how app-etizing
This genius app maps the best places for crawfish in Houston
It's an annual rite of passage in Houston: crawfish season.
The phenomenon is so huge here that national TV chef and host of the new Netflix series Ugly Delicious devoted a large part of an episode our diverse and mighty mudbug offerings.
If you find yourself constantly on the lookout for the freshest, most-flavorful, and cheapest crawdads, the good news is there's an app for that.
The Crawfish App actually covers much of the Gulf Coast. The idea came from a Baton Rouge couple who were sick of calling a dozen different restaurants to find the best crawfish deals during the spring season. The app now includes more than 1,000 vendors throughout Texas — and the South — complete with reviews, size ratings, and more.
On the first screen, you select whether you are looking for boiled crawfish or live. You are then asked to provide an address (or use your current location). From there, you're taken to a list of purveyors that can be sorted by price, distance, and review.
Each listing includes price per pound, the size of the crawfish (small, medium or large), a five-star review system, and contact information for the restaurant. This information is based on reviews left by app users and mudbug aficionados. In addition, the team behind The Crawfish App calls every vendor listed in the app each week to confirm their prices and other offers. That info is updated just in time for the weekend.
For research, we looked for the best crawfish closest to Montrose. Topping the list was BB's Cafe, naturally. Those bugs are listed as medium-sized, rated five stars, and go for $7.95 a pound. There are better deals to be had further afield, but Houston's wonky weather over the last six months had led to a shorter crawfish season and higher prices. But that's where the crowdsourcing app comes in handy — you'll always be sure to find the best deal.
The Crawfish App is available in the App Store and Google Play.
