Dixie Café at Houmas House

Restaurant Overview

If you’re spending the day at Houmas House and want something casual, Dixie Café is an easy choice. Located inside the Great River Road Museum, this laid-back spot serves breakfast and lunch daily, with counter service, buffet options and à la carte dishes. It’s family-friendly, relaxed and especially convenient before or after touring the mansion, museum and gardens.

The setting is a big part of the appeal. Large windows offer panoramic views of the Houmas House gardens and amphitheatre, and the café is just steps from the Inn at Houmas House. It’s the kind of place where you can linger over breakfast before starting your day or cool off over lunch after walking the grounds.

The food stays true to South Louisiana. At lunch, you might find chicken and andouille gumbo, fried catfish, Louisiana crawfish Alfredo, red beans and rice, corn maque choux and white chocolate bread pudding on the River Road Buffet. The à la carte menu adds dishes such as Louisiana crawfish pies, blackened speckled trout topped with crawfish étouffée, shrimp pasta and a barbecue short rib sandwich with cane-syrup hickory mayo.

Like the other restaurants at Houmas House, the culinary program is overseen by Executive Chef Jeremy Langlois, whose cooking is rooted in Louisiana ingredients and traditions. Houmas House describes its restaurant menus as seasonal, with locally grown produce incorporated whenever available.

For locals, Dixie Café is probably the most casual way to make a meal part of a Houmas House visit. You don’t need to dress up or plan an elaborate dining experience. Grab breakfast, tour the property, or stop in for a plate of Louisiana comfort food at lunch.

Our tip: If you’re coming from New Orleans or Baton Rouge for a daytime visit, make Dixie Café part of the itinerary rather than treating it as an afterthought. Houmas House covers 38 acres of formal gardens in addition to the mansion and museum, so having an easy place for breakfast or lunch right on the grounds makes the whole day a lot more enjoyable.

Dixie Café may be the most casual of the dining options at Houmas House, but between the garden views, Louisiana cooking and Chef Jeremy Langlois’ culinary direction, it still feels very much a part of the Houmas House experience.