The Big Easy

The Big Easy sits on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh and takes its cues from New Orleans. The kitchen puts out Cajun-inspired Southern cooking along with American classics, and the hospitality is the old-fashioned Southern kind. The restaurant says it embodies the best of its two favorite cities.

Louisiana standards anchor the menu: jambalaya, etouffee, gumbo and po’ boys. There are burgers, salads, pastas, sandwiches and wings for anyone at the table who wants something else, and live music is part of the room as much as the food is.

What to know

• The bar makes a hurricane of its own, called the Hurricane Easy.
• Seasonal craft cocktails rotate through the drink list.
• North Carolina beers make up a good part of what is poured.
• The wings are among the most popular things on the menu.
• Current menus are posted online for anyone planning ahead.