Buzzard Billy’s Swamp Shack

We were hungry for seafood and driving through Waco so thought we would stop despite the mixed reviews. Boy are we glad we did. First the place was packed at 4 in the afternoon (always a good sign). We had about a 30 minute wait for an inside table. It was a gorgeous day so outside tables were taking much longer.
To start our meal we decided to have oysters in the half shell. They were fresh, sweet and well cleaned. We also shared a cup of shrimp corn soup. It was thick and had a nice spice. I had the blackened shrimp for my entrée and my husband had the «swamp thing» burger. Both were delicious. I know my shrimp having lived on the Texas coast. This was very tasty. My only complaint was the size of the shrimp. They were ¹⁵⁄₂₀ to the pound for those of you that go to the fish market. The seasoning was spot on and it was served with creamed corn (should have waited and not eaten the soup) and rice. The corn was fantastic.
I did get a taste of my husbands burger. Not much as he inhaled it because it was that good. Big burger with creamy sweet coleslaw, jalapeño muenster cheese and jalapeño bun.
The views are spectacular from every seat in the house. The décor is fitting for the menu and views. Servers were attentive however service from the kitchen was slow. Probably had to do with the crowd. Floors were a little messy from the turnover of people. Could have been a little cleaner.

The red beans and rice are excellent. The andouille sausage is pretty hot, but good.
The service is pretty good most of the time.
The view of the river is nice. Ask the waitress to bring bread to feed the ducks after the meal.

That was the worst food I have ever had, my husband & I tried the Muffaletta sandwich the bread was super thick, stale & refrigerator cold, the whole sandwich was cold, & the little pile of chopped olives had nothing mixed in with it. My daughter got the Oyster PoBoy, there was so much salt in the batter & the oysters were rotten, & my granddaughter got chicken wings that were not cooked all the way, sent all that back got some burgers & 2 of us ended up getting grilled chicken, sent that back, finally got burgers, they grill them but they were to the point of being burnt & were tasteless, the buns were huge & burgers little, the place is filty dirty & so is the kitchen, the only good thing is they did comp everything, we were there 2 hours just trying to eat lunch.

Nice setting on the banks of the Brazos. Food is very good and portions pretty decent. Alligator dinner will fill you up. Price wise it is fair and not too bad. Being from Round Rock it is a perfect half way point between Austin and Dallas to stop off and refuel. Just off the I35 but not obvious that you are near the Interstate when you get in there.

Nom Nom! They blackened the shrimp for me on the fettuccini even though it doesn’t come that way.

One of my favorite spots when coming through Waco. Good service and decent, casual Cajun dining. Try the shrimp po-​boy sandwich with the jalapeño muenster cheese. The coleslaw is also very tasty!

Service was great, but definitely not authentic Cajun. Lacked Cajun flavor. Crawfish wasn’t fresh. Blackened chicken was good.

First, the place is on the Brazos River which makes for a good ambiance. The restaurant itself has an old cajun theme look from outside that tourists like us would go for. The food is sooo cajun good from the armadillo eggs to the bananas foster and even the strawberry lemonade… I can’t fault anything. Service was good, too! Next time, I’ll try the outside seating.

I came here with my dad and we enjoyed the food so much. Who knew alligator tastes like chicken with a pork texture. Staff was very kind and the atmosphere was welcoming.

Went here on a Meet and Greet it was not that bad. I had a view of the river which was okay. I had the catfish per the recommendation of the person that I was with. The fish appeared frozen and not fresh. It was a generous amount, the service was great though. This place was right off the highway if you blink you will miss it. Maybe I just came on the wrong day or maybe it was just that I was expecting better.

The view wasn’t bad, but what was more entertaining was watching the customers chunk half of the food off their plate to feed whatever was down below in the water. I seriously saw someone throw half his plate off the balcony area. I’m hungry too, throw some at me.
The gator fingers were tender and not too heavily coated with batter, so you could actually taste them. And yes, a little like chicken. My lunch basket of 1 catfish piece and two sides was surprisingly good. For 7.99, it is definitely the most affordable thing on the menu and worth getting. The fish was meaty for catfish, which was nice because I wasn’t just eating fried batter. Overall, not a bad place other than the prices for the other items being a little high. I would say it’s better than Razoos if you’re in the area looking for a cajun/​seafood place.

Solid eating. Got an awesome steak, and had to try the alligator fingers appetizer. The old cliché holds true — tasted like chicken! Nice view too of that bridge that lights up neon colors at night. Came in with a big group and the service was solid. I’ll be back for sure next time I’m in town.

Last time I was at this place was back in 1994 at their old location. I was in Waco getting my car services and just had to come check it out again. Every time I think of Waco, I have thought about this place. The food is still awesome, the new building look great and its great to get some great service. I will definitely suggest the fried alligator, it is moist and NO it doesn’t taste like chicken, it has its own unique flavor. Even though this place is in Texas, it does have the flair and taste of Luisiana!

Good place to stop for a bite when driving through Waco. It’s right off IH-​35 and across from the new Baylor stadium. I imagine it gets packed on game nights.

Favorite Cajun food in Waco! Been going here for over 8 years! (Yes even way back when it was on University Parks). I love their gumbo (both the Seafood and Chicken/​Andouille) and their Armadillo eggs. Everything on the menu is wonderful though! Love to sit out on the deck watching fishermen and mallards enjoying the Brazos lake life. Y’all go out and have a try! You won’t be disappointed! #buzzardbillys #yum

Been twice now, one very good, one so-​so. The Cajun seafood was good, while the crescent city chicken was pretty so-​so. The big attraction is the atmosphere and the deck overhanging the river. Anyplace with water is great and feeding the ducks was fun. Nice bar and lots of TV’s.

