Retire Early Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler

In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this financially independent lifestyle, they invite you to take advantage of their wisdom and experience.

The Cajun Restaurant

Tepatitlan, Jalisco, Mexico

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

One of the things we enjoy the most about going to new places is trying out their coffee shops, rooftop bars, and local restaurants.

We heard about a Cajun place in Tepatitlan, something unusual for Mexico, so we wanted to check it out.

Cajun Restaurant sign

Cajun food originated from the French Acadians ousted from Canada and who settled in what's known as Louisiana, USA today. Crawfish, shrimp, and andouille sausage are staples, along with green bell peppers, onions and celery. It's a spicy style of eatin' and - while we have never been to Louisiana to try the original recipes - we have scarfed down Cajun food in Saigon, Vietnam!

It. Was. Memorable.

So off we went, a $4USD taxi ride from the center of town, to try out this restaurant.

This sign says (basically) that you will want to lick your fingers, this food is so good!

Inside Cajun!

We arrived right at opening. The one employee was setting up the tables and getting things ready for the lunch crowd.

This waiter was very personable, attentive, and enthusiastic.

Cajun! was clean and unpretentious.

Since Billy is the French Chef, I often let him choose what might be tastiest for us to share. Just so you know, I'm not playing the mouse here... he's just better at this choosing thing than I am!

He was very excited to try the Shrimp Boil.

Hey! I was ready too!

First course, spicy shrimp stock soup

This powerful tasting tiny cup of spicy shrimp stock was the perfect starter.

What a combination to behold... This nicked little mug from Mexico, a cactus (Louisiana is in the American swamplands!) and a beer first brewed by Germans in Mazatlan!

How international.

Perfect!

Cajun Shrimp Boil

The Shrimp Boil reaches our table. The waiter is sure to  give us front bibs to wear, saying the stain of the sauce is hard to get out of clothing.

Nothing about this dish is subtle.

We can't wait.

Shrimp right outta the bag

This is not a delicate dish. You can try to knife-and-fork it, but that's rather pretentious.

Just get right in there with your fingers and grab those babies. Then... as the sign suggests, you will want to lick your fingers!

Back in the day before the boil bags became popular, copious amounts of newspaper lined a table top and all the ingredients to the boil was spread out in front of you.

Slurping and lip smacking, you simply dove in and enjoyed the feast!

Shrimp, short ears of corn and sauce!

Short ears of corn are a basic ingredient, as well as garlic and onions. You can also place crawfish or crab in with the shrimp, and the shells are left on all the seafood for the extra flavor.

This dish did not disappoint.

We had so much left over that we took it home for later munching!

If you visit Tepatitlan, and you would like to try out this Cajun! Restaurant, the address and phone number are below.

Cajún Restaurante

Río de las Jacarandas 1247

La Loma, 47685

Tepatitlán de Morelos, Jalisco, Mexico

Hours: Open noon to midnight, closed Mondays

Phone: 378 143 4343

For more stories and photos about Mexico, click here

Retire Early Lifestyle appeals to a different kind of person – the person who prizes their independence, values their time, and who doesn’t want to mindlessly follow the crowd.

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