Muddy Waters

Come for the bread pudding and peach tea! Excellent spot right on the canal! Quick service.

My quest to find decent Cajun food in central NY was again met with disappointment. I used to live in New Orleans and is it too much to ask for authentic Cajun food? First, the positives. Service was impeccable. They did move us a couple of times but the staff is friendly and attentive. Our waiter was terrific. Also, great selection of Abita beers although strangely missing my favorite (Turbo Dog) and their flagship Amber. Now, we get to the food. The calamari was actually pretty good. But then again, it wasn’t really Cajun. It was just dipped in cornmeal. And then, wow. The jambalaya. It was a soup. Jambalaya should be a rice dish similar to paella. This was a soup. And where are the spices. Very bland to say the least. And for $ 24? Ridiculous. If they called it a soup and charged $ 10, it would’ve been worth it. But $ 24 for a bland soup? Ugh. Needless to say, we didn’t stick around for dessert. Would I come back or recommend? Maybe. But it would be for the non-​Cajun food…

This place has been spot on so far. Not one bad meal and I have been 5 times. I’ve had the burgers, oyster po boy (huge), pulled pork sandwich (huge), and peeled shrimp. Very reminiscent of what real Creole food is like. Great rotating beer selection and friendly staff. Also the place is really really clean. Enjoy!

I was excited about the possibility of good local Cajun and Creole food in CNY. New Orleans cuisine is justifiably famous, and Muddy Waters was a welcome addition to the area. A close look at the menu, however, revealed that the restaurant’s ambitions extended to other Southern cuisines as well.
The menu includes a few salads ranging from the $ 6 House Salad to the $ 13 Dixie Chicken Salad, as well as a range of sandwiches from $ 9 burgers to $ 13 Po’ Boys. Appetizers run from $ 6 to $ 13 and regular mains from $ 11 for a small Gumbo to $ 27 for a Ribeye or the Prime Rib that’s available on Saturday nights. The mains themselves can run from $ 11 to around the $ 30 mark.
It was around noon on a Saturday when my wife and I stopped in. There were only two or three other tables sat. Nobody at the hostess stand when we walked in and we had to wait a couple minutes before anyone came to seat us.
We were sat at a booth looking out at the water. Beautiful view. Our server, who also sat us, didn’t come over to introduce herself or get our drink orders for at least 15 minutes. By the time she did, we had already chosen what we wanted.
My wife went for a special beer battered cod sandwich and a bowl of French onion soup. I chose the Yankee and a Southerner, described as «NY pot roast (short ribs) meet Texas chili.» I pictured basic chili just made with short ribs.
What was brought was a plate with chili at the bottom, a butter milk biscuit in the middle with a large portion of pot roast on top. And it was delicious. The pot roast was perfectly cooked, tender, falling apart. The chili gave it a nice kick. Delicious dish. My wife enjoyed her sandwich and said her French onion soup was some of the best she’d ever had.
So there’s beignets on the dessert menu. And I REALLY wanted them. So I ordered some. I went to use the bathroom and ran into our server who informed me that she had good news and bad news. Bad news, they ran out if beignets the night before. Boo. Good news being she gave the table next to us OUR bill, which was about $ 20 more expensive, and they paid it, meaning we got their cheaper bill. So a win for us for the servers mistake.
The inside is nice. It’s a fun, interesting place to look at. Lotta stuff on the walls, including a lot of gators. It was quiet, but again, not a lot of people there when we ate. Plenty of parking in the parking lot behind the restaurant.
The service was lackluster, but it could’ve been an off day. But the food was awesome, and will bring us back again.

Love me some Cajun/​Creole food. So when this place opened up some time back, I was anxious to try it out. In the interim I read (and heard) the mixed reviews about Muddy Waters ranging from bland food to indifferent service. Our group finally made it here around 5:30pm on St. Patrick’s Day to a nearly empty dining room/​bar. Our visit did not include any food, so I cannot comment on that (will have to visit and review again). We were at the bar for nearly an hour.
Muddy Waters has cool décor/​ambience and the location next to the roaring Seneca River can’t be beat. In reality, Blue Water Grille (1^st restaurant in that spot) then Edgewater Grille (2^nd restaurant in that spot) also had those things going for it– and eventually failed.
As mentioned, our group only stayed for drinks. Drink prices seemed a little higher than other B’ville places we had visited that afternoon (Sammy Malones and The Office). Pints of beer average around $ 6-​$ 6.50 here. Service was average and not too memorable. Again– for the life of me I couldn’t understand why there was hardly anyone eating here. Maybe they knew something I didn’t…

