LaPlace Louisiana Cookery

Favorite Louisiana style restaurant in the Triangle. Amazing Cocktails. Great atmosphere.

Terrible service! The first time I tried to go I stood at the front of the restaurant for nearly 10 minutes and not one person came to say hello. We just walked out. The second time we tried we asked to be seated and and they wouldn’t seat us at an open table. The couple in back of us was seated right away. We went back five minutes later and got the same treatment. What is up with these people? They clearly don’t need our business.

A great brunch. Three egg omelette with duck confit and Brie. A side salad. Perfect low carb meal. We didn’t have a cocktail but the list was impressive. Definitely plan to return.

Amazing meal and service! The fresh oysters were exquisite! The seafood gumbo is TO DIE FOR! Amazing drinks and Dessert as well! Highly recommend! We just moved here but we will become regulars for sure!

I spent a week in New Orleans last month and I’ve had a craving for gumbo and po’ boys recently. We decided to try out LaPlace at the suggestion of our friend.
The Good
— The food: my wife had their seafood gumbo with potato salad. I had a fried oyster and shrimp po’ boy with a side of their andouille sausage gumbo. Everything was superb. The seafood was fresh, the fried oysters were great, and the fried shrimp were hot and had great bite. My favorite part of the meal was the andouille sausage gumbo; it was flavorful, had great texture, and the sausage and chicken inside was perfect.
— The beer: several good brews on tap, reasonably priced at ~$ 5 each.
— The cocktails: I’m not a cocktail guy but if this is your thing, they serve up a bunch of great cocktails that seem to be carefully made.
The bad
— Parking can be tricky. If you are coming at nighttime, you can park behind the restaurant in the spots marked for the bank and whatever (those businesses are closed).
— There’s no real hostess so if there’s a line, it can be confusing to figure out who to talk to, how to get your name on the list, etc.
Honestly though, the food was the same as I had in New Orleans. The atmosphere is lively and intimate at the same time. The waitstaff was great (thanks Mel) and I can’t wait to go back.

Boudin balls, Gumbo and a Kentucky Mule make for the perfect afternoon meal! Great location and staff. Lots of unique cocktails and food make La Place outstanding

Absolutely authentic and delicious! Haven’t had that legit Cajun and creole since leaving CenLa back in the 90’s. Shrimp and oyster Poboy was perfect as well as the red beans & rice. Will definitely be back!

I have recently come to discover that I have a love for gumbo, so of course I went out of my way to find some while in Durham. Upon entering, you are immediately transported to New Orleans. I couldn’t stop staring at all of the decorations on each wall.
My table ordered the Acadian Sampler, Creole Seafood Gumbo and three sides: collard greens, stewed tomatoes and okra, and sweet potato mash. This order ensured that we were able to try every gumbo on the menu! The Acadian Sampler included Chicken and Andouille Gumbo, Crawfish Étouffée and rice and beans. Both gumbos were ordered with rice. One surprising thing was that the sampler came with relatively small portions, so beware if you are planning on sharing it with others.
My table’s opinion ranged from the Étouffée to the rice and beans to the chicken gumbo in order from most favorite to least favorite. The Étouffée (classic crawfish stew) highlighted the fresh crawfish with accents of balanced cajun spices, it was by far the favorite. The chicken and andouille gumbo was average, the broth had good spice, but its flavor paled in comparison to the crawfish stew.
The Seafood Gumbo had a great variety of fresh seafood (razorback clams, mussels, shrimp and fish) with a great amount of spice packed into every bite.
The side I would most definitely recommend to everyone is the Sweet Potato Mash. My table could not get enough of it– a seemingly simple mash filled with richness that was complimented by just the right amount of salt and sweetness. We just about licked the bowl clean!
Did I mention they make all of their own sausages and even have house-​made vodka? Oh yes, this restaurant is definitely worth a stop.

I have a weakness for Cajun and thus tend to be more forgiving of an establishment’s flaws if it delivers the right flavors. In La Place’s case, no such pardon is needed. Named for the Andouille Capital of the World, this restaurant not only nails the food but also gives ample motivation to keep coming back.
Owner/​chef Joe Tullos, a native of the region, succeeded in capturing the look and feel of a New Orleans-​area establishment. The long wooden bar, the photos on the walls, and the specials written on chalkboards all preserve a certain vintage charm. However, this classic presentation should not be taken for an unwillingness to experiment as La Place’s menu is deceptively varied. Yes, you will find po boys, gumbo, and other traditional fixtures here, but you will also encounter novel twists on biscuits and gravy (with green onion sausage) and the BLT (with smoked chicken) as well as a whole slew of creative cocktails (including one with cereal, milk, and bourbon).
Whether your tastes run experimental or conservative, you are likely to be satisfied no matter what you order. For a late brunch, my fiancée and I went with the meat bol and the crawfish étouffée. The former — various house-​made sausages served over two eggs, grits, and a biscuit — featured smoky meats and grits that were good enough to be a meal on their own. The latter was creamy, well-​seasoned, and no less enjoyable.
Add to this a team of outgoing and knowledgeable bartenders, and it’s hard to find fault with La Place. The pricing ($ 15 for the meat bol, $ 12 for the étouffée) is moderate, but it’s fair given the quality of the ingredients — though I do wish the portion size on the latter ran larger. And while our Saturday afternoon visit was a comfortable experience, La Place’s relatively small size makes me wonder if dining during a dinner rush would tell a different tale.
With a pleasingly vintage aesthetic and terrific food, La Place is a worthwhile destination for anyone in the area, Cajun-​phile or not.

Always yummy food. Great bartenders. This is our favorite spot in Hillsborough for consistently great food and drink.

