Crawfish has arrived to fill the void of a no frills crawfish restaurant. Claiming to be San Francisco’s first crawfish restaurant, Coco’s Crawfish in the Sunset district makes a genuine attempt to replicate this popular Southern style eatery.

Ambiance: Restaurateur Lisa Lee aims to provide great seafood and emphasizes that food is the center stage as oppose to ambiance. The ambiance does not pair well with the food. At a glance, the aqua colored walls and high ceiling appear to make a strong stance but a few of the owner’s personal touch marks my point. On the side of the staircase, glamour photos featuring her female wait staff awkwardly adorn the wall. Instead of blues music playing in the background as one would expect in a Southern style eatery, a plasma television keeps patrons entertained as they wait for their meal. With all the splatters from cracking various crustaceans, I encourage patrons to dress casually.

This cozy restaurant serves seafood on Styrofoam plates and plastic forks and this gives the restaurant character. The unique experience includes dining with friends in an unpretentious environment with sweat dripping on their foreheads panting for water from the Cajun spice. During the course of our meal, hints of Southern hospitality were noted. Despite only having two wait staff on a Sunday evening, the service is attentive. Our water was refilled a few times and Lee often asked about my feedback of the food.

Food: Don’t expect a mile long menu, it is limited but adequate. Arriving piping hot in a plastic bag, crawfish steals the show ($12.99/lb). Customers can choose a range of flavor from steamed to various spicy levels. Foolishly, I choose the medium heat which was too much for my taste bud to handle. The owner kindly offers to demonstrate the art of eating these tiny lobster like delights Arriving from Louisiana every other day, the meat is succulent and sweet. The sauce that rounds out the small crustacean plays a blissful role. While the habanero peppers create a burning sensation, the garlic and butter rounds out the flavor creating a perfect balance of spicy and sweet in this memorable sauce. Salt and pepper with a drizzle of lime helps diffuse the spicy flavor another notch. Although the spice level created a temporary numbness in my mouth, I continued to crave the intense sauce.

Continuing on my seafood adventure, I order a pound of shrimp ($11.99) on medium heat. The meat is sweet but the highlight is sucking the roe from the head along with the juices. Another great order are the perfectly cooked clams ($8.99/lb). With a quick dunk into the dipping sauce made mainly with Vietnamese fish sauce, the bi valves display a chewy texture. Although bread would have gone great dipped in the crawfish sauce, Coco’s does not serve any items with starch. For sides, the Louisiana sausage ($.50) is more like a nibble than a side. The one inch link features a fragrant spice that leaves a sweet aftertaste. For a sweet flavor to balance out the spicy dishes, a few bites into the corn ($.50) does the trick. For refreshment, the Lousiana Vodoo beer ($4) delivers a strong note of nutty flavor that pairs very well with the spicy sauces. For a party of 5, the total including tax and tip came out to be $80.

Entrepreneur Interview: Despite having a major in electrical engineering from San Jose State, Lee always knew that her out going personality would be of better use in a restaurant setting than in a cubicle environment. After spending eleven years in the corporate world as a senior production planner, Lee decided to plunge into entrepreneurship. Her corporate company decided to relocate overseas so with her funds from her stock portfolio and severance package, she decided to open the first crawfish restaurant in San Francisco. Despite not having previous experience as a restaurateur, she spent months doing research including tasting crawfish restaurants in Southern California and Texas. As a bootstrap entrepreneur, Lee has been resourceful by hiring her friend and family members for different roles.

Lee hired her friend as public relations person. With the advent of social networking sites, Lee has leveraged her marketing effort with a Myspace Cocoscrawfish page. Additionally, she often takes serious consideration from the reviews she receives from local restaurant review sites such as Yelp.com. Acknowledging that word of mouth is the most effective form of marketing, Lee often responds to the negative critics by inviting them to try her food again.

Restaurant Consultant. I often advise my clients to sell on experience and not on price. Rain Forest Café is a great example. The ambiance creates value for the customer. Coco’s Crawfish needs to create an ambiance that pairs well with the food.

Top 3 Low Cost Upgrades
1. Create a seaside experience. Buy some fishing nets and hang it on the wall. A few life preservers will be great as well.
2. Staff members should wear uniforms that resemble fisherman/woman. Suspenders and boots will add to the theme.
3. Music makes a big difference. Playing reggae music will create a festive environment.

These simple changes will enhance the experience and upgrade from a dull vanilla box restaurant.

Visit Campusfork.com for more food review.
2333 Irving St
(between 24th Ave & 25th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 665-6033
www.myspace.com/cocoscrawfish
Cash Only
Mon-Sun 3:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m
(Price range: $16 +).