For the last couple years, it became clear rather quickly that Cajun seafood joints would claim a high position on DB students’ most frequented restaurant list. The savory appeal of $9 shrimp in the humble plastic bag known to all Cajun fans is irresistible to anybody craving an appetizing cuisine. With that said, it is universally agreed that the nationwide franchise, Boiling Crab and the local Rowland Heights restaurant, Michael’s Cajun Seafood are at the apex of the Cajun hierarchy, and one is often reluctant to choose one over the other. So here, let me help you decide.

Boiling Crab can be summed up as the contemporary definition of youth and style. Truth be told, its workers are dominantly in their early 20s, almost as if the manager scouted his employees straight off of Tumblr. Ornamented with tasteful decor reminiscent of a pier, the attractive interior of BC exudes a strong, lively appeal to hundreds of its daily customers.

I ordered my regular, one pound medium-spicy shrimp of Whole Shabang, drizzled generously with fresh lime juice… and it was perfect. The shrimp was cooked just right, not too hard, not too soft—the equivalent of the pasta term, “al dente.” Its mouthwatering red sauce, marinated with a delicate balance of Cajun ingredients, just brought sheer happiness to my mouth.

And the Cajun fries, which I hail as the most perfect complement to any Cajun entrée, were delicious. The fries were well-seasoned and served in reasonable portions. Heck, even the restaurant’s generic ketchup tasted more delicious than usual with the fries.

On the other hand, Mike’s Cajun suggests a whole different, though not necessarily worse, environment. simplistic wall-ornaments, and its small one-room interior structure may not exactly engender the same youthful vibe as BC’s, but is still appealing to those who are seeking a more tranquil setting in their eateries.

At Mike’s, I ordered the restaurant’s equivalent of what I ate at BC: a pound of spicy Mike’s Style shrimp with a side of Cajun fries. They were okay at best. The shrimp was inconveniently overcooked and hot, making it was difficult for me to even hold and peel the shrimp. It got to the point where I found myself staring vacantly into the steaming bag of shrimps, just waiting for them to cool off. The flesh of the shrimp was hard and unseasoned, probably because the sauce was so chunky with garlic and other spice pieces. My theory is that the sauce’s thickness prevented it from seeping into the underside of the shrimps’ shell.

If you don’t mind covering an extra mile or two, my recommendation is to always choose Boiling Crab (which, on a random note, I found to be quite a misnomer. I haven’t seen a single customer munching on a pound of crab yet) over Mike’s. You might have to wait an extra thirty minutes to get yourself a table, but frankly, it’s all worth it. So yes, it is safe to conclude that Boiling Crab is the mighty champion of the Cajun community.