The Free Man Cajun Cafe Reviews

You must try the cornbread brisket sliders, they will make your night. Also the alligator PO boy is wonderful. Not a fan of the red beans and rice. They also had great live music. Will recommend to anyone going to Deep Ellum.

Blackened catfish and shrimp cocktail excellent. Rice and beans good but not great. Worth it for the food alone.

Typical DE shotgun layout and spartan surroundings, A cup of gumbo & crawfish etouffee were both well seasoned. Just a splash more tabasco than I prefer in the etouffee, but both were excellent nonetheless. Service was friendly and casually attentive, but we were in no hurry. No music during our afternoon visit. Worth a try.

Dropped in on Tuesday night while wandering around soaking up the Deep Ellum atmosphere. Had an absolutely brilliant night. Great music from Bree and the Fellas then Terence Bradford and his group and great service by the bar staff had us grooving all night. Didn't have any food so can't comment but a few people around us partook and seemed to be loving it. If we are in Dallas again we will certainly put Free Man at the top of our must-do list. Fantastic live music venue.

Great service and the best food outside of Louisiana! A must! I checked the online menu to find what I had and it's not there but whatever I had was awesome!!!!!

Tiny, long bar/Restaurant in Deep Ellum. Specializes in Louisiana style food. If you like uninteresting fried food this is your place, there are better places if you like Cajun food. Drinks prices are standard. However, the bands I have seen here (2X) rock, great jazz, funky roots music. I eat somewhere else then head to the freeman for after dinner drinks & some awesome music. P there is no entrance fee either.

The food was AMAZING! The atmosphere was really chill and the band we saw was incredible! Smokin Aces Brass Band was rockin out! Overall, my friends and I really loved our experience at The Free Man!

Used to be good but has drastically changed. New management? New manager? Not sure, but the last time I went (on a Thursday), the place was utterly filthy and despite being empty, took my party of three way too long to even receive our drink orders. Food also took forever and was served cold-- wife wanted to send it back but that always makes me uncomfortable. With Deep Ellum emerging, they need to step up their game big time. A lot of restaurants start out amazing and when a manager or owner steps back and the staff is left to fend for themselves, the quality of everything deteriorates. Also was accosted by 2 homeless people outside which I know isnt Free Man's problem, but that coupled with the cold food and cold service means I'll look elsewhere for my cajun fix. Blegh.

Please, do not waste your time, because they don't mind wasting yours. I was in town for business and this was the closest my co-workers and I would get to Louisiana, so we thought we would try out this authentic sounding restaurant's cajun food. I wish we would have bought a box of Zatarain's and eaten that instead. On other trips to the US, I have enjoyed some delectable cajun food while driving around southern Louisiana, and now I wished to share my experiences with my work mates. We started with the boudin balls, a flavor I have been known to dream about. Thanks to these flavorless, over-breaded grease chunks, my dreams have turned to nightmares. I quickly put them out of my mind and diverted my attention to the jambalaya, hoping the starter was an exception to the food and not a rule. It was not. The jambalaya was nothing more than spiced rice. I may have had two small pieces of sausage and a couple of large vegetable chunks. Thoroughly upset, we reluctantly finished our meal and attempted to pay, but our waiter was nowhere to be found, a common theme throughout the evening. Once the check arrived, we paid and fled as quickly as possible, attempting to forget our most miserable dining experience the entire month we were in the US. Luckily, the bars nearby allowed us to rid ourselves of the terrible taste in our mouths. Oh, and the homeless beggars are a constant around this part of town known as Deep Ellum. I will never return. We found better restaurants and atmosphere a couple of miles away in an area known as Uptown.

I was looking for a quick bite early on a Friday evening, place was quiet so I took a sit at the bar, server was very friendly! I ordered a Sauvignon Blanc which was really good, I didn’t realize it was my favorite Kim Crawford until I got the bill. I ordered 2 appetizers, Cajun shrimp with rice and crab dip, both delicious! Well worth checking out, I’m sure it’s a different vibe with live music!