Last night, I headed here to dinner with a friend. We’re both from the south and craving for some southern/​creole food. When I saw this pop up on my Unilocal feed, I was like «yes, biscuits and gravy!» The restaurant is located along Seneca River, and it is beautiful out here. We had ordered calamari, gumbo, and the Hot Mess. Calamari was delicious. Lightly fried with cornmeal and served with remoulade. Our entrees were less than impressive. I’ve had my fair share of gumbo in my lifetime. When I think of gumbo, I think of spice that harmonizes beautifully in my mouth. The gumbo was bland and subpar. My friend was even less impressed with his chicken and biscuits. We left craving for Southern food even more than when we went in *single tear drops*. On the plus side, the atmosphere is really great and the server was awesome. I’ll probably won’t come back for the food, but I definitely would to hang out with friends over drinks.

First visit to Muddy Waters. Had the gumbo: really nice flavors with a touch of heat… nice. The rib eye was perfectly cooked to the right temperature, and the cheddar mashed were nice, although not hot enough. Also sampled the cornbread: excellent! Great flavor and texture. Strangely served with garlic butter; would have been flawless if served with a sweet butter to complement the profile of the bread.
Overall a great experience, would definitely recommend. A bit pricey, but well done.

Muddy Waters is a trip: a great location, with the perfect atmosphere. But I like my spicy food with spice.
The eatery is located on the banks of the Seneca River (which makes for beautiful patio dining). Inside, the carefully crafted atmosphere transports you to a bayou roadhouse: wood paneling, vintage lighting, and big windows that overlook the river.
With tell of spicy gumbos and fresh seafood, the menu had my mouth watering. Sarah and I started with calamari. The dish was featured huge rings of squid, lightly battered in cornmeal and deep fried. Served with grilled lime, and spicy cream sauce, I’d rank the leviathan as one of the area’s best.
However, the strong starter upstaged our entrees. My fried haddock was comparatively obvious: haddock, deep fried in the same cornmeal batter, served atop a bed of cold, moist fries. Sarah’s pulled pork sandwich, though ordered with a sauce that claimed to be «three-​out-​of-​four-​chili-​peppers-​spicy,» was zero-​out-​of-​four-​hot, flavorful, or tender.
Best I know, Creole cuisine is America’s curry: bursting with flavor and spice. I love Muddy Waters’ menu, and would encourage them to make like a second-​line sousaphonist and let loose on the seasoning. We can handle it.

I’ll be honest I wasn’t expecting much with the food. What a pleasant surprise! I had the Dixie chicken which was rubbed with a delicious spice blend and came with a choice of «mother «sauces listed on menu… Was so tasty it didn’t need sauce! Our awesome server Sue suggested we order the sauce on the side so we could try 2 different ones. Got the creole mustard sauce and the one with chipotle. Both were delicious but seriously the rub on the chicken stood on its own! They have a great wine list which I wasn’t expecting. We ordered a bottle of Stag’s Leap Artemis for $ 65 if you know wine you know this was a steal. Great vibe. Great music. Great food!

Upon hearing Muddy Waters was a creole/​Cajun establishment, we quickly decided to make this my birthday destination this year. We were not disappointed.
Our appetizer was fried calamari with remoulade. The calamari was crisp and took little effort to chew and the remoulade complimented it perfectly. I could have saved more room for dinner if I hadn’t cleaned up the whole dish mostly by myself.
As it was a special occasion, we selected the jambalaya and gumbo as out entrees, which were almost uncomfortably expensive. The gumbo was mediocre at best, and at it’s price point, the only reason I’m not ready to give Muddy Waters five stars.
I had the jambalaya, which contained obscene amounts of crawfish, nearly and entire chicken breast (all-​white meat) and some andouille cut up into manageable pieces, along with rice, veggies and the most amazing hellbroth you can find in the Syracuse area. It was outstanding. Oh yeah, it comes out in an entire cast iron dutch oven, and our server informed me he is yet to see anyone complete the whole thing. Challenge accepted!
They always have Abita beer on tap, keeping with the authenticity of their cuisine, and their selection is seasonal with the brewery. I cannot understate this perfect accompaniment to a great meal.
Having been stuffed on calamari, jambalaya and a barrel-​aged stout, we ordered dessert to go. I don’t remember exactly what it was, but it had vanilla bean ice cream, a brownie, and chocolate lava. Of course, it was outstanding.
We will certainly be back once the weather warms to have po boys on the deck outside, and I hope to give Muddy Waters that fifth star which I am sure they deserve.

