Southport’s Blue Bayou Getting Big Cajun Upgrade

The Cajun-themed restaurant Blue Bayou in Lake View’s Southport corridor is undergoing a complete design and culinary overhaul with plans for a grand opening in early summer.

Located at 3734 N. Southport Ave., the restaurant is staying open during the renovations sparked by lagging business. Design team Moss, who was also behind the Lake View Master Plan and East Lake View’s Bar Pastoral, is helping to transform the space before its grand opening.

“We approached the design update to Blue Bayou wanting to bring the New Orlean’s establishment back to its Cajun, Creole roots, as well as recall the architecture of the Bayou and Louisiana,” writes the team in its blog.

“We are stripping out any irrelevant design features from the space and replacing them with things that are culturally or geographically relevant," Moss continued. "Out comes heavy woodwork and tchotchkes, but the charming vintage tin ceilings will stay.”

Moss adds that it’s revisiting the storefront’s façade to better connect it with sidewalk seating, as well as featuring the very Now Orleans second floor balcony.

KG Consulting is the team revamping the rest of Blue Bayou, and with credits like the J. Parker in Lincoln Park and Pump Room in the Gold Coast, the Southport restaurant is already aiming to be a huge success.

The Eater says KG will be in charge of the culinary team, beverage specialist, training expert and design firm, for which they hired Moss. The new menu will be overhauled to add classic dishes like shrimp po’ boy and chicken-fried steak, and the bar will serve up French Quarter-inspired cocktails.

The restaurant will also keep its live music, with dates for new jazz and blues performances updated on its website through the end of June.