My husband and I have gone to Free Man a couple of times. The first time we were there for just a couple of drinks and to listen to the band. I had a mixed drink that was very refreshing and they have a decent beer selection. The second time we went, we ordered a muffaletta and the crawfish etouffee. The muffaletta was a little more bread and less filling than we'd like. That was disappointing. On the bright side, the etouffee was delicious. The roux, mirepoix, rice, etc. were made perfectly. There was a nice little kick and the crawfish was nice. I didn't think to ask for hot sauce, but that would have added to the meal. I agree with the comment that the service isn't great. We sat at the bar both times and it took some time to get what we wanted. However, the bands were a lot of fun and really make the restaurant.

Not great service to start with, the waitress was leaving the building repeatedly... Ordered stuffed jalapeños and they were terrible! My wife and I eat out often and in many states and several countries but never have I seen such horrible food prep! All the seeds were left in the peppers! We pointed out that they were inedible and got a smart, “well that’s the way they are made” No sorry! If in fact that’s the way they were supposed to be made here put it in the description! You could send someone to the hospital! Then we got our diner “The Ella” with catfish...My wife asked for lemon and the waitress told use we couldn’t have any more! We had one lemon slice each for our water, but couldn’t have any for the fish??? Sadly The Ella was delicious but after such bad service I will never be back! They did take off the stuffed jalapeños on our bill... but really should have better service!

Very relaxing. Music was great. Beer too :-) We also tried bread pudding, which was very delicious. Service is great. Right place to visit one in Deep Ellum, Dallas

This little restaurant has it all! 2 different bands play almost every night (a variety of music, from POP to the 40's & 50's to Jazz). Their Cajun food is exceptional, especially their Gumbo.

First-time visitor expecting Jazz and full menu, but subjected to limited menu and mediocre spoken word. I ordered tasteless unseasoned Jambalaya. On a good note, my husband ordered "The Louis", and loved it, so I added the Louis sauce to make my Jambalaya edible. Will try again on a night with a full menu or less spoken word.

The food was tasty. The bread pudding was very good. Not being from DFW, we were surprised that a $20 surcharge was added automatically to our order! Then we were asked to pay an additional tip. We left scratching our heads. There was a $10 per person cover charge for the live music…which I totally understand. We arrived close to 7pm and we read that was when the music started. It was probably 30 minutes later when the 1st band started. The first band ended around 8:45pm and the 2nd band was to start at 10pm. Unfortunately, we had to leave before the 2nd band started.

Unless you're looking for this place, you'd probably pass right by it. I went on a Wednesday night around 7, and they had a nice little band playing swing music. I had a vegetarian pasta dish, and to be honest, it was just alright. They do have a bar, the staff was all very nice, and the bread pudding was good.

We had a jazz / blues singer (Kat something, forgot her last name but her band was called La Pompe) in a cajun band: great music. And we had catfish, for the first time in my life. Lovely. The guy who helped us was very proud of the german words and sentences he knows. He can also be proud of the cafe!

Had a Saturday night dinner here with friends - great food and service, with a homey atmosphere; not fancy, just friendly. The crab dip appetizers was excellent. The blackened catfish was very good as well as the blackened shrimp and dirty rice. Service was prompt, attentaive, and friendly. Get it a try for some great cajun food. By the way the band was excellent too.

We ducked in her out of the rain on a Friday night to catch some music. Bands were between sets but the bartenders playlist was awesome. While waiting we ordered some food....loved the red beans and rice!!

It's more sophisticated than Adair's Salloon next door. The music is outstanding! The staff nice and quick, drinks tasty and food not overpriced. Get to your table in advance because it can get crowded once the musician start playing!

Chosen by my son for his Birthday, big mistake. Waitress didn't even speak when she approached our table, took order/delivered and we never saw her again until it was time for the check. I had to get up and find refills for our table myself. The "catfish" was actually some other cheap white fish, fries were cold when they hit the table, gator tail was tasteless. Tables are so close to each other that it was like walking down the rows at a movie theater, the live music was a nice touch but you could not hold a conversation while they were playing due to the acoustics .

