Photo by Roberto Rodriguez

Sister Cities Cajun and BBQ

Sister Cities Cajun and BBQ is in the process of relocating. It is temporarily operating, with limited hours, at 2712 Cherokee Street. When an errant car clipped Sister Cities Cajun and BBQ’s building one day early this year, forcing it to close temporarily — and maybe indefinitely — fans of Pamela Melton and Travis Parfait’s Dutchtown restaurant waited and fretted. How long would we have to live without the seafood-heavy gumbo, either straight-up or slathered over falling-apart chicken thighs? That smoked-pork po’boy with fried onion straws. Those shrimp tacos with remoulade. (Seriously, Sister Cities made us long for Cajun shrimp tacos. It had to be magic.) And above all else, there were the smoked chicken wings, blackened with spice and deeply smoky. Sister Cities wasn’t a typical Cajun or barbecue restaurant. It was unique and irreplaceable. Still is. The car damage wasn’t as bad as it looked. Sister Cities reopened in a matter of days. Thanks, fate, for the reminder to get back here soon.

Opened: 2013

Must order: Smoked chicken wings ($8)