Sambets Cajun Deli & Firey

Was searching for a nearby restaurant on phone app and saw Sambet's had several positive reviews. We were warmly greeted and given a taste of sides while we pondered over the menu. We ordered crab cakes, boudin poboy, shrimp poboy, fried pickes, gumbo, crawfish etoufee, beans and rice. Everything tasted fantastic and was well seasoned. Sambet's has an authentic Louisiana taste. It's a very casual ""Austin"" atmosphere. Wear your shorts and flip flops. I would highly recommend this spot. more

I loved the food here but my daughter ordered off the childrens menu and honestly it was a struggle to find a bag of chips on their shelves that was NOT out of date! That's frankly unacceptable and sadly casts a bad suspicion that maybe the food behind the counters that they're cooking isn't so fresh either! My daughter was put off big time - which was a shame, because my meal - the Andouille link with red beans & rice was awesome and she loved the taste of mine too. Come on owners - check those shelves for out of date products and the sauces looked like they'd never been dusted since the place opened! more

I've been here several times for lunch. Love all the poboys! Have tired the shrimp, catfish and crawfish. The bread is homemade, and the portions are very filling. I usually save half for later. The best gumbo in Austin! And i'm from LA-this is authentic. :) The environment feels like I've stepped into a real deli from LA, and get to enjoy real cajun food. Have brought several coworkers here, no complaints. Except for one, the boudin poboy was too spicy for him..hehe ..amateur.. I eat here at least once a month-love Sambets! more

food is great. one failed health inspection, with follow-up same day by head of the health dept giving us a 100- yes it's my business...!!! Please come check out our place- it's authentic, and the food is fabulous. 6 hour gumbo, we bake our bread...yes the shopping center is old, but come see for yourself- totally authentic!!! nothing fancy- just fantastic! it's like stepping into a grocery/ deli in Louisiana! i'm Catherine- come see us please!!! there's always people that don't get what we do- it ain't a chain, and we're proud of that !!! the only time it's dirty is after a rush!!! we'd love to have you join the fun! Pros: down home atmosphere, everything home-made, you can feel the more

We had eaten here a few years ago & DO NOT remember it being so dirty! Today we had to search for a clean table to sit at. Customer service needs some help, they were not all that thrilled to be at work it seems. Was not that crowded so just cleaning the tables off & keeping things picked up would not have been a problem. The seafood Po-Boy was good, the Chicken & Sausage Gumbo was a little too salty but had great flavor and the Baudoin Balls were fairly good. Get a cleaning service & we might consider going back. Pros: Food is great Cons: Tables Dirty - Floor Dirty - what about the kithcen? more

I stopped by here a while ago. The place was absolutely filthy. I couldn't bring myself to stay there. Sounds like a good choice, too. I saw a list of restaurants with health code violations not too long after that. Turns out that Sambets managed to fail 2 health inspections in less than a year. The 2nd failure was worse than the first. If they can manage to clean up, I'd love to give them a try. Pros: Austin needs more Cajun food. Cons: Dirty...no. Filthy place. more

My sister first recommended Sambets when I moved to Austin 2 years ago. Its a dark, dusty dive with some truly excellent food. I don't need good customer service because I'm really all about the good eats. The red beans are the only thing I've tried that I havent been excited about. But the Muffuletas, Po Boys, and all other sides are deliciously seasoned and fabulous. Try the Crawfish Poblano Chowder. Its my favorite and its a signature creation of Sambets. They have crawfish boils on the weekend when its in season along with live music, which is a lot of fun. Theyre beginning to build a bar as well, which might take away the BYOB, but might add to the party fun on the weekends. Pros: Great food, bread, fun atmosphere on weekends Cons: cleanliness, some staff unfriendly more

I had been a huge fan of Sambets for lunch - love the poor boy sandwiches. Until tonight. Tonight we decided to get some crawfish. While we waited for almost 10 minutes for someone to serve us our anticipation of having real crawfish was growing. When our waitress got back from her break (as the short brown hair waitress was too busy doing nothing to help us) she took our order and did a fair job of serving us. The crawfish was gross. It was dirty and filled with grass. Not a little, a lot. I mean each crawfish was grey from the mud and had grass we had to pick off. No we were a little forgiving but by the end we both had to stop eating. Not only were they overcooked, had little to no spice (I could rub my eyes after, and that's crazy!) and the tails broke in two when you peeled. DID I MENTION THEY WERE MUDDY AND COVERED IN GRASS? Seriously, my wife if from Youngsville, is a Cajun and I have had many boils in yards and in restaurants and never have I had to pick out the grass or seen muddy crawfish. Gross, we will never go back and I will never recommend Sambets ever again. WASH YOUR CRAWFISH! Pros: poor boys Cons: crawfish, service, prices of deli goods more