We ate at Muddy Waters tonight and I will never go there again. My husbands jambalaya came without rice and my prime rib was cold as ice. When my husband sent the food back he was met with an intimidating attitude from the manager.
Mistakes happen. The appropriate response is not to intimidate the customer into accepting the mistake. The purpose of eating out is to have a pleasant time; this restaurant does not understand this simple principle. I will take my business elsewhere when we are in the area again. Disappointment does not begin to describe my feeling for this place. I did not want to even give the one star rating but I can’t post without it.

Must go! Right on the water, great vibe, great food, great drinks. River was raging when we were there adding to the scene. Hidden gem in CNY. Mojo wings spiciest I’ve had in long time but great flavor, step it down to Southern Discomfort to really enjoy. Louisiana Crab Dip was packed full of flavor & crab. Simone loved her Moonshine Margarita & great craft selection for me. Can’t go wrong here.

Great atmosphere with a decent amount of craft beers on tap. Outside patio is nice, right on top of river.
Just returned from New Orleans a couple months ago and the muffaletta sandwich I had here was much better than the one from New Orleans. Didn’t care for the chicken and biscuits, was too dry.
Will definitely be back to sample more.

Great food but the owner was nothing short of rude and condescending when simply and politely asked to please add sweet tea to the menu.

Came here today for Sunday brunch. Since it was a beautiful day we sat out on the patio. They have several tables on the patio and also have covered outdoor seating which is great if you want to be outside but not in the sun.
We ordered the Orleans Omelette and the Shrimp and Grits. Both were excellent. We both chose the Sunday side salad to go along with our meals and this was a great little salad made with fresh field greens.
Can’t wait to go back and try The Aftermath (32oz Bloody Mary, with skewered shrimp, andouille sausage, burger slider, topped off with a medley of vegetables) it is served with a side of hash browns or a Sunday Salad, saw this being served and the presentation is amazing.
Also want to go back and see some of the bands that they have scheduled throughout the Summer.
We looked over the beer and wine lists and they have a nice selection of craft beers and wine.
Finally a place in the area that serves good Cajun/​Creole food. We will definitely be back!

We had the poutine and the wings, both were very good. They have a beautiful patio, looking forward to coming back when the weather gets better. Service was awesome. It also appears they take reservation for big groups.

This is my second time and was not disappointed. Excellent service, great ambiance, and delicious food. The pull pork nachos are a hit. This time I had the étouffée with scallops for dinner and I highly recommend it. Could not help myself and had to have the fried cornbread for dessert once more, so so good. I had a taste of the dream sickle crème brûlée, next time I will have this dessert all by myself :)

Enjoyed Muddy Waters tonight with my boyfriend and our friends. I ordered the «one hot mess» which I highly recommend. He ordered the thicket chicken. Rice was undercooked, so we sent it back and he got a burger instead. The restaurant was very nice about it. Took it back and got us out a new meal in a timely matter with no fuss. Friendly staff and manager. Likely visit again!

Located below my other favorite B’ville hangout, Sammy Malones, Muddy Waters has a nice casual atmosphere, that can only get better as the weather gets warmer. The staff was very pleasant. The food was outstanding. For me, the best ribs in the greater Syracuse area. One of the specials of the day was a cod dish, that was truly out of this world. Portions were perfect, we left satisfied, not in pain!

Absolutely fantastic. As good as it gets for Baldwinsville.
Our family got a chance to taste some good old southern Louisiana cooking here in NY.
The crab dip is out of this world and so were the Jalapeño hushpuppies.
With no kids menu in sight, my kids settled in on a full rack of ribs — with the mustard sauce. I think my daughter went to bed asking that nobody should touch her leftovers :)
I had the Hot Mess (Chicken n’ Biscuits with Sausage Gravy) which was phenomenal, while the wife went with her yummy choice of the Muffaletta.