Where to Find the Best Boudin in Louisiana

In early 2002, Calvin Trillin wrote a funny yet memorable story in The New Yorker about Cajun boudin (“Missing Links”) that has stuck with me ever since. In the years since I read the story, I’ve been to New Orleans several times, and have seen boudin on local menus; it’s usually gussied up with a side of chow chow and Creole mustard, or served with some heirloom vegetables. But I never had cause to visit the heart of Cajun country – Acadiana as it’s called – until last week. My son’s School of Rock All-Star tour took him through Texas (allowing me to return to Smitty’s in Lockhart and City Market in Luling for barbecue) and then after Houston, a gig in Lafayette, Louisiana before ending his tour back in Dallas. I quickly looked up Trillin’s piece, and sure enough, several of the places he visited were along Highway 10, between Lake Charles and Lafayette – the exact routing we would take after leaving Houston.

After jotting down Trillin’s places, followed by some quick consulting with Brett Anderson, the former Restaurant Critic at the Times-Picayune who was recently named a New York Times Correspondent (and who knows Louisiana food better than anyone), I mapped out eight stops, intending to hit them all within 24 hours. Here’s the result of my research (change setting to 720p resolution since I shot in 4k on iPhone):


Sonnier’s Sausage & Boudin
1217 Mill St., Lake Charles, LA
337-656-2876

Cormier’s Specialty Meats
509 Allison St., Jennings, LA
337-616-8242

The Best Stop Express
3002 Daulaut Dr., Duson, LA
337-935-6868

Billy’s
523 Apollo Rd., Scott, LA
337-232-1114

Don’s Specialty Meats
730 I 10 S. Frontage Rd., Scott, LA
337-234-2585

Kirk’s U-Needa-Butcher
713 Surrey St., Lafayette, LA
337-234-1787

Johnson’s Boucanière
1111 St. John St., Lafayette
337-269-8878

Legnon’s Boucherie
410 Jefferson Ter., New Iberia, LA
337-367-3831

6 responses to “Where to Find the Best Boudin in Louisiana
  1. Thank you so much for the informative article on boudin. At 56, I just discovered it… and I LOVE it. I never even knew it existed a couple months ago. Today, I am looking for who makes the best boudin and how can I get it delivered to the Missouri Ozarks…aside from taking an 11 hour roadtrip….which would be fun….but it looks like there’s a lot of rain and flood warnings in the forecast… so we may wait for another time for the roadtrip. Thanks again… Are you working on another food project? My husband swears he had the best cuban in a place not far from the most southern point in Key West, FL…

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