A very unique dining experience. Had the shrimp sausage po boy with a corn side dish that I cannot spell or pronounce. Maque choux is what it was and what it was was awesome!
I’d definitely come back here for dinner or just a drink.
Very, very good!

I had actually been avoiding this place thinking that there wouldn’t be anything I could eat, since I am a vegetarian. However, we were near here and checked out the menu, and, lo and behold, there is an amazing oyster mushroom po boy here.
Yum yum. And those warm fluffy beignets and the endlessly modifiable Bloody Mary.
So so good.

Amazing food and drinks, not to mention the atmosphere. Had the Cajun fried pickles, best I have had outside New Orleans. The cocktails all were great. Great blues music and great service.
Can’t say enough about this place!

Great Cajun food. The chicken and andouille sausage gumbo was the perfect mix of spice and umami flavors. Nom nom!
The service was a-​ok. We came late and could tell they were trying to close up shop. The food and flavors way outshined the service, so we will definitely be coming back! (Hey, we could always get take-​out!!!)
Good stuff! LaPlace, Wooden Nickel, and Pancuito definitely make Churton Street a destination!

I love LaPlace. I’ve gotten take out from them, had brunch and dinner on site, and even bought some of their sausage to take home.
The food is always great; my favorites include the red beans & rice and Andouille gumbo.
The only real cons I can offer are that the drinks & wine tend to be overpriced (though they do carry a good selection), and the service is hit and miss. Never so bad that I’d complain but just somewhat spacey. We’ve had to wait lengthy periods at times to get more drinks, ask a question, etc.

We came here to check out downtown Hillsborough since we’d always heard how cute it is! It was a little difficult to find initially because the front sign wasn’t very big, but it helped that Unilocal reviews mentioned it is located next to a pharmacy.
Our group of 4 people was seated right away around 11:30 on a Saturday; it started filling up later through our meal. Our waitress kindly recommended the duck sausage po boy and the smoked pork po boy and also described the cajun maque choux side dish as a mix of corn and onions that sounded delicious.
We ended up following her recs and ordered 4 po boys (2 of the duck sausage and 2 of the smoked pork). We liked the smoked pork po boy more than the duck sausage because the duck was a bit dry, but othewiser both were delicious! Both sandwiches came garnished with potent mustard. The fries were amazing – crispy, seasoned, and perfectly done. The maque choux, a traditional dish of southern Louisiana, was my favorite part of the meal – creamy corn corn, green bell pepper, and onion. I could eat whole bowls of it.
Altogether it’s a great place for authentic Louisiana fare!

Fun hang-​out type spot on the main Hillsborough drag a few doors down from Wooden Nickel. When you’re in the mood for something different, but don’t want to go too far out, then here’s your spot. It’s comfortable and neighborhood-​y, as well as affordably gourmet. They have a pretty good selection of craft beers (including one of my faves, Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin) and a nice selection of Cajun specialties. They have sharable appetizers, mains, sides, and a selection of po’ boys and just about everything is under $ 20. The boudin balls are excellent and come with a spicy mustard. I also tried the selection of housemade sausages, which include Andouille from a legit born-​and-​bred sausage master, as well as a really nice duck sausage and a shrimp sausage that was much different than I expected and very tasty. The sampler came with some accompaniments, like mustards and a scoop of potato salad, as well as some onions that seem to have been pickled with beets. They had that beet color and they were like pickled onion candy; can’t rave about those enough. Got a side of cole slaw, which was vinegar-​based and OK, but to me could have used a spicier kick. The maque choux (Cajun stewed corn dish) wins the prize for best side. Service is of the down-​home, treat-​you-​like-​family type.

Just had another great meal here. Today I am raving about the jalapeño corn fritters. They are excellent light and puffy and filled with flavor served on a bed of stewed tomatoes and okra. My oyster po’boy was fantastic. The oysters were perfectly cooked, light breading, with the tasty, juicy oyster intact. And, don’t forget to build your own Bloody Mary — six choices of booze, three different homemade mixes and 24 toppings!

Well, I really wanted to like this place. The people were nice. The place was loud and cozy. 3 of the 5 adults at our table had food that was over salted. It might have been an off night, but I was disappointed and probably won’t be back.

In Hillsborough, North Carolina, this is the place to be… pun intended. We were downtown for a quick stroll through the area, and noticed that «La Place» was the busiest restaurant/​bar, so we decided to go on in for some Cajun cuisine.
Right from the start we knew we had made the right choice. We were quickly seated with a window view, and the place immediately reminded us of a port city southern eatery straight out of New Orleans, which incidentally, we have been to. ;)
The building itself has great historic charm, and the menu was impressive. There was definitely no shortage of a variety of po boy sandwiches and sausage étouffée options. The oysters were fresh caught from a local coastal source here in North Carolina and fried into a crispy treat, and the red beans and rice were served southern style, with the opportunity to add in some Corn Maque Choux, or collard greens as a great side. If you like southern Cajun style food, this is the place to be, and we were very happy with our choices. The Corn Maque Choux alone was worth the visit, and I highly recommend it. Spicy, buttery goodness. Oh my gosh!
The wait staff were friendly and kept our drinks fresh, which is always good.
Downtown Hillsborough has great street side parking, as well as a large parking garage near the Weaver Street Market, so you can park your car and stroll down to the restaurant, and shop at the local art and antique stores. While downtown though, make sure you stop in at La Place. It definitely has authentic port city style.
One thing to note is that it is a relatively small restaurant, even with the addition of outdoor seating, so on busy evenings there might be a wait, especially since this seems to be one of the hot spots for the town. It is worth the wait though for authentic southern style Cajun cuisine. We will definitely be back.