28/05/2026
My wife, Karen Smith, and I (V Jojo Smith) stopped by Tia Juanita’s last night at 723 Ryan St, Lake Charles, LA 70601. For a Saturday night, it was pretty quiet—but to be fair, we showed up early, before the crowd and before the margaritas started working their magic on everyone else.
According to their website, Tia Juanita’s Fish Camp “offers the true flavors of fresh seafood,” using only fresh fish, lobster, crab, and shrimp. And honestly, they don’t lie—everything really does taste fresh enough that you half expect the shrimp to still be telling sea stories.
We kicked things off with margaritas. I ordered the house frozen margarita with a Corona (because why choose one drink when you can have two at once?), and Karen ordered their scratch margarita—fancy, smooth, and strong enough to make her give me the look after a few sips.
For an appetizer, we got the fried crab cakes. These things were so good I almost didn’t want to share. Perfectly crispy, sitting on top of shredded purple cabbage, as if they were posing for a food magazine. A little spice, a lot of flavor—no complaints from us.
For the main course, I went with their infamous fish tacos, and Karen grabbed the chicken tacos. They arrived as a trio, perfectly arranged in the taco rack like they were made for the spotlight. Seriously, these tacos always look too pretty to eat… but trust me, we still ate them. Between the sauces they bring out and the flavors inside, you can’t go wrong. We never finish everything, so of course we left with a to-go box—tradition is tradition.
At one point during dinner, I found myself nodding to a catchy pop song playing overhead. The bartender caught me and said, “Don’t be shy!” like I was about to start a concert right there. It wasn’t Taylor Swift, but it definitely had that same “oops-I-like-this-more-than-I-should” vibe.
Overall, Tia Juanita’s gave us another great night—good food, good drinks, fun staff, and a vibe chill enough that even my dance head-bobs were encouraged. If you’re in Lake Charles and want great food with a side of fun, this place won’t let you down.
— with Karen Smith at Tia Juanita's Fish Camp, Lake Charles.
