I dine all over the country, and have built restaurants for 30+ years. I know an overall experience can be difficult to achieve for the guest as well as the restaurant. There are so many variables like server’s mood, the guest(s) mood, etc….
My experience at Cecil’s was unforgettable.
We’ll start with the greeting. Several young ladies met me at the door. I was dressed like a pauper too. I was given a choice to dine upstairs, downstairs, in a booth or table.
On the way upstairs I was asked if I knew what I would like to drink. What a great idea this was.
I glanced around and noticed cleanliness and a relaxed atmosphere. The bar upstairs was clean and the glasses/utensils were as well.
I unwrapped my silverware from a huge paper napkin. The only negative, but that’s not bad. I just expected cloth since everything looked so nice thus far.
The menu was small, but I liked that in this instance. It was “Cajun”, and who needs a million items on a menu?
I started with a shrimp cocktail, and it was excellent in flavor, quantity and quality. I was asked several times by different people if I liked it.
Then, I ordered the Bayou Filet in a dilectible crawfish brown sauce, with red beans and rice. I was in pig heaven.
Another nice touch was they brought a full glass of tea as opposed to refilling my glass. Usually only the finer dining places get this right.
You might think the five stars I gave were excessive, but believe me, they earned it.
Everything in this experience was truly impeccable, including the price

Service is horrible and bartenders have no idea what they are doing. They will kick out paying customers by 930pm during Monday Night Football and Thursday Night games. I have tried bringing in many friends and paying 50% to 60% tips but they still just want to go home at 9pm. PLUS the place is closed on sundays???? What country am i in?

Cecil’s Cajun Cafe is located in dowtown DeRidder. Parking is limited to parallel spaces along busy Hwy 171 South or the public lot just around the corner on “Main Street” along the Railroad Tracks.

My first impression of Cecil’s is that the have enclosed what might have been a lovely exterior waiting area so that they could create a smoking area. The exterior has been painted black, where a little extra effort would have brought out the rich wood tones that I’d so often admired when passing by the site for many years.

The interior has been nicely redone, although I believe it could have been much truer to a “cajun” theme. There is an upstairs eating area, but I did not see any handicapped accessiblity for it. Fortunately, there is plenty of seating (booths and tables) on the ground floor. There is a bar with a large, flat screen television, but it is necessary to walk right past this when being seated…it could probably have been located elsewhere to better effect.

I found the menu to be very limited and very disappointing. A “Cajun” restaurant can (and should) offer a wide variety of dishes. However, with just a few excepttions, the fare was wholly seafood. There were few appetizers, not enough beef, chicken or pork. With guests who do not eat seafood, the choice wass either a sandwich or a chicken breast. They were extremely disappointed.

To improve, I’d suggest researching some local favorites. For instance, offering Natchitoches Meat Pies as an appetizer, Stuffed Mirliton’s (a vegetable unique to South Louisiana, also called “Alligator Pear”), mayhaw’s or other Louisiana fare.

The food was also overpriced. Ordering from the lunch menu for two was over $30.00. (Pricey for DeRidder.)

The staff was friendly, but neither time I have been here were my orders correct. This, I’m sure, will improve as they gain experience…the restaurant was only opened this summer.

In summary, I would only choose to eat at Cecil’s if I preferred atmosphere over menu choice and quality.

The Restaurant was a great addition to the Downtown area, as downtown DeRidder is being revitalized. The atmosphere is a welcomed change to DeRidder, as well. At Cecil’s, the wait staff is very friendly, and someone is always checking on you. However, the menu is very limited. When bringing the Family, the menu is not suitable for children. There were no Hamburgers, etc. for the younger appetite. The recipes for gumbo, jambalaya, and etoufee, although adequately tasty, were not genuine Cajun cooking. I find myself occasionially eating there when I want to get together with my friends, hence the Fun part. And, alas, the prices are a bit high for frequent trips there. If you enjoy the music, laughter and people, and decent food, then go to Cecil’s. If you haven’t had a good Cajun meal in a while, and just have to have one, then I’d say head further South.

I was in Deridder for business, and a friend of mine recommended Cecil’s. I had the best Grilled Chicken Salad ever! The service was awesome, always had a friendly waiter checking up on us, the atmosphere was pleasant, the food was terrific.