I came to BB’s, armed with friends and low expectations. The food here is decent; nothing terrible, yet nothing exciting. Just a generic Xanax-​sedated version of bold Cajun food. You go more for the atmosphere than you do for the food. Sunset on the Brazos here is quite nice, and they turn on the fancy trailer Christmas lights, which are perfectly in season for me any time of year.
Perhaps the allure of this place is that you can feed ducks. The staff brings a basket of bread so your munchkins (or for people like me that never grow up…) can throw bread to some of the biggest ducks you’ve seen. Watch them fight over it, and if you’re sadistically lucky enough you might see one hop on another in a drowning attempt. If your hush puppies came out too hard, you can chuck those in the river, too.
Ask for Dominic with the Harry Potter tattoo when you come here. I almost never come across service so impressive that I put a server’s name on my Unilocal reviews. This guy seriously wowed us, partly because he was such a genuine person.
Mozzarella sticks– looked yum, but they congealed quickly into an unmelty-​like state even after their romp in the fryer basket.
Angler dinner– this is what my friend ordered. He enjoyed it. Came with fish and shrimp.
Peacemaker po’boy (half shrimp, half oyster) — the bread on this was wonderful. Shrimp were small, and oysters looked fine. For taste, this was surprisingly good though lighter in seasoning than you would expect.
Brownie sundae– coyingly sweet and artificial. It’s just too much.
I can’t exactly say that I would come back again to eat. While the food tasted fine going down, I got really sick with food poisoning the next day, and the only thing I ate differently from everyone was the oyster po’boy. I won’t knock BB’s down any stars since food poisoning’s origin (in general) is just speculation, but it’s enough to scare me into eating fried chicken tenders here if I ever come back with friends.
So… come to chuck hush puppies at ducks. Stay for the beer.

After reading the reviews I can see why the are widely apart or based differently. Living in Houston, I venture to Floyds Cajun often, the food there, everything is phenomenal.
We started off with Alligator bites. Meat was plentiful however the batter was «bland».
I had Crawfish étouffée, it had some bite, but the gravy was thick and kinda bland. A lot more sauce than rice and smaller portion of crawfish than what I’m used to any Cajun place I’ve been.
My buddy had the“Swamp Burger” he really enjoyed it and it came w/​a jalapeño soaked flavor bacon and a «swamp sauce».I ordered one to go.
Service was great and very accommodating.
I’d come back again just wouldn’t go out of my way. Also hard to find but it is across the interstate from the New Baylor football stadium.

It looks like there are 3 Unilocal sites for this restaurant, each with a different address and none of them are sited on the Waco Map correctly. Buzzard Billy’s is the last South bound exit off of Interstate 35 before the Brazos River and sits on the North shore of the river. The freeway/​bridge area has recently been remodeled which may cause some confusion. Take exit 335C/​Martin Luther King Blvd, then follow southbound on the frontage, cross the street, & it is the only driveway before the frontage takes a U-​turn under the freeway. When looking at a Waco map this Cajun restaurant sits on the NW corner of the Brazos River at I-​35. This place is NOT on Texas Ranger Drive which is located on the South East corner of the river and I-​35.
Now. I love this restaurant, but since I live 2 hours away I don’t come as often as I would like. I have been there for dinner only 1 time, but I usually have a late lunch when I am working in the Waco area, dinning between 2−3pm. I always enter with the idea that I will try one of their moderately priced lunches, but always end up getting one of their «House Specialty» dinners. From previous postings you can see that I try to go for unique or unusual foods, things I am less likely to get at home. Though I like Razoo’s & Joe’s Crab Shack which can be found in numerous places close to my home, this place has a MUCH better menu.
In the past I have tried:
* Chicken Czarina (fried chicken smothered in a Creole sauce of shrimp, mushrooms, green onions & Parmesan cheese over rice with vegetables).
* Seafood Eggpland Pirogue (hollowed out eggplant looking like a boat, then filled with crab, shrimp, mushrooms & green onions and smothered by a Cajun au gratin sauce and served with rice and vegatables).
* Chicken Tchoupitoulas (grilled chicken breast seasoned in Cajun spices and served over a hash of diced potatoes, ham, mushrooms and green onions & topped weith a New Orleans Bernaise sauce. served with vegetables and roll).
Yesterday I tried: * Crescent City Chicken which was superb. (fried chicken breast topped with seafood au gratin sauce made of crab, shrimp, mushrooms and green onions then resting on a bed of cubed fried potatoes and served with 2 sides).
I always love their appetizers * Gator Fingers * Armadillo Eggs & * Cajun Nachos.
Please, feel free to check them out at their website:
Good Eating, everyone

Now I’m guessing this is the correct place to place this review but I noticed the address doesn’t agree to what was on my menu as the address I saw was 100 N Interstate Hwy 35 Waco, TX… real close to the new stadium with a patio overhanging the Brazos.
Now we were recommended this place by a friend of ours and I’m glad we went! It was very nice! The food was great and so was the service and atmosphere! The restaurant is situated on the shore of the Brazos and like I said is very close to the new stadium and close to Baylor University!
The kids enjoyed seeing the turtles swimming below the deck and watching customers toss bread to them. It kind of reminded me of the County Line near the Arboretum in Austin!
I highly recommend this place if you’re ever in Waco. The cost is reasonable. The service was very good and the food portions were generous! A great place to entertain family and friends!
We will be back!