wasn’t bad; it just wasn’t what I wanted; so no harm done. There was no need to take it off my check because I made the wrong choice in my beverage.

Now, I had read on Facebook that someone felt that the gumbo was better than Seafood Palace’s, and since I love that gumbo, I felt I needed to give this item a try. I ordered a half roast beef po-boy with fries and a side of gumbo.

We ordered the fish tacos because my friend Sarah said they were very good.
The gumbo is very good. Now, while I wouldn’t say it was better than Seafood Palace’s, I damn sure wouldn’t say it was worse. You could eat at both places and get the same type of gumbo and you would be more than pleased with both experiences.

The roast beef po-boy was not a huge sandwich. Everyone knows I go big with sandwiches. But this one was actually the perfect size. It came with the gumbo and a side of charro beans. The meat had a rich bold flavor. It was topped with mozzarella. The side of gravy was perfect for dipping the sandwich in. (Everything is better with something to dip it in.)

I’m a huge fish taco fan, and I’ve had them so many ways that I’ve completely lost count. Even though not all the ways were good, there have been more success stories than not. So I went with the fish tacos.

You get three very nice-sized tacos on either flour or corn tortillas. As a rule, I would go with a corn tortilla. But I’ve had more tacos ruined over a soggy corn tortilla than anything else, so I chose the safe route.

The fish was grilled and topped with a cilantro and cabbage slaw and a jalapeno ranch, which I must say I loved. Another topping was the venue’s amazing salsa, which I couldn’t get enough of.

I loved this place, and I’ll be bringing my business back and recommending it to anyone who’ll listen.

Lake Charles, this is a place we need to support. It’s got a great vibe and a fun feel to it, plus the food is damn good. It’s not the biggest place. But the owners sure have maximized the location’s potential way better than I did. The restaurant’s presence is finally giving that area of Ryan street some different options. I think it goes well with the already established restaurants in the downtown area. If we as a community don’t get out and support such a great little place to eat, then we’re only hurting ourselves if it doesn’t succeed, because places like these are hard to find.

Sorry I had to interrupt the burger reviews, but I just couldn’t wait to tell people about this place and its super friendly staff. Now remember, this is a new place and they’re still settling in. So if everything doesn’t go exactly the way you feel it should, just be a little patient and offer helpful input, because that is really the only way for a place to fix its problems.

I forgot to mention that Tia Juanita’s allows you to bring whatever fish you catch in, and the cooks will prepare it for you. I don’t know all the specifics, but I think that’s an amazing idea.

Eat local and break the chain!