Eat & Drink in Moustique
Eat & Drink in Moustique
Come hungry. Stay longer than you meant to.
Food in Moustique is hearty, local, and shaped by generations of Cajun, Creole, and old French influence. Expect dark roux, fresh fish, strong coffee, sweet tea, marsh honey, and meals that rarely seem in much of a hurry.
Dinner Over Blackwater
The Lantern House
Built out over the marsh on old pilings, the Lantern House is where Moustique goes when dinner is supposed to take a little longer. Lanterns line the deck, the menu leans heavily on seafood, and dusk does most of the decorating.
Local favorites
- Smoked sausage gumbo
- Crawfish étouffée
- Blackened catfish
- Blackberry cobbler
Locals say the swamp behaves better when the lanterns are lit.
Dockside
Broussard Dock Grill
Fried fish, cold drinks, and opinions you didn’t ask for. The grill sits beside the working dock, where lunch overlaps with boat traffic and supper usually runs later than planned.
- Fried catfish baskets
- Hushpuppies with marsh honey
- Grilled shrimp
- Daily fish plate
- Cold local beer
Nobody whistles on the dock after dark.
At the General Store
Celeste’s Counter
Half lunch counter, half supply stop, and probably the fastest way to learn what the weather is doing before the weather knows itself. Stop in before a swamp walk, after fishing, or whenever you need something simple and hot.
- Boudin
- Hot biscuits
- Pickled okra
- Swamp-berry lemonade
- Strong coffee
Celeste keeps regular hours in the same way Moustique keeps regular weather.
Cold Beer Above the Marsh
Cypress Bend Taproom
A small raised taproom with a short food menu, six rotating taps, and one of the better sunset views in town.
On tap
- Mosquito Halo Light
- Cypress Amber Ale
- Swamp Citrus Shandy
- Seasonal dark ale
From the kitchen
- Fried green tomatoes
- Smoked sausage plate
- Pimento cheese and crackers
- Pickled vegetables
The house light beer is named for the pale rings sometimes seen over the water near dusk.
The Coldwater Stand
For when the humidity wins.
A tiny walk-up shack near the boardwalk serving frozen drinks, shaved ice, and enough sweet tea to get you through the afternoon.
- Frozen lemonade
- Sweet tea slush
- Mint ice
- Citrus pops
- Seasonal berry ice
- Cold bottled water
Local Favorites
Tastes You’ll Find Around Town
Mosquito Halo Shrimp
Citrus, black pepper, butter, and marsh honey.
Swamp Honey Biscuits
Flaky biscuits served warm with local honey.
Roux Cypress Gumbo
Dark gumbo with sausage, seafood, and bitter greens.
Blackberry Cobbler
Blackberry cobbler baked in cast iron and served warm.
A note about dining after dark
The lanterns occasionally go out all at once. Staff blame the wiring. If you see lights moving across the water, finish your drink before you decide what they are.
From the Story
Some of these tables have stories.
The restaurants, counters, docks, and late-night meals around Moustique appear throughout the novel. A few dishes are exactly as described.
A few conversations are not.
If you want to know why nobody whistles near the dock after dark, the book explains more than the menu does.