So we go to this little hole in the wall.. walk in and the place is rockin with a band. This place is small, but you feel the love as soon as you get there. The food is excellent, all of it. The specials were outstanding but I hear they run out of them often which can be tricky. Sometimes they aren't even open when they should be, which is a bit annoying but once you're there it is so worth it! The owners are so friendly and really want to make your experience enjoyable. BYOB! Pros: The food, the entertainment, service Cons: Not real reliable w/ hours and no one is winning an award for decor of the year at this place more

Went here recently with 3 other couples and really enjoyed everything we tried. Great people, great music (Sat nights), awesome food.. Did I mention it''s BYOB? And they'll give you a cold glass to poor your drink in? Prices are very reasonable and they do catering as well. Pros: Everything on the menu, friendly staff, byob! Cons: Not the cleanest joint in town more

I agree that the strip center is a little dingy, but come on folks, most of Louisiana is dingy. It's part of the charm. This place has GREAT food. If it's your first time, I suggest trying the choice of 3 sides - seafood gumbo, chicken & sausage gumbo, crawfish etouffee, red beans & rice, jambalaya, crawfish chowder, etc. The crawfish etouffee was the best I've had in the Austin area, and the seafood gumbo had a wonderful flavor and dark roux. The crawfish po-boy was on awesome french bread if a tiny bit dry. I need to go back and try the muffelletta next time! more

The food is awesome. I would suggest their Crawfish Ettouffe, Boudin Sandwich, and Muffeltta's. One of the key ingedients to it's success are the people running the show. They are genuine and care about their customers. Pros: Great Food Cons: Limited size during busy times. more

This place rocks. You will feel like you stepped into an authentic roadside cajun paradise. Muffalettas are dynamite and the bread for the po-boys is made fresh. The roux for the gumbo is dark and intense, as it should be. Frosted mason jars for cold iced tea is a nice touch. If you have a hankering for honest,unadorned, cajun food, it doesn't get better than this in Austin. more

The gumbo is fantastic, the muffalettas are toasted and packed with flavor. This is the real deal folks. The staff is so leaned back. They make you feel right at home. more

A large fan in the doorway blows Texas-humid fresh air to this wonderful Cajon grill. The tables and chairs are like the ones on Grand-Dad's back porch. The walls are stocked with about a million different hot sauces, and you should take the warnings ""very hot"" seriously. I went in for lunch, and sat next to a dozen bags of crawdads awaiting distribution to the local restaurants. One of them had come open, and the mud bugs were making a run for it. Great atmosphere. On weekend nights, the staff cuts loose with a crawdad boil and Zydeco band that will bring out the Cajun in anyone. If you are looking for a thawed-out ""crayfish"" dish in a spotless theme restaurant, this is not the place for you. If you want to want to step through a doorway into the Louisiana Bayou, there's plenty of good times for all. Pros: Atmosphere, Good Chow!, Friendly Staff Cons: One resyroom, Too Small, Closes too early more

Sambet's has wonderful Cajun food, frendly staff, and a relaxed atmospher. We enjoy taking the entire famly there for lunch and or dinner any day of the week. You just can't get any better Cajun food in Austin and to top it off Doug and Kathy are TOPS! Pros: Inexpensive, Great Parking, Relaxed Atmospher more

This restaurant serves good food, but the atmosphere leaves a whole lot to desire and detracts from the overall experience. Unless you are a die hard, I can't recommend. Pros: Inexpensive, Good food more

This place is way to expensive for what you get. For $8-9 a poboy, you'd get twice as much food in New Orleans for the same price. The Gumbo is not bad, but the beans & rice were dry and bland and the poboys are basic and boring. Service is not friendly either, except for one lady - she seems nice, I think she owns the place. I probably will not return, unless to buy groceries to cook cajun at home. more

Sambet's has been evolving over the last few years from a small Cajun grocery store to a nice little deli with great Cajun sandwiches and hot sides of soups, gumbos and etoufees. They sell a good variety of hot sauces and other specialty Cajun foods, but the lunches are wonderful. The crawfish Po-Boy with a side of Crawfish Poblano Chowder is my favorite. Each month there are slow but steady improvements to the interior, and they appear to be getting ready to expand inside to include the store slot next door, but the setting is definitely on the rustic yet comfortable side. The owners are always wonderfully friendly and welcoming. You order from the back counter, and they'll bring your food out to your table. Bring cash, they're a small family business and don't accept credit/debit cards (except for the annoying ""at the cashier"" ATM machine). more