Didn’t get in front door. They stopped us at the door for a $10 per person cover charge to go into the restaurant. Sad too, we have been searching for a good Cajun restaurant.

Loved the Cajun food and atmosphere. The live band was an added plus! Parking may be a little tricky, but not too bad. I was told about this place by a friend...now it's a new family favorite!

The food looked good in the pictures/website and my co worker said she has read good reviews about the place. The restaurant fits in with the rest of deep ellum, basically it's a bar that just so happens to serve food. If I was tipsy I wouldn't mind the taste of the food but the whole reason we went was because of the food! Long story short, bad food and expensive drinks. I can't complain about the service because I was the only one there at the time.

Wonderful personable service from Server Ms Nova-thank you for the catfish & sweet potato fries & iced water- lovely atmosphere that takes me back to a past era

We enjoyed the music and food but our server wasn't good at all. The waiter seemed spaced out or high. Every one around us had a better service experience as they were eating at least 30 minutes before us although they came in with us. I'd go back but would avoid this waiter. The manager apologized and gave us a credit.

We went here for Father’s Day lunch and had a reservation for five. When we got there, they wanted to charge us a $50 cover charge to come in and eat lunch. $10 each nothing was ever said about this when we made the reservation told a man at the door that we had a reservation for lunch and he didn’t care. He said it’s $10 each we told him we just skip it and not eat. He said good we don’t care if you come in or not, my advice skip this place!

Tasty cajun fare, fine service, fun music. Bathrooms both men and women need some clean up duty. The catfish and The Louis were very good. Nice selection of beer.

We were recommended this place for the live music which was very good. Decided to eat too. Catfish was excellent. Service was fine. Great Bloody Mary. Really enjoyed it.

Wow. What amazing atmosphere and food. Boudin Balls a must. Dustin the bartender a salt of the earth guy. Check it out for the incredible jazz too!

Modest at best, interpretation of a NOLA music venue w/food and booze. Won't go back. Music was so - so... food tasted like it came out of a box.

Considering it was Monday night - it was so awesome... the BigAssBrassBand was playing there. The drinks are nice and stiff... good atmosphere - the bar tender even let me recharge my phone from the bar

My first visit and I'm hooked. Great open space with great music. The food, OUTSTANDING!!!! I had Boudin Balls, Crab Dip, Gumbo, and The Hot Chick. The first bite of the Hot Chick, i was reminded of Sunday Dinner. This dish is the epitome of SOUL FOOD. From scratch food is always identifiable. Every element was carefully thought out. Flavorful, soulful, succulent, slightly spicy gravy over crunchy fried chicken breast with white rice. I am extremely satisfied, and happy we chose to come here. The staff is just as great as the food. I will be back to try the Blackened Catfish. Thank you for REALLY GOOD FOOD!!!!!!!

Dropped in for a drink and to take a look at the menu while exploring Dallas. Didn't order any food because the vegetarian-friendly options were expectedly limited. Sat at the bar for a bit, good service, friendly staff who chatted with us a bit about our trip plans. We loved the atmosphere though, the lighting and decorations were super fun.

The food was really good, some of the best, more authentic cajun food I have had in Dallas. The service however was terrible. We first waited 20 minutes after being seated to get out drink orders taken, some went to the bar and ordered theirs because they were tired of waiting. When we were finally able to make our food order everything came out at a different time. I understand when you have a group of 8 it might be hard to time all the dishes to be at the same time at a smaller place, but this was spread out over the course of 20 minutes from the first person to the last receiving food. After that it was about a 30 minute experience from asking for the checks to getting them back at the end, overall about a 3-4 hour experience for dinner.

Service was very, very slow. Waited approximately 45 minutes for food and once it arrived one member of the party had to wait 5 minutes for her salad order. I Had the Shrimp Po Boy and had no flavor. First visit here and can't honestly recommend it

Thought I would try a new place and I have to say this wasn't a good place to venture out. I got panhandled right in front of the joint by some smelling homes guy. Another customer said that he had been there a couple times and he has seen a few homeless people there. I got panhandled again on my way out. If you go after dark I would recommend a weapon of some kind. Aside from that the food was pretty greasy and the service had a bit to be desired. In my opinion you should go someplace better like McDonalds.

The Free Man use to be my place to go, especially after Mavericks games but it has gone way downhill. The last two times that I have visited the guys at the door have been great, but the rest of the service sucks. I sat down the first time and waited over 15 minutes, and no one ever came over to my table to take my order. The guy at the door apologized and refunded my cover charge. The next time I went on Friday night (May 6), the tattooed bartender took my order at the bar and after serving me never checked on me again. She served everyone around me but NEVER looked my way again. I went to the other end of the bar for service and that bartender ignored me as well. Both times the place was not crowded at all. Free Man, you have now lost a devoted customer and will lose more if your service doesn't get any better.

Wife and I went there for dinner on a Saturday night. Parking is spotty, but nothing can be done about that due to its location. Place was very inviting with live music featured. We seated ourselves and were taken care of almost immediately. Food was amazing. Started off with a shared order of Alligator tail, I had the crawfish Etouffee and wife had the fried catfish. We loved all of it! Value was great! Dinner and drinks for us was around $40 and we had some awesome jazz music to listen to while we were there. Would recommend for sure.

We went with family for a Cajun meal. We had difficulty being able to have discussion at our table due to loud music. The food is spicy and authentic Cajun. Unfortunately the waitress spilled food on my daughters boyfriends back, ruining his white shirt. She failed to acknowledge this or apologize. I doubt we will be back.

We had already eaten seafood in N. Dallas and we were looking for music. "Yelp" pointed us to this place called "The Free Man Cajun Cafe". Looked like a dive from the outside - just what we wanted! Humble interior, with an excellent jazz band playing. We had a couple beers and enjoyed the music. Great sound - not overpowering. We could converse with our friends, yet completely enjoy the music. A few different beers I didn't know on tap so I had one from two different varieties. I would go there again.

The first experience wasn't so pleasant bc we came in late and could only order the "fried" food (which was over fried and not good at all). Thanks goodness we gave it another try!! We went yesterday, I ordered the "Hot Chick" DELICIOUS!!! Husband ordered the brisket version which he said was good as well, but he liked my plate better. We ended up going BACK the SAME day to get the HOT Chick, and that time I got the Louis (DELICIOUS) and the GUMBO... The Gumbo is the BEST I HAVE EVER HAD FROM A RESTAURANT... and I am creole!!! Go here in a timely manner and you will not disappointed!!!! Awesome place

Excellent Cajun food (try the blackened catfish and rice) and fun environment, The live music makes for a nice evening with coworkers after a long day.

What a fun place in Deep Ellum. Many places you go in Deep Ellum, if you are a parent of older children, you feel sort of out of place. Definitely a Sixth Street or Bourbon Street vibe in Deep Ellum on weekend evenings, especially the later it gets. But check out the music schedule for Saturday nights and try The Free Man. If you love Cajun food and music, you won't be disappointed. There were four of us and we got the last open table at about 7:00 on a Saturday night. They do not take reservations. We were pretty far back so we couldn't see the band but we could hear them. The place is deep and narrow with the band setting up right by the front door. If you want to see the band, go earlier. Apparently also be aware that it is a favorite spot for big parties. So you have to navigate that. We started with their jalapeno poppers stuffed with crab. The waitress warned us they were hot as they don't remove the seeds. She was right. Good but the hot overshadowed the crab a bit. Among the four of us we ordered the fried oyster basket, the fried gator basket, the crawfish etouffee, the jambalaya, and gumbo. We all would highly recommend the non-fried options. We thought the crust was a bit too heavy on the oysters and gator but was flavorful and not greasy. Really reasonable drinks and great service rounded out our experience here. We will definitely return. This is a very casual place with a NOLA feel to it. Very fun discovery.

My best friend was in from Virginia and we traveled from Louisiana to do some shopping in Dallas. She wanted Cajun food so I found this spot on tripadvisor. We chose this over the commercial, chain restaurants and I'm glad we did. It was dark, with a great blues band playing. If you are looking for a quiet place, this isn't it. Service was great. Boudin ball appetizer was amazing! The hot chick and blackened catfish fettuccini were great. The crawfish étouffée was flavorful, but I prefer mine more creamy, this one was more brothy. Thick, slightly sweet cornbread served with everything and it was a perfect accompaniment. Enjoyed our dinner and we'll definitely go back.

Six of us had Sunday lunch at this place (5 adults and one child). My youngest had mini corn dogs and fries. Each adult liked his or her meal. Only my wife said her meal could have been a little better with a BBQ sauce or some other type of sauce (stuffed baked potato with a salad). My teenage son ordered the Cajun Monte Cristo sandwich, and it was unlike anything he expected. I didn't expect him to like it, but he liked it a lot.The bread was french toast, and the sandwich came dusted in powdered sugar with a strawberry jam/sauce on the side. My son-in-law ordered the Voodoo chicken sandwich. It was HUGE, with breaded, deep-fried pickles on it. My daughter ordered the Cajun Chicken on Ciabatta sandwich with sweet potato fries. It was very good. I ordered the Cajun Brisket, which came with cornbread and red beans & rice as my side. The flavors were wonderful, and the portion was VERY generous. The amount of meat on my plate would cost the price of my meal if I bought the brisket at a BBQ place. It is such a great dish. When we return, I'm not sure I'll be able to try anything else, because I will want the Cajun Brisket dish again.

I loved the eclectic live music. When we got there it was a jazz band from UNT. They were really good. Then around 11pm a local reggae band came on that was pretty good. Cajun burger was a good choice.

First off, this place has AMAZING live jazz, blues, and R&B 7 nights a week, 2 acts per night, no cover charge and that is hard to find! I recommend checking it out on Tuesday night when the Freeloaders play. They really play to the crowd and are super energetic and fun. The food...ahhhh where do I start? I've had everything on their menu and it's all delish, but my faves are the boudin balls, the jambalaya, and of course the bread pudding. This place is a treasure!

Wonderful food with live music every night. Good service with great atmosphere. The crab dip is to die for. You want to roll around in it. IT'S THAT GOOD.

As a pretty recent transplant to Dallas from the NOLA area, I was excited to find a place like this. As soon as I walked in it felt familiar, Great atmosphere! It's quaint with low lighting, live band playing at a perfect volume. Our server was attentive and knowledgeable. Both of our dishes were spot on and generously portioned. Really looking forward to going back to try all the dishes. I just wish they had a bigger menu to chose from.

Friends of ours went next door, we chose The Free Man because of the song we heard walking by. Not a bad thing to say about this place. Service, food, music, atmosphere, all spot on! The band La Pompe was playing. Jazz, a la Francaise! You will not regret it. Cheers

A must do! Excellent food. Excellent service. Friendly vibe. Live music that gets you movin! Had real cajun food that made me want more! This places makes you feel as if you could stay after your meal and just hang out.

Dropped in for a drink and was pleasantly surprised. Chris, the bartender has a huge personality and knows his drinks. The people and conversation were lively. This is a place locals frequent and live jazz occurs every night. Felt like we were in New Orleans!

I wandered in on a Sunday night and after a jazz band played standards quite well, an excellent blues band came on and really rocked. Very nice atmosphere in which to hear music.

I stumbled into this Jazz joint serving Cajun food. The music was delightful and the food was very tasty. I really enjoyed the red beans and rice.

The food was tasty, and well-portioned. There are a number of different types of Cajun (and non Cajun) food on the menu. The sweet potato fries were a bit overcooked. They have a bar and have live music often. The service was fair, though not fabulous. May go back to try new things.

Live music , great people and such good food!! I had the crawfish penne with chicken on top and it was wonderful served with homemade cornbread . My friend had the Louis and it was equally good . Right by my house and a new favorite for sure!!!

I hate to slam a place serving good food, but the management does not care about it's customers. I had a horrible experience the other night and I refuse to return. Learn to treat your customers with respect and you may last a little longer.

Stopped here for a beer when we heard the band. This nondescript place located in the shadow of the interstate on the edge of Deep Ellum was a great find. No cover - full band - jazzing it up. We sat at the full bar and had a couple of local brews as we took in the rich sound. The restaurant/bar itself features a variety of food. You can sit inside or there are a couple of tables outside. Definitely recommend!

We shared the, "just right" spicy crawfish ettoufee as the band played "As the Saints Go Marching In" and a group of patrons danced in a row around the room. Try the fried pickles, who would have thunk? We had a great time.

We enjoyed listening to the live jazz, but the food was disappointing. The gumbo and cornbread were GREAT, however, (a little lacking in the spiciness area for the gumbo, but still tasty), but we returned the red beans and rice (tasted of one strong spice that we couldn't identify and was NOT like NOLA red beans and rice), and our appetizers were just so-so. If you want a drink and live music, head here, but eat someplace else.

This place has the right vibe. Great food, cold beer, lively conversation. Good people here. Will be back.

This place is terrible. I ordered a shrimp po-boy, a staple of any cajun restaurant, and my expectations fell flatter than the coke I ordered. The shrimp was greasy, the sandwich was too "bready", and the fries were limp and also greasy. All of this was capped off by the tremendous amount of time it took us to order AND receive our food. Overall, this is one of the worst dining experiences I've had in Deep Ellum, and I won't be back.

We meandered over to The Free Man Cajun Cafe and had a great time with food, drinks, live music and a fun waiter. The Hot Chick was awesome. The Jambalaya was hearty with chunks of meat and vegetables. The Cajun Crab Dip was a big hit with the whole crew. Fried fish and shrimp and a Louie had the rest of the party feeling the Cajun vibes and leaving with full bellies. Atmosphere was upbeat with live music and plenty of noise. This is a dark place with a really loose feel. Great place to kick back and enjoy your friends and/or family. Don’t be in a hurry. It’s not the right attitude for this Cajun food fest.

Avoid it! Everything is horrible about this place. Really don't know where to begin, I would recommend closing the door and leaving.

Cajun food must have heart and soul, depth of flavor and spice. The Free Man doesn't disappoint. A no-frills restaurant that offers all the usual suspects you'd expect to find in a Cajun restaurant. The Gumbo is just right on the spice and flavor profile and the many hidden goodies make eating this dish an adventure with every rich spoonful. Pair your Cajun dish with a locally brewed Texan beer to cool down your taste buds. Service was excellent on a Saturday for lunch and the server was very welcoming.

If you're looking for a fancy place to eat...this is not it. But if you're looking for great food and live Jazz this IS the place.

I think great amazing cajun food helps your mind escape and relish in the "now" of what is in front of you. My friend and I - after waiting close to a half hour at Uber's decided to split to find a restaurant that actually wanted our business, not our time wasted waiting in line for tables that were clearly open. We ventured down Commerce street towards the only enticing restaurant we could both agree on... "Free Man Cajun Cafe." We were greeted by a young man outside the restaurant who when he saw us greeted us with a smile and was going over daily specials with us. When we entered Free Man Cajun it was completely empty... which solved the equation of not waiting for a table. We were greeted immediately by the host who seemed like he was a part of our group or somehow related to us. While taking our order he even sat down near us. When a waiter or waitress does this it somehow shows a deeper connection than just their job of serving up plates of food. He seemed vested in our visit. My friend ordered the Blackened Shrimp Platter. It was served with two side dipping sauces that were out of this world. I ordered the Jambalya which was a bit bland. I eventually borrowed my friend's dipping sauces to enhance the flavor of my entree. I felt the heat or itch of my cajun dish was lacking. There was not the savored taste Im used to being spoiled by back home in Illinois at Cajun Connection. The addition of my friend's white dipping sauce really added to the flavor of my dish. I recommended to the waiter this should be a staple at this restaurant with anyone's dish - it was that good. I feel for what I paid for my meal I got an overload of food. I defintely did not feel short changed and had alot of leftovers. Each meal came with cornbread. Which was a great bonus. Overall, I would probably return to this cafe if the other cajun restaurants in the area don't win me over. I thought the ambience of the place was cool. The waiter/host we had was very kind and seemed willing to do whatever it took to ensure our visit was a good one. I just wish the food was more memorable or different. If you go to Cajun Connection in Utica, Illinois you will know what I am speaking of as far as memorable goes.

We came here for the first time on a Wednesday, around 3:30pm. Xavier was a great host and was very knowledgeable of the beer and food menu. We had the gator tail basket with sweet potato fries, and they were excellent. Gia, the bartender, was awesome in fulfilling my request for the Albita Amber with some ice, since it appeared that the tap was warm. The beer tasted good, but just needed some ice. We had another engagement later that afternoon. After strolling through Deep Ellum, we walked by and saw that they had two stages with live music. We're looking forward to coming back and spending more time here.

We didn't eat, rather came for the music. We were there on a Sunday night. They do a Live Jam at 10pm. That's the time to come. Music was great, drinks were ok.

Met some friends here for Sunday lunch. It wasn't busy at all, and it was a very leisurely lunch. Some would call it slow, but it was fine with us. As noted in other reviews, it isn't fast food and don't expect that here. That said, it was delicious. At our table we had the stuffed jalapenos, seafood pasta dish, muffelatta, and fried gator tail. I think everyone tried everything and we all liked every bit of it. Todd was an engaging host, and it was an excellent experience for our little group. There wasn't any live music on Sunday morning, I expect that we will go back one evening for some music and more Cajun.

Place was kinda cool. I can't remember the name of the band, but they played awesome blues music. Food was great! I had the hot crab dip, and some crawfish ettouffe! Normally I don't eat cornbread, but since this place is known for it, I gave it a try...I ate the whole piece! Amazing! The only thing I can pick on, which is so picky and minute, is that the have me wine in a cocktail glass. Told you! It was a cool spot to hang. Great date place.

Great spot to listen to some jazz and enjoy a good meal. Close to other clubs. The sweet potato fries were light and yummy.

We stayed at the nearby Hote Indigo and walked a few blocks to this place late on Sunday night. It was an excellent end to our day. Tasty food, nice server and enjoyable music. I would definitely go back

Had a craving for Cajun and thought I'd give this place a try since I work in Downtown. The staff seemed annoyed we walked in at lunchtime even though there was hardly anyone dining. We sat and had our drink order taken. Water for both. We waited fifteen minutes for our water while two tables were sat and ordered and one homeless man filled a water bottle at the bar. We finally ordered and when my alligator sandwich arrived I had to trek through mounds of bread while the entire thing fell apart in my hands. The taste was bland for Cajun food. The atmosphere was atrocious and the service was a pain (for the servers). There are much better options in deep ellum

This is a cool little place in Deep Ellum that has a really nice atmosphere. I ordered the gumbo bowl and my friend ordered the fried shrimp. The gumbo was excellent and reasonably priced. I shall return again for sure.

We really enjoyed our evening here. The atmosphere is great, a bar setting with a superb New Orleans style band, "Three Quarters Fast". They were excellent, brilliant musicians. The food was very good indeed, tasty, spicy, well cooked, and very reasonably priced. We had different dishes and they were both great, although the usual huge American portions. The service staff were friendly and helpful. We had no trouble at all in the neighbourhood and left our car safely on a meter nearby. We would highly recommend this place for an authentic rustic type experience with fantastic music.

My family and I were in Dallas for the day and stumbled across the Free Man Cajun Cafe while walking around Deep Ellum. The restaurant/bar is pretty cool, decorated with Jazz/Blues paintings and playing great music. Since we were with kids we ordered quickly, got a gator basket appetizer, which was delicious. I had fried catfish, my wife had Jambalaya - both very good. Get the sweet potato fries, which are way better than the regular fries. Our waiter was also prompt and courteous. Our main meals took about 45 minutes to arrive, which is the main reason they're not getting a "5" rating. Not sure why they were so slow since the place was half empty. 2 adults, 2 kids was $70 with no liquor.

Tiny little restaurant/lounge located in the Deep Ellum section of Dallas. Very casual environment. Fried pickles, boudin balls with a Shock Top beer started us off as this was the happy hour special. We also had the crawfish étouffée, red beans and rice and a muffuletta. We walked out stuffed as all the portions are huge. Great service and awesome bar.

If you are looking for good cajun food accompanied by Jazz, The Free Man is the place to go in Dallas. The down-home and dark interior has a casual atmosphere and a very small stage. The night I was there, a six-piece band squeezed onstage to perform New Orleans jazz. The band changes, so check the calendar to see who is performing. The shrimp etoufee is spicy and plentiful. Only those with a big appetite will be able to finish. If you can manage to eat all of the entree, try the bacon and caramel cheesecake. It’s loaded with so much bacon and caramel, that you’ll definitely want to share. Drinks are inventive, using unusual combinations of ingredients that taste surprisingly good.

I came here on a recommendation from a friend of mine. We sat at the bar and waited for them to arrive and had a beer and ate some alligator tail and visited with the bartender Todd. The alligator was delicious. When the rest of our party arrived we sat at one of the banquettes. This is a very divey type of place btw, which I dig. After we ordered an assortment of entrees, I was reading some of the terrible reviews on TripAdvisor. I was very anxious to see what our experience was going to be like. It was completely the opposite of several of the reviews that I had read. The gumbo was on time, fried pickles were amazing, it was a great example, and I had a brisket and fried egg grilled cheese that was out of this world with some sausage spicy dirty rice. I can definitely see how the experience might change from visit to visit, but based on mine I would definitely give this place a shot.

No, you won’t eat food which fell on the floor here. It’s a dirty bar serving up great food and great jazz. Jambalaya, gumbo, etouffe, and crab dip were all phenomenal. Loved the entire night. Automatic return next visit.

We ordered to got dinners . The boudain balls . Shrimp basket . and hot crab dip. The food was so terrible it was as if the cook said" well crap I burned the food but they will not notice till they are all the way home." Well we noticed and called to let the manager know so he could talk to the cook. The guy that answered the phone told the manger that a guy needed to talk to the manger and he said (we heard this) " I don't want to talk to him" After which the waiter that was talking to us said he was so sorry to be treated like that but he is always rude. All I have to say is OWNER Look around you and show up to tasted the crap your cooks are trying to put out, Stay away for the ROCK hard shrimp . Nasty The crab dip had a glob of cheddar cheese on it and was not good at all.

To be fair, I'm from out-of-town and do remember the "older Deep Ellum" and I am happy to see some new places and faces on my recent visits. I have been to the Free Man Cajun Cafe four times, three times during the day and late afternoon and one time during dinner. Each and every time the service has been great and the food really good. I am of the feeling that pretty good Cajun food beats no Cajun food when you live in an area where good Cajun food is hard to come by. But all that being said, and with locals in the Dallas area possibly having other, favorite places to choose from, I still would send friends and co-workers here without hesitation. Still, I want to be clear that the food here is really good, the service has been excellent on all four of my visits. Bartenders awesome (Jay, thanks for the menu tips!) and the vibe always cool...great background music during slower times but still good enough to keep you interested if you are. Have tried many of the menu items, most of the regular Cajun favorites are solid...in my opinion the Etouffee is a real standout each time I've had it. Bartenders and waiters make very good recommendations on drinks and local beers as well. Solid spot, worth visiting. I definitely look forward to coming back again soon.