When Bayou owner Cristian Duarte spotted a vacancy left in downtown Easton by the closed restaurant Valenca, the Bayou Southern Kitchen and Bar’s newest location was sealed, according to general manager of the Easton location Scott Campfield.

With a location already in Bethlehem for about three and a half years, the Bayou brought its New Orleans-inspired cuisine into Easton when it opened for business on Aug. 11. Campfield said it offers a menu unlike anything else in Easton.

“I don’t think anyone [downtown] has really taken a full grasp on the southern-style food, so I definitely think [the Bayou has] a completely unique menu compared to the other restaurants down here,” Campfield said.

Neither he nor any of the Bayou’s owners are from Louisiana or the South,  but Campfield said that their food is specially inspired by southern food, although it may not “exactly taste like your grandmother’s shrimp and grits.”

The Bayou’s fried chicken entree, Campfield said, is the restaurant’s signature dish, which comes with sweet mashed potatoes and buttermilk pickles. His personal favorite meal is the fried chicken sandwich.

When it comes to vegetarian options, Campfield described how the restaurant offers “fried green tomatoes, black eyed peas, sweet mashed potatoes, the Brussel sprouts and some pretty awesome salad choices.”

He added that the Bayou works to get all its products locally, whether by working with local farms or making trips to the Easton farmer’s market for produce. Their seafood, he said, is sourced locally.

Eunkyung Park ’19 ate at the Bayou recently, and wrote in an email that she enjoyed the Bayou burger, which had an over easy egg with french fries on the side. While she was overwhelmed by the portion size of her dessert and the peanut butter mouse, she definitely plans to go back and “try other dishes.”

Campfield said he hopes to see Lafayette students take a trip downtown and visit the restaurant as the school year progresses. He said that the restaurant is planning to engage with the community too as they settle into their new location.

“Once we get up and running, we have all intentions in including ourselves in activities in downtown Easton,” he said. “We have all intentions of doing things like live music and getting more involved.”