Top 7 rankings from Lafayette

Acadiana is one of America’s great regional food cultures, where Cajun and Creole traditions show up in smoky meats, deeply flavoured gumbos, seafood, rice dishes and the humble po’boy. But eating your way around Lafayette and the surrounding region means discovering more than a single style of cooking. Johnson’s Boucanière carries forward a family tradition of boudin and smoked meats; Prejean’s brings theatrical Louisiana hospitality; T-Coon’s is rooted in the everyday rituals of breakfast and plate lunches; and Olde Tyme Grocery has made the po’boy a destination in its own right. From casual counter-service classics to a more polished dinner, these seven restaurants show why Acadiana deserves to be explored one meal at a time. Which one would you put at number one?

Lafayette is at the heart of Cajun country, where cooking is shaped by the bayou, the seasons and generations of making a great deal out of what is close at hand. The defining flavours are dark roux, the onion-pepper-celery trinity, smoked sausage, seafood and rice — but the dishes that emerge from them are remarkably different. From the slow, deep comfort of chicken and sausage gumbo to the communal spectacle of a crawfish boil, these seven Cajun classics show why south Louisiana has one of America’s most distinctive food cultures. Each entry comes with a recipe video, so you can take the ranking from the screen into your own kitchen. Which dish deserves